Stereophonic became the most nominated play in Tony Awards history Tuesday, scoring a surprisingly strong 13 nominations for the 2024 Tony Awards, including acting nods for almost the entire cast. Several other shows also saw most of their leading roles nominated, including Days of Wine and Roses, which closed early but still saw nominations for its leads Kelli O’Hara and Brian D’Arcy James, as well as Merrily We Roll Along, which saw nominations for its three leads, Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe and Lindsay Mendez.
Stereophonic also landed a best score nomination, a bit unusual since the production is a play, but it features original songs written by ex-Arcade Fire member Will Butler for the fictional band at the center of the story. While the songs in the play have been praised, the nomination is a bit atypical given that most of the songs featured in the musical are delivered in snippets, as part of the band’s recording process, rather than as full songs.
Meanwhile, Ingrid Michaelson was a surprise snub in the best score category, failing to land a nomination for her music for The Notebook.
Tuesday morning’s nominations also saw unexpected snubs in Amber Ruffin’s The Wiz failing to land a single nomination and numerous high-profile productions only receiving one nomination each.
The best musical category was particularly uncertain this year, with more than a dozen shows vying for a nomination and largely no clear front runner, in terms of both box office performance and reviews. The number of contenders meant that there would always be five nominees, but there was the possibility of up to seven if there were a two-way or three-way tie for the last slot. In the end five were chosen, and musical contenders including Lempicka, a musical about the artist Tamara de Lempicka; Back to the Future, a well-attended musical based on the movie which opened last summer; and The Notebook, based on the movie and book, were among those that did not get a nomination.
The revival of The Wiz, which features a revised book by Amber Ruffin, did not receive any Tony nominations, amid middling reviews, but praise from critics for the performers. The Heart of Rock and Roll, a Huey Lewis-scored musical that was a surprise hit with critics, also did not get any nominations.
A number of high-profile productions only landed one nomination each, including The Great Gatsby; Gutenberg! The Musical!, starring Book of Mormon alums Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad; Monty Python’s Spamalot; and The Who’s Tommy. Tommy was nominated for 10 Tony Awards and won five when it was originally on Broadway from 1993 to 1995, and Spamalot was nominated for 12 Tonys and won three, including best musical, in 2005.
In the best play category, the Netflix-backed Patriots, starring Michael Stuhlbarg, about the rise of Vladimir Putin and the billionaire who helped him, did not receive a nomination — though Stuhlbarg did, scoring the only nomination for the production.
A number of well-known film and TV actors landed noms including Rachel McAdams, Jessica Lange, Jeremy Strong and Daniel Radcliffe, with the Harry Potter alum earning his first Tony nomination. However, Steve Carell, making his Broadway debut in Uncle Vanya, did not receive a nomination, after mixed reviews for the revival. And Michael Imperioli was surprisingly not nominated for his work in An Enemy of the People.
