It is time for another Broadway award season! The Tony Awards are my second favorite awards show – just behind the Oscars – because the art of theater is something that I have been a participant in while also appreciating all of the hard work and dedication that goes on behind the scenes. There is so much to Broadway than just flashy costumes and “annoying” songs, and the Tony Awards showcase that every year. This year’s ceremony, to be held on Sunday, June 16th on CBS, will be hosted once again by the amazing Ariana DeBose, marking her third year in a row as host. Shows that are able to be nominated must have opened between April 28th, 2023 until April 25th, 2024. Tuesday morning, the nominations were announced, so here is a rundown of all of the wonderful musicals and plays that have received nominations and will be up for that glorious silver trophy this summer.
Musicals
Hell’s Kitchen – Using the music of Alicia Keys to tell this mid-90s story, teenager Ali is living in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of New York City under the care of her protective mother, but she wants to venture out and make a name for herself and discover who she truly is.
Nominated for:
-Best Musical
-Best Direction of a Musical (Michael Greif)
-Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Maleah Joi Moon)
-Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Brandon Victor Dixon)
-Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Shoshana Bean)
-Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Kecia Lewis)
-Best Book of a Musical (Kristoffer Diaz)
-Best Orchestrations (Tom Kitt and Adam Blackstone)
-Best Choreography (Camille A. Brown)
-Best Scenic Design in a Musical (Robert Brill and Peter Nigrini)
-Best Costume Design in a Musical (Dede Ayita)
-Best Lighting Design in a Musical (Natasha Katz)
-Best Sound Design in a Musical (Gareth Owen)
Illinoise – Based on the Sufjan Stevens album of the same name, friends share the stories of their lives around a campfire as a band performs the music live with them on stage.
Nominated for:
-Best Musical
-Best Orchestrations (Timo Andres)
-Best Choreography (Justin Peck)
-Best Lighting Design in a Musical (Brandon Sterling Baker)
The Outsiders – Based on the S.E. Hinton novel of the same name, a group of “outsiders” fight for survival in Tulsa to find where they belong in the world.
Nominated for:
-Best Musical
-Best Direction of a Musical (Danya Taymor)
-Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Brody Grant)
-Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Joshua Boone)
-Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Sky Lakota-Lynch)
-Best Book of a Musical (Adam Rapp and Justin Levine)
-Best Original Score (Jamestown Revival and Justin Levine)
-Best Orchestrations (Justin Levine, Matt Hinkley, and Jamestown Revival)
-Best Choreography (Rick and Jeff Kuperman)
-Best Scenic Design in a Musical (Amp featuring Tatianna Kahvegian)
-Best Lighting Design in a Musical (Brian MacDevitt and Hana S. Kim)
-Best Sound Design in a Musical (Cody Spencer)
Suffs – Inspired by real-life events, women in the early 20th century begin fighting for the rights of women starting with one major right – voting.
Nominated for:
-Best Musical
-Best Direction of a Musical (Leigh Silverman)
-Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Nikki M. James)
-Best Book of a Musical (Shaina Taub)
-Best Original Score (Shaina Taub)
-Best Costume Design in a Musical (Paul Tazewell)
Water for Elephants – Based on the novel by the same name, after a great loss Jacob hops aboard a train that belongs to a traveling circus, finding a new family.
Nominated for:
-Best Musical
-Best Direction of a Musical (Jessica Stone)
-Best Book of a Musical (Rick Elice)
-Best Choreography (Jesse Robb and Shana Carroll)
-Best Scenic Design in a Musical (Takeshi Kata)
-Best Costume Design in a Musical (David Israel Renoso)
-Best Lighting Design in a Musical (Bradley King and David Bengali)
Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club – In 1930s Berlin, Sally Bowles helps keep the Kit Kat Club raging, trying to distract from what is happening in Germany right outside their doors.
Nominated for:
-Best Revival of a Musical
-Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Eddie Redmayne)
-Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Gayle Rankin)
-Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Steven Skybell)
-Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Bebe Neuwirth)
-Best Scenic Design in a Musical (Tom Scutt)
-Best Costume Design in a Musical (Tom Scutt)
-Best Lighting Design in a Musical (Isabella Byrd)
-Best Sound Design in a Musical (Nick Lidster for Autograph)
Gutenberg! The Musical – Two best friends want to put on a show because they love making shows together, and who better to make a musical about than Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press!
Nominated for:
-Best Revival of a Musical
Merrily We Roll Along – Following composer Franklin and his life with his two best friends, Mary and Charley, and how success and fame may damage your personal life more than you may think.
Nominated for:
-Best Revival of a Musical
-Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Jonathan Groff)
-Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Daniel Radcliffe)
-Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Lindsay Mendez)
-Best Orchestrations (Jonathan Tunick)
-Best Sound Design in a Musical (Kai Harada)
The Who’s Tommy – Based on the concept album of the same name, Tommy witnesses his father commit a crime, his life begins to spiral around him as he begins to feel lost with this major life event.
Nominated for:
-Best Revival of a Musical
The Notebook – Based on the novel of the same name, what seems like just a summer romance turns into a decades-long saga of what it means to have a person in your life, even if they are not in it for periods at a time.
Nominated for:
-Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Dorian Harewood)
-Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Maryann Plunkett)
-Best Book of a Musical
Days of Wine and Roses – A couple living in the 1950s falls in love while trying to fix their broken family.
Nominated for:
-Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Brian D’Arcy James)
-Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Kelli O’Hara)
-Best Original Score (Adam Guettel)
Lempicka – After fleeing the Russian revolution, aristocrat Tamara picks up painting to help her and her husband start their new lives, but when Rafaela comes into her life, she has to choose between what she needs to do and what she’s passionate about.
Nominated for:
-Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Eden Espinosa)
-Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Amber Iman)
-Best Scenic Design in a Musical (Riccardo Hernandez and Peter Nigrini)
Back to the Future – Based on the trilogy of the same name, Marty travels back in time from 1985 to 1955, meeting his parents before they have met each other.
Nominated for:
-Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Roger Bart)
-Best Scenic Design in a Musical (Tim Hatley and Finn Ross)
Monty Python’s Spamalot – With inspiration from the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, this takes the classic Authorian legend and turns it on its head with a satirical take for the ages.
Nominated for:
-Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer)
Here Lies Love – Inspired by real life events, we follow former Filipina First Lady Imelda Marco, her rise to power and the Philippine People Power Revolution.
Nominated for:
-Best Original Score (David Byrne and Fatboy Slim)
-Best Choreography (Annie-B Parson)
-Best Scenic Design in a Musical (David Korins)
-Best Sound Design in a Musical (M.L. Dogg and Cody Spencer)
The Great Gatsby – Based on the novel of the same name, 1920s mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby will stop at nothing when it comes to pursuing his lifelong love, Daisy.
Nominated for:
-Best Costume Design in a Musical (Linda Cho)
Plays
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding – During a hot summer in Harlem, African immigrant hairbraiders working at Jaja’s hair salon have secrets revealed that could impact the tight-knit community that has been created.
Nominated for:
-Best Play
-Best Direction of a Play (Whitney White)
-Best Scenic Design in a Play (David Zinn)
-Best Costume Design in a Play (Dede Ayite)
-Best Sound Design in a Play (Justin Ellington and Stefania Bulbarella)
Mary Jane – A single mother in the worst of circumstances tries her best to beat the odds against her while trying to make a new family and friendships for herself.
Nominated for:
-Best Play
-Best Direction of a Play (Anne Kauffman)
-Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play (Rachel McAdams)
-Best Sound Design in a Play (Leah Gelpe)
Mother Play – Phyllis and her teenage children are moving into a new apartment, where she tells them what they need to do with their lives as they are all trying to survive the changing world.
Nominated for:
-Best Play
-Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play (Jessica Lange)
-Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play (Jim Parsons)
-Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play (Celia Keenan-Bolger)
Prayer for the French Republic – In 1944 Paris, a Jewish couple looks for news of their missing family, and 70 years later those family members ask themselves the same question.
Nominated for:
-Best Play
-Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play (Betsy Aiden)
-Best Lighting Design in a Play (Amith Chandrashaker)
Stereophonic – A new rock band in the mid 1970s is recording a new album that could make or break them.
Nominated for:
-Best Play
-Best Direction of a Play (Daniel Aukin)
-Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play (Will Brill)
-Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play (Eli Gelb)
-Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play (Tom Pecinka)
-Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play (Juliana Canfield)
-Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play (Sarah Pidgeon)
-Best Scenic Design in a Play (David Zinn)
-Best Costume Design in a Play (Enver Chakartash)
-Best Lighting Design in a Play (Jiyoun Chang)
-Best Sound Design in a Play (Ryan Rumery)
-Best Original Score (Will Butler)
-Best Orchestrations (Will Butler and Justin Craig)
Appropriate – The Lafayettes have returned to Arkansas to help deal with the estate of their father, but when the estranged brother Franz unexpectedly shows up, the family is forced to face their hidden secrets.
Nominated for:
-Best Revival of a Play
-Best Direction of a Play (Lila Neugebauer)
-Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play (Sarah Paulson)
-Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play (Corey Stoll)
-Best Scenic Design in a Play (dots)
-Best Costume Design in a Play (Dede Ayite)
-Best Lighting Design in a Play (Jane Cox)
-Best Sound Design in a Play (Bray Poor and Will Pickens)
An Enemy of the People – A doctor of a small town discovers that something will risk the lives of everyone, but those in power do not want him warning the people.
Nominated for:
-Best Revival of a Play
-Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (Jeremy Strong)
-Best Scenic Design in a Play (dots)
-Best Costume Design in a Play (David Zinn)
-Best Lighting Design in a Play (Isabella Byrd)
Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch – A black preacher wants to work at a Georgian church, but their white neighbors have a difficult relationship with its community.
Nominated for:
-Best Revival of a Play
-Best Direction of a Play (Kenny Leon)
-Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (Leslie Odom Jr.)
-Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play (Kara Young)
-Best Scenic Design in a Play (Derek McLane)
-Best Costume Design in a Play (Emilio Sosa)
Uncle Vanya – Sonya and Vanya have lived in isolation on their family farm, but when her parents move in, the family is upended as ghosts of their past are dug up.
Nominated for:
-Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (William Jackson Harper)
Doubt: A Parable – Sister Aloysius is feared by her students and coworkers at her Catholic school, but a potential relationship between a priest and student will force her to try to separate her beliefs and how people perceive her.
Nominated for:
-Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (Liev Schriber)
-Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play (Amy Ryan)
-Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play (Quincy Tyler Bernstine)
Patriots – Following the fall of the Soviet Union, billionaire Boris is now in charge and responsible for finding a successor to President Yeltsin and suggests a deputy mayor: Vladimir Putin.
Nominated for:
-Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (Michael Stuhlbarg)
Grey House – A couple seeks shelter in an isolated cabin after a car crash, but as the snow and nights drag on, they are not sure what in the house is even real.
Nominated for:
-Best Lighting Design in a Play (Natasha Katz)
-Best Sound Design in a Play (Tom Gibbons)
You can check out Playbill.com for more information on theaters, casts, and great behind the scenes interviews for everything Broadway!
