Daniel Radcliffe Is Finally a (Long-Deserved!) Tony Nominee

Erin Strecker
·4 min read
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Daniel Radcliffe’s post-“Harry Potter” career has long been dominated by his theater work, both in New York and London. On April 30, he finally scored his first Tony nomination, for his role in the musical “Merrily We Roll Along.”

Radcliffe’s buzzy stage work began in 2007 with a run in “Equus” on both sides of the pond. He powered a delightful, blockbuster revival of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” in 2011 (Grammy nomination), and since then, he has chosen an eclectic mix of projects, work where his name alone can often get challenging — or even just serious — work funded. Think the occasionally dense “The Cripple of Inishmaan,” the provocative “Privacy,” or the genre-bending experiment “The Lifespan of a Fact.” He’s long been an asset to the NY stage scene, and this morning’s recognition long-deserved.

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Radcliffe landed another perfect part playing Charley Kringas in the buzzy revival of “Merrily We Roll Along.” That’s an infamous Stephen Sondheim flop that, forty-plus years after it originally premiered, is more, well, magical than ever, co-lead by Broadway vets Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez. Radcliffe is compelling, funny (really funny!), quirky, and angry in Sondheim’s opus about friendship fallout and the painful choices an artistic career can force. And now, he’s also the frontrunner for the Featured Actor in a Musical Tony.

In a Broadway season dominated by musical adaptations of popular books and movies (“The Notebook,” “Water for Elephants,” “The Outsiders,”) nominations chose to spread the love around, highlighting an eclectic mix of people and shows — with a heavier-than-usual emphasis on celebrities. Rachel McAdams, Jeremy Strong, Sarah Paulson, and Jessica Lange all made the cut for their well-deserved work.

“Hell’s Kitchen” and “Stereophonic” tied for the most nominations of the year, with 13 apiece. Loosely based on the story of a teenage Alicia Keys, “Hell’s Kitchen” features Keys’ hits as well as new Keys songs written for the production. “Stereophonic” is an excellent new play — with original music by Will Butler — about a ’70s rock band battling and creating in the studio.

Check out highlights of all the 2024 Tony nominees below. Winners will be announced at the Tony Awards June 16, and the ceremony will air live on CBS and stream on Paramount+.

Best New Musical
Hell’s Kitchen
Illinoise
The Outsiders
Suffs
Water for Elephants

Best Performance by a Leading Actor 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 a Leading Actress 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 Play
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding
Mary Jane
Mother Play
Prayer for the French Republic
Stereophonic

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
William Jackson Harper — Uncle Vanya
Leslie Odom, Jr. — Purlie Victorious
Liev Schreiber — Doubt
Jeremy Strong — An Enemy of the People
Michael Stuhlbarg — Patriots

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Betsy Aidem — Prayer of the French Republic
Jessica Lange — Mother Play
Rachel McAdams — Mary Jane
Sarah Paulson — Appropriate
Amy Ryan — Doubt

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Roger Bart — Back to the Future
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 Cat 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 Cat 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 Still, Appropriate

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Quincy Tyler Bernadine, Doubt
Juliana Canfield, Stereophonic
Celia Keenan-Bolger, Mother Play
Sarah Pidgeon, Stereophonic
Kara Young, Purlie Victorious

Best Revival of a Musical
Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
Gutenberg! The Musical!
Merrily We Roll Along
The Who’s Tommy

Best Revival of a Play
An Enemy of the People
Appropriate
Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch

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 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



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