Daniel Radcliffe; Sarah Paulson; Jeremy StrongPhoto: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions
Becoming an EGOT will always be a stunning achievement, but last night’s Tony Awards ceremony proved that the lines between those letters have become increasingly hazy. While all seasoned stage actors in their own right, a number of performers that non-thespians might know better from their HBO shows and other Hollywood projects took home statues last night. Also, Alicia Keys and Jay Z showed up to perform “Empire State Of Mind” with the cast of Keys’ musical, Hell’s Kitchen, so it was a pretty star-studded affair all around.
The 77th Annual Tony Awards® | Alicia Keys and Jay Z | Hell’s Kitchen Performance | CBS
While Kendall Roy never got to win at, well, pretty much anything, his actor, Jeremy Strong, had a great night. Strong won his first Tony for his work in Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy Of The People, in which he stars as medical officer Thomas Stockmann. “I want to thank the ushers and the front-of-house staff who see me walking in every day looking like I’ve just been run over by a truck, and see me walk out looking somehow even worse with, like, bits of pretzels and Aquavit in my hair,” he said during his speech.
Daniel Radcliffe and Jonathan Groff—the men of Best Revival Of A Musical winner Merrily We Roll Along—also had a winning and very emotional night. First up was Radcliffe, securing his first Tony after starring in five Broadway shows for his featured performance in the revival. “Jonathan, Lindsay [Mendez], I will miss you so much,” he said as his co-stars got visibly choked up in the audience. “I don’t really have to act in this show, I just have to look at you and feel everything I want to feel. I will never have it this good again.” Later in the night, it was Groff’s turn to cry again. Even though he’s been a Broadway standby since first debuting in Spring Awakening nearly two decades ago,the veteran actor won his first-ever Tony for Best Performance By An Actor In A Leading Role In A Musical last night. “Thank you for always allowing my freak flag to fly without ever making me feel weird about it,” he said, thanking his family.
The 77th Annual Tony Awards® | Jonathan Groff wins Best Lead Actor in a Musical | CBS
Elsewhere in the broadcast, there were both expected (and deserved) wins and a few exciting surprises. Sarah Paulson—another actor who has made a name for herself on the small screen—took home the Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play award for her work in Appropriate, while Stereophonic, the most nominated play in Tony history, naturally won for Best Play. Best Musical was far more surprising, however; the night’s big award went to S.E. Hinton adaptation The Outsiders,rather than a big-name show like Hell’s Kitchen. The Outsiders’ director, Danya Taymor, also made a notable achievement of her own last night. She became only the sixth woman to win for Best Direction Of A Musical, after her aunt, Julie Taymor, became the first for The Lion King in 1998.
The full list of 2024 Tony Award winners and nominees is below:
Best Musical
“The Outsiders” — Winner
“Hell’s Kitchen”
“Illinoise”
“Suffs”
“Water for Elephants”
Best Play
“Stereophonic” — Winner
“Jaja’s African Hair Braiding”
“Mary Jane”
“Mother Play”
“Prayer for the French Republic”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Maleah Joi Moon, “Hell’s Kitchen” — Winner
Eden Espinosa, “Lempicka”
Kelli O’Hara, “Days of Wine and Roses”
Maryann Plunkett, “The Notebook”
Gayle Rankin, “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club”’
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Jonathan Groff, “Merrily We Roll Along” — Winner
Brody Grant, “The Outsiders”
Dorian Harewood, “The Notebook”
Brian d’Arcy James, “Days of Wine and Roses”
Eddie Redmayne, “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Sarah Paulson, “Appropriate” — Winner
Betsy Aidem, “Prayer for the French Republic”
Jessica Lange, “Mother Play”
Rachel McAdams, “Mary Jane”
Amy Ryan, “Doubt: A Parable”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Jeremy Strong, “An Enemy of the People” — Winner
William Jackson Harper, “Uncle Vanya”
Leslie Odom Jr., “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch”
Liev Schreiber, “Doubt: A Parable”
Michael Stuhlbarg, “Patriots”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Will Brill, “Stereophonic” — Winner
Eli Gelb, “Stereophonic”
Jim Parsons, “Mother Play”
Tom Pecinka, “Stereophonic”
Corey Stoll, “Appropriate”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Kara Young, “Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch” — Winner
Quincy Tyler Bernstine, “Doubt: A Parable”
Juliana Canfield, “Stereophonic”
Celia Keenan-Bolger, “Mother Play”
Sarah Pidgeon, “Stereophonic”
Best Direction of a Play
Daniel Aukin, “Stereophonic” — Winner
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”
Best Direction of a Musical
Danya Taymor, “The Outsiders” — Winner
Maria Friedman, “Merrily We Roll Along”
Michael Greif, “Hell’s Kitchen”
Leigh Silverman, “Suffs”
Jessica Stone, “Water for Elephants”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Daniel Radcliffe, “Merrily We Roll Along” — Winner
Roger Bart, “Back to the Future: The Musical”
Joshua Boone, “The Outsiders”
Brandon Victor Dixon, “Hell’s Kitchen”
Sky Lakota-Lynch, “The Outsiders”
Steven Skybell, “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical