The 77th Tony Awards celebrated Broadway’s biggest stars at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater in New York City on Sunday night, with Ariana DeBose marking her third khbrknews as host of the ceremony.
The night featured several tight races, including Best Performance by an Actress in Leading Role in a Play—which saw Sarah Paulson (Appropriate) win after going up against Jessica Lange (Mother Play) and Rachel McAdams (Mary Jane).
Multiple actors were nominated for Tony Awards after making their Broadway debuts this season. Maleah Joi Moon, who was nominated for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for her role in the Alicia Keys jukebox musical Hell’s Kitchen, didn’t just make a debut—the show, which garnered an eye-popping 13 nominations, is her first-ever professional production.
Stereophonic, a show filled with Broadway debuts and also has 13 nominations, sees two standout performances from Sarah Pidgeon and Juliana Canfield, who are up against each other in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play category.
Audiences can also get excited about a few exciting performances from different musicals on Broadway, including Stereophonic, Merrily We Roll Along, The Outsiders, The Who’s Tommy, Cabaret, and Hell’s Kitchen.
From heartfelt performances to honest speeches, here are the highlights of the 2024 Tony Awards.
Most New York Moment
If you’re heading to a Broadway theater, it’s impossible to walk through the Times Square area without hearing Alicia Keys and Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” more than once in its entirety from the speakers of street vendors or pedicabs attempting to entice tourists for a ride. The first performance of Tony Awards was a medley from Hell’s Kitchen, Keys’ semi-autobiographical musical, and included “Empire State of Mind.” Keys sang the seminal New York song and brought out one of the most famous New Yorkers, rapper Jay-Z, for an electric performance.
