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

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7 months ago

May 1, 2024

Tony Awards 2024: 'Hell's Kitchen,' 'Stereophonic' lead with 13 nominations each

NEW YORK (AP) — Two Broadway exhibits celebrating the spark of sonic creativity — the semi-autobiographical Alicia Keys musical “Hell’s Kitchen,” and the play “Stereophonic” a few ‘70s rock band recording a star-making album — every earned a number one 13 Tony Award nominations Tuesday, a listing that additionally noticed a report variety of girls nominated for greatest director.

“That is completely loopy. It took me about an hour to get myself collectively. I couldn’t even formulate phrases,” Keys stated after a morning the place the present loosely based mostly on her life was nominated for greatest new musical and 4 appearing awards in addition to greatest scenic design, costumes, lighting, sound design, path, choreography and orchestrations. “I’m completely puzzled. Don’t ask me to jot down a tune.”

A complete of 28 exhibits earned a Tony nod or extra, with the musical “The Outsiders,” an adaptation of the beloved S. E. Hinton novel and the Francis Ford Coppola movie, incomes 12 nominations; a starry revival of “Cabaret” starring Eddie Redmayne, nabbing 9; and “Acceptable,” Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ searing play a few household reunion in Arkansas the place everybody has competing motivations and grievances, grabbing eight.

The nominations marked a smashing of the Tony report for most ladies administrators named in a single season. The 2022 Tony Awards had held the report, with 4 complete throughout the 2 races — musical and play. Solely 10 girls have gone on to win a directing crown.

This 12 months, seven girls took the ten directing slots. Three girls had been nominated for greatest play path — Lila Neugebauer (“Acceptable”), Anne Kauffman (“Mary Jane”) and Whitney White (“Jaja’s African Hair Braiding”) — whereas 4 had been nominated within the musical class — Maria Friedman (“Merrily We Roll Alongside“), Leigh Silverman (“Suffs”) Jessica Stone (“Water for Elephants”) and Danya Taymor (“The Outsiders”).

“The one factor I really feel is it’s beginning to really feel much less exceptional, which is nice information,” Stone stated after her nomination. “We’re administrators and never girls administrators. I’m noticing it increasingly more and that’s an exquisite factor to consider. It’s an exquisite place to be.”

This picture launched by Boneau/Bryan-Brown exhibits Maryann Plunkett, left, and Dorian Harewood throughout a efficiency of “The Pocket book.” (Julieta Cervantes/Boneau/Bryan-Brown by way of AP)

This image released by Boneau/Bryan-Brown shows Ryan Vasquez, right, and Joy Woods during a performance of — This picture launched by Boneau/Bryan-Brown exhibits Ryan Vasquez, proper, and Pleasure Woods throughout a efficiency of “The Pocket book.” (Julieta Cervantes/Boneau/Bryan-Brown by way of AP)

“Stereophonic,” which grew to become the most-nominated play in Tony historical past, earned nominations for playwright David Adjmi and for its songs by Will Butler, previously of Arcade Hearth. It’s the story of a Fleetwood Mac-like band over a life-changing 12 months, with private rifts opening and shutting after which reopening. Butler says it’s about artwork’s “horror and its magnificence.”

An album of the rock-roots music heard in the course of the play might be out there subsequent month and Butler has excessive hopes: “We needed it to face up towards Tom Petty and ‘Rumors’ and the brand new Beyoncé nation report,” he stated. “Making it was its personal reward.”

Rachel McAdams, making her Broadway debut in “Mary Jane,” earned a greatest actress in a play nomination, whereas “Succession” star Jeremy Sturdy, bought his first ever nomination, for a revival of “An Enemy of the Folks” and Liev Schreiber of “Ray Donovan” fame nabbd one for main “Doubt.” Jessica Lange in “Mom Play,” Sarah Paulson in “Acceptable” and Amy Ryan, who stepped in on the final minute for a revival of “Doubt,” additionally earned nominations in one of the best actress in a play class.

“The Huge Bang Principle” star Jim Parsons earned a supporting nod for “Mom Play,” and Daniel Radcliffe on his fifth Broadway present, a revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “Merrily We Roll Alongside,” received his first nomination.

Radcliffe, caring for his toddler son on Tony nominations morning, stated he felt extremely fortunate and known as being within the musical alongside Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez — each additionally nominated — “one of the vital particular experiences of my skilled profession.”

This image released by Boneau/Bryan-Brown shows, from left, Alison Luff, Olive Ross-Kline and Adam Jacobs during a performance of — This picture launched by Boneau/Bryan-Brown exhibits, from left, Alison Luff, Olive Ross-Kline and Adam Jacobs throughout a efficiency of “The Who’s Tommy.” (Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman/Boneau/Bryan-Brown by way of AP)

“I’ve all the time felt like doing stage and significantly doing it right here has been such an enormous a part of my profession and form of like discovering out who I used to be as an actor exterior of Harry Potter,” he stated. “I believe it’s sort of been the making of me.”

Redmayne in his second present on Broadway bought a nod as greatest lead actor in a musical, as did Brian d’Arcy James for “Days of Wine and Roses,” Brody Grant in “The Outsiders,” Jonathan Groff in “Merrily We Roll Alongside” and 73-year-old Dorian Harewood in “The Notebook,” the adaptation of Nicholas Sparks romantic tearjerker. Harewood, in his first Broadway show in 46 years, landed his first Tony nomination.

It was one of three nominations for “The Notebook,” but the musical’s composer, Ingrid Michaelson, didn’t earn a nomination, nor did Barry Manilow for his show “Harmony.” A revival of “The Wiz” also failed to garner any nominations, nor did the Huey Lewis jukebox “The Heart of Rock and Roll.”

Redmayne’s “Cabaret” co-star Gayle Rankin earned a nomination for best actress in a musical, as did Eden Espinosa in “Lempicka,” Maleah Joi Moon in “Hell’s Kitchen,” Kelli O’Hara in “Days of Wine and Roses” and 71-year-old Maryann Plunkett, who plays the elderly wife at the heart of “The Notebook.”

Steve Carell in his Broadway debut in a poorly received revival of the classic play “Uncle Vanya” and “Sopranos” star Michael Imperioli in “An Enemy of the People” both failed to secure nods, but starry producers who did include Keys, Angelina Jolie (for “The Outsiders”) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (for “Suffs”).

The best new musical crown will be a battle between “Hell’s Kitchen,” “The Outsiders,” the dance-heavy, dialogue-less stage adaptation of Sufjan Stevens’ 2005 album “Illinois,” “Suffs,” based on the American suffragists of the early 20th century, and “Water for Elephants,” which combines Sara Green’s 2006 bestseller with circus elements.

The best new play Tony will pit “Stereophonic” against “Mother Play,” Paula Vogel’s look at a mother and her kids spanning 1964 to the 21st century; “Mary Jane,” Amy Herzog’s humanistic portrait of a divorced mother of a young boy with health issues; “Prayer for the French Republic,” Joshua Harmon’s sprawling family comedy-drama that deals with Zionism, religious fervency and antisemitism; and “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding,” Jocelyn Bioh’s comedy about the lives of West African women working at a salon.

Lamar Richardson, an actor-turned-producer, had many reasons to smile Tuesday. He helped produce the three new revivals of “The Wiz, ““Merrily We Roll Along“ and “Appropriate.”

“I really think this is Broadway at its best,” he said. “There’s really something for everyone. There’s the quintessential big jukebox musical. There’s the niche moving three-hander plays. I think that this really is a smorgasbord of what Broadway can offer up, and showing it still, of course, is a major player on the art scene. And it’s here to stay.”

A spring barrage of new shows — 14 shows opened in an 11-day span this year — is not unusual these days as producers hope their work will be fresh in the mind of voters ahead of the Tony Awards ceremony on June 16.

There were some firsts this season, including “Here Lies Love” with Broadway’s first all-Filipino cast, which earned four nominations, including best original score for David Byrne and Fat Boy Slim. And seven openly autistic actors starred in “How to Dance in Ohio,” a first for Broadway but which got no Tony love.

Academy Award winner and Tony Award-nominee Ariana DeBose, who hosted both the 2023 and 2022 ceremonies, will be back this year and will produce and choreograph the opening number.

Like last year, the three-hour main telecast will air on CBS and stream on Paramount+ from 8 p.m.-11 p.m. EDT/5 p.m.-8 p.m. PDT with a pre-show on Pluto TV, and some Tony Awards handed out there.