2024 Tony Awards nominations: ‘Hell’s Kitchen,’ ‘Stereophonic’ lead with 13 nods

The contenders in the 77th annual Tony Awards were unveiled Tuesday, with Alicia Keys’ Manhattan-set musical “Hell’s Kitchen” and the play-about-music “Stereophonic” leading the way with 13 nominations each.

The nominations announcement arrived after the ceremony’s 44-member nominating committee scoured Broadway’s third season since COVID to pluck out the strongest performances and sharpest productions.

The packed season has brought back familiar shows, including “The Wiz” (which was not nominated for any Tonys on Tuesday), and surfaced popular new arrivals such as “Suffs,” a musical about suffragists fighting for the vote, which picked up six nods.

Tuesday’s nominations were headlined by some household names, largely appearing in star-studded revivals. Those nominees included the velvet-voiced Leslie Odom Jr. in a nonsinging role in “Purlie Victorious,” the intense Jeremy Strong in a revival of Henrik Ibsen’s “An Enemy of the People,” Liev Schreiber in “Doubt” and Rachel McAdams in “Mary Jane,” a new play that hauled in four nominations.

Daniel Radcliffe and Jonathan Groff also scored nods for their starring roles in a hugely popular revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “Merrily We Roll Along.” Eddie Redmayne picked up a nomination for “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club,” which received a strong nine nominations despite checkered critical reviews.

Tuesday was also a bright day for a musical interpretation of the Oklahoma coming-of-age story “The Outsiders,” which scored 12 nominations, and a revival of the sidesplitting, boundary-pushing “Appropriate,” which is led by an impressively gruff Sarah Paulson and earned eight nominations.

The five nominees for the Best New Musical honor were “Suffs,” “The Outsiders,” “Hell’s Kitchen,” “Illinoise,” which is inspired by the 2005 Sufjan Stevens album and received four nominations, and “Water for Elephants,” about life in a traveling circus (seven nominations).

The 13 nods for “Stereophonic” made it the most-nominated play in Tony Awards history. The show, beloved by critics, is centered on a fictional band as it records an album in 1970s California.

“I think the play has many resonances,” said Juliana Canfield, who plays Holly and was nominated in the Best Featured Actress category. “I think it speaks to people who make art. I think it speaks to people who have ever been in love or had their heart broken. So, that’s basically everyone.”

It is seen as the favorite to take home the Best New Play honor.

This year’s ceremony will be held June 16 at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater. The Tonys, which have often been held at Radio City Music Hall, have never been held at the Koch Theater, the home of City Ballet.

The relocation represents a continuation of the Tonys’ broadening geographic horizons. A year ago, the awards show was held at the United Palace in Washington Heights. Ariana DeBose is set to host for the third straight year.

A team of 836 voters has been tapped to select the winners, according to the Tonys. CBS broadcasts the ceremony.

After a bustling season, 36 shows were eligible for Tony Awards consideration this year. A flurry of productions arrived in April ahead of the nominations announcement.

“This season is so abundant with so many beautiful stories and expressions of art, and I hope that it just keeps going that way,” said Eden Espinosa, who snagged a Tony nomination for “Lempicka.” In the show, she morphs into Tamara de Lempicka, an influential Polish painter.

“I think people after the pandemic are hungry for art,” she said, “And for substance. And for escape.”