The Outsiders, based mostly on the 1967 novel by S.E. Hinton and a 1983 movie by Francis Ford Coppola, was a shock winner for finest musical on the 2024 Tony Awards, which had been offered on Sunday (June 16). The award was regarded as an in depth race between Suffs, a musical about American girls’s suffrage motion, and Hell’s Kitchen, a musical loosely based mostly on Alicia Keys’ formative years and music.
Stereophonic, a David Adjmi play with music, was named finest play.
The 77th Annual Tony Awards, which had been hosted by Ariana DeBose for the third consecutive 12 months, aired dwell on each coasts from the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Middle for the Performing Arts in New York Metropolis on Sunday, June 16 on CBS. The present additionally streamed on Paramount+ within the U.S.
Stereophonic was the 12 months’s most-decorated manufacturing, profitable 5 Tonys. It was adopted by The Outsiders and a revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Alongside, with 4 wins every. The unique manufacturing of Merrily acquired only one nod in 1982 – authentic musical rating. Two of the celebrities of the Merrily revival – Jonathan Groff and Daniel Radcliffe – received their first Tonys for his or her performances. The New Broadway Forged recording of Merrily We Roll Alongside entered Billboard’s Forged Albums chart at No. 1 in November 2023.
That is the fifth time {that a} revival of a Sondheim present has received finest revival of a musical. Into the Woods received in 2002; adopted by Assassins in 2004, and Firm in each 2007 and 2022. Sondheim died in 2021 at age 91.
Trailing Stereophonic, Merrily We Roll Alongside and The Outsiders when it comes to most wins had been Acceptable, The Outsiders and Suffs, with three wins every; Hell’s Kitchen, with two; and Cabaret on the Equipment Kat Membership, An Enemy of the Folks, The Nice Gatsby, Illinoise, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding and Purlie Victorious: A Non-Accomplice Romp By the Cottom Patch, with one every.
Water for Elephants was shut out regardless of seven nominations. Additionally shut out regardless of massive numbers of nominations had been Right here Lies Love, Mary Jane and Mom Play, with 4 nods every.
The Outsiders is the second finest musical winner prior to now 4 years that was based mostly on a movie, following Moulin Rouge!. Different winners since 2000 that had been based mostly on movies are The Producers (2001), Completely Trendy Millie (2002), Hairspray (2003), Spamalot (2005), Billy Elliot the Musical (2009), As soon as (2012) and The Band’s Go to (2007). The last-named title was based mostly on an Israeli movie.
Angelina Jolie was among the many producers of The Outsiders and now has a Tony to go together with the Oscar she received 24 years in the past for finest supporting actress for Lady, Interrupted.
Hillary Rodham Clinton was among the many producers of Suffs, and acquired a thunderous ovation when she launched a efficiency from the present. She was vying to change into the primary first girl to win a Tony, simply as she was the primary first girl to win a Grammy, in 1997, for the audio guide of her best-seller, It Takes a Village.
Alicia Keys’ AK Worldwide Media, Inc. and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation had been among the many producers of Hell’s Kitchen. They misplaced the Tony for finest musical, however they scored closely on the telecast with a efficiency of “Empire State of Thoughts,” their Grammy-winning 2009 smash which is featured in Hell’s Kitchen.
Keys and Jay-Z weren’t the one music superstars to carry out on the present. Pete Townshend additionally carried out alongside the solid of The Who’s Tommy, which was nominated for finest revival of a musical.
Shaina Taub received two Tonys – finest authentic rating and finest guide of a musical – for her work on Suffs. Taub is simply the third girl in Tony historical past to win in each of these classes – and he or she’s the primary girl to win in each classes fully on her personal. Betty Comden received each awards in 1978 for On the Twentieth Century, however she had collaborators in each classes. Lisa Kron received each awards in 2015 for Enjoyable Dwelling, however she had a collaborator within the rating class.
Jonathan Tunick received finest orchestrations for the revival of Merrily. Tunick’s solely earlier Tony win was for Titanic (1997), which made him the seventh EGOT winner. Three of the awards that make up Tunick’s EGOT had been for Sondheim-related work. His solely Oscar was for adapting the rating for the 1978 movie model of A Little Night time Music. His solely Grammy was for his association of Cleo Laine’s recording of “No One Is Alone,” from Into the Woods.
George C. Wolfe and Jack O’Brien acquired lifetime achievement awards. Billy Porter acquired the Isabelle Stevenson Award, honoring humanitarian achievements. The present included a tribute to Broadway legend Chita Rivera, who died in January. Rivera additionally closed the In Memoriam section, which additionally included actors Hinton Battle, Glynis Johns and Glenda Jackson and songwriters Richard Sherman and Sheldon Harnick, amongst others.
The 2023-24 eligibility season started on April 28, 2023, and ended on Thursday, April 25, 2024. Tony Awards in 26 aggressive classes had been voted on by 836 designated Tony voters throughout the theatre group.
The Tony Awards had been produced in collaboration with Tony Award Productions, a three way partnership of the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, and White Cherry Leisure. Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss had been showrunners and government producers for White Cherry Leisure, and Weiss served as director. Jack Sussman was additionally an government producer.
