It’s Broadway’s biggest night! The 2022 Tony Awards are honoring the best and brightest of the Great White Way — from performances to costumes and beyond.
The 75th annual awards show will take over New York City’s Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 12, celebrating plays and musicals from the 2021-2022 season. Oscar winner Ariana DeBose — who made her Broadway debut in Bring It On: The Musical in 2011 and was an original Hamilton cast member — is hosting the star-studded affair.
“This is the first time we’re back at Radio City [since the coronavirus pandemic started],” the West Side Story star told The New York Times ahead of the Tonys. “The community is still coming out of what has been an extremely challenging time. I do look at this as an opportunity to try and provide a real moment of celebration, because I think it’s a gosh-darn feat and a triumph to have been able to make work at all and get to this moment in time.”
When asked whether she felt nervous to take the lead on the awards show’s stage, she joked, “I would like to throw up, if I’m honest. But I love a challenge. And I just feel like whatever we do is going to be fun.”
DeBose is following in the footsteps of previous hosts like Neil Patrick Harris, James Corden, Leslie Odom Jr. and more. “If I do my job right, it will be a reminder to young people out there watching that there is a place for us,” she continued. “And, to be perfectly frank, Broadway was the place that gave me freedom to explore my identity, freedom to explore my artistry. It was the place of love and acceptance that helped create the woman that you see now.”
Nominations were announced in May, with the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical A Strange Loop scoring an impressive 11 nods, including Best Musical. The show premiered off-Broadway in 2019, making its debut at the Lyceum Theatre earlier this year after COVID-19 delays.
“When I first heard [creator] Michael R. Jackson‘s work, I knew I was hearing an exciting and important new voice in American Musical Theatre,” producer Barbara Whitman gushed in a statement last month. “I was taken on a trip that was funny, insightful, wild and challenging – and I wanted to share this story that I had yet to see on a Broadway stage. I am so grateful to be able to work with the most talented creators, actors, and designers who have come together to tell this game-changing story eight times a week.”
While A Strange Loop boasts a fresh cast of newcomers, other Tony-nominated shows feature Broadway mainstays — from Sutton Foster and Hugh Jackman in The Music Man to Mary-Louise Parker in How I Learned to Drive.
“I’m incredibly proud of this show and The Music Man company,” the Younger alum said in a statement after earning a nod for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical. “It’s an honor to be amongst all of the companies that braved the pandemic to bring back theater. Being back on Broadway is an award in itself.”
Scroll down to see the complete list of 2022 Tony nominees — and look for the bolded names to see who won!
Best MusicalGirl From The North CountryMJMr. Saturday NightParadise SquareSIX: The MusicalA Strange Loop
Best PlayClyde’sHangmenThe Lehman TrilogyThe MinutesSkeleton Crew
Best Revival of a MusicalCaroline, or ChangeCompanyThe Music Man
Best Revival of a PlayAmerican Buffalofor colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enufHow I Learned to DriveTake Me OutTrouble in Mind
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play Gabby Beans, The Skin of Our Teeth LaChanze, Trouble in Mind Ruth Negga, Macbeth Deirdre O’Connell, Dana H. Mary-Louise Parker, How I Learned to Drive
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play Simon Russell Beale, The Lehman Trilogy Adam Godley, The Lehman Trilogy Adrian Lester, The Lehman Trilogy David Morse, How I Learned to Drive Sam Rockwell, American Buffalo Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Lackawanna Blues David Threlfall, Hangmen
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical Sharon D Clarke, Caroline, or Change Carmen Cusack, Flying Over Sunset Sutton Foster, The Music Man Joaquina Kalukango, Paradise Square Mare Winningham, Girl From The North Country
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical Billy Crystal, Mr. Saturday Night Myles Frost, MJ Hugh Jackman, The Music Man Rob McClure, Mrs. Doubtfire Jaquel Spivey, A Strange Loop
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play Uzo Aduba, Clyde’s Rachel Dratch, POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive Kenita R. Miller, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf Phylicia Rashad, Skeleton Crew Julie White, POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive Kara Young, Clyde’s
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play Alfie Allen, Hangmen Chuck Cooper, Trouble in Mind Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Take Me Out Ron Cephas Jones, Clyde’s Michael Oberholtzer, Take Me Out Jesse Williams, Take Me Out
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play Uzo Aduba, Clyde’s Rachel Dratch, POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive Kenita R. Miller, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf Phylicia Rashad, Skeleton Crew Julie White, POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive Kara Young, Clyde’s
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical Matt Doyle, Company Sidney DuPont, Paradise Square Jared Grimes, Funny Girl John-Andrew Morrison, A Strange Loop A.J. Shively, Paradise Square
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical Jeannette Bayardelle, Girl From The North Country Shoshana Bean, Mr. Saturday Night Jayne Houdyshell, The Music Man L Morgan Lee, A Strange Loop Patti LuPone, Company Jennifer Simard, Company
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical Matt Doyle, Company Sidney DuPont, Paradise Square Jared Grimes, Funny Girl John-Andrew Morrison, A Strange Loop A.J. Shively, Paradise Square
Best Direction of a Play Lileana Blain-Cruz, The Skin of Our Teeth Camille A. Brown, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf Sam Mendes, The Lehman Trilogy Neil Pepe, American Buffalo Les Waters, Dana H.
Best Direction of a Musical Stephen Brackett, A Strange Loop Marianne Elliott, Company Conor McPherson, Girl From The North Country Lucy Moss & Jamie Armitage, SIX: The Musical Christopher Wheeldon, MJ
Best Book of a MusicalGirl From The North Country Conor McPherson
MJ Lynn Nottage
Mr. Saturday Night Billy Crystal, Lowell Ganz & Babaloo Mandel
Paradise Square Christina Anderson, Craig Lucas & Larry Kirwan
A Strange Loop Michael R. Jackson
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the TheatreFlying Over Sunset Music: Tom Kitt Lyrics: Michael Korie
Mr. Saturday Night Music: Jason Robert Brown Lyrics: Amanda Green
Paradise Square Music: Jason Howland Lyrics: Nathan Tysen & Masi Asare
Six: The Musical Music and Lyrics: Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss
A Strange Loop Music & Lyrics: Michael R. Jackson
Best Choreography Camille A. Brown, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf Warren Carlyle, The Music Man Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, SIX: The Musical Bill T. Jones, Paradise Square Christopher Wheeldon, MJ
Best Orchestrations David Cullen, Company Tom Curran, SIX: The Musical Simon Hale, Girl From The North Country Jason Michael Webb and David Holcenberg, MJ Charlie Rosen, A Strange Loop
Best Scenic Design of a Play Beowulf Boritt, POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive Michael Carnahan and Nicholas Hussong, Skeleton Crew Es Devlin, The Lehman Trilogy Anna Fleischle, Hangmen Scott Pask, American Buffalo Adam Rigg, The Skin of Our Teeth
Best Scenic Design of a Musical Beowulf Boritt and 59 Productions, Flying Over Sunset Bunny Christie, Company Arnulfo Maldonado, A Strange Loop Derek McLane and Peter Nigrini, MJ Allen Moyer, Paradise Square
Best Scenic Design of a Musical Beowulf Boritt and 59 Productions, Flying Over Sunset Bunny Christie, Company Arnulfo Maldonado, A Strange Loop Derek McLane and Peter Nigrini, MJ Allen Moyer, Paradise Square
Best Costume Design of a Play Montana Levi Blanco, The Skin of Our Teeth Sarafina Bush, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf Emilio Sosa, Trouble in Mind Jane Greenwood, Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite Jennifer Moeller, Clyde’s
Best Costume Design of a Musical Fly Davis, Caroline, or Change Toni-Leslie James, Paradise Square William Ivey Long, Diana, The Musical Santo Loquasto, The Music Man Gabriella Slade, SIX: The Musical Paul Tazewell, MJ
Best Lighting Design of a Play Joshua Carr, Hangmen Jiyoun Chang, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf Jon Clark, The Lehman Trilogy Jane Cox, Macbeth Yi Zhao, The Skin of Our Teeth
Best Lighting Design of a Musical Neil Austin, Company Tim Deiling, SIX: The Musical Donald Holder, Paradise Square Natasha Katz, MJ Bradley King, Flying Over Sunset Jen Schriever, A Strange Loop
Best Sound Design of a Play Justin Ellington, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf Mikhail Fiksel, Dana H. Palmer Hefferan, The Skin of Our Teeth Nick Powell and Dominic Bilkey, The Lehman Trilogy Mikaal Sulaiman, Macbeth
Best Sound Design of a Musical Simon Baker, Girl From The North Country Paul Gatehouse, SIX: The Musical Ian Dickinson for Autograph, Company Drew Levy, A Strange Loop Gareth Owen, MJ