How could anyone classify his role as Lead? Edna is important and Harvey definitely should have won for this role but his role seems more supporting. Does anyone consider this category Freud?
I believe he won it because a committee of people voted for him to win said award. Maybe you should reach out to those people personally and get their reasoning.
I think you are a total Freud based on this line of questioning though.
"Pardon my prior Mcfee slip. I know how to spell her name. I just don't know how to type it." -Talulah
The award is for the actor, not the role. That's how Dorothy Loudon won for Leading in Annie. And Christine Ebersole won for Leading in 42nd Street. And Daisy Eagan won for Featured in Secret Garden. Nothing different or unusual happened in 2003.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
I know, right? I like felt you know the same way when Henry Fonda won for Mr. Roberts in 1949. I mean the play is called Mr. Roberts OK but it's like more of an ensemble piece, right. And he won over Basil Rathbone...WTF! I mean like who do we talk to about this anyway?????
Unlike many tony winning roles, this one felt like it was in the right category. And frankly, category fraud is usually the other way around - nominating a lead as featured, not, to your point (although I disagree that it applied here) a featured performance as a lead.
And bless his heart, Harvey was still able to bring Edna back to amazing life years later at the Hollywood Bowl Hairspray a couple of summers ago. We were absolutely agog at how much nuance and heart he could convey in that cartoon of a role with the c0ck of a hip or growl of a lyric. AND he could make it all carry to the back row of that vast amphitheater. The girl's still got timing when the role is right. He made the night a total winner for us.
I would say the role of Edna and Corny Collins were the lead "male" roles in the show. As for Fierstein, his best perormance ever was in "Torch Song Trilogy" IMO.