Sarah Paulson, Jonathan Groff, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and More LGBTQ+ Artists Scored 2024 Tony Nominations

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The nominations for the Tony Awards just dropped, and LGBTQ+ people have the potential to win big. Of course, gays have always had a huge presence on Broadway, but this year is especially exciting, with one play by a queer playwright beating a record for total nominations, and other compelling works by LGBTQ+ theater artists receiving accolades. While there are likely queer nominees who we missed (considering that not everyone might be officially out, and considering the sheer number of homosexuals it takes to keep the Great White Way running), read on for an overview of some of the plays, musicals, and actors who have been nominated for this year’s ceremony, which will take place on June 16, hosted by Ariana DeBose.

Stereophonic

Stereophonic by queer Syrian Jewish playwright David Adjmi received 13 nominations, the most of any production besides Alicia Keys’ Hell’s Kitchen. This also makes it the most-nominated play in Tony Awards history, beating out 2021’s Slave Play, which had 12 nominations, according to Variety. Five of Stereophonic’s actors were nominated for acting, and the play also received nods for Best Direction, Best Scenic Design, Best Costume Design, Best Lighting Design, Best Sound Design, Best Original Score, and Best Orchestrations.

“Stereophonic mines the agony and the ecstasy of creation as it zooms in on a music studio in 1976,” an official synopsis reads. “Here, an up-and-coming rock band recording a new album finds itself suddenly on the cusp of superstardom. The ensuing pressures could spark their breakup — or their breakthrough.” (Notably, the play features music from Will Butler of Arcade Fire.)

Mother Play

Paula Vogel was the first out gay woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for playwriting, and now Mother Play, which opened in April, has received a nomination for Best New Play. Additionally, the play received three other nominations: one for gay icon Jessica Lange for Best Leading Actress in a Play, Jim Parsons for Best Featured Actor in a Play, and one for Celia Keenan-Bolger for Best Featured Actress in a Play.

Mother Play explores queer family dynamics between a family living in the D.C. suburbs in 1962, according to an official synopsis.

Prayer for the French Republic

This play centers on a Jewish couple in 1944 in Paris, dealing with the impact of the Holocaust. “More than 70 years later, their great-grandchildren find themselves facing the same question as their ancestors: ‘Are we safe?’” an official synopsis reads.

Written by gay playwright Joshua Harmon, the play is nominated for three Tonys, including Best New Play.

Illinoise

The musical leans into the album’s queer themes, grappling with childhood trauma, friend breakups, and more.

Based on the seminal album by Sufjan Stevens, director and choreographer Justin Peck and playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury “have crafted an original coming-of-age tale that blends dance, theater, live music, and storytelling into a breathtakingly emotional journey,” according to the musical’s website. The production is nominated for four Tonys, including Best New Musical.

Appropriate

Sarah Paulson is up for Best Leading Actress in a Play, one of eight nominations that Appropriate received. Written by Black queer playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Appropriate is a “darkly comic America family drama” that sees the members of the Lafayette family returning to their late patriarch’s Arkansas home to deal with the remains of his estate. “But things take a turn when their estranged brother, Franz, appears late one night, and mysterious objects are discovered among the clutter,” the synopsis reads. “Suddenly, long-hidden secrets and buried resentments can’t be contained, and the family is forced to face the ghosts of their past.”

The organization said it will work “thoughtfully” to make people feel more included in the future.

Lempicka

This musical, with music by gay composer Matt Gould, is about the life and times of the titular painter Tamara de Lempicka. who fled to Paris to escape the Russian Revolution in the 1910s. The Los Angeles Times has referred to her as a “bisexual Art Deco icon.” Lempicka received three Tony nominations.

Merrily We Roll Along

The Broadway revival of one of beloved gay composer Stephen Sondheim’s biggest flops is thankfully getting many more accolades this time around, with seven Tony nominations. Jonathan Groff earned one for Best Leading Actor in a Musical (and renowned trans ally Daniel Radcliffe was also nominated for Best Featured Actor in a Musical).

“Merrily charts the turbulent relationship between three lifelong friends… and traces every milestone of their lives for nearly two decades as they navigate success, show business and unbreakable bonds,” according to the show’s site.

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