We need to see more – by which we mean ALL – of the Broadway musicals and plays! That was our conclusion after learning about the 2024 Tony Award® nominees.
The nominating committee for the 77th Tonys® gave nods to 28 Broadway productions, so we’d better start camping out in Times Square. That’s the only way we’ll have a chance to see every nominated show before the awards ceremony on Sunday, June 16.
If we do give up our day jobs to become full-time theatre fans (which is growing more tempting by the day), maybe we can attend the Tonys® at their new venue, the David H. Koch Theater in Lincoln Center. If not, then we can watch the ceremony live on either CBS or Paramount+ with Showtime at 8 pm ET.
Before we pack our bags, here’s everything you need to know about the 2024 Tonys®!
Host
For the third year in a row, the event’s host is the charming, multi-talented Ariana DeBose. She first hosted the Tonys® in 2022, simultaneously earning not only an Emmy® nomination for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) but also an invitation to host again in 2023.
An original cast member for Hamilton, DeBose earned a Tony® nomination in 2018 as a supporting actress in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. Four years later, she won the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award® for her performance in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story.
Could this rising star someday reach EGOT status? With her Oscar® and auspicious nominations, she might be on her way!
Guests of Honor
The Tony® organizers announced some award winners in advance. They will be honored guests during the festivities.
Most prestigiously, the 2024 Special Tony Award® for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre will go to both director Jack O’Brien and writer-director George C. Wolfe.
O’Brien won Best Director Tonys® for Hairspray in 2003, Henry IV in 2004, and The Coast of Utopia, a nine-hour marathon, in 2007. Since retiring from San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre, where he was Artistic Director from 1981-2007, O’Brien has published two books. Jack in the Box; or, How to Goddam Direct shows that he’s a man after our own heart. What’s more, he’s a dog lover. We found a pet photo here!
Wolfe has won five Tonys®, include Best Director awards for Angels in America: Millennium Approaches in 1993 and Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk in 1996. Also an acclaimed filmmaker, Wolfe directed the Emmy® winner Lackawanna Blues (2005) and Oscar® winner Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020). Fun fact: the New York Landmarks Conservancy designated Wolfe as a “living landmark.” That’s how important he is to Broadway, NYC, and the USA!
The 2024 Isabelle Stevenson Award for philanthropy will go to actor-singer Billy Porter. After winning a Tony® and Grammy® for playing Lola in Kinky Boots (2013), Porter earned a Lead Actor Emmy® in 2019 for Pose and Best Musical Tony® (as producer) in 2022 for A Strange Loop. He will receive the Stevenson Award for his volunteer work with The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and other organizations.
The 2024 Tony® Honors for Excellence in the Theatre will go to set designer Wendall K. Harrington, arts executive Colleen Jennings-Roggensack, and arts administrator Judith O. Rubin. Two organizations will be recognized, as well: the Dramatists Guild Foundation, which gives grants to writers and composers, and the Friedman Health Center for the Performing Arts, which provides high-quality care while navigating Broadway workers’ frequently changing health insurance plans.
The 2024 Special Tony® Awards will go to three professionals. After a spectacular Broadway debut, comedian Alex Edelman recorded Just for Us for HBO and became one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2024. Sound designer Abe Jacob worked with rockstars including Jimi Hendrix and then created sounds for Hair, Chicago, Evita, Cats, and many other shows. Actress and hair designer Nikiya Mathis brought equitable hairstyling for Black performers to Broadway, most recently in Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, a 2024 Tony®-nominated play.
Award Nominees
Even one nomination is an honor, but we’ll start with the most nominated productions. They are all candidates for “Best of” Awards in their categories.
The most nominated new musical was Hell’s Kitchen (13 nominations). It tells the story of Grammy®-winner Alicia Keys, who began her ascent to superstardom at age 17.
The other Best Musical nominees are Illinoise, The Outsiders, Suffs, and Water for Elephants.
The most nominated musical revival was Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club (9 nominations), which had its first Broadway run from 1966-1969. This classic is set at a burlesque club in Berlin around 1930.
The other Best Musical Revival nominees are Gutenberg, Merrily We Roll Along, and The Who’s Tommy.
Tied with Hell’s Kitchen for most nominations overall, Stereophonic is the most nominated play. It is another origin story from the music world, a drama about a fractious band at a recording studio in 1976.
The other Best Play nominees are Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, Mary Jane, Mother Play, and Prayer for the French Republic.
The most nominated play revival was Appropriate (8 nominations), which originally opened off Broadway in 2014. In Appropriate, a reunion of three siblings at their deceased father’s home disturbs the Arkansas summer with inappropriate sounds of conflict.
The other Best Play Revival nominees are An Enemy of the People and Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Best Director candidates come from the same musicals and plays. For musicals, they are Michael Greif (Hell’s Kitchen), Maria Friedman (Merrily We Roll Along), Danya Taymor (The Outsiders), Leigh Silverman (Suffs), and Jessica Stone (Water for Elephants). For plays, they are Lila Neugebauer (Appropriate), Whitney White (Jaja’s African Hair Braiding), Anne Kauffman (Mary Jane), Kenny Leon (Purlie Victorious), and Daniel Aukin (Stereophonic).
Among the 43 acting nominees, we were excited to recognize names of performers we know and love for their work onscreen. We’ll list just a few before wrapping up our coverage of nominees.
Two-time Oscar® winner Jessica Lange (Tootsie, Blue Sky) was nominated for her leading role in Mother Play. Emmy® winner Sarah Paulson (American Crime Story) was nominated for her leading role in Appropriate. Two-time Emmy® winner Bebe Neuwirth (Cheers) was nominated for her supporting role in Cabaret.
Oscar® winner Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything) was nominated for his leading role in Cabaret. Emmy® winner Jeremy Strong (Succession) was nominated for his leading role in An Enemy of the People. Leslie Odom, Jr., (Hamilton) was nominated for his leading role in Purlie Victorious.
By this point, we’ve covered 14 of 26 award categories, barely scraping the surface of the eight acting categories. We must stop here, though, if we want to catch a plane to NYC!
Break a Leg, Everyone!
We hope we’ve inspired you to learn more about this season’s Broadway productions.
Make sure to watch the Tonys® live by tuning in to CBS or signing into Paramount+ with Showtime on Sunday, June 16, at 8 pm ET. Before then, see as many plays or musicals as you can!
Finally, please join us in thanking the Tony® organizers and all of Broadway for their talent, effort, and creativity!
