Alicia Keys, Jim Parsons and More 2024 Tony Awards Hopefuls React to Their Nominations: 'This Is Wild'

Broadway's biggest night will take place on Sunday, June 16 from Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater in New York City

Members of the Broadway community had plenty of reasons to celebrate on Tuesday, April 30, as nominees were announced for 2024 Tony Awards!

Among the crop of hopefuls vying for live theater's highest honor were a number of stars, including Jim Parsons, Sarah Paulson, Jeremy Strong, Corey Stoll, Eddie Redmayne, Gayle Rankin, Jessica Lange, Amy Ryan, Liev Schreiber, Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe, Bebe Neuwirth and Rachel McAdams — the latter which made her Broadway debut this season.

Leading the nominations was Hell's Kitchen, the musical inspired by Alicia Keys' childhood that features the Grammy winner's hits, and Stereophonic, David Adjmi's play about five musicians making an album in the 1970s. Each nabbed 13 nominations, including ones for best musical and best play, respectively.

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Also up for best musical is Illinoise, a dance-heavy show inspired by Sufjan Stevens' acclaimed 2005 concept album; The Outsiders, which is based on S. E. Hinton's seminal novel; Suffs, the Hillary Clinton and Malala Yousafzai-produced musical about the American women's suffrage movement; and the stage adaptation of Sara Gruen's beloved book, Water for Elephants.

Stereophonic, meanwhile, will compete for best play against Jaja's African Hair Braiding by Jocelyn Bioh; Mary Jane by Amy Herzog; Mother Play by Paula Vogel; Prayer for the French Republic by Joshua Harmon; and by David Adjmi.

In the revival categories, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, Gutenberg! The Musical, Merrily We Roll Along and The Who's Tommy are all up for best revival of a musical, while An Enemy of the People, Appropriate and Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch are up for best revival of a play.

After the nominations were announced, many of the nominees sent PEOPLE their reactions — including Appropriate scribe Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, who simply wrote, "This is wild."

"Grateful. Honored. Overjoyed. Lost for words!!" said Keys. 'None of this is possible without each and every person who contributes to this show. I can never thank them enough for pouring so much of themselves into this production that I have poured into for over a decade. Maleah, Michael, Brandon, Shoshana, Kecia, Kristoffer, Tom, Adam, Camille, Robert, Peter, Dede, Natasha and Gareth being recognized for their individual talents makes this moment even more special, this cast and team deserve this and more!"

"It’s an honor to be nominated alongside these inspirational women," said Hell's Kitchen star Maleah Joi Moon, a best actress in a musical nominee. "Thank you to the American Theatre Wing, my team, my friends and family, AK and our entire village down at Hell’s Kitchen Bway - I love you and I love our special creation. Congratulations everybody!”

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Michael Stuhlbarg, a leading actor in a play nominee for his role in Patriots, was filled with thanks. "Thank you to the Tony nominators for this tremendous honor,' he said. "It has been an absolute privilege to be back on Broadway with the extraordinary company and creative team of Patriots, and you honor us all in remembering us with this today. Thank you!"

“From the first table read of Appropriate, I was blown away by the incredible cast Lila Neugebauer assembled," said Stoll, a featured actor in a play nominee. "I knew I was incredibly lucky to be in such a remarkable group. And I’m humbled to be recognized in my category along with this extraordinary group of actors.”

Mother Play star Parsons, who is up for best performance by an actor in a featured role in a play, got candid about how meaningful his nomination was.

"This experience, of working on a new Paula Vogel play with this incredible group of partners, has already been so special to me that a Tony nom feels a little like an embarrassment of riches," the first-time Tony nominee said. "But as a lifelong player in and admirer of theater, I have to admit it really does touch my heart, to be included with this year's other nominees. Very grateful."

His costars, best actress in a play nominee Lange and best featured actress in a play nominee Celia Keenan-Bolger, expressed their gratitude as well.

“To be included in this extraordinary season of new plays all written by American writers is an absolute thrill," wrote Keenan-Bolger. "This has been one of the great collaborations of my life and I believe that is owed to Carole Rothman, Tina Landau, Paula Vogel and Jessica Lange whose combined body of wisdom is so powerful and so wise, it’s changed the way I think about making theater. I’m also deeply grateful that Jessica, Jim and I were all recognized since this play doesn’t function without one of the parts. I feel so lucky to be a part of this community.”

“I am so honored to be nominated amongst such wonderful talent, including my dear friend Sarah," said Lange, with a nod to her American Horror Story costar. "Creating Phyllis alongside the incomparable Paula Vogel and bringing this new play to life each night is thrilling. Nothing you see on stage would be possible without Tina’s vision, our incredible production team, the entire cast, and crew, and of course, the wonderful Jim and Celia. What a joy it is to share the stage with them every night and I am elated that their work has been recognized. I am grateful to the Broadway community for this esteemed nomination.” 

Groff knows what it's like to lead an iconic trio himself. “I feel so lucky to be a part of this show and to be sharing this experience with every member of our incredible company," said the actor, a leading actor in a musical nominee for his role in Merrily We Roll Along revival, directed by Maria Friedman. "Maria’s dream for this production was to showcase the brilliance of Merrily, and the acknowledgement of 7 nominations this morning means so much to all of us."

"The Tony Awards were my gateway to theater as a kid, so to be included this year as a nominee is a surreal dream-come-true feeling, and it means even more to be sharing the joy and celebration with my Old Friends,” Groff said with a smile, referencing fellow nominees Daniel Radcliffe and Lindsay Mendez.

“I am completely honored to be in this category with these extraordinary women," said Mendez, who was nominated in the featured actress in a musical category. "Being on this Merrily ride has been the best experience of my artistic career thus far…and to get to do it with our beautiful company, and see my brilliant friends Dan and John, not to mention Maria and Jonathan Tunick also being recognized, is just, one for the books. I hope Steve, George and Hal are smiling somewhere.”

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Strong, up for best actor in a play for his role in An Enemy of the People, said: “I am profoundly grateful to the Tony committee for today’s nomination and for their recognition of our work on this play. Reuniting with [director Sam Gold] and [playwright Amy Herzog, who provided a new translation to Henrik Ibsen's classic tale] has been a deeply meaningful experience and it is a privilege to give Ibsen’s powerful and timely play to a modern audience. The play and Stockman’s message — of the importance of valuing the Truth, of the sanctity of human life, of the myriad ways in which we are complicit and must hold ourselves accountable — speaks more urgently than perhaps ever and it is an honor to fight for those convictions on our stage."

Sky Lakota-Lynch, nominated for best performance by an actor in a featured role in a musical for the Outsiders, said he was "absolutely stunned" by his nomination. "This season is proof that Broadway is back and the renaissance is here," he said. "Thank you to the Tonys for listening to our stories and seeing our hearts. All my love to the other shows and nominees."

His fellow nominee Brandon Victor Dixon, of Hell's Kitchen, thanked him and all of the actors in their category.

"Thank you to The Tony Awards for my third nomination and for always supporting my work in theater. I’m honored to be mentioned with my fellow nominees Daniel Radcliffe, Roger Bart, Joshua Boone, Sky Lakota Lynch, and Stephen Skybell," said Victor Dixon. "I’m deeply grateful to be recognized alongside the beautiful work of Kecia Lewis, Shoshana Bean, Maleah Joi Moon as well as the rest of our Hell’s Kitchen family."

"The message of our show for me is that, it takes a village to raise us," he added. "It took a village to build Hell’s Kitchen and I congratulate each and every member of our HK community on these nominations. And the biggest thanks and congratulations of all go to our leader, the ever generous and still rising, Alicia Keys."

Back to the Future: The Musical star Roger Bart, another nominee in the featured actor in a musical category, shared his nomination with his cast mates. "Back to the Future so beautifully highlights the concept of 'found family' — the strangers you meet who become the people you can’t imagine living without. And I’m so grateful for each of the found family members I have gained through the joy of working on this show," Bart said. "They have collectively helped this time feel like one of the luckiest of my life, and being recognized by the Tonys in this way makes this whole experience all the more meaningful."

"Thank you American Theatre Wing for this honor!" said Hell's Kitchen star Shoshana Bean, who is nominated in the best performance by a featured actress in a musical category. "I’m thrilled to be nominated alongside these talented women whom I love and admire. Most of all I am so proud of our entire Hell's Kitchen family and am endlessly grateful we get to tell this story together every night. Congratulations to everyone!!"

Kecia Lewis, Bean's Hell's Kitchen costar and fellow nominee in the category, said she is "overjoyed to be nominated," calling the honor "an acknowledgment of my work and the work of ALL of the nominees."

"After 40 years of working in theater, it feels GOOD!” said Lewis.

Suffs star Nikki M. James — another nominee in the best performance by a featured actress in a musical category — shared her love for Suffs' Tony-nominated composer and book writer Shaina Taub, as well as Ida B. Well, the revered American journalist and educator she plays in the historical musical.

"I am completely overwhelmed and beyond proud of this show and of the work that all the humans who have touched it have done to bring this story to life," said James, a previous Tony winner in this category. "Obviously I have to single out Shaina Taub - I cannot say enough things about how much I love and respect Shaina. And how grateful I am to her and Leigh for trusting me with Ida. Playing Ida B. Wells is a humbling experience and an honor."

"I also have to thank the incredible team of family and friends, my husband most of all, who have rallied around me and held me up while I juggled being a good mom to my daughter and being the artist I aspire to be," James continued, ended her statement by quoting Wells from The Light of Truth: Writings of an Anti-Lynching Crusader: "'The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.' "

James' costar in Suffs Shaina Taub — a nominee for best book of a musical and original score of a musical — recalled the excitement of learning she'd been nominated.

“Ah, oh my god! I haven't caught my breath. I was sitting on the couch watching the nominations live with my husband, Matt, and when they said our show, I knocked over my glass of water all over the couch and started crying,' she said. "I grew up in Waitsfield, Vermont watching the Tonys every year with my mom, so this has been a childhood dream of mine. To be a part of the Broadway community and part of this phenomenal season with so many friends and collaborators just means the world to me. This show was a longtime labor of love and I'm so proud of our team and cast and everyone for working so hard for so many years to get here. Grateful beyond belief.”

Merrily We Roll Along director Maria Friedman, Water For Elephants director Jessica Stone, Suffs director Leigh Silverman and Hell's Kitchen director Michael Greif all shared their excitement for their best director of a musical nominations.

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“I am so honored to have been given the opportunity to bring Merrily home to Broadway and absolutely thrilled for the entire company and my fellow creative team,' said Freidman. "I feel enormously lucky that [Stephen Sondheim] trusted me with this work and know he and George Furth would be so happy today. I first encountered [Merrily We Roll Along] as an actor in 1992 in Leicester as Steve and George first revisited the show and have, now, had an almost 12-year journey with this show as a director. It’s been an immensely personal and profound experience."

"I can’t believe a girl from Hackney is a Tony nominee and that I have the great thrill to share this nomination with my sister, Merrily producer Sonia Friedman," she added. "My only heartbreak is that I’m not holding hands with Steve and George right now."

Stone shared her joy at the show's many nominations. "I’m most excited about our best musical nomination because that one belongs to everyone," she said. "Every performer, designer, choreographer, writer, producer, crew member, stage manager, our marketing team - everyone. It takes an army to make a musical and we have an extraordinary one. I’m so proud of us all."

Silverman said: "I was sitting at home and FaceTiming with my girlfriend, Cyd who is in the UK stage managing the West End production of my show, Harry Clarke. And I made a little shrine of pictures of my mother, Janit, grandmother, Irene, and stepmother, Patty. Because Suffs is all about honoring the women who have come before and the women we lost too soon, like my mother. And I am wearing all the show swag I own including a T-shirt Shaina made me two years ago with a lyric from the show that has since been cut! I am so grateful and honored to be recognized amongst extraordinary colleagues in this season packed with excellent directors!”

Greif, who also directed Days of Wine and Roses and co-directed The Notebook, talked about his busy season in his statement.

“It’s such an honor to be part of this incredible season on Broadway, and direct (or co-direct) three musicals that were all so beautiful in their own ways," he said. "I’ve been so inspired by the wonderful actors and collaborators I’ve worked with on Days of Wine and Roses, The Notebook and Hell’s Kitchen and am happy to see so many of them recognized. I’m proud to be nominated alongside so many of my talented colleagues and to celebrate an art form I love so much.”

Best director of a play nominee Lila Neugebauer (Appropriate) shouted out her fellow nominees. "I am wildly honored and humbled to be nominated alongside friends and colleagues I admire so profoundly," Neugebauer said. "And it’s incredibly moving to see my collaborators acknowledged — Sarah, Corey, William, Branden, the entire Appropriate design team — I’m intensely grateful to make work with these remarkable human beings."

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Herzog — who has two plays nominated for Tonys' top prizes one a revival (An Enemy of the People) and one a new work (Mary Jane) — reflected on her extraordinary year while thanking a slew of her partners in the projects..

“I'm thrilled to be nominated for two plays I care so deeply about ," she said. "I salute my extraordinary leading actors, Tony nominees Jeremy Strong and Rachel McAdams, for carrying the hell out of these plays eight times a week. I'm indebted to my wonderful directors, Sam Gold and Annie Kauffman, and the exquisite ensembles of both shows."

"In the new play category, I'm elated to be one of three women nominated — my research doesn't go that far back, but it must be deeply uncommon if not unprecedented for women playwrights to constitute the majority of new play nominees — congrats to Jocelyn and Paula! And congratulations to all my fellow nominees, especially my current and past collaborators and all the other writers I've known, admired, studied with, been in writers' groups with, etc.," Herzog continued. "I love seeing my generation of writers recognized for the theater's highest honors this year."

She added: "Thank you to the brave producers of both shows, American Theater Wing, Broadway League and indefatigable nominators!"

Elsewhere on the Hell's Kitchen front, reactions came in from Natasha Katz (best lighting design in a musical), Kristoffer Diaz (best book of a musical) and co-orchestrator Tom Kitt (best orchestrations).

"Beautifully surreal to find out about 2 Tony nominations while boarding a plane!! I’ll celebrate with some airplane food," joked Katz. "I’m thrilled. More celebrations on landing!! I’ll lift a glass to everyone!!"

"This team is the best team, and I could not be more thrilled to be nominated alongside so many of my dear, dear friends," shared Diaz. "It's gonna be one hell of a party at the Tonys."

"It is a tremendous honor to be nominated in this great season, and I send heart-felt congratulations to all my fellow Tony nominees," said Kitt. "I’m immensely grateful and proud to share this with Adam Blackstone, and it’s been one of the greatest thrills of my life to collaborate with Alicia Keys on her incredible music. I also want to congratulate the entire brilliant company of Hell’s Kitchen whose artistry inspired my work every step of the way."

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Shana Carroll, the circus designer and co-choreographer of Water for Elephants, said she was "still reeling" after learning about her nomination for best choreography.

“Words cannot express how grateful and humbled and thrilled I am," said Carroll. "So excited for our entire company and its 7 (!) nominations. Working on this project has been absolutely life-changing; I am positively overflowing with love and gratitude for our brilliant band of storytellers, on and off stage. I’m particularly proud to share this honor with my wonderful co-choreographer Jesse Robb!"

“I am completely bowled over and in a state of absolute elation," Robb said in her statement. "Sharing this with the genius Shana Carroll is the greatest honor and I am so grateful to Jessica Stone, our producers, my associate Paige Parkhill and the entire company of Water for Elephants! I am so thrilled for all of us — we poured so much love and thought into this show, a truly remarkable group of artists. Young Jesse Robb is floored."

Water for Elephants' producers Jennifer Costello and Peter Schneider shared their excitement too for the show's best musical nomination. "It is an honor for Water for Elephants to be nominated in this incredibly diverse and rich season," they said. "We thank our amazing cast, company and the entire creative team for their passionate and inspired collaboration."

Suffs producers Jill Furman and Rachel Sussman echoed that sentiment.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled for the entire team," said Furman. "To develop an original musical for the better part of a decade and see everyone’s passion, hard work, and commitment get recognized in this way is the icing on the cake. So honored to be a part of the Broadway community and this exciting Tony season.”

"I've been enamored with the suffrage movement since I was a kid and collaborating alongside so many brilliant women on Suffs has been my passion project for the past decade," Sussman said. "To have our original show about intergenerational social change and voting rights recognized as a nominee for best musical, especially in this intense election year, feels like a dream come true. I feel so proud and humbled, and deeply deeply grateful. Spent the nominations hugging my brand-new wife and our pup!"

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Derek McLane, nominated for best scenic design of a play for Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch!, said: "I was absolutely thrilled to learn of this nomination. Purlie Victorious was such a special experience. Working with director Kenny Leon and the other designers and the incredible cast was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity."

“I am thrilled to be acknowledged for my costume design for Suffs," said costume design of a musical nominee Paul Tazewell. "It is a very important story and beautifully told through Shaina Taub's words and music. It is a huge honor to share the space with my illustrious costume colleagues and everyone in our Broadway community. Congratulations to everyone involved with making Suffs a brilliant piece of theatre!"

Finn Ross, one of Back to the Future: The Musical's Tony-nominated scenic designers, said: "It’s a great honor to be nominated for a Tony Award alongside my dear friend Tim Hatley! After pouring my heart and soul into Back to the Future for over five years, seeing our collective efforts recognized this way is truly humbling. From the first glimpse of the model box to the electric energy of opening night on Broadway, working alongside Tim has been an absolute joy. His warmth and collaborative spirit have made every moment a pleasure, and I couldn't be more grateful for this opportunity."

Best choreography nominee Justin Peck said he was "completely awe-stunned" by the news of his nomination.

"llinoise began as just a quiet whisper of an idea, and has grown over time through the faith and nourishment of the creative team surrounding it," he said. "I thank them for their unwavering trust in this vision. We are just so thrilled for this recognition and that we can continue to share this musical with audiences."

The musical's producer Orin Wolf had praise for the “I’m so happy for Justin, Jackie, Timo and the entire Illinoise family. We love what’s happening at the St. James and I hope this recognition continues to bring more people to the theater.”

Bekah Brunstetter, nominated for penning the book for The Notebook musical, was in Los Angeles when news of her nomination came in. "I was jolted awake early this morning by the BEST KIND OF EARTHQUAKE, the thrilling and humbling news that I'd been nominated for a Tony!" Brunstetter said. "Working with Ingrid on The Notebook has been such a true collaboration in every sense of the word; we built this together over the years, so I see this nomination as something the whole creative team gets to celebrate together as a family. I'm so grateful to be included in this bananas season of talent."

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Mother Play's scribe Paula Vogel told PEOPLE in a statement: "Thanks to the brilliance of Tina Landau’s direction, Mother Play with only three weeks of rehearsal has opened cold on Broadway with TONY nominations for the play and the actors. My colleagues gave me a tremendous gift and I am grateful. I am grateful to be in the category with these wonderful writers."

Camille A. Brown, Hell's Kitchen's Tony-nominated choreographer, said she was "absolutely honored and thrilled to receive this nomination for my work."

"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," said Brown. "Shoutout to my hometown, Queens, NY!”

Rick Elice, bookwriter for Water for Elephants," said: "I confess!! I left the apartment to sit in Shakespeare’s Garden, tucked away in Central Park. The tulips are dying off but the peonies are about to pop. Taking photos of them was a great way to ease the suspense. My phone started dinging so I figured something nice happened. I’m glad for all the nominees from all the shows. I’m glad for our show, best musical Nominee Water for Elephants. I’m glad for the wonderful group of people who’ve been putting our show together for eight years. And I can’t wait to see all my friends and heroes over the next few weeks, and give them a big clap on the back. Congrats, everybody!”

“It’s the absolute cherry on top of one of the most satisfying creative experiences of my life to be recognized for my work Here Lies Love," said set designer David Korins. "To be supported by and teamed up with such an audacious and gifted group of artists is the ultimate gift."

David Reynoso, costume designer for Water for Elephants, said: "I am so overjoyed and honored to be recognized in this way... Hearing my name called, I immediately burst into tears and then went to wake up my kids (We live on the West Coast). It is incredible to me to be able to have my name alongside these exceptional designers who I admire so much.... To have my work on Water for Elephants recognized in such a way is such a wild feeling... I never imagined in my wildest dreams as a young boy in Mexico that I’d get to experience something like this. This show has been such a phenomenal experience and I’m so grateful to have been part of a team of such exceptional artists who inspired me to bring my best work. Thank you TONYs for this! I am forever grateful."

Another statement came in from David Bengali and Bradley King, Water for Elephants’ nominees for best lighting design of a musical.

“What a thrilling honor to get to be nominated with Bradley," Bengail said. "Congratulations to everyone on the WFE team, the most wonderful, warm, and collaborative community! I am so excited for all of the artists and shows nominated in this inspiring season on Broadway!”

“In a year absolutely filled with such incredible talent, I’m beyond humbled to have been nominated with David," said King. "Working on Water for Elephants was an absolute dream come true, and I could not have asked for better collaborators to share the love! I’m also so thrilled to see so many of my friends and colleagues recognized for their exceptionally beautiful work this season! I can’t wait to party with everyone!"

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The 2024 Tony Awards will take place on Sunday, June 16 at Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater in New York City. For a third time in a row, Oscar winner Ariana DeBose will host. The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing present the honors, as usual.

Viewers can watch the show on CBS and Paramount+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Select awards will also be handed out on a preshow that will stream on Pluto TV.

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