By Alicia Powell
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Alicia Keys' musical "Hell's Kitchen" and 1970s rock-inspired "Stereophonic" led the nominations for the 2024 Tony awards, American theater's highest honors, followed by "The Outsiders," "Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club" and "Appropriate."
The nominations, announced by the Tony Awards committee on Tuesday, also include multiple nods for "Merrily We Roll Along," "Water for Elephants," "Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch" and "Suffs."
"Suffs," which chronicles the National American Woman Suffrage Association's fight for voting rights, was produced by former first lady and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
"Congratulations to @suffsmusical on the Tony nod for Best Musical, plus five other nominations!" Clinton wrote on X with a photo of herself and the show's lead Jenny Anderson at the Broadway premiere.
The winners will be announced at a June 16 ceremony that also marks the 77th anniversary of the awards honoring Broadway talent.
"Hell's Kitchen" and "Stereophonic" each received 13 nominations with "The Outsiders," based on S.E. Hinton's 1967 young adult novel and Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 film adaptation, receiving 12 and "Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club," a revival of the 1966 musical, garnering nine.
"Thank you to Susie Hinton, who at 15 years old wrote the novel The Outsiders, an unflinching, raw, real portrait of what it actually feels like to be a teenager growing up in the great class divide chasm of America," said Danya Taymor, nominated for best direction of a musical for her work on "The Outsiders."
"It's a story for everyone that can help us all hold one another close through the hardest of times. It's an honor to be able to share this story with a new generation of theatergoers," she added.
Dancer and educator, Camille A. Brown, could be the first Black woman to win a Tony for best choreography following her nomination for "Hell's Kitchen."
“I am absolutely honored and thrilled to receive this nomination for my work on 'Hell's Kitchen.' To celebrate being born and raised in NYC and create movement to Alicia Keys music was a dream and to be acknowledged is really special. Shoutout to my hometown, Queens, NY!" she said in a statement.
Nominees for best actor in a play are William Jackson Harper, Leslie Odom, Jr., Liev Schreiber, Jeremy Strong and Michael Stuhlbarg while nominees for best musical actor are Brody Grant, Jonathan Groff, Dorian Harewood, Brian d'Arcy James and Eddie Redmayne.
Contenders for best actress in a play are Betsy Aidem, Jessica Lange, Rachel McAdams, Sarah Paulson and Amy Ryan. Musicals nominees are Eden Espinosa, Maleah Joi Moon, Kelli O'Hara, Maryann Plunkett and Gayle Rankin.
The event, at New York City's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, will feature returning host actress Ariana DeBose and will air on CBS and Paramount+, the committee said.
(Reporting by Alicia Powell, Susan Heavey and Danielle Broadway; Editing by Caitlin Webber, Mary Milliken and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
