Billboard
Broadway’s Best: 25 Tony Awards Record Holders
By Paul Grein
June 14, 2024
CBS will air the 77th Annual Tony Awards, which Ariana DeBose will host for the third year in a row. The three-hour show will stream on Paramount+ in the U.S. Both shows will be held at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City.
The Tony telecast is set to include performances from all five nominees for best musical (Hell’s Kitchen, Illinoise, The Outsiders, Suffs and Water for Elephants) and from three of the four nominees for best revival of a musical (Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, Merrily We Roll Along and The Who’s Tommy). The Tonys will not include a performance from the fourth nominee for best revival of a musical, Gutenberg! The Musical!, which closed on Jan. 28.
The telecast is also set to feature a performance from Stereophonic, the “play with music” written by Will Butler, formerly of Arcade Fire. Stereophonic tied with Hell’s Kitchen, a musical based on the music of Alicia Keys, for the most nominations of any production this year (13).
To get you primed for Sunday’s show, here’s a list of 25 Tony Awards record-holders.
Production with the most nominations
Hamilton: An American Musical (2016) — 16. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical went on to win 11 awards. The play with the most nominations is Stereophonic (2024) – 13.
Production with the most awards
The Producers, the new Mel Brooks musical (2001) — 12.
Musical that has won the most awards, counting all of its Broadway productions
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific — 17. The original 1949 production won 10 Tonys. The 2008 revival won seven. (Bonus facts: The original is the only show in Broadway history to sweep all four acting categories. The 2008 production won more Tonys than any other musical revival in history.)
Musicals with the most nominations that didn’t win any awards
The Scottsboro Boys (2011) and Mean Girls (2018). In addition, one play went 0-12 on Tony night: Slave Play (2020).
Most wins in one night by an individual
Trey Parker for The Book of Mormon (2011). Parker won for best book of a musical, best score, best direction and (under the name Important Musicals LLC, a company he headed with his partner, Matt Stone) best musical.
First best musical winner where one person single-handedly wrote the book, music and lyrics
The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1986, Rupert Holmes). Holmes is known to music fans for topping the Billboard Hot 100 as both artist and songwriter in 1979 with “Escape (The Pina Colada Song).” Four subsequent best musical winners have equaled this feat: Rent (1996, Jonathan Larson); Hamilton: An American Musical (2016, Lin-Manuel Miranda); Hadestown (2019, Anaïs Mitchell) and A Strange Loop (2022, Michael R. Jackson).
First show to win as best musical where the book, music and lyrics were all written by women
Fun Home (2015). Lisa Kron wrote the book and lyrics. Jeanine Tesori composed the music.
Only tie for best musical
The Sound of Music and Fiorello! (1960). The Sound of Music is far more famous today, but Fiorello!, about Fiorello La Guardia, mayor of New York City from 1934-46, won a Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Best musical winner with the shortest Broadway run
Passion (1994), with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, closed after just 280 performances.
Only show to win best musical after closing
Hallelujah, Baby! (1968). The show, which starred Leslie Uggams, won the Tony on April 21. It had closed on Jan. 13.
Youngest and oldest winners for best lead actress in a musical
Liza Minnelli was the youngest. The second-generation star was just 19 in 1965 when she won her first Tony for Flora, the Red Menace. Bette Midler was the oldest. She was 71 in 2017 when she won for a revival of Hello, Dolly!
Performer with the most awards won in competition
Audra McDonald (six). McDonald’s awards are split evenly between plays and musicals.
Most wins for best actress in a musical
Angela Lansbury (four). She won for Mame (1966), Dear World (1969), Gypsy (1975) and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1979). In addition, Lansbury has hosted more Tony telecasts than anyone else—five between 1968-89.
Youngest winner for best score
Lin-Manuel Miranda was just 28 when he won for In the Heights.
First Black composer to win for best original score
Charlie Smalls for The Wiz (1975). The score yielded such enduring songs as “Ease on Down the Road” and “Home.” The only previous Black winner in the category was poet Langston Hughes, who wrote the lyrics for the first winner, Street Scene (1947), which was composed by Kurt Weill.
First Black performers to win best actress and best actor in a musical
Diahann Carroll in No Strings (1962) and Cleavon Little in Purlie (1970), respectively.
First Asian performer to win best actress in a musical
Lea Salonga in Miss Saigon (1991). Salonga was born in the Philippines.
First actor to win best actor in a musical for playing a female character
Harvey Fierstein for playing Edna Turnblad in Hairspray (2003).
First actor to win best actor in a musical for playing a transgender character
Neil Patrick Harris for playing Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2014). Harris has hosted the Tonys four times, winning a Primetime Emmy each time.
Most wins for best score
Stephen Sondheim (six). The Tonys didn’t have a best score category in 1971, but Sondheim won both for best music and best lyrics for Company, so we’re counting it. Most by a woman: Betty Comden (three).
Only tie for best score
John Kander and Fred Ebb for Kiss of the Spider Woman and Pete Townshend for The Who’s Tommy (1993).
Only posthumous winners for best score
T.S. Eliot for Cats (1983) and Jonathan Larson for Rent (1996). Eliot had died in 1965; Larson, earlier in 1996.
First woman to win best score without a male collaborator
Cyndi Lauper for Kinky Boots (2013). Lauper topped the Hot 100 twice as both artist and songwriter, with “Time After Time” (1984) and “True Colors” (1986).
Most wins for best direction of a musical
Harold Prince (eight). First woman to win in that category — Julie Taymor for The Lion King (1998).
Most wins for best choreography
Bob Fosse (eight). Most by a woman: Susan Stroman (four).
