Tony Awards
Page: 2
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.
Trending on Billboard
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.
Trending on Billboard
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
Josh Groban is set to host the 15th annual Jimmy Awards, which are sort of like the Tony Awards for promising high school theater arts students. The awards are set to take place Monday, June 24, at the Minskoff Theatre in Manhattan.
The National High School Musical Theatre Awards (the formal name of the awards) celebrate individual talent in vocal, dance and acting performance. Named for the late Broadway impresario James M. Nederlander, the Jimmy Awards has been the catalyst for more than $6 million in educational scholarships.
“I am excited to be the host for the 15th annual Jimmy Awards!,” Groban said in a statement. “The dedication and immense talent of these nominees are truly inspiring. Arts education holds a dear place in my heart, and its profound impact is clearly showcased through these young talents each year at the Jimmy Awards.”
Trending on Billboard
“…We are thrilled to have [Josh] join us in celebrating the achievements of, and giving inspiration to, high school musical theatre students across the country, including the over 100 student nominees performing on stage that night,” Jason Laks, interim president of The Broadway League, said in a statement.
(The Broadway League is also a co-presenter of the annual Tony Awards, along with the American Theatre Wing.)
Tickets for the Jimmy Awards start at $75 and go on sale to the general public on Monday, June 10 through BroadwayDirect.com.
The show will stream for free online beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday, June 24 via the Jimmy Awards Facebook and YouTube channels. The ceremony will remain available online for three days afterwards, through Thursday evening, June 27.
Groban co-hosted the Tony Awards six years ago with Sara Bareilles. The stars each received two Primetime Emmy nominations for their efforts – outstanding variety special (live) and outstanding original music and lyrics for co-writing the special-material song “This One’s for You” with Shaina Taub.
Groban is a two-time Tony nominee for best performance by a leading actor in a musical, for Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (his Broadway debut) and Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Groban also received a Grammy nod for the Sweeney Todd cast album, which was nominated for best musical theater album at the ceremony held on Feb. 4.
Groban, 43, is also an active arts education philanthropist and advocate. His Find Your Light Foundation helps enrich the lives of young people through arts, education, and cultural awareness.
Will Butler’s first meeting with playwright David Adjmi was fairly open-ended: a friend had told Butler that Adjmi — a fan of Arcade Fire, the band Butler was in at the time — was working on a play about a band and that Butler could “write the music or just consult or whatever.”
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
But from their first sit-down at a diner near New York’s theatre district, Adjmi’s vision was “instantly recognizable” to Butler: “Like, oh, it’s a demo — it’s like a transcendental thing that they can never recapture. You have things falling apart because the headphones sound bad, you have people yelling at each other over music but it’s because of how their dad treated them,” he recalls with a laugh.
A decade after Butler first sent his song demos to Adjmi, their collaboration, Stereophonic, is the most Tony-nominated production not just of 2024, but of all time. A true musical-play hybrid, Stereophonic immerses the audience in a fictional band’s recording process in 1976, as they make the pivotal album that will launch them to superstardom. Snippets of takes along with stunning full songs punctuate the band’s alternately hilarious and gutting drama in and outside the booth, playing out over around three intimate hours. Incredibly, the actors who sing and play their own instruments as a very credible rock band onstage were at best proficient before Stereophonic rehearsals began.
Trending on Billboard
Will Butler
Nina Westervelt
Though the fictional band and narrative have drawn comparisons to Fleetwood Mac and its storied process of making its classic 1977 Rumours album, Stereophonic (which was just extended through January 5, 2025 at the Golden Theatre) never feels like a retread of rock history. That’s a testament to Adjmi’s writing and the cast’s talent and chemistry — but also in large part to Butler’s songs, which blend a genuine ‘70s rock sound with his own unique sensibility into songs that sound like anything but pastiche. (The original cast album, including songs both in the show and heard only partially in it, is out now on Sony Masterworks Broadway.)
Butler, who parted ways with Arcade Fire in late 2021 and now performs in Will Butler + Sister Squares, is himself up for two Tony Awards on June 16 — for best original score and best orchestrations — and is finding fertile new creative ground (and demand for his composing skills) in the theater world. He spoke to Billboard about the singular “jigsaw puzzle” of Stereophonic and creating a believable band onstage.
Did David give you any specific guidelines for what he wanted the music in Stereophonic to be like — or did you have total free rein to write some songs and see how they turned out?
Total free rein. And then once the script existed, it was like… a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle with 200 pieces missing [Laughs], and figuring out fitting those pieces in. There were a number of songs, like this one on the album called “In Your Arms,” that David really loved and that felt like the band, but didn’t make sense in any of the scenes. We’re showing these moments of music — and they all have to have a purpose, they all have to emerge from the characters at the right time and in the right way, and it still has to feel a little bit mystical.
The cast of Stereophonic
Julieta Cervantes
Your music is so evocative of great bands of the ‘70s yet never feels like it’s copying that style; it really feels timeless. How did you arrive at that kind of balance?
I mean, I kind of lucked into not really knowing the great rock and great pop groups of that period of the ‘70s. Like, I just didn’t really know Tom Petty besides the hits, I didn’t really know Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin, early Bruce Springsteen — I didn’t really know all these touchstones for David. But I knew the stuff around it and I knew where it was leading. Like, Bruce Springsteen wasn’t listening to Bruce Springsteen; Bruce Springsteen grew up listening to ‘50s groups and then in the ‘70s he was going to Suicide shows in like, tiny basement clubs in New York. And I was like, “Oh, well, I know ‘50s girl groups, and I know Wall of Sound and I know Suicide. So instead of copying Bruce Springsteen, why don’t I just pretend like I’m Bruce Springsteen, and listen to Suicide, and listen to girl groups and like, see what happens?” [Laughs.]
That’s crazy! “Masquerade” especially feels like it could be a perfect Fleetwood Mac song…
I get it, because there’s this speed up in the second half, but I was kind of just ripping off an Arcade Fire move. Like, I thought people were gonna call me out for ripping off Arcade Fire.
Even with the direct influences being so loose, were there certain sonic elements that you wanted all the songs to share?
I knew I wanted really tight, beautiful harmonies, especially for [singer] Diana and [singer and guitarist] Peter. When you hear two people in harmony you’re like, “Oh, this is why they’re together, this is why this is compelling.” And then when you add a third voice to it you realize why they’re a band just intrinsically. There’s so many different kinds of ‘70s harmony — there’s the Eagles, The Byrds, Richard and Linda Hamilton, Fleetwood Mac — but they all have this beautiful harmony, particularly if you’re in California [where Stereophonic takes place]. And then Peter is a guitar player, so there had to be some guitar riffs in the show.
Will Butler (center) in the studio during the recording of Stereophonic‘s original cast recording.
Andy Henderson
How involved were you in the casting process?
I was there for the whole ride. And wow, I truly hated being behind the table and judging them — what a horrible thing for a musician to do. We wanted to cast people that were expert musicians and amazing actors and were right for the roles, but I was very cavalier about the musician aspect — where I was like, anyone can be in a band, we don’t need technical wizards, they just need to be musical and have some sort of charisma and it’ll work out. We did know we needed a drummer, we knew we couldn’t teach drums in a short amount of time. But everyone else we just wanted to have a baseline [level of ability]. They needed to have the right personality, to be able to learn music, and they needed to be able to dance a little bit. And it was a little heavier lift than I thought, but in the end my naïve self was right.Another part of it is that [actors] Tom [Pecinka] and Juliana [Canfield] and Sarah [Pidgeon] are just such beautiful singers — they sang so well together day one, like unmannered, beautiful, idiosyncratic and they blended perfectly. That was incredibly moving. When they were just running through the songs, there was such deep emotion there that I was like, okay, we’ll be fine.
[embedded content]
In theater, it can be so obvious when someone is fake-playing an instrument — and these actors aren’t just proficient players, they totally embody what someone playing their instrument would be like. What was it like to witness them evolving like that?It was really wild. Sarah Pidgeon, who doesn’t play an instrument — I mean, she plays a tambourine, she plays it great — but even standing at a microphone took her about eight weeks to feel. It was really interesting to watch someone learn how to stand at a microphone in a way that just feels natural. It feels like she’s supposed to be there and supposed to be singing. Tom Pecinka didn’t have a ton of guitar, but when he first put on a guitar in the audition room, I was like, “Oh, I actually can’t tell if he’s a good guitar player or a bad guitar player.” He looks the part, and his physicality was so natural.
A lot of it is also really great directing, the building of the band and the orchestrations. We spent a lot of time in practice rooms, me and Justin Craig, the music director, building a vibe as much as anything else. I had [the cast] open for a show of mine in the fall, and I think the physicality of playing one club show kind of gave them a sense of how powerful they were.
We hear many little snippets of songs before we hear full versions, and we don’t hear full versions of all of them. How did you and David decide how that would play out?
Honestly, we didn’t talk about it that much, because it just felt so naturally right to both of us. It just felt to me like the process of making a record — someone plays a demo off a cassette, and you go work on it, and things fall apart, and finally you start to lose your mind and you’re cutting things that are good, and then you’re dong the final details and everyone’s losing their minds. The arc of the play honestly just felt so accurate to my life.
Some songs in the show, like “Bright,” we hear multiple different versions of as they’re being worked on. How did that writing process — creating partial songs — work?
The hard thing is just writing a really good song. When I was working on Everything Now with Arcade Fire, Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk was producing it, and he’s like a philosopher. He was saying how a great song can support infinite cover versions; like, a truly great song, the production is not the thing. And there’s nothing wrong with the production being the thing — but if it’s a great song, you can produce it 1000 different ways and you can have 100 different cover versions, and they all speak in some sense. So I was like, “Okay, I’ve just got to write this song, and if it’s good enough, then we can do it 100 different ways and it’ll be compelling.”
[embedded content]
Having had this experience, are you interested in doing more theater work?
Yeah, me and David Adjmi are working on a more traditional musical, or I guess more of a rock opera or something. It’s early days, but it would be silly for us not to do something else — and I think it’d be really fun to make it. And I’m good friends with Lucas Hnath, who is such a brilliant playwright — we’ll slowly work on a couple things.
One of my own takeaways from the play was how, as a fan, it can be easy to romanticize and mythologize the internal drama of a famous band — but really, a band is made up of humans who are dealing with very human-sized joys and tragedies. As someone who has been in a much-adored big band and has probably had that projected on them as well, what is it like seeing how Stereophonic plays out?
I think there’s a folk sense that relationships predate art, where it’s like, “Oh, they had this stormy relationship, and they wrote a song about it.” And the play is really showing that it’s all just one mess — if you’re creating, if you’re collaborating with someone, the relationship is the art and you’re making it with the person and it’s just a human mess. It’s all fundamentally emerging from the same place, and oftentimes, that place is quite broken. I appreciate just how true [the show] feels. It just shows the tangled web of trying to make art with with four of your friends, which is really powerful.
I was in a band with my brother and his wife, and now I’m in a band with my own wife and her sister. So I’ve been in bands with these long, deep relationships. I consulted with David a bit on the technical side, but I didn’t tell him what it was like being in a band with family — and because he’s so observant or maybe just that he is a very good playwright, the humanity of it is very accurate to me. And it’s a credit to the humanity of the actors, too, because it’s one thing to read the words and it’s another thing to like, make them happen in real life and put real flesh and bones on it.
The 77th Annual Tony Awards, set to air live on both coasts on CBS on Sunday, June 16, will feature performances from the eight of the nine productions nominated for best musical or best revival of a musical, omitting only Gutenberg! The Musical!, which played its final performance on Jan. 28. The musical starred Josh […]
Billy Porter, who is as philanthropic as he is flamboyant, will receive the 2024 Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award in recognition of his contributions as an activist and spokesperson for the LGBTQ+ community. The Isabelle Stevenson Award – the Tonys’ equivalent of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & […]
This year’s Tony nominees include everyone from Hillary Rodham Clinton, nominated as one of the producers of Suffs, to Angelina Jolie, nominated as one of the producers of The Outsiders. Both shows are contenders for best musical. In case you missed the announcement on Tuesday (April 30), Hell’s Kitchen, a musical loosely based on the […]