“Hell’s Kitchen,” a musical inspired by Alicia Keys’ teenage years in New York City, and “Stereophonic,” the story of a rock group in danger of splintering, dominated the 2024 Tony Awards nominations.
The two shows, one focused on a pre-celebrity pop titan coming into her talent and the other examining a darker, druggier side of the music industry, picked up a leading 13 nods. They were followed closely by “The Outsiders,” a musical adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s coming-of-age novel and the Francis Ford Coppola film of the same name, which earned 12 nominations. “Hell’s Kitchen” and “The Outsiders” will duke it out for best musical, while “Stereophonic” was nominated for best play.
Among the contenders for best play revival, “Appropriate,” a scabrous portrait of a dysfunctional family that uses a fading plantation as a backdrop, picked up eight nominations. “Merrily We Roll Along,” which revived one of Stephen Sondheim’s most notorious flops to ecstatic reviews and big box office returns, earned seven nominations, as did “Water for Elephants,” a musical re-imagining of the best-selling romantic novel and film. “Merrily” will compete in the best musical revival category, while “Water for Elephants’ is up for best musical.
Several major Hollywood stars were included among the year’s nominees. Daniel Radcliffe earned his first Tony nomination for his supporting turn in “Merrily We Roll Along,” while Eddie Redmayne, who already has an Oscar and a Tony on his mantelpiece, was recognized for his performance as the malevolent emcee in “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club.” The “Cabaret” revival was a sensation in London’s West End and has commanded sky-high ticket prices here, but American critics were more mixed. Still, the show earned an impressive nine nominations, including a nod for best musical revival and for Redmayne’s co-star Gayle Rankin.
Rachel McAdams, who broke hearts as a mother dealing with her child’s health crisis, was nominated as best actress in a play in “Mary Jane,” which marks her Broadway debut. Sarah Paulson and Jessica Lange, two film and television stars who are seen frequently on stage, were also nominated in lead actress in a play for their work in “Appropriate” and “Mother Play,” respectively. “Succession” star Jeremy Strong and Liev Schreiber of “Ray Donovan” fame received leading actor in a play nods for two revivals, “Enemy of the People” and “Doubt.” And Schreiber’s co-star Amy Ryan, who was a last-minute replacement for an ailing Tyne Daly, taking the stage after a few days of rehearsal, was nominated for her courageous work as a crusading nun in “Doubt.” In a different take on clerical life, Leslie Odom Jr., a previous best actor in a musical winner for “Hamilton,” is up for leading actor in a play for his role as a scheming preacher in “Purlie Victorious.”
In addition to “Hell’s Kitchen,” “Water for Elephants” and “The Outsiders,” the best musical race includes “Suffs,” a historical epic about the women’s suffrage movement, and “Illinoise,” a dance review set to Sufjan Stevens’ music. “Merrily We Roll Along” and “Cabaret” are up for best musical revival, as are “Gutenberg! The Musical!” and “The Who’s Tommy.”
In the best play race, “Stereophonic,” which was written by David Adjmi, will face off against Amy Herzog’s “Mary Jane,” Paula Vogel’s “Mother Play,” Jocelyn Bioh’s “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding” and Joshua Harmon’s “Prayer for the French Republic.” Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ “Appropriate,” widely considered the show to beat, was nominated for play revival along with Ossie Davis’ “Purlie Victorious” and Henrik Ibsen’s “Enemy of the People,” which Herzog adapted in a new translation.
It’s been a frenetic period on Broadway as shows rushed to open before April 25, the eligibility cut off for nominations. That led to the premieres of roughly a dozen shows over the course of two weeks, with the likes of “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club,” “Patriots,” “Uncle Vanya,” “Hell’s Kitchen,” “Suffs” and “Illinoise” all debuting in quick succession. But winning a major Tony Award can mark the difference between an extended engagement and a truncated run — just ask previous victors, such as last season’s “Kimberly Akimbo” or 2022’s “A Strange Loop,” both of which were able to stick around for months after winning the top prize for new musicals.
Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Renée Elise Goldsberry, previous Tony winners, announced the nominations on Tuesday morning. The Tony Awards, now in their 77th year, will be hosted by Ariana DeBose, and will be held in the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City on June 16.
The broadcast will air on CBS and will stream on Paramount+ — both companies share a parent company in Paramount Global. It will be DeBose’s third time hosting the awards.
Best Play
- “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding”
- “Mary Jane”
- “Mother Play”
- “Prayer for the French Republic”
- “Stereophonic”
Best Musical
- “Hell’s Kitchen”
- “Illinoise”
- “The Outsiders”
- “Suffs”
- “Water for Elephants”
Best Revival of a Play
- “Appropriate”
- “An Enemy of the People”
- “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch”
Best Revival of a Musical
- “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club”
- “Gutenberg! The Musical!”
- “Merrily We Roll Along”
- “The Who’s Tommy”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
- William Jackson Harper, “Uncle Vanya”
- Leslie Odom, Jr., “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch”
- Liev Schreiber, “Doubt: A Parable”
- Jeremy Strong, “An Enemy of the People”
- Michael Stuhlbarg, “Patriots”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
- Betsy Aidem, “Prayer for the French Republic”
- Jessica Lange, “Mother Play”
- Rachel McAdams, “Mary Jane”
- Sarah Paulson, “Appropriate”
- Amy Ryan, “Doubt: A Parable”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
- Brody Grant, “The Outsiders”
- Jonathan Groff, “Merrily We Roll Along”
- Dorian Harewood, “The Notebook”
- Brian d’Arcy James, “Days of Wine and Roses”
- Eddie Redmayne, “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
- Eden Espinosa, “Lempicka”
- Maleah Joi Moon, “Hell’s Kitchen”
- Kelli O’Hara, “Days of Wine and Roses”
- Maryann Plunkett, “The Notebook”
- Gayle Rankin, “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
- Will Brill, “Stereophonic”
- Eli Gelb, “Stereophonic”
- Jim Parsons, “Mother Play”
- Tom Pecinka, “Stereophonic”
- Corey Stoll, “Appropriate”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
- Quincy Tyler Bernstine, “Doubt: A Parable”
- Juliana Canfield, “Stereophonic”
- Celia Keenan-Bolger, “Mother Play”
- Sarah Pidgeon, “Stereophonic”
- Kara Young, “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
- Roger Bart, “Back To The Future: The Musical”
- Joshua Boone, “The Outsiders”
- Brandon Victor Dixon, “Hell’s Kitchen”
- Sky Lakota-Lynch, “The Outsiders”
- Daniel Radcliffe, “Merrily We Roll Along”
- Steven Skybell, “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
- Shoshana Bean, “Hell’s Kitchen”
- Amber Iman, “Lempicka”
- Nikki M. James, “Suffs”
- Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, “Monty Python’s Spamalot”
- Kecia Lewis, “Hell’s Kitchen”
- Lindsay Mendez, “Merrily We Roll Along”
- Bebe Neuwirth, “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club”
Best Book of a Musical
- “Hell’s Kitchen” Kristoffer Diaz
- “The Notebook” Bekah Brunstetter
- “The Outsiders” Adam Rapp and Justin Levine
- “Suffs” Shaina Taub
- “Water for Elephants” Rick Elice
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
- “Days of Wine and Roses.” Music & Lyrics: Adam Guettel
- “Here Lies Love.” Music: David Byrne and Fatboy Slim. Lyrics: David Byrne
- “The Outsiders.” Music & Lyrics: Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance) and Justin Levine
- “Stereophonic.” Music & Lyrics: Will Butler
- “Suffs.” Music & Lyrics: Shaina Taub
Best Scenic Design of a Play
- dots, “Appropriate”
- dots, “An Enemy of the People”
- Derek McLane, “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch”
- David Zinn, “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding”
- David Zinn, “Stereophonic”
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
- AMP featuring Tatiana Kahvegian, “The Outsiders”
- Robert Brill and Peter Nigrini, “Hell’s Kitchen”
- Takeshi Kata, “Water for Elephants”
- David Korins, “Here Lies Love”
- Riccardo Hernández and Peter Nigrini, “Lempicka”
- Tim Hatley and Finn Ross, “Back To The Future: The Musical”
- Tom Scutt, “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club”
Best Costume Design of a Play
- Dede Ayite, “Appropriate”
- Dede Ayite, “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding”
- Enver Chakartash, “Stereophonic”
- Emilio Sosa, “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch”
- David Zinn, “An Enemy of the People”
Best Costume Design of a Musical
- Dede Ayite, “Hell’s Kitchen”
- Linda Cho, “The Great Gatsby”
- David Israel Reynoso, “Water for Elephants”
- Tom Scutt, “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club”
- Paul Tazewell, “Suffs”
Best Lighting Design of a Play
- Isabella Byrd, “An Enemy of the People”
- Amith Chandrashaker, “Prayer for the French Republic”
- Jiyoun Chang, “Stereophonic”
- Jane Cox, “Appropriate”
- Natasha Katz, “Grey House”
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
- Brandon Stirling Baker, “Illinoise”
- Isabella Byrd, “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club”
- Natasha Katz, “Hell’s Kitchen”
- Bradley King and David Bengali, “Water for Elephants”
- Brian MacDevitt and Hana S. Kim, “The Outsiders”
Best Sound Design of a Play
- Justin Ellington and Stefania Bulbarella, “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding”
- Leah Gelpe, “Mary Jane”
- Tom Gibbons, “Grey House”
- Bray Poor and Will Pickens, “Appropriate”
- Ryan Rumery, “Stereophonic”
Best Sound Design of a Musical
- M.L. Dogg and Cody Spencer, “Here Lies Love”
- Kai Harada, “Merrily We Roll Along”
- Nick Lidster for Autograph, “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club”
- Gareth Owen, “Hell’s Kitchen”
- Cody Spencer, “The Outsiders”
Best Direction of a Play
- Daniel Aukin, “Stereophonic”
- Anne Kauffman, “Mary Jane”
- Kenny Leon, “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch”
- Lila Neugebauer, “Appropriate”
- Whitney White, “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding”
Best Direction of a Musical
- Maria Friedman, “Merrily We Roll Along”
- Michael Greif, “Hell’s Kitchen”
- Leigh Silverman, “Suffs”
- Jessica Stone, “Water for Elephants”
- Danya Taymor, “The Outsiders”
Best Choreography
- Annie-B Parson, “Here Lies Love”
- Camille A. Brown, “Hell’s Kitchen”
- Rick Kuperman and Jeff Kuperman, “The Outsiders”
- Justin Peck, “Illinoise”
- Jesse Robb and Shana Carroll, “Water for Elephants”
Best Orchestrations
- Timo Andres, “Illinoise”
- Will Butler and Justin Craig, “Stereophonic”
- Justin Levine, Matt Hinkley and Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance), “The Outsiders”
- Tom Kitt and Adam Blackstone, “Hell’s Kitchen”
- Jonathan Tunick, “Merrily We Roll Along”
