Tonys recap: Jay-Z and Alicia Keys perform, ‘Merrily’ wins big, ‘Outsiders’ upset

“The Outsiders” ended up on the right side of the 2024 Tony Awards, winning Best Musical in a slight upset over Alicia Keys’ semi-autobiographical “Hell’s Kitchen” on Sunday.

A star-studded production of “Merrily We Roll Along,” meanwhile, won Best Revival of a Musical, completing a full-circle comeback for a show long considered Stephen Sondheim’s greatest flop.

Despite “Hell’s Kitchen” tying for the most nominations of the night with 13, it was “The Outsiders,” a well-received adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s classic 1967 novel about rival teen gangs in Oklahoma, that took home the final award at the Lincoln Center ceremony. “The Outsiders” won four of its 12 nominations.

Jonathan Groff won Best Actor in a Musical and Daniel Radcliffe took home Best Featured Actor in a Musical for “Merrily We Roll Along,” which explores the changing relationships of three friends over 20 years.

Their co-star, Lindsay Mendez, also earned a featured acting nomination but did not win.

“Thank you for always allowing my freak flag to fly without ever making me feel weird about it,” Groff, who won his first Tony in his third nomination, said in an acceptance speech dedicated to his family.

“Even if they didn’t always understand me, my family knew the life-saving power of fanning the flame of a young person’s passions without judgment.”

Despite boasting music and lyrics by the celebrated Sondheim, the original production of “Merrily We Roll Along” famously closed 12 days after it debuted to rough reviews in 1981.

The musical received renewed life in the decades since, finding success Off-Broadway and on London’s West End, where it won three Olivier Awards, including Best Musical, in 2001.

Its Broadway return last fall was met with rave reviews and immense audience interest. It has made more than $35 million in 2024, making it the fourth-highest-grossing show of the year and the top-earning newcomer.

“This has been one of the best experiences of my life,” Radcliffe, a first-time Tony winner best known for the “Harry Potter” films, said of starring in the musical.

The smash hit “Stereophonic” led all shows with five wins, including for Best Play, after tying “Hell’s Kitchen” with 13 nominations.

Will Brill won Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in “Stereophonic,” a rocking drama depicting the tension within a Fleetwood Mac-like band as it records a new album.

Although it features music, “Stereophonic” was the most-nominated play in Tony history.

Best Revival of a Play went to “Appropriate,” which stars Sarah Paulson as a sibling whose family’s secrets come to light once they reunite after their patriarch’s death. Paulson won Best Actress in a Play, emerging victorious in a big-name category also featuring Rachel McAdams for “Mary Jane.”

“Hell’s Kitchen” star Maleah Joi Moon won Best Actress in a Musical for her Broadway debut, while co-star Kecia Lewis won Best Featured Actress in a Musical.

Keys delivered one of the night’s most memorable performances, teaming up with Jay-Z for a rousing rendition of their 2009 mega-hit “Empire State of Mind.”

After the cast of “Hell’s Kitchen” performed a medley of songs from the Keys-created musical, Keys herself sat down at the piano and began singing her and Jay-Z’s ubiquitous New York City anthem, which is featured in the show.

“Had to do something crazy,” Keys declared. “It’s my hometown!”

Jay-Z then joined her onstage, earning a standing ovation from the audience at David H. Koch Theater.

Sunday’s ceremony also included show-stopping performances from the casts of “Merrily We Roll Along,” “Stereophonic” and “The Who’s Tommy,” the latter of which featured Pete Townshend on guitar.

Already an Emmy winner for “Succession,” Jeremy Strong won his first Tony for “An Enemy of the People,” in which he plays a whistleblower who warns a reluctant-to-listen town about contaminated spa water. Strong took home Best Actor in a Play, a category that also included Leslie Odom Jr. for “Purlie Victorious.”

Odom’s co-star, Kara Young, won Best Featured Actress in a Play for her slapstick portrayal of a woman caught up in the titular preacher’s plan to take back his family inheritance. It was the first Tony win for Young, who was nominated for a third year in a row.

Sunday marked the first time the Tonys were held at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater on the Upper West Side. Last year’s 76th edition of the Tonys took place at the United Palace in Washington Heights, bringing a distinctive change to a ceremony that has primarily taken place in Midtown.

Last year’s show was also notable in that it ran completely unscripted due to the Hollywood writers strike that ended in September after five months.

This year was different. The opening number starred and was co-choreographed by Ariana DeBose, who hosted the Tonys for a third consecutive year. The performance included the lyrics, “This party’s for you!”

“Truth is told onstage every night and twice on matinee days,” DeBose said during her opening monologue.

“We are in a global moment. Headlines are frankly terrifying most of the time, but the theater is a safe place for us all. In the most trying of times, art is imperative because art reflects society and provides context for the very real situations that we find ourselves in today.”