A musical inspired by the life of Alicia Keys and a play that loosely draws on the story of Fleetwood Mac — Hell’s Kitchen and Stereophonic, respectively — cleaned up at the 2024 Tony Awards nominations. Both received 13 nominations, more than any other show this year.
Hell’s Kitchen was nominated for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical (for Kristoffer Diaz), Best Direction (Michael Greif), and Best Choreography (Camille A. Brown), while its stars Maleah Joi Moon, Shoshana Bean, and Kecia Lewis all picked up acting nods. But despite its impressive haul, there was one notable Hell’s Kitchen snub: Keys herself was not nominated for Best Original Score, with the show featuring a mix of some of her biggest hits and several new songs written for the musical.
Stereophonic, meanwhile, was nominated for Best Play, and five of its stars received acting nominations: Will Brill, Eli Gelb, and Tom Pecinka for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play, and Juliana Canfield and Sarah Pidgeon for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play. While Stereophonic is a play, it does — as one would expect for a show about a band in 1976 — feature some music and composer/former Arcade Fire member Will Butler received nods for Best Original Score and Best Orchestrations (the latter with Justin Craig).
Trailing right behind Hell’s Kitchen and Stereophonic with 12 nominations was The Outsiders, the new musical adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s 1967 novel of the same name. Illinoise, the musical/ballet adapted from Sufjan Stevens’ classic 2005 album, received four nominations, including Best Musical. And Here Lies Love, David Byrne and Fatboy Slim’s disco musical adaptation of their 2010 concept album about the life of former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos also scored four nominations, including a Best Original Score look for the two musicians.
Other notable Tony nominees this year include former Succession star Jeremy Strong, who’s up for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play for his turn in the revival of Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People (the show that was famously interrupted by climate protesters). Strong will face stiff competition, though, from Leslie Odom Jr., Liev Schreiber, Michael Stuhlbarg, and William Jackson Harper.
The Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play category is similarly stacked, featuring heavyweights like Jessica Lange, Amy Ryan, Sarah Paulson, Rachel McAdams, and Betsy Aidem. Other acting nominations (for both plays and musicals) went to the likes of Jonathan Goff, Eddie Redmayne, Jim Parsons, Bebe Neuwirth, and Daniel Radcliffe.
The 77th Tony Awards will air live June 16 on CBS, while streaming on Paramount+. The show will be hosted by Ariana DeBose.
2024 Tony Nominees
Best Musical
Hell’s Kitchen
Illinoise
The Outsiders
Suffs
Water for Elephants
Best Play
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding
Mary Jane
Mother Play
Prayer for the French Republic
Stereophonic
Best Book of a Musical
Kristoffer Diaz – Hell’s Kitchen
Bekah Brunstetter – The Notebook
Adam Rapp and Justin Levine – The Outsiders
Shaina Taub – Suffs
Rick Elice – Water for Elephants
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 Musica
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