‘Hell’s Kitchen’ and ‘Stereophonic’ lead Tony Awards with 13 nominations each

By Jennifer Vanasco
Hell's Kitchen is one of the Tony Award nominees for Best Musical.
Hell’s Kitchen is one of the Tony Award nominees for Best Musical.
Updated April 30, 2024 at 10:15 AM ET

It was a crowded Tony Award season this year, with 36 eligible musicals and plays opening on Broadway stages. But by the time Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Renée Elise Goldsberry finished reading the nominations on YouTube, there were some clear front-runners: Hell’s Kitchen, a musical based on Alicia Keys’ life, and Stereophonic, a play with a lot of music that’s about a Fleetwood Mac-style band developing an album, both had 13 nominations each. They were closely followed by The Outsiders, a musical based on the S.E. Hinton book and also a fan-favorite 1983 film. The revival Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club had nine.

Surprisingly, the season’s runaway hit, the revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along, starring Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe and Lindsay Mendez, had just seven nominations, tied with the circus musical Water for Elephants, based on the book by Sarah Gruen.

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The awards are taking place on Sunday, June 16 at 8:00 p.m. ET at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York. Ariana DeBose is returning for her third time as host. They’ll air live on CBS or on Paramount+ with Showtime. Paramount+ Essential subscribers can watch on demand the next day.

Best Musical
  • Hell’s Kitchen
  • Illinoise
  • The Outsiders
  • Suffs
  • Water for Elephants
Best Revival of a MusicalBest Direction of a MusicalBest Performance by a Leading Actor in a MusicalBest Performance by a Leading Actress in a MusicalBest Performance by a Featured Actor in a MusicalBest Performance by a Featured Actress in a MusicalBest Book of a Musical
  • Kristoffer Diaz, Hell’s Kitchen
  • Bekah Brunstetter, The Notebook
  • Adam Rapp and Justine Levine, The Outsiders
  • Shaina Taub, Suffs
  • Rick Elice, Water for Elephants
Best Play
  • Jaja’s African Hair Braiding
  • Mary Jane
  • Mother Play
  • Prayer for the French Republic
  • Stereophonic
Best Revival of a PlayBest Direction of a PlayBest Performance by a Leading Actor in a PlayBest Performance by a Leading Actress 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 a Featured Actor in a PlayBest Performance by a Featured Actress in a PlayBest Original ScoreBest OrchestrationsBest 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 Scenic Design of a MusicalBest Costume Design of a MusicalBest Lighting Design of a MusicalBest Sound Design of a MusicalBest Scenic Design in a PlayBest Costume Design of a PlayBest Lighting Design of a PlayBest 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
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