Keys’ ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ Lead Tony Award Nominations
The Alicia Keys musical Hell’s Kitchen and new play Stereophonic, about a fictional band in the 1970s, led the Tony nominations with 13 nominations each.
The Outsiders, a musical based on the 1967 S.E. Hinton book, followed with 12 nominations and the revival of Cabaret, starring Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin, followed with nine nods.
With its 13 noms, Stereophonic set a record for the most Tony nominations for a play, surpassing previous record holder Slave Play’s 12 noms in 2020.
Stereophonic‘s surprisingly strong performance even included a best score nomination despite it being a play.
In the best musical category, Hell’s Kitchen and The Outsiders were nominated, alongside the dance-based show Illionise, with music from Sufjan Stevens’ album and a book by Justin Peck and Jackie Sibblies Drury; Suffs, a musical about the women’s suffrage movement with a score and book by Shaina Taub; and Water for Elephants, based on the 2006 novel, with a book by Rick Elice and score by PigPen Theatre Co. Hell’s Kitchen features songs from Alicia Keys but is only loosely based on her life as a teenager in NYC. The Outsiders features a book by Adam Rapp and Justin Levine and a score by Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay & Zach Chance) and Levine.
With the best musical nomination, Suffs producers Hillary Clinton and Malala Yousafzai have scored their first Tony nods.
In the best play category, Stereophonic was nominated alongside Jocelyn Bioh’s Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, about the hair braiders at a salon in West Harlem; Amy Herzog’s Mary Jane, about a single mother caring for her sick child, starring Rachel McAdams; Paula Vogel’s Mother Play, about the family dynamic between a mother, played by Jessica Lange, and her two children; and Joshua Harmon’s Prayer for the French Republic, about a Jewish family in Paris grappling with their religion amid antisemitism.
Among the bold-faced names who are nominated as producers are Taraji P. Henson (Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, best play); Angelina Jolie and Debra Martin Chase (The Outsiders, best musical); Candy Spelling (Hell’s Kitchen and Suffs, both up for best musical) Frank Marshall, Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw (Water for Elephants, best musical); Leslie Odom Jr., Kenny Leon, Alan Alda, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Samuel L. Jackson, Phylicia Rashad, Nnamdi Asomugha and Kerry Washington (Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch, best revival of a play); Eddie Redmayne (Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, best revival of a musical) and Robert Greenblatt and Jonathan Littman (Merrily We Roll Along, best revival of a musical).
This year’s noms also marked a new record for women directors, with a total of seven nominated across best play direction and best musical direction categories. Three female directors were nominated for best play direction (Lila Neugebauer, Appropriate; Anne Kauffman, Mary Jane; and Whitney White, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding), and four women were nominated for best musical direction (Maria Friedman, Merrily We Roll Along; Leigh Silverman, Suffs; Jessica Stone, Water for Elephants; and Danya Taymor. The Outsiders).
Notable snubs among this year’s nominees included Amber Ruffin’s revival of The Wiz and Steve Carell for his Broadway debut in Uncle Vanya. Meanwhile, a number of high-profile productions only landed one nomination each including The Great Gatsby; Gutenberg! The Musical!, starring Book of Mormon alums Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad; Monty Python’s Spamalot; and The Who’s Tommy.
Tony Award winners Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Renée Elise Goldsberry announced the nominations Tuesday morning, with a few of the big categories announced on CBS beforehand.
The 77th annual Tony Awards will be hosted by Ariana DeBose and will be broadcast live on June 16 from the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York from 8 to 11 p.m. ET/5 to 8 p.m. PT on CBS and streaming live (for subscribers with Showtime) and on demand on Paramount+. A preshow will air on Paramount’s free streaming service PlutoTV and feature select awards presentations.
The Tony nominees were selected by an independent committee of 44 theater professionals appointed by the Tony Awards Administration Committee. 836 Tony voters in the theater community will now vote on the categories.
The 2023-24 Tony Awards eligibility season began April 28, 2023, and ended April 25, 2024.
The Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing.
A full list of nominees follows.
Best Play
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, Author: Jocelyn Bioh
Mary Jane, Author: Amy Herzog
Mother Play, Author: Paula Vogel
Prayer for the French Republic, Author: Joshua Harmon
Stereophonic, Author: David Adjmi
Best Musical
Hell’s Kitchen
Illinoise
The Outsiders
Suffs
Water for Elephants
Best Revival of a Play
Appropriate, Author: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
An Enemy of the People, New Version: Amy Herzog
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 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 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 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
