The 77th Annual Tony Awards were held at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center June 16 with Oscar winner Ariana DeBose back for her third consecutive year hosting.
David Adjmi’s Stereophonic, which follows a ’70s rock band
recording its sophomore album, won the Tony for Best Play after making history as the play with the most
Tony nominations ever, at 13. The acclaimed drama won five Tonys in all—the most of any production of the season—also picking up prizes for Scenic Design of a Play, Sound Design of a Play, Direction of a Play, and Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play.
The Outsiders, the new musical based on the S.E. Hinton novel and the Francis Ford Coppola film, picked up the prize for Best Musical. The musical, following Ponyboy Curtis, Johnny Cade, and their chosen family of “outsiders,” earned four Tonys in all: Best Musical, Best Lighting Design of a Musical, Best Sound Design of a Musical, and Best Direction of a Musical.
Four decades after Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Merrily We Roll Along closed quickly during its original run, the musical returned triumphant, earning Best Revival of a Musical for its current, acclaimed production. Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Appropriate was named Best Revival of a Play. Although the family drama has never
been seen on Broadway before, the
11-year-old play was earlier deemed eligible in the Revival of a Play category,
having previously enjoyed numerous productions around the country and
internationally.
Shaina Taub won two Tonys during the star-studded evening evening, for both Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical for Suffs, the new musical about women’s long, brave battle to obtain the right to vote. The songwriter also heads the cast of the production, making her Broadway debut as Alice Paul.
Maleah Joi Moon won the Tony for Best Performance by an Actress in a
Leading Role in a Musical for her Broadway debut performance as Ali in Hell’s Kitchen, the new musical inspired by 15-time Grammy winner Alicia Keys’ life. Jonathan Groff, known for his performances in Spring Awakening, Hamilton, and Glee, won the Tony for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for playing composer Franklin Shepard in the Merrily revival.
Jeremy Strong won the Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play Tony for his performance as Dr. Thomas Stockmann in the revival of An Enemy of the People, while Sarah Paulson
won the Tony for Best Performance by an Actress in a
Leading Role in a Play for playing Tori, who is forced to confront her resentment towards her younger brothers, in Jacobs-Jenkins’ Appropriate.
Will Brill was awarded the Tony for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play for playing Reg in Stereophonic, while a visibly moved Kara Young, in her third consecutive Tony nomination, nabbed the award for her comedic work as Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins in the Broadway revival of Ossie Davis’ Purlie Victorious. In the Featured Role categories for musicals, awards went to two other first-time winners: Daniel Radcliffe for playing Charley Kringas in the hit revival of Merrily We Roll Along and Kecia Lewis for her dynamic performance as piano instructor and mentor Miss Liza Jane in Hell’s Kitchen.
Director prizes went to Danya Taymor and Daniel Aukin for their direction of, respectively, the new musical The Outsiders and the studio recording-themed Stereophonic.
In addition to the performances from the nominated musicals and musical revivals, the CBS portion also included a rousing version of the Alicia Keys hit “Empire State of Mind,” performed by the Grammy winner; Maleah Joi Moon, who plays Keys in Hell’s Kitchen; and Rapper Jay-Z, who co-wrote the song. Brian Stokes Mitchell, Bebe Neuwirth, Audra McDonald, and host DeBose also led a tribute to the late entertainment icon Chita Rivera, the multiple Tony winner who passed away earlier this year. And, Nicole Scherzinger, who will make her Broadway debut later this season in the revival of Sunset Boulevard, performed “What I Did for Love” during the annual In Memoriam segment remembering those lost during the past year.
The Tony Awards: Act One, hosted by Julianne Hough and
Utkarsh Ambudkar, aired on Pluto TV at 6:30 PM ET. Leading the pack of
winners in the first portion of the show were The Outsiders, which picked up early awards for Best Sound Design and Best Lighting Design of a Musical, and Stereophonic, winning Tonys for Best Sound Design and Best Scenic Design of a Play.
Winners of the 2024 Tony Awards follow:
Best Musical
Hell’s Kitchen
Illinoise
**WINNER The Outsiders
Suffs
Water for Elephants
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Brody Grant, The Outsiders
**WINNER 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
**WINNER 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 Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Betsy Aidem, Prayer for the French Republic
Jessica Lange, Mother Play
Rachel McAdams, Mary Jane
**WINNER Sarah Paulson, Appropriate
Amy Ryan, Doubt: A Parable
Best Revival of a Musical
Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
Gutenberg! The Musical!
**WINNER Merrily We Roll Along
The Who’s Tommy
Best Play
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding
Mary Jane
Mother Play
Prayer for the French Republic
**WINNER Stereophonic
Best Revival of a Play
**WINNER Appropriate
An Enemy of the People
Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Adam Guettel, Days of Wine and Roses
David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, Here Lies Love
Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance) and Justin Levine, The Outsiders
Will Butler, Stereophonic
**WINNER Shaina Taub, Suffs
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
**WINNER Kecia Lewis, Hell’s Kitchen
Lindsay Mendez, Merrily We Roll Along
Bebe Neuwirth, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
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
**WINNER Daniel Radcliffe, Merrily We Roll Along
Steven Skybell, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
Best Direction of a Musical
Maria Friedman, Merrily We Roll Along
Michael Greif, Hell’s Kitchen
Leigh Silverman, Suffs
Jessica Stone, Water for Elephants
**WINNER Danya Taymor, The Outsiders
Best Direction of a Play
**WINNER 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 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
**WINNER Kara Young, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
**WINNER Will Brill, Stereophonic
Eli Gelb, Stereophonic
Jim Parsons, Mother Play
Tom Pecinka, Stereophonic
Corey Stoll, Appropriate
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
**WINNER Jeremy Strong, An Enemy of the People
Michael Stuhlbarg, Patriots
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
**WINNER Cody Spencer, 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
**WINNER Ryan Rumery, Stereophonic
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Isabella Byrd, An Enemy of the People
Amith Chandrashaker, Prayer for the French Republic
Jiyoun Chang, Stereophonic
**WINNER 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
**WINNERS Brian MacDevitt and Hana S. Kim, The Outsiders
Best Choreography
Annie-B Parson, Here Lies Love
Camille A. Brown, Hell’s Kitchen
Rick Kuperman and Jeff Kuperman, The Outsiders
**WINNER Justin Peck, Illinoise
Jesse Robb and Shana Carroll, Water for Elephants
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
**WINNER 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
**WINNER Tom Scutt, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
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
**WINNER Jonathan Tunick, Merrily We Roll Along
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Dede Ayite, Hell’s Kitchen
**WINNER Linda Cho, The Great Gatsby
David Israel Reynoso, Water for Elephants
Tom Scutt, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
Paul Tazewell, Suffs
Best Costume Design of a Play
Dede Ayite, Appropriate
**WINNER 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 Book of a Musical
Kristoffer Diaz, Hell’s Kitchen
Bekah Brunstetter, The Notebook
Adam Rapp and Justin Levine, The Outsiders
**WINNER Shaina Taub, Suffs
Rick Elice, Water for Elephants
****
Tony tally:
Stereophonic: 5
Merrily We Roll Along: 4
The Outsiders: 4
Appropriate: 3
Hell’s Kitchen: 2
Suffs: 2
Cabaret: 1
An Enemy of the People: 1
The Great Gatsby: 1
Illinoise: 1
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding: 1
Purlie Victorious: 1
