77th Tony Awards

77th Tony Awards
Date	June 16, 2024
Venue	David H. Koch Theater
Hosted by	Ariana DeBose
Most awards	Stereophonic (5)
Most nominations	Hell's Kitchen and Stereophonic (13)
Website	tonyawards.com
Television/radio coverage
Network	CBS Paramount+ Pluto TV
Viewership	3.5 million
Produced by	Ricky Kirshner Glenn Weiss
Directed by	Glenn Weiss

The 77th Tony Awards were held on June 16, 2024, to recognize achievement in Broadway productions during the 2023–24 season. The ceremony was held at Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater in New York City,[1] and aired on CBS.[2] Ariana DeBose hosted for the third year in a row.[3]

Having already become the most nominated play in the history of the ceremony, Stereophonic won 5 awards, including Best Play, winning the most awards of the evening. The musical adaptation of The Outsiders, which won Best Musical, earned 4 awards, as did the Best Revival of a Musical recipient Merrily We Roll Along.[4]

For the first time in the history of the ceremony, all eight winners in the performance categories were receiving the award for the first time, with six of them winning for their first career nomination.[5]

Ceremony information

Pluto TV streamed the pre-ceremony broadcast The Tony Awards: Act One, hosted by Julianne Hough and Utkarsh Ambudkar.[6]

Presenters

• Taraji P. Henson – presented Best Actor in a Play
• Danai Gurira – introduced a performance from Alicia Keys, Jay-Z & the cast of Hell's Kitchen
• Jesse Tyler Ferguson – presented Best Featured Actor in a Play
• Pete Townshend – introduced a performance from the cast of The Who's Tommy
• Taylor Tomlinson & Wendell Pierce – presented Best Featured Actress in a Play
• Ashley Park & Renée Elise Goldsberry – presented Best Direction of a Play & Best Direction of a Musical
• Patrick Wilson – introduced a performance from the cast of Water for Elephants
• Anthony Ramos & Ben Platt – presented Best Featured Actor in a Musical & Best Featured Actress in a Musical
• Julianne Hough – introduced a performance from the cast of Illinoise
• Utkarsh Ambudkar – presented Best Score
• Andrew Rannells & Josh Gad (as "Doug" and "Bud" from Gutenberg! The Musical!) – introduced Jim Parsons
• Jim Parsons – presented Best Revival of a Play
• Audra McDonald, Bebe Neuwirth & Brian Stokes Mitchell – lead a special tribute to Chita Rivera, who died earlier in 2024 at the age of 91.[7]
• Tamara Tunie – introduced Nate Burleson & Solomon Thomas
• Nate Burleson & Solomon Thomas – introduced Jeffrey Wright
• Jeffrey Wright – presented Best Play
• Hillary Clinton – introduced a performance from the cast of Suffs
• Angelina Jolie – introduced a performance from the cast of The Outsiders
• Jennifer Hudson – presented Best Revival of a Musical
• Sean Hayes – presented Best Actress in a Play
• Brooke Shields – introduced Nicole Scherzinger & the "In Memoriam" tribute
• Nick Jonas & Adrienne Warren – presented Best Actress in a Musical & Best Actor in a Musical
• Cynthia Erivo & Idina Menzel – presented Best Musical[8]

Performances

The musicals, plays, and guest performers that performed during the ceremony are as follows:[6]

• "The Gospel" / "Authors of Forever" / "Fallin'" / "Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down" / "Empire State of Mind" – Hell's Kitchen (with Alicia Keys and Jay-Z)
• "See Me, Feel Me" / "Pinball Wizard" – The Who's Tommy (with Pete Townshend)
• "Second Transition" / "Old Friends" – Merrily We Roll Along
• "Anywhere/Another Train" / "The Road Don't Make You Young" – Water for Elephants
• "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!" – Illinoise
• "Masquerade" – Stereophonic[9][10]
• "Wilkommen" – Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
• "Keep Marching" – Suffs
• "Tulsa '67" / "Grease Got a Hold" / "The Rumble" – The Outsiders
• "What I Did for Love" – Nicole Scherzinger (In Memoriam)[11]

Eligibility

The Tony Awards eligibility dates for the 2023-2024 Broadway season were April 28, 2023, through April 25, 2024. Productions must meet all other eligibility requirements as set forth by the American Theatre Wing and the Broadway League. There are 41 legitimate Broadway-eligible theaters in which a production must be performed in to attain eligibility for award consideration. Nominations for the 2024 Tony Awards were announced on April 30, 2024.[12][13][14][15]

Original plays The Cottage Grey House I Need That Jaja's African Hair Braiding Mary Jane Mother Play Patriots Prayer for the French Republic The Shark Is Broken Stereophonic

Original musicals Back to the Future: The Musical Days of Wine and Roses The Great Gatsby Harmony The Heart of Rock and Roll Hell's Kitchen Here Lies Love How to Dance in Ohio Illinoise Lempicka The Notebook Once Upon a One More Time The Outsiders Suffs Water for Elephants

Play revivals Appropriate Doubt: A Parable An Enemy of the People Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp through the Cotton Patch Uncle Vanya

Musical revivals Cabaret Gutenberg! The Musical! Merrily We Roll Along Spamalot The Who's Tommy The Wiz

Winners and nominations

The nominees for the 77th Tony Awards were announced on April 30, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. ET by Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Renée Elise Goldsberry.

Best Play ‡	Best Musical ‡
Stereophonic Jaja's African Hair Braiding Mary Jane Mother Play Prayer for the French Republic	The Outsiders Hell's Kitchen Illinoise Suffs Water for Elephants
Best Revival of a Play ‡	Best Revival of a Musical ‡
Appropriate An Enemy of the People Purlie Victorious	Merrily We Roll Along Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club Gutenberg! The Musical! The Who's Tommy
Best Actor in a Play	Best Actress in a Play
Jeremy Strong – An Enemy of the People as Doctor Thomas Stockmann William Jackson Harper – Uncle Vanya as Astrov Leslie Odom Jr. – Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp through the Cotton Patch as Purlie Victorious Judson Liev Schreiber – Doubt: A Parable as Father Brendan Flynn Michael Stuhlbarg – Patriots as Boris Berezovsky	Sarah Paulson – Appropriate as Antoinette "Toni" Lafayette Betsy Aidem – Prayer for the French Republic as Marcelle Salomon Benhamou Jessica Lange – Mother Play as Phyllis Rachel McAdams – Mary Jane as Mary Jane Amy Ryan – Doubt: A Parable as Sister Aloysius Beauvier
Best Actor in a Musical	Best Actress in a Musical
Jonathan Groff – Merrily We Roll Along as Franklin Shephard Brody Grant – The Outsiders as Ponyboy Curtis Dorian Harewood – The Notebook as Noah Calhoun (older) Brian d'Arcy James – Days of Wine and Roses as Joseph "Joe" Clay Eddie Redmayne – Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club as the Emcee	Maleah Joi Moon – Hell's Kitchen as Ali Eden Espinosa – Lempicka as Tamara de Lempicka Kelli O'Hara – Days of Wine and Roses as Kirsten Arnesen-Clay Maryann Plunkett – The Notebook as Allison "Allie" Calhoun (older) Gayle Rankin – Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club as Sally Bowles
Best Featured Actor in a Play	Best Featured Actress in a Play
Will Brill – Stereophonic as Reg Eli Gelb – Stereophonic as Grover Jim Parsons – Mother Play as Carl Tom Pecinka – Stereophonic as Peter Corey Stoll – Appropriate as Beauregard "Bo" Lafayette	Kara Young – Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp through the Cotton Patch as Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins Quincy Tyler Bernstine – Doubt: A Parable as Mrs. Muller Juliana Canfield – Stereophonic as Holly Celia Keenan-Bolger – Mother Play as Martha Sarah Pidgeon – Stereophonic as Diana
Best Featured Actor in a Musical	Best Featured Actress in a Musical
Daniel Radcliffe – Merrily We Roll Along as Charley Kringas Roger Bart – Back to the Future: The Musical as Doc Brown Joshua Boone – The Outsiders as Dallas “Dally” Winston Brandon Victor Dixon – Hell's Kitchen as Davis Sky Lakota-Lynch – The Outsiders as Johnny Cade Steven Skybell – Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club as Herr Schultz	Kecia Lewis – Hell's Kitchen as Miss Liza Jane Shoshana Bean – Hell's Kitchen as Jersey Amber Iman – Lempicka as Rafaela Nikki M. James – Suffs as Ida B. Wells Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer – Monty Python's Spamalot as the Lady of the Lake Lindsay Mendez – Merrily We Roll Along as Mary Flynn Bebe Neuwirth – Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club as Fraulein Schneider
Best Direction of a Play	Best Direction of a Musical
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	Danya Taymor – The Outsiders Maria Friedman – Merrily We Roll Along Michael Greif – Hell's Kitchen Leigh Silverman – Suffs Jessica Stone – Water for Elephants
Best Book of a Musical	Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Shaina Taub – Suffs Kristoffer Diaz – Hell's Kitchen Bekah Brunstetter – The Notebook Justin Levine and Adam Rapp – The Outsiders Rick Elice – Water for Elephants	Suffs – Shaina Taub (music and lyrics) Days of Wine and Roses – Adam Guettel (music and lyrics) Here Lies Love – David Byrne and Fatboy Slim (music and lyrics) Stereophonic – Will Butler (original songs by) The Outsiders – Jamestown Revival (Zach Chance and Jonathan Clay) and Justin Levine (music and lyrics)
Best Scenic Design of a Play	Best Scenic Design of a Musical
David Zinn – Stereophonic 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	Tom Scutt – Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club AMP featuring Tatiana Kahvegian – The Outsiders Robert Brill and Peter Nigrini – Hell's Kitchen Takeshi Kata – Water for Elephants David Korins – Here Lies Love Tim Hatley and Finn Ross – Back to the Future: The Musical Riccardo Hernández and Peter Nigrini – Lempicka
Best Costume Design of a Play	Best Costume Design of a Musical
Dede Ayite – Jaja's African Hair Braiding Dede Ayite – Appropriate Enver Chakartash – Stereophonic Emilio Sosa – Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp through the Cotton Patch David Zinn – An Enemy of the People	Linda Cho – The Great Gatsby Dede Ayite – Hell's Kitchen David Israel Reynoso – Water for Elephants Tom Scutt – Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club Paul Tazewell – Suffs
Best Lighting Design of a Play	Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Jane Cox – Appropriate Isabella Byrd – An Enemy of the People Amith Chandrashaker – Prayer for the French Republic Jiyoun Chang – Stereophonic Natasha Katz – Grey House	Hana S. Kim and Brian MacDevitt – The Outsiders Brandon Stirling Baker – Illinoise David Bengali and Bradley King – Water for Elephants Isabella Byrd – Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club Natasha Katz – Hell's Kitchen
Best Sound Design of a Play	Best Sound Design of a Musical
Ryan Rumery – Stereophonic Stefania Bulbarella and Justin Ellington – Jaja's African Hair Braiding Leah Gelpe – Mary Jane Tom Gibbons – Grey House Will Pickens and Bray Poor – Appropriate	Cody Spencer – The Outsiders 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
Best Choreography	Best Orchestrations
Justin Peck – Illinoise Camille A. Brown – Hell's Kitchen Shana Carroll and Jesse Robb – Water for Elephants Jeff Kuperman and Rick Kuperman – The Outsiders Annie-B Parson – Here Lies Love	Jonathan Tunick – Merrily We Roll Along Adam Blackstone and Tom Kitt – Hell's Kitchen Will Butler and Justin Craig – Stereophonic Matt Hinkley, Justin Levine, and Jamestown Revival (Zach Chance and Jonathan Clay) – The Outsiders Timo Andres – Illinoise

‡ The award is presented to the producer(s) of the musical or play.

Productions with multiple nominations

Productions with multiple nominations Nominations Production 13 Hell's Kitchen Stereophonic 12 The Outsiders 9 Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club 8 Appropriate 7 Merrily We Roll Along Water for Elephants 6 Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp through the Cotton Patch Suffs 5 An Enemy of the People Jaja's African Hair Braiding 4 Here Lies Love Illinoise Mary Jane Mother Play 3 Days of Wine and Roses Doubt: A Parable Lempicka The Notebook Prayer for the French Republic 2 Back to the Future: The Musical Grey House

Productions with multiple wins Awards Production 5 Stereophonic 4 Merrily We Roll Along The Outsiders 3 Appropriate 2 Hell's Kitchen Suffs

Individuals with multiple nominations

Individual	Nominations	Awards
Justin Levine	3	0
David Zinn		1
Dede Ayite		1
Will Butler	2	0
Isabella Byrd		0
Natasha Katz		0
Peter Nigrini		0
Jamestown Revival (Zach Chance and Jonathan Clay)		0
Tom Scutt		1
Shaina Taub		2

Non-competitive awards

The recipients of three Special Tony Awards include Alex Edelman for his "exemplary debut" in his solo show Just for Us, Abe Jacob for his contributions to modern sound design in theater, and Nikiya Mathis for her hair and wig design for the play Jaja's African Hair Braiding. The recipients for the Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre this year are scenic projection designer Wendall K. Harrington, ASU Gammage Executive Director and Broadway League member Colleen Jennings-Roggensack, outgoing Playwrights Horizons Board Chair Judith O. Rubin, the Dramatists Guild Foundation, and the Samuel J. Friedman Health Center for the Performing Arts.[16] Billy Porter is the 2024 recipient of the Isabelle Stevenson Award for his activism in the LGBTQIA+ community, particularly with the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and the Entertainment Community Fund.[17] Directors Jack O'Brien and George C. Wolfe received Special Tony Awards for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.[18] The Wilma Theater in Philadelphia is the 2024 recipient of the Regional Theatre Tony Award.[19] The recipient of the Excellence in Theatre Education Award is CJay Philip, the founder and creative director of Dance & BMore in Baltimore, Maryland.[20]

Controversy

Days before the ceremony, it was announced that many Broadway press outlets were denied access to the red carpet for coverage including SiriusXM’s On Broadway's Julie James, BroadwayWorld’s Richard Ridge, TheaterMania’s David Gordon, Broadway News’ Ruthie Fierberg, and Theatrely's Kobi Kassal.[21] Eventually the decision was reversed after public outcry, an open letter from the Editor-in-Chief of Theatrely, and multiple news articles called out the decision.[22]

Reception

The night's performances received mixed reviews. Alicia Keys's live performance of "Empire State of Mind", with the cast of Hell's Kitchen onstage and Jay-Z joining remotely, was noted as a highlight by the live audience and by critics.[23] The opening number featuring Ariana DeBose, on the other hand, drew criticism.[24][25] The awards were celebrated for more strongly featuring straight plays than in past years, with clips and interviews preceding awards in play categories.[24]

The ceremony drew 3.5 million viewers on CBS, marking a 14% decrease from the previous year's ceremony.[26]

See also

• Drama Desk Awards
• Outer Critics Circle Awards
• Laurence Olivier Awards
• New York Drama Critics' Circle
• Theatre World Award
• Lucille Lortel Awards
• Obie Award
• Drama League Award
• Chita Rivera Awards for Dance and Choreography

References

1. "77th Annual Tony Awards to be held at Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater - CBS New York". www.cbsnews.com. October 4, 2023. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
2. Rubin, Rebecca (October 4, 2023). "Tony Awards Moves 2024 Ceremony to Lincoln Center, Reveals Key Dates". Variety. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
3. Huston, Caitlan (March 27, 2024). "Ariana DeBose Returns to Host 2024 Tony Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
4. "Tony Awards 2024 highlights: 'The Outsiders' wins best musical, 'Stereophonic' takes home 5 awards". NBC News. June 16, 2024. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
5. Nordyke, Kimberly (June 16, 2024). "Tony Awards: Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
6. Culwell-Block, Logan (June 6, 2024). "Which Shows Are Performing at the 2024 Tony Awards?". Playbill. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
7. Quinn, Dave (June 13, 2024). "Nicole Scherzinger Will Perform at 2024 Tony Awards for Emotional 'In Memoriam' Segment (Exclusive)". People. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
8. Culwell-Block, Logan (June 12, 2024). "Update: Best Play Nominee Stereophonic Will Perform at the 2024 Tony Awards After All". Playbill. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
9. Huston, Caitlin (June 11, 2024). "Tonys Producers on Changes For This Year-s Show, --Stereophonic-- and Their Plan to Honor Plays". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
10. Wild, Stephi (June 12, 2024). "STEREOPHONIC Will Perform at the Tony Awards". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
11. Quinn, Dave (June 13, 2024). "Nicole Scherzinger Will Perform at 2024 Tony Awards for Emotional 'In Memoriam' Segment (Exclusive)". People. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
12. "Tony Awards Eligibility for 2024 – Part 1". tonyawards.com. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
13. "Tony Awards Eligibility for 2024 – Part 2 & 3". tonyawards.com. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
14. "Tony Awards Eligibility for 2024 – Part 4". tonyawards.com. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
15. "A Look at all the Broadway shows eligible for 2024 Tony Awards". newyorktheatreguide.com. January 19, 2024. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
16. Culwell-Block, Logan (May 2, 2024). "Alex Edelman, Nikiya Mathis, More to Receive Special Tony Awards". Playbill. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
17. Culwell-Block, Logan (May 7, 2024). "Billy Porter Will Receive the 2024 Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award". Playbill. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
18. Gans, Andrew (May 9, 2024). "Jack O'Brien and George C. Wolfe Will Receive 2024 Special Tony Awards for Lifetime Achievement". Playbill. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
19. Culwell-Block, Logan (May 22, 2024). "Philadelphia's Wilma Theater Wins 2024 Regional Theatre Tony Award". Playbill. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
20. King, Darryn (May 30, 2024). "Tony Awards and Carnegie Mellon Present 2024 Excellence in Theatre Education Award to CJay Philip". Broadway.com. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
21. Siegler, Mara (June 14, 2024). "Broadway press shut out of the Tony Awards red carpet". Retrieved August 12, 2024.
22. "Broadway journalists rally to support the theater press shut out of the 2024 Tony Awards red carpet: 'This is our Super Bowl.'". Yahoo News. June 16, 2024. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
23. Mendez II, Moises (June 16, 2024). "The Most Memorable Moments of the 2024 Tony Awards". Time Magazine. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
24. Kumar, Naveen (June 17, 2024). "The best and worst moments from the 2024 Tony Awards". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
25. "Best and Worst Moments From the 2024 Tony Awards". The New York Times. June 16, 2024. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
26. Seitz, Loree (June 17, 2024). "Tony Awards Viewership Drops 14% From 2023 to 3.5 Million on CBS". TheWrap. Retrieved September 17, 2024.

External links

• Official website