Tony Awards
When Will Brill got home after winning his first Tony award, he was a little, well….spooked. “I was in bed and somebody texted me like, ‘How are you feeling?’” Brill recalls. “And I was suddenly hit with like, There’s a Tony in this house. It can’t be seen. It is lurking! So weird.”
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A week after winning best featured actor in a play for his performance in Stereophonic, Brill admits it still “feels a little weird.” His portrayal of Reg – the hilarious, endearing, and often frighteningly coke-and-booze-addled bass player in Stereophonic’s fictional 1970s rock band on the verge of mega stardom – made Brill the only cast member from the most-Tony-nominated-ever play to bring home hardware. But on Tony night, Brill made sure to give his full cast its due: in his delightfully off-the-cuff acceptance speech, he asked all his castmates to stand up for an ovation (he also, memorably, thanked his therapist).
Like his fellow Stereophonic cast members, Brill wasn’t an experienced, trained musician before joining the ensemble. But acquiring the skill to convincingly play one onstage (and perform the play’s Tony-nominated score by Will Butler there) was the kind of deep-dive experience Brill has long relished as an actor: His wide-ranging roles have included Dr. Astrov, in the hyper-intimate off-Broadway production of Uncle Vanya that took place in a private New York loft last year, as well as Roy Cohn in Showtime’s miniseries Fellow Travelers, and the peddler Ali Hakim in the 2019 Broadway reimagining of Oklahoma!.
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As Stereophonic continues its run on Broadway through Jan. 5, 2025, Brill spoke to Billboard about adding Reg to that list, as well as about his action-packed Tony night.
Have you started to come to terms with cohabitating with your Tony?Sort of… I mean, people keep like asking, “Where are you going to put it?” I don’t know…. wherever it…looks good? Wherever it fits? Like, I had to put my bike in this one corner because that’s where it fit. I don’t have a lot of art in my house, and now I have this thing I’m like, obligated to display.
You have to put it somewhere unexpected, like the bathroom.
Totally. My idea, which I believe is a step too far, was to put it in the toilet. So it’s really a surprise to anybody who is using the bathroom. I have a buddy who keeps his in the fridge. And I heard that Ian McKellen keeps his many awards on his roof so that they can “rest.” I don’t know what that means, but that’s allegedly what he does.
Before we discuss anything else, I need the story of your ensemble for Tonys night: the pleats, the jewelry… it was a look!
I was working with a stylist, Savannah White, and we had bounced around a lot of ideas of stores and designers and we were largely on the same page: Vivienne Westwood, Thom Browne, Commes des Garcons, and Issey Miyake, who I didn’t really know of until he passed. I just saw an article about him and started Googling him and was really moved by his aesthetic.
So then Savannah came back with the two looks [of Miyake’s] that I wound up wearing. I was like, “Oh my God, this is so unlike anything I’ve seen, and I have to imagine it’s going to be totally unlike what anybody else is going to be wearing.” I wanted to be wearing something that wasn’t following a gender binary, and I feel like Issey’s stuff hangs on any human body beautifully. I felt really lucky that we sort of nailed it. Everything was sort of flowy and weird and off-kilter — and few straight lines except for the pleats themselves. It was really a fun fit.
Will Brill accepts the Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play award for Stereophonic onstage during The 77th Annual Tony Awards at David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on June 16, 2024 in New York City.
Theo Wargo/Getty Images
Your speech was iconic, to say the least. When you thanked your therapist, it became one of the most-memed moments of the night. How did you hear about that?
My PR person came up to me and was like, “The internet loved your speech.” And I was like, “Oh, that’s so nice. I just assumed that it was like, either the internet loves your speech or hates your speech — I had no idea that me shouting out my therapist was going to be any kind of a big deal or that shouting out the rest of my cast, for that matter, was going to be a big deal too. But they both sort of showed up everywhere. I got a really sweet text from my therapist that at first was all caps, “HOLY S–T, YOU WON! F–K YEAH!” And then, two minutes later, “Oh my God Will, this is so sweet,” which really made me happy.
You also gave a shoutout to your bass teacher. What was the process of learning the instrument like for you? You really get the physicality and personality of a bass player down, as well as the technical aspects, which seems uniquely challenging.
It was really important for me to look authentic. I had experience learning an instrument for a [project] before — I learned to play 12 songs on the guitar for this David Chase film Not Fade Away, and that’s actually where I met Robbie Mangano, who was in The Grandmothers of Invention and is an astonishing guitar and bass player. He taught me and Jack Huston how to play guitar for the movie.
But it was a different thing; we really just needed to look like we were playing the songs, which were pre-recorded by essentially the E Street Band. We didn’t actually have to play for sound, we just had to look like we knew what we were doing, and there were all sorts of ways to cut around the fact that we didn’t know what we were doing.
So for this show, I called Robbie to help me learn the bass. But Robbie was also weirdly at the intersection of my life where I started to think about sobriety, which is like another huge part of Reg. I got really drunk at a show of Robbie’s, and he wrote me this two-page letter, where he was like, “I’ve seen too many talented people not have the life that they should because they got caught up with drugs and alcohol, and I really believe in you and I count you as a friend and I hope that that would not be something that happened to you.”
At the time I couldn’t hear it, and I actually wound up not talking to him for several years because I was so embarrassed. Years and years later, I got a divorce and then I got sober and then [Stereophonic] came back around. So by the time I called Robbie to start learning the bass again, I was two years sober and got to tell him that he was a big part of that. And he wound up saying to me, “Wow, that’s crazy. I am recently sober too.” It was really crazy and moving. So he’s been a very special touchstone in my life.
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Great bass players especially seem to have this innate comfort in your own skin. Was that natural for you to achieve or more of a journey?
It was a journey, for sure. But what was cool was, when I was a little kid, I thought I was going to be a magician. I would practice card tricks alone in my room for literally 12 hours a day. I didn’t pursue magic because it was too scary to perform in front of people these things that required incredible dexterity. But when I started learning the bass, it triggered this long dormant part of my brain, which was like the joy of doing something dexterous 1000 times alone in your bedroom and losing sleep over it and trying to perfect this one thing and getting closer and closer. So I really felt like I was practicing magic again.
You and your castmates opened for Will Butler at his own actual album release show just a few weeks after previews for Stereophonic started. What was that like?
It was insane. A lot of people took videos with their phones and sent them to me afterward, and I was so embarrassed at how stiff and terrible I was that I was like, “Okay, you don’t have to just get good at the bass, you have to look amazing, you have to be able to dance and play the bass at the same time.” It still never feels like it’s easy, but it’s cool to have audiences come now and say that it looks like it’s easy, because that’s sort of the goal.
From left: Tom Pecinka, Will Brill and Sarah Pidgeon in Stereophonic.
Julieta Cervantes
Were there particular bass players who were models for your portrayal of Reg?
I definitely watched videos of John McVie playing. Will Butler is the only frontman I can think of off the top of my head who also plays bass, and he is so dance-y in his shows — he’s so free, he’s a true wild man on stage, and he was really a big source of inspiration.
I went to see Muna recently, and the band that opened for them [Nova Twins], it was these two British girls playing kind of hardcore music and dressed up sort of like punk-style Raggedy Ann. The bassist would jump around and run around the stage, and I remember thinking like, “I want to get close to that and I want to have that freedom of movement.” Other than that, learning the instrument was so hard and learning the play was so hard that there was not really a lot of room outside your imagination to do extra research.
This seems like such a lightning in a bottle kind of experience for all of you. Has it in any fundamental ways changed what you want from the work you do going forward?
Yeah, for sure — but I think every role I play, to a certain extent, is a reassessment of what I want to do going forward. The ultimate thing that I love about performing and exploring characters is exploring the different the levels of myself that I don’t know completely or understand and by extrapolation exploring the human condition more and more deeply.
I was just talking about this in therapy today, actually. Like, I’m constantly straddling a line: Am I doing justice to myself and the role that I’m playing by putting in an amount of effort that actually does meaningful excavation for myself and for the people coming? Or should I be resting a little bit more, and can the process be easier and more joyful?
I would say the peddler in Oklahoma! was a more joyful than difficult experience for me; probably A Case For The Existence of God was too and probably Fellow Travelers was a little more joyful than it was difficult. And then Uncle Vanya and this have both really ridden on the cusp of joy and difficulty. They have been the most challenging experiences of my life, but also deeply, deeply gratifying.
In a community of multitaskers, Shaina Taub is still most likely one of the busiest people on Broadway. Taub wrote the music, lyrics and book for Suffs, her musical bringing the women who fomented the women’s suffrage movement vividly back to life and firmly out of the history books to which they’ve long been relegated; she’s also one of the show’s stars, playing the central role of movement instigator Alice Paul.
At last week’s Tony Awards, Taub took home the prizes for both original score and book of a musical, and gave a moving televised speech calling out some of the pioneering women who paved the way for her – including both fellow composers and one of her lead producers, Sec. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Shaina Taub as Alice Paul in Suffs.
Joan Marcus
Sitting in her dressing room a little over an hour from showtime on a recent night, the 35-year old Taub is clearly still absorbing her wins, though she admits that the ongoing routine of performing onstage each night has helped keep her grounded. “To have the tangible act of doing the show,” she says, “brings me back to reality in a beautiful way.” (The show’s original Broadway cast recording is currently out on Atlantic Records).
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Below, she speaks to Billboard about Suffs’ long road to Broadway (including its run at New York’s Public Theater in spring of 2022), the status of her next project – writing the lyrics for Elton John’s music in the The Devil Wears Prada musical (set to open at London’s Dominion theater in July prior to a West End transfer in October) – and more.
The world of theater often feels like a more progressive one than TV or film — but as you pointed out in your acceptance speech it’s still a fairly small group of women composers who are getting recognition of this level. What’s been your experience?
I’ve been so blessed to have been taught well for so long by so many brilliant women. Elizabeth Swados — who’s a legend of theater, composer, educator — I got to be in her class [at NYU], and she was the first person who pushed me off the cliff to write a song before that was something I thought I could even do. And Jeanine [Tesori] especially is just a titan of composing in our field for any gender. She’s been so generous — she just let me come and play crappy first drafts, and gave me essential devastating feedback, tough love and real-talk in moments when I’ve had questions about the business and about the craft. Georgia Stitt too, who put together Maestra, which is such an amazing community for women and non-binary folks making theater. Kristen Anderson-Lopez has been so kind.
A lot has been made this season of me being the second woman to write and star in a musical but the first one is Micki Grant, an incredible artist I sadly never got to meet whose legacy should be given a lot more attention. We’ve always been here, and so many women are my peers on Broadway right now: Rebekah Greer Melocik is a good friend, and her work for How to Dance in Ohio was so gorgeous; Kate Kerrigan with The Great Gatsby, she and I have come up together; Bekah [Brunstetter] and Ingrid [Michaelson] for The Notebook. Anais Mitchell – whose Hadestown I was in off-Broadway — we’re both Vermont girls and she’s such a confidante. Everyone is just so forthcoming; it’s a real sisterhood.
You clearly did work on Suffs between the Public and Broadway runs. How did you come to terms with what needed editing? Was there a moment between the runs of reset for you?
There really wasn’t a lot of a moment of reset. There was no back in the saddle – we kinda stayed in the saddle. I had demos of new ideas for songs from May 2022 that are now in the show on Broadway. I knew that it wasn’t finished, and there’s just that intel you get from a first production that you can’t get in a workshop or reading because the audience tells you everything and they tell you fast. It took a lot of willpower to keep going; I’m so proud of what we did downtown, and we had so much love for the show and also a lot of critique of the show. There were times that got me down, but any sense of feeling down pretty quickly transformed into almost this adrenaline, this sense of being underestimated that put me on fire to be like, we’re gonna finish this show, dammit!
From left: Jenn Colella, Kim Blanck, Shaina Taub, Nikki M James and Ally Bonino at Suffs‘ first preview performance.
Jenny Anderson / @jennyandersonphoto
What kind of changes did you know you had to make?
There were two driving principles to my revision. More humanity, less history: just making sure everything was as character- and emotion-forward as possible, with all the historical detail I fell in love with taking a bit more of a backseat. And then I kind of made a promise to myself that I was gonna spend more time sitting at the piano than the computer, trying to let my impulses be visceral, let me pull from my musical heart first and see where that would lead.
Did you always intend to perform in Suffs?
I always wanted to perform in it. I’ve always performed in my work — I find writing and performing feed each other. But I initially thought I’d play Doris, the young intern type character who documents everything. It sort of felt like the Mark in Rent character and I’ve always wanted to play Mark in a gender-flipped Rent. [Laughs.] But Alice was a difficult nut to crack, finding her inner life. She didn’t leave that much of a paper trail in terms of her emotional life.
And it was also about finding Alice’s sense of humor. I got a great note from our orchestrator, Michael Starobin, who came to see me play at Joe’s Pub early last year and was like, “I wish there as more of that girl in Alice – that self-deprecation and humor.” It was such a great note, and I think it helped me make her come alive.
What has Sec. Clinton been like as a producer?
She’s just been such a cheerleader and a warm, supportive presence — how vocal she’s been in her support of us before reviews, nominations, awards, just her vote of confidence in us and that we could see through this thing we started at the Public, that gave me faith in the dark and hard moments of tech and previews and the “Oh boy, we’re gonna go face the music again [on Broadway], what are people gonna say…” Knowing she believed in us so wholeheartedly that she was willing to attach her name and her legacy to this piece of art, that gave me confidence I needed in really vulnerable moments.
Suffs producers Rachel Sussman, Sec. Clinton, and Jill Furman, and co-producer Morgan Steward.
Jenny Anderson / @jennyandersonphoto
Can we please discuss her amazing Tony night caftan? It was definitely one of the biggest stories of the night…
I loved it. She looked gorgeous as always, and she seemed to me to be so liberated. And to see her be so celebrated by the theater community with that standing ovation — it was great to see her given her due. She’s a theater lover, and beyond just being an enthusiast I think she understands the importance of theater to the public discourse. She gets that it matters beyond just entertainment; it’s a public common good that should be funded, that should be championed, and that’s rare in a leader of her stature. New York theater loves HRC!
Have you been juggling Devil Wears Prada work with all this too? Are there lessons you’ve learned in the editing process for Suffs that you’re finding are applicable there?
I mean, that’s another long and winding road — we’re going through a lot of changes, and it’s exciting. I was actually just texting with the creative team right now! I’ve been working on that show for six years, it’s gone through so many permutations, and yet we keep trying to figure it out. It’s such a fundamentally different experience [from Suffs] in that I’m collaborating so much, writing lyrics for a composer who’s worked lyrics-first for his whole 50-plus-years songwriting career. That’s really strengthened me as a songwriter, to write lyrics first and lyrics only. It’s gotten me excited for my projects after this to be a little more in the music seat, after this lyric-honing time.
It’s crazy with theater, you can never plan these things in advance. I never imagined it would be this insane overlapping season, but luckily we got to do a lot of amazing work last year. Elton and I wrote a few new songs, so it’s on its way.
One of the most exciting moments of the 2024 Tony Awards on Sunday night (June 16) was when the cast of Hell’s Kitchen took the stage to perform a medley of songs from the musical, with Alicia Keys on the piano for a crowd-riling performance of her 2009 hit, “Empire State of Mind.” Halfway through […]
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The 2024 Tony Awards took place on Sunday (June 16), and the musical category was stacked with productions beloved by fans and critics.
Hell’s Kitchen, Water for Elephants, Illinoise, The Outsiders and Suffs were some of the award-winning and nominated musicals at the 77th annual Tony Awards. (Missed the show? Here’s how to watch this year’s Tony Awards for free.)
With the weather getting nicer on the East Coast and summer travel heating up, it’s a great time to start planning to see one of this year’s Tony-winning and nominated musicals on Broadway.
Tickets to musicals and other productions can be purchased at sites such as Broadway.com and Telecharge, in addition to TodaysTix, StubHub and Vivid Seats, but we rounded up other ticketing sites to utilize too. Ticket prices range from around $60 and up, but prices for some of the popular shows (Hell’s Kitchen included) can range from upwards of $100 to $300, depending on demand.
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Keep reading for a breakdown of each of the best musical nominees for 2024, and a couple of other buzzing musicals, and places to buy tickets.
Hell’s Kitchen
Leading the pack as the most Tony Award-nominated show of the year, Alicia Key’s Hell’s Kitchen took home two Tony Awards on Sunday (best performance by an actress in a leading role for Maleah Joi Moon and best performance in a featured role for Kecia Lewis).
Featuring music from Keys, Hell’s Kitchen is a coming-of-age story centered around a 17-year-old teen who lives in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen and dreams of blazing a path through music. The cast includes Shoshana Bean, Brandon Victor Dixon, Lewis, Chris Lee and Moon.
‘Hell’s Kitchen’ Tickets
Illinoise
The 2024 Tony Award winner for best choreography, Illinoise is based on the Sufjan Steven’s 2005 album of the same name and features “a group of friends gather around a campfire, sharing stories of first love, grief, and growing up in this new musical.” The musical was created by Tony nominee Justin Peck and Pulitzer Prize winner Jackie Sibblies Drury.
‘Illinoise’ Tickets
Water for Elephants
Based on the New York Times bestselling novel, Water for Elephants is a Great Depression-era story about a man who steps onto a new life path after jumping in front of a moving train and subsequently joining a traveling circus.
‘Water for Elephants’ Tickets
The Outsiders
A stage adaptation of the S.E. Hinton novel , The Outsiders follows the story of Ponyboy Curtis, a 14-year-old orphan. The musical explores classism and gang rivalries in 1960s Tulsa, featuring music from Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance) and Justin Levine.
The Outsiders won for best musical at the Tonys.
‘The Outsiders’ Tickets
Stereophonic
Stereophonic centers around a fictional 1976 rock band on the edge of superstardom. Featuring original music from Arcade Fire’s Will Butler, Stereophonic follows the band as they record a new album and navigate “ensuing pressures” that could end in a “breakup or a breakthrough.”
The musical won five Tony Awards out of 13 nominations (tying with Hell’s Kitchen‘s nods).
‘Stereophonic’ Tickets
Merrily We Roll Along
The Stephen Sondheim musical is about two artists whose friendship falls apart just as their careers start to come together. The play starts at the end and takes viewers down memory lane with Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez as its stars.
Merrily We Roll Along took home four Tonys, including best revival musical.
‘Merrily We Roll Along’ Tickets
Suffs
Suffs is a musical about the women’s suffrages movement of the early 1900s. The cast includes Shaina Taub, Jenna Bainbridge, Kim Blanck, Nikki M. James, Tsilala Brock, Jenn Colella, Ally Bonino, Hannah Cruz and Nadia Dandashi.
The musical notched six Tony nominations and won two awards.
‘Suffs’ Tickets
Jay-Z and Alicia Keys reunited for their first performance of “Empire State of Mind” since 2016, and Lil Mama was nowhere in sight. Hov and Keys took the stage for their Big Apple anthem — which turns 15 later this year — on Sunday night (June 16) in their hometown at the 2024 Tony Awards […]
The Outsiders, based on the 1967 novel by S.E. Hinton and a 1983 film by Francis Ford Coppola, was a surprise winner for best musical at the 2024 Tony Awards, which were presented on Sunday (June 16). The award was thought to be a close race between Suffs, a musical about American women’s suffrage movement, and Hell’s Kitchen, a musical loosely based on Alicia Keys’ early life and music.
Stereophonic, a David Adjmi play with music, was named best play.
The 77th Annual Tony Awards, which were hosted by Ariana DeBose for the third consecutive year, aired live on both coasts from the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City on Sunday, June 16 on CBS. The show also streamed on Paramount+ in the U.S.
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Stereophonic was the year’s most-decorated production, winning five Tonys. It was followed by The Outsiders and a revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along, with four wins each. The original production of Merrily received just one nod in 1982 – original musical score. Two of the stars of the Merrily revival – Jonathan Groff and Daniel Radcliffe – won their first Tonys for their performances. The New Broadway Cast recording of Merrily We Roll Along entered Billboard’s Cast Albums chart at No. 1 in November 2023.
This is the fifth time that a revival of a Sondheim show has won best revival of a musical. Into the Woods won in 2002; followed by Assassins in 2004, and Company in both 2007 and 2022. Sondheim died in 2021 at age 91.
Trailing Stereophonic, Merrily We Roll Along and The Outsiders in terms of most wins were Appropriate, The Outsiders and Suffs, with three wins each; Hell’s Kitchen, with two; and Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, An Enemy of the People, The Great Gatsby, Illinoise, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding and Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cottom Patch, with one each.
Water for Elephants was shut out despite seven nominations. Also shut out despite large numbers of nominations were Here Lies Love, Mary Jane and Mother Play, with four nods each.
The Outsiders is the second best musical winner in the past four years that was based on a film, following Moulin Rouge!. Other winners since 2000 that were based on films are The Producers (2001), Thoroughly Modern Millie (2002), Hairspray (2003), Spamalot (2005), Billy Elliot the Musical (2009), Once (2012) and The Band’s Visit (2007). The last-named title was based on an Israeli film.
Angelina Jolie was among the producers of The Outsiders and now has a Tony to go along with the Oscar she won 24 years ago for best supporting actress for Girl, Interrupted.
Hillary Rodham Clinton was among the producers of Suffs, and received a thunderous ovation when she introduced a performance from the show. She was vying to become the first first lady to win a Tony, just as she was the first first lady to win a Grammy, in 1997, for the audio book of her best-seller, It Takes a Village.
Alicia Keys’ AK Worldwide Media, Inc. and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation were among the producers of Hell’s Kitchen. They lost the Tony for best musical, but they scored heavily on the telecast with a performance of “Empire State of Mind,” their Grammy-winning 2009 smash which is featured in Hell’s Kitchen.
Keys and Jay-Z weren’t the only music superstars to perform on the show. Pete Townshend also performed alongside the cast of The Who’s Tommy, which was nominated for best revival of a musical.
Shaina Taub won two Tonys – best original score and best book of a musical – for her work on Suffs. Taub is just the third woman in Tony history to win in both of those categories – and she’s the first woman to win in both categories entirely on her own. Betty Comden won both awards in 1978 for On the Twentieth Century, but she had collaborators in both categories. Lisa Kron won both awards in 2015 for Fun Home, but she had a collaborator in the score category.
Jonathan Tunick won best orchestrations for the revival of Merrily. Tunick’s only previous Tony win was for Titanic (1997), which made him the seventh EGOT winner. Three of the awards that make up Tunick’s EGOT were for Sondheim-related work. His only Oscar was for adapting the score for the 1978 film version of A Little Night Music. His only Grammy was for his arrangement of Cleo Laine’s recording of “No One Is Alone,” from Into the Woods.
George C. Wolfe and Jack O’Brien received lifetime achievement awards. Billy Porter received the Isabelle Stevenson Award, honoring humanitarian achievements. The show included a tribute to Broadway legend Chita Rivera, who died in January. Rivera also closed the In Memoriam segment, which also included actors Hinton Battle, Glynis Johns and Glenda Jackson and songwriters Richard Sherman and Sheldon Harnick, among others.
The 2023-24 eligibility season began on April 28, 2023, and ended on Thursday, April 25, 2024. Tony Awards in 26 competitive categories were voted on by 836 designated Tony voters within the theatre community.
The Tony Awards were produced in collaboration with Tony Award Productions, a joint venture of the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, and White Cherry Entertainment. Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss were showrunners and executive producers for White Cherry Entertainment, and Weiss served as director. Jack Sussman was also an executive producer.
Curtain up! Light the lights! Broadway’s biggest night, the Tony Awards, is here. It all gets underway Sunday night (June 16) at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT with The Tony Awards: Act One, co-hosted by Julianne Hough and Utkarsh Ambudkar. That 90-minute pre-show, where many of the technical awards are presented, streams on Pluto TV (click on the “ET” channel).
At 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, CBS will air the 77th annual Tony Awards, with Ariana DeBose hosting for the third year. The three-hour show will also stream on Paramount+ in the U.S. Both shows will be held at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City.
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The Tonys telecast is set to include performances from all five nominees for best musical (Hell’s Kitchen, Illinoise, The Outsiders, Suffs and Water for Elephants) and from three of the four nominees for best revival of a musical (Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, Merrily We Roll Along and The Who’s Tommy). The Tonys will presumably not include a performance from the fourth nominee for best revival of a musical, Gutenberg! The Musical!, which closed on Jan. 28.
The telecast is also set to feature a performance from Stereophonic, the “play with music” (by Will Butler, formerly of Arcade Fire). Stereophonic tied with Hell’s Kitchen, a musical based on the music of Alicia Keys, for the most nominations of any production this year (13).
In addition, Keys and Jay-Z will perform “Empire State of Mind,” their Grammy-winning smash that spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2009.
Most Broadway experts see the race for best musical as a close race between Suffs and Hell’s Kitchen, with Stereophonic the likely winner for best play. A revival of Stephen Sondheim’s 1981 show Merrily We Roll Along is the front-runner to win best revival of a musical. A revival of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ 2014 off-Broadway show Appropriate is expected to win best revival of a play.
But who will actually take home the honors? We’ve got you covered. We’ll update this list as each winner is announced.
Best musical
Hell’s Kitchen; Producers: AK Worldwide Media, Inc., Roc Nation, DML Productions, Mandy Hackett, The Sunshine Group, Julie Yorn, The Jacobs Family, No Guarantees Productions, Front Row Productions, Sharpton Swindal Productions, Grove Entertainment, The Jaime Family, John Gore Organization, Terria Joseph, Andy Nahas, James L. Nederlander, Candy Spelling, Clara Wu Tsai, Universal Music Publishing, Independent Presenters Network, Della Pietra Spark Theatricals, Today Tix ARGU, Score 3 Partners, Aaron Lustbader, The Public Theater, Oskar Eustis, Patrick Willingham
Illinoise; Producers: Orin Wolf, Seaview, John Styles, David Binder, Emily Blavatnik, Susan Rose, ArKtype/Thomas O. Kriegsmann, David F. Schwartz, Patrick Catullo, Jon B. Platt, Diamond & Melvin, Nelson & Tao, Ruth Hendel, Elysabeth Kleinhans, Ted & Mary Jo Shen, Putnam & Thau, Chase & F.K.R., GJJJM Productions, Steve & Leticia Trauber, Tim Forbes, John Gore Organization, James L. Nederlander, Park Avenue Armory, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Nate Koch, TT Partners, Fisher Center at Bard
The Outsiders; Producers: The Araca Group, American Zoetrope, Olympus Theatricals, Sue Gilad & Larry Rogowsky, Angelina Jolie, Betsy Dollinger, Jonathan & Michelle Clay, Cristina Marie Vivenzio, The Shubert Organization, LaChanze & Marylee Fairbanks, Debra Martin Chase, Sony Music Masterworks, Jamestown Revival Theater, Jennifer & Jonathan Allan Soros, Tanninger Entertainment, Tamlyn Brooke Shusterman, Geffen Playhouse/Howard Tenenbaum/Linda B. Rubin, Kevin Ryan, Mistry Theatrical Ventures, Galt & Irvin Productions, Tulsa Clarks, Paul & Margaret Liljenquist, Bob & Claire Patterson, Voltron Global Media, James L. Nederlander, Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, The John Gore Organization, Independent Presenters Network, Stephen Lindsay & Brett Sirota, Jeffrey Finn, Playhouse Square, Sue Marks, Indelible InK, Lionheart Productions, The Broadway Investor’s Club, Starhawk Productions, Distant Rumble, Green Leaf Partnership, Michael & Elizabeth Venuti, Leslie Kavanaugh, Deborah & Dave Smith, Belle Productions, Chas & Jen Grossman, Miranda & Sahra Esmonde-White, Rungnapa & Jim Teague, Michael & Molly Schroeder, Casey & Chelsea Baugh, James L. Flautt, Jon L. Morris, Becky Winkler, William Moran Hickey, Jr. & William Horan Hickey, III, Oddly Specific Productions, Melissa Chamberlain & Michael McCartney, Rachel Weinstein, Wavelength Productions, Rob O’Neill & Shane Snow, Eric Stine, Cornice Productions, La Jolla Playhouse
Suffs; Producers: Jill Furman, Rachel Sussman, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Malala Yousafzai, Roy Furman, Allison Rubler, Cue to Cue Productions, Sandy Robertson, Kevin Ryan & Diane Scott Carter, Renee Ring & Paul Zofnass, Walport Productions, Judith Teel Davis & Joe Carroll, Tom D’Angora & Michael D’Angora, Louise Gund, Erica Lynn Schwartz, Stone Arch Theatricals/Mayer Productions, Xan Weiser/Matters of the Art, Nothing Ventured Productions, Christin Brecher, Chutzpah Productions, Morgan Steward, 16 Sunset Productions, The Broadway Investor’s Club, Ari Conte, Rose Maxi, Jennifer Friedland, David Carroll, Julie E. Cohen, The Garelicks, Ruth Ann Harnisch, Meena Harris, John Gore Organization, Laura Lonergan, Sally Martin, Peter May, The Mehiels, Nederlander Presentations, Brian Spector, Candy Spelling, Ed Walson, Zuckerberg/Segal, Needle Productions/Oddly Specific Productions, Alissandra Aronow/Wandi Productions, Craig Balsam/Jennifer Kroman, Burkhardt Jones Productions/Adam Cohen, Vibecke Dahle Dellapolla/Samantha Squeri, Funroe Productions/Kim Khoury, Sheri Clark Henriksen/Robert Tichio, Michelle Noh/Todd B. Rubin, Nick Padgett/Vasi Laurence, Seaview/Level Forward, Sixpoint Productions/Theatre Nerd Productions, Stanley S. Shuman/Marcie Orley, Soto Productions/The Cohn Sisters, Theatre Producers of Color, The Shubert Organization, The Public Theater, Oskar Eustis, Patrick Willingham
Water for Elephants; Producers: Peter Schneider, Jennifer Costello, Grove Entertainment, Frank Marshall, Isaac Robert Hurwitz, Seth A. Goldstein, Jane Bergère, Elizabeth Armstrong, Jason M. Brady, Carl & Jennifer Pasbjerg, Erica Rotstein & Crista Marie Jackson, Jana Bezdek & Jen Hoguet, John H. Tyson, Rich Entertainment Group, Jeremiah J. Harris, John Gore Organization, Jeff & Shannon Fallick, Patti & Mike Sullivan, Rodney Rigby, Larry Lelli, Bonnie Feld, Yonge Street Theatricals, Larry J. Kroll, The Shubert Organization, Nederlander Presentations, Nancy Gibbs, Jack Lane, Amy & PJ Lampi, Gwen Arment & Vasi Laurence, Mark Parkman Fairview Productions, Nothing Ventured Productions, Pam Hurst-Della Pietra & Stephen Pietra, Steven Spielberg & Kate Capshaw, The Glasshouse USA, Willette & Manny Klausner, John Paterakis, Hope Tschopik Schneider, Patty Baker, The Burcaws & Q’d Up Productions, Crescent Road, Cynthia Stroum, Sally Jacobs & Warren Baker, Tawnia Knox & Stuart Snyder, Madison Wells Live & Takonkiet Viravan, Terry H. Morgenthaler, Pamela Moschetti, Gabrielle Palitz & Fahs Productions, The Roehl Family & Chema Verduzco, Shapiro Jensen Schroeder, Tre Amici Productions, We Eat Dreams Productions, Rachel Weinstein, Maik Klokow, Margot Astrachan, Mehr-BB Entertainment
Best revival of a musical
Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club; Producers: ATG Productions, Underbelly, Gavin Kalin Productions, Hunter Arnold, Smith & Brant Theatricals, Wessex Grove, Julie Boardman, Tom Smedes, Peter Stern, Heather Shields, Caiola Productions, Kate Cannova, Adam Blanshay Productions & Nicolas Talar, Aleri Entertainment, Alex Levy Productions, Bunny Rabbit Productions, D’Angora Padgett Productions, Cyrene Esposito, David Treatman, Eddie Redmayne, The Array IV, Bad Robot Live, BlueJay Productions, Grace Street Creative Group, Iocane Productions, Jim Kierstead, Marco Santarelli, Tokyo Broadcasting System Television, George Waud, Yonge Street Theatricals, Federman Koenigsberg Productions/Sara Beth Zivitz, Tina Marie Casamento/Jennifer Johns, M. Kilburg Reedy/Tilman Kemmler, Greenspan Proffer/Kat Kit 4, Patty Baker/Matthew Christopher Pietras, Broadway Strategic Return Fund/Red Mountain Theatre Company, Evan Coles/The Cohn Sisters, Nolan Doran/Fakston Productions, Epic Theatricals/Jeffrey Grove, Jessica Goldman Foung/Andrew Paradis, William Frisbie Tilted Marguerite Steed Hoffman/Willette & Manny Klausner, Vasi Laurence/Stephen C Byrd, Brian & Dayna Lee/City Cowboy Productions, Maybe This Time/3D Productions, Nothing Ventured Productions/Theatre Producers of Color, Perfectly Marvelous/Catherine Schreiber & Co, Second Act/Freedom Theatricals, SSP Holdings/Todd & Bronwyn Bradley, Two Ladies/Nicole Eisenberg, Ilana Waldenberg/W Stage Productions, The Wolf Pack/Burnt Umber Productions, The Shubert Organization
Gutenberg! The Musical!; Producers: Ambassador Theatre Group, Patrick Catullo, Bad Robot Live, Seth A. Goldstein, Isaac Robert Hurwitz, Runyonland Productions, Elizabeth Armstrong, Timothy Bloom, Larry Lelli, Alchemation, The Council, Crescent Road, Wendy Federman, Marcia Goldberg, Hariton deRoy, LD Entertainment, James L. Nederlander, Al Nocciolino, Spencer Ross, Independent Presenters Network, Medley Houlihan/Score 3 Partners, Tryptyk Studios/Iris Smith, Jonathan Demar/Griffin Dohr, Andrew Diamond/Alexander Donnelly, Futurehome Productions/Koenigsberg Subhedar, Roy Gabay/Nicole Eisenberg, Jessica R. Jenen/Linda B. Rubin, Daniel Powell/Amplify Pictures, Jeremy Wein/Walport Productions, Kristin Caskey, Mike Isaacson, Bee Carrozzini
Merrily We Roll Along; Producers: Sonia Friedman Productions, David Babani, Patrick Catullo, Jeff Romley, Debbie Bisno, Lang Entertainment Group, OHenry Productions, Winkler & Smalberg, Stephanie P. McClelland, Timothy Bloom, Creative Partners Productions, Eastern Standard Time, Fakston Productions, Marc David Levine, No Guarantees, Ted & Mary Jo Shen, Gilad Rogowsky, Playing Field, Key to the City Productions, Richard Batchelder/Trunfio Ryan, FineWomen Productions/Henry R. Muñoz, III, Thomas Swayne/Lamar Richardson, Abrams Corr/Mary Maggio, Osh Ashruf/Brenner-Ivey, Craig Balsam/PBL Productions, deRoy DiMauro Productions/Medley Houlihan, Andrew Diamond/Katler-Solomon Productions, Dodge Hall Productions/Carl Moellenberg, Friedman Simpson/Vernon Stuckelman, William Frisbie/J.J. Powell, Robert Greenblatt/Jonathan Littman, Cleveland O’Neal, III/Tom Tuft, Roth-Manella Productions/Seaview, New York Theatre Workshop
The Who’s Tommy; Producers: Stephen Gabriel, Ira Pittelman, Sue Gilad & Larry Rogowsky, Mary Maggio & Scott Abrams, Tom Tuft and Glenn Fuhrman, Batman Harris/Elliott Cornelious, Laura Matalon/Spencer Waller, Richard Winkler, Sheldon Stone, Firemused Productions/Stone Arch Theatricals, LeonoffFedermanWolosky Productions/Koenigsberg Batchelder, Roy Putrino/Narang Moran, Rich Martino, Aged in Wood/Lee Sachs, Paul and Margaret Liljenquist, R & R Productions, Marla McNally Phillips, Merrie Robin, O’Neill Snow, Work Light Productions, Nederlander Presentations, Independent Presenters Network, John Gore Organization, Palomino Performing Arts, Wavelength Productions, Robert Nederlander, Jr., Botwin Ignal Dawson, Jamie deRoy, Betsy Dollinger, Stacey Woolf Feinberg, Gold Weinstein, Tyce Green, Jenen Rubin, Jim Kierstead, Marco Santarelli, Nancy Timmers, Thomas B. McGrath, Olympus Theatricals, Goodman Theatre
Best performance by an actor in a leading role in a musical
Brody Grant, The OutsidersJonathan Groff, Merrily We Roll AlongDorian Harewood, The NotebookBrian d’Arcy James, Days of Wine and RosesEddie Redmayne, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
Best performance by an actress in a leading role in a musical
Eden Espinosa, LempickaMaleah Joi Moon, Hell’s KitchenKelli O’Hara, Days of Wine and RosesMaryann Plunkett, The NotebookGayle Rankin, 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 MusicalJoshua Boone, The OutsidersBrandon Victor Dixon, Hell’s KitchenSky Lakota-Lynch, The OutsidersDaniel Radcliffe, Merrily We Roll AlongSteven Skybell, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
Best performance by an actress in a featured role in a musical
Shoshana Bean, Hell’s KitchenAmber Iman, LempickaNikki M. James, SuffsLeslie Rodriguez Kritzer, Monty Python’s SpamalotKecia Lewis, Hell’s KitchenLindsay Mendez, Merrily We Roll AlongBebe Neuwirth, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
Best direction of a musical
Maria Friedman, Merrily We Roll AlongMichael Greif, Hell’s KitchenLeigh Silverman, SuffsJessica Stone, Water for ElephantsDanya Taymor, The Outsiders
Best original score (music and/or lyrics) written for the theatre
Days of Wine and Roses; Music & Lyrics: Adam GuettelHere Lies Love; Music: David Byrne and Fatboy Slim; Lyrics: David ByrneThe Outsiders; Music & Lyrics: Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance) and Justin LevineStereophonic; Music & Lyrics: Will ButlerSuffs; Music & Lyrics: Shaina Taub
Best orchestrations
Timo Andres, IllinoiseWill Butler and Justin Craig, StereophonicJustin Levine, Matt Hinkley and Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance), The OutsidersTom Kitt and Adam Blackstone, Hell’s KitchenWINNER: Jonathan Tunick, Merrily We Roll Along
Best choreography
Annie-B Parson, Here Lies LoveCamille A. Brown, Hell’s KitchenRick Kuperman and Jeff Kuperman, The OutsidersWINNER: Justin Peck, IllinoiseJesse Robb and Shana Carroll, Water for Elephants
Best book of a musical
Hell’s Kitchen; Kristoffer DiazThe Notebook; Bekah BrunstetterThe Outsiders; Adam Rapp and Justin LevineWINNER: Suffs; Shaina TaubWater for Elephants; Rick Elice
Best scenic design of a musical
AMP featuring Tatiana Kahvegian, The OutsidersRobert Brill and Peter Nigrini, Hell’s KitchenTakeshi Kata, Water for ElephantsDavid Korins, Here Lies LoveRiccardo Hernández and Peter Nigrini, LempickaTim Hatley and Finn Ross, Back To The Future: The MusicalWINNER: Tom Scutt, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
Best costume design of a musical
Dede Ayite, Hell’s KitchenWINNER: Linda Cho, The Great GatsbyDavid Israel Reynoso, Water for ElephantsTom Scutt, Cabaret at the Kit Kat ClubPaul Tazewell, Suffs
Best lighting design of a musical
Brandon Stirling Baker, IllinoiseIsabella Byrd, Cabaret at the Kit Kat ClubNatasha Katz, Hell’s KitchenBradley King and David Bengali, Water for ElephantsBrian MacDevitt and Hana S. Kim, The Outsiders
Best sound design of a musical
M.L. Dogg and Cody Spencer, Here Lies LoveKai Harada, Merrily We Roll AlongNick Lidster for Autograph, Cabaret at the Kit Kat ClubGareth Owen, Hell’s KitchenCody Spencer, The Outsiders
Best play
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding; Author: Jocelyn Bioh; Producers: Manhattan Theatre Club, Lynne Meadow, Chris Jennings, Madison Wells Live, LaChanze, Taraji P. Henson
Mary Jane; Author: Amy Herzog; Producers: Manhattan Theatre Club, Lynne Meadow, Chris Jennings
Mother Play; Author: Paula Vogel; Producers: Second Stage Theater, Carole Rothman, Lisa Lawer Post, Salman and Vienn Al-Rashid, Courtney Lederer and Mark Thierfelder, Jerry and Roz Meyer, Alix L.L. Ritchie, Jayne Baron Sherman
Prayer for the French Republic; Author: Joshua Harmon; Producers: Manhattan Theatre Club, Lynne Meadow, Chris Jennings
Stereophonic; Author: David Adjmi; Producers: Sue Wagner, John Johnson, Seaview, Sonia Friedman Productions, Linden Productions, Ashley Melone, Nick Mills, Jillian Robbins, Stella La Rue, Alex Levy & David Aron, Dori Berinstein, James Bolosh, Burnt Umber Productions, The Cohn Sisters, Cathy Dantchik, Alexander R. Donnelly, Emerald Drive, Federman Koenigsberg, Dann Fink, Ruth Hendel, Larry Hirschhorn, Jenen Rubin, John Gore Organization, Willette & Manny Klausner, LAMF Protozoa, Katrina McCann, Stephanie P. McClelland, No Guarantees, Marissa Palley & Daniel Aron, Anna Schafer, Soto Namoff Productions, Sean Walsh, Bruce & Peggy Wanta, Hillary Wyatt, deRoy Howard, Winkler & Smalberg, 42nd.club, Craig Balsam, Concord Theatricals, Creative Partners Productions, Jonathan Demar, Douglas Denoff, DJD Productions, Echo Lake Entertainment, Faliro House, FilmNation Entertainment, Roy Gabay, GFour Productions, Candy Kosow Gold, Wes Grantom, Rachel Bendit & Mark Bernstein, Playwrights Horizons, Adam Greenfield, Leslie Marcus, Carol Fishman
Best revival of a play
Appropriate; Author: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins; Producers: Second Stage Theater, Carole Rothman, Lisa Lawer Post, Ambassador Theatre Group, Amanda Dubois, Annapurna Theatre, Bad Robot Live
An Enemy of the People; Author: Amy Herzog; Producers: Seaview, Patrick Catullo, Plan B, Roth-Manella Productions, Eric & Marsi Gardiner, John Gore Organization, James L. Nederlander, Jon B. Platt, Atekwana Hutton, Bob Boyett, Chris & Ashlee Clarke, Cohen-Demar Productions, Andrew Diamond, GI6 Productions, Sony Music Masterworks, Triptyk Studios, Trunfio Ryan, Kate Cannova, DJL Productions
Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch; Producers: Jeffrey Richards, Hunter Arnold, Leslie Odom, Jr., Louise Gund, Bob Boyett, Curt Cronin, John Joseph, Willette and Manny Klausner, Brenda Boone, Salman Moudhy Al-Rashid, Creative Partners Productions, Irene Gandy, Kayla Greenspan, Mark and David Golub Productions, Kenny Leon, John Gore Organization, W3 Productions, Morwin Schmookler, Van Kaplan, Ken Greiner, Patrick W. Jones, Nicolette Robinson, National Black Theatre, Alan Alda, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Samuel L. Jackson, Phylicia Rashad, Nnamdi Asomugha, Kerry Washington, The Shubert Organization
Best performance by an actor in a leading role in a play
William Jackson Harper, Uncle VanyaLeslie Odom, Jr., Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton PatchLiev Schreiber, Doubt: A ParableJeremy Strong, An Enemy of the PeopleMichael Stuhlbarg, Patriots
Best performance by an actress in a leading role in a play
Betsy Aidem, Prayer for the French RepublicJessica Lange, Mother PlayRachel McAdams, Mary JaneSarah Paulson, AppropriateAmy Ryan, Doubt: A Parable
Best performance by an actor in a featured role in a play
Will Brill, StereophonicEli Gelb, StereophonicJim Parsons, Mother PlayTom Pecinka, StereophonicCorey Stoll, Appropriate
Best performance by an actress in a featured role in a play
Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Doubt: A ParableJuliana Canfield, StereophonicCelia Keenan-Bolger, Mother PlaySarah Pidgeon, StereophonicKara Young, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch
Best direction of a play
Daniel Aukin, StereophonicAnne Kauffman, Mary JaneKenny Leon, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton PatchLila Neugebauer, AppropriateWhitney White, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding
Best scenic design of a play
dots, Appropriatedots, An Enemy of the PeopleDerek McLane, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton PatchDavid Zinn, Jaja’s African Hair BraidingWINNER: David Zinn, Stereophonic
Best costume design of a play
Dede Ayite, AppropriateWINNER: Dede Ayite, Jaja’s African Hair BraidingEnver Chakartash, StereophonicEmilio Sosa, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton PatchDavid Zinn, An Enemy of the People
Best lighting design of a play
Isabella Byrd, An Enemy of the PeopleAmith Chandrashaker, Prayer for the French RepublicJiyoun Chang, StereophonicJane Cox, AppropriateNatasha Katz, Grey House
Best sound design of a play
Justin Ellington and Stefania Bulbarella, Jaja’s African Hair BraidingLeah Gelpe, Mary JaneTom Gibbons, Grey HouseBray Poor and Will Pickens, AppropriateRyan Rumery, Stereophonic
It was too perfect an opportunity to pass up: Alicia Keys and Jay-Z will perform “Empire State of Mind” during the 77th Annual Tony Awards on Sunday, June 16. The show is set to air live on both coasts from the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York […]
Broadway’s biggest night, the Tony Awards, is almost here. It all gets underway Sunday, June 16, at 6:30 p.m. PT/3:30 p.m. PT with The Tony Awards: Act One, co-hosted by Julianne Hough and Utkarsh Ambudkar. That 90-minute pre-show, where many of the technical awards are presented, streams on Pluto TV (click on the “ET” channel). […]
06/10/2024
This star-studded list will get you in the mood for this year’s Tonys, which are set for Sunday June 16.
06/10/2024