Next to the gala event itself, announcement of the annual Tony Award nominees is one of the biggest events on Broadway.

Early on April 30, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Renee Elise Goldsberry announced the nominees for the 77th annual Tony Awards which will be held on June 16 at Lincoln Center with Ariana DeBose hosting the gala event for the third year in a row.

The new musical by Alicia Keys “Hell’s Kitchen” and the play “Stereophonic” topped the list of nominees with 13 each.  “The Outsiders”, “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club”, “Appropriate”, “Merrily We Roll Along”, “Wate for Elephants”, “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Throught the Cotton Patch”, “Suffs”, “An Enemy of the People”, “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding”, “Here Lies Love”, “Illinoise”, “Mary Jane”, and “Mother Play” all garnered multiple nominations.  In all 28 productions received at least one nomination for an award.

Also this year, the Tony’s set a new record for the nomination of female directors with seven – three plays and four musicals.

On learning that her somewhat biographical musical “Hell’s Kitchen” earn 13 nominations, Alicia Keys noted, “I am totally at a loss for words. Don’t ask me to write a song.”

“Stereophonic’s” 13 nominations is a new record for a play.

The 2024 Tony Award nominees:
Best Musical:
“Hell’s Kitchen”
“Illinoise”
“The Outsiders”
“Suffs”
“Water for Elephants”

Best Play:
“Jaja’s African Hair Braiding”
“Mary Jane”
“Mother Play”
“Prayer for the French Republic”
“Stereophonic”

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

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

Best Book of a Musical:
Kristoffer Diaz for “Hell’s Kitchen”
Bekah Brunstetter for “The Notebook”
Adam Rapp and Justin Levine for “The Outsiders”
Shaina Taub for “Suffs”
Rick Elice for “Water for Elephants”

Best Original Score written for the Theatre:
Adam Guettel for “Days of Wine and Roses”
David Byrne and Fatboy Slim for “Here Lies Love”
Jonathan Clay, Zach Chance, and Justin Levine for “The Outsiders”
Will Butler for “Stereophonic”
Shaina Taub for “Suffs”

Best Leading Actor in a Play:
William Jackson Harper in “Uncle Vanya”
Leslie Odom Jr in “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch”
Liev Schreiber in “Doubt: A Parable”
Jeremy Strong in “An Enemy of the People”
Michael Stuhlbarg in “Patriots”

Best Leading Actress in a Play:
Betsy Aidem in “Prayer for the French Republic”
Jessica Lange in “Mother Play”
Rachel McAdams in “Mary Jane
Sarah Paulson in “Appropriate”
Amy Ryan in “Doubt: A Parable”

Best Leading Actor in a Musical:
Brody Grant in “The Outsiders”
Jonathan Groff in “Merrily We Roll Along”
Dorian Harewood in “The Notebook”
Brian d’Arcy James in “Days of Wine and Roses
Eddie Redmayne in “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club”

Best Leading Actress in a Musical:
Eden Espinosa in “Lempicka”
Maleah Joi Moon in “Hell’s Kitchen”
Kelli O’Hara in “Days of Wine and Roses”
Maryann Plunkett in “The Notebook”
Gayle Rankin in “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club”

Best Featured Actor in a Play:
Will Brill in “Stereophonic”
Eli Gelb in “Stereophonic”
Jim Parsons in “Mother Play”
Tom Pecinka in “Stereophonic”
Corey Stoll in “Appropriate”

Best Featured Actress in a Play:
Quincy Tyler Bernstine in “Doubt: A Parable”
Juliana Canfield in “Stereophonic”
Celia Keenan-Bolger in “Mother Play”
Sara Pidgeon in “Stereophonic”
Kara Young in “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch”

Best Featured Actor in a Musical:
Roger Bart in “Back to the Future: The Musical”
Joshua Boone in “The Outsiders”
Brandon Victor Dixon in “Hell’s Kitchen”
Sky Lakota-Lynch in “The Outsiders”
Daniel Radcliffe in “Merrily We Roll Along”
Steven Skybell in “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club”

Best Featured Actress in a Musical:
Shoshana Bean in “Hell’s Kitchen”
Amber Iman in “Lempicka”
Nikki M. James in “Suffs”
Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer in Monty Python’s “Spamalot”
Kecia Lewis in “Hell’s Kitchen”
Lindsay Mendez in “Merrily We Roll Along”
Bebe Neuwirth in “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club”

Best Scenic Design of a Play:
dots for “Appropriate”
dots for “An Enemy of the People”
Derek McLane for “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch”
David Zinn for “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding”
David Zinn for “Stereophonic”

Best Scenic Design of a Musical:
AMP and Tatiana Kahvegian for “The Outsiders”
Robert Brill and Peter Nigrini for “Hell’s Kitchen”
Takeshi Kata for “Water for Elephants”
David Korins for “Here Lies Love”
Riccardo Hernandez and Peter Nigrini for “Lempicka”
Tim Hatley and Finn Ross for “Back to the Future: The Musical”
Tom Scutt for “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club”

Best Costume Design of a Play:
Dede Ayite for “Appropriate”
Dede Ayite for “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding”
Enver Chakartash for “Stereophonic”
Emilio Sosa for “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch”
David Zinn for “An Enemy of the People”

Best Costume Design of a Musical:
Dede Ayite for “Hell’s Kitchen”
Linda Cho for “The Great Gatsby”
David Israel Reynoso for “Water for Elephants”
Tom Scutt for “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club”
Paul Tazewell for “Suffs”

Best Lighting Design of a Play:
Isabella Byrd for “An Enemy of the People”
Amith Chandrashaker for “Prayer for the French Republic”
Jiyoun Chang for “Stereophonic”
Jane Cox for “Appropriate”
Natasha Katz for “Grey House”

Best Lighting Design of a Musical:
Brandon Stirling Baker for “Illinoise”
Isabella Byrd for “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club”
Natasha Katz for “Hell’s Kitchen”
Bradley King and David Bengali for “Water for Elephants”
Brian MacDevitt and Hana S. Kim for “The Outsiders”

Best Sound Design of a Play:
Justin Ellington and Stefania Bulbarella for “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding”
Leah Gelpe for “Mary Jane”
Tom Gibbons for “Grey House”
Bray Poora and Will Pickens for “Appropriate”
Ryan Rumery for “Stereophonic”

Best Sound Design of a Musical:
M.L. Dogg and Cody Spencer for “Here Lies Love”
Kai Harada for “Merrily We Roll Along”
Nick Lidster for “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club”
Gareth Owen for “Hell’s Kitchen”
Cody Spencer for “The Outsiders”

Best Direction of a Play:
Daniel Aukin for Stereophonic”
Anne Kauffman for “Mary Jane”
Kenny Leon for “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch”
Lila Neugebauer for “Appropriate”
Whitney White for “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding”

Best Direction of a Musical:
Maria Friedman for “Merrily We Roll Along”
Michael Greif for “Hell’s Kitchen”
Leigh Silverman for “Suffs”
Jessica Stone for “Water for Elephants”
Danya Taymor for “The Outsiders”

Best Choreography:
Annie-B Parson for “Here Lies Love”
Camille A. Brown for “Hell’s Kitchen”
Rick and Jeff Kuperman for “The Outsiders”
Justin Peck for “Illinoise”
Jesse Robb and Shana Carroll for “Water for Elephants”

Best Orchestrations:
Timo Andres for “Illinoise”
Will Butler and Justin Craig for “Stereophonic”
Justin Levine, Matt Hinkley, Jonathan Clay, and Zach Chance for “The Outsiders”
Tom Kitt and Adam Blackstone for “Hell’s Kitchen”
Jonathan Tunick for “Merrily We Roll Along”