How to watch, predictions and more

THE 77th Annual Tony Awards will be broadcast live from Lincoln Center on Sunday evening, with the ceremony expected to feature rising stars as well as renowned veteran actors.

Broadway newcomer Brody Grant is nominated for his role as Ponyboy Curtis in the musical rendition of “The Outsiders,” while Brian d'Arcy James and Kelli O'Hara received their fifth and eighth Tony nominations, respectively, for “Days of Wine and Roses.”

The ceremony should be hosted again this year by Ariana DeBosewho amazed viewers when she danced his way through a wordless opening at last year's Tony Awards, amid the now-settled Hollywood writers' strike.

Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming awards show, plus some predictions on who could take home the hardware.

How to watch the Tony Awards

The ceremony will air live on CBS from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET, as well as available for streaming on Paramount+ and Pluto TV.

Before that, a pre-show called “Act One” will begin at 6:30 p.m., broadcast live and free on Pluto TV, with hosts Julianne Hough and Utkarsh Ambudkar.

Viewers can watch the pre-show on streaming devices, mobile apps or online by visiting Pluto TV and selecting the ET channel.

Performances

Nine different musical numbers were selected to highlight the shows nominated for Best Musical and Best Revival of a Musical, featuring actors like Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe and Eddie Redmayne.

After the recent outcry that the song “Stereophonic” had been excluded from the set list, producers reportedly changed their mind Wednesday, saying the show would be included. Here is the full list of performances:

• “Suffer” — A new musical produced by Hillary Clinton, with a performance featuring nominees Nikki M. James and Shaina Taub.
• “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club” — Featuring nominees Gayle Rankin and Eddie Redmayne.
• “Joy, we are moving forward” — A Stephen Sondheim classic with nominees Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez and Daniel Radcliffe.
• “Illinois” — With music by Sufjan Stevens, direction and choreography by Justin Peck.
• “Hell's Kitchen” — Featuring music by Alicia Keys, with performances by nominees Shoshana Bean, Brandon Victor Dixon, Kecia Lewis and Maleah Joi Moon.
• “The foreigners” — Based on the book and film, produced by Angelina Jolie, with nominees Joshua Boone, Brody Grant and Sky Lakota-Lynch.
• “The Who is Tommy” — With music by Pete Townshend and The Who.
• “Some water for the elephants” — Adapted from the bestselling book and film, with a performance featuring Grant Gustin and an acrobatic cast.
• “Stereophonic” — Not considered a musical, but features a score by Arcade Fire's Will Butler.

Top contenders

“Stereophonic” has become the most Tony-nominated play of all time, with 13 nods in total. The story of a fictional British rock band in the 1970s trying to record a hit album has now surpassed “Slave Play,” which earned 12 nominations in 2021.

The Alicia Keys-inspired musical “Hell's Kitchen” also received 13 nominations this year, followed closely by “The Outsiders,” which has 12.

The contenders for the best prizes of the evening are as follows:

Best game:

• “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding”
• “Mary Jane”
• “Mother plays”
• “Prayer for the French Republic”
• “Stereophonic”

Best musical:

• “Hell's Kitchen”
• “Illinois”
• “The foreigners”
• “Suffer”
• “Some water for the elephants”

THE The Best Actress in a Musical category is very competitive this year, with Kelli O'Hara's portrayal of an alcoholic in “Days of Wine and Roses” and Maleah Joi Moon's Broadway debut in “Hell's Kitchen,” both attracted a lot of attention.

Jeremy Strong, of “Succession” fame, had a hit this season in “An Enemy of the People,” adapted from Henrik Ibsen's 1882 play of the same name. He is currently competing with Leslie Odom Jr. (“Purlie Victorious”). “) and Liev Schreiber (“Doubt: A Parable”) for best actor in a play.

For Best Actress in a Play, the competition includes A-list stars such as Sarah Paulson in “Appropriate,” Jessica Lange in “Mother Play” and Rachel McAdams in “Mary Jane.”

Other notable appointments

William Jackson Harper received his first Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Play for his work in “Uncle Vanya.”

The former star of NBC's 'The Good Place' is having quite a year, after directing Eboni Booth’s play “Primary Trust” which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in early May.

The revival of “Merrily We Roll Along” by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth, which was a failure when it premiered in 1981, is should win the award for best revival of a musical.

Predictions

Best game — “Stereophonic”

Written by David Adjmi and featuring music by Arcade Fire's Will Butler, the historically nominated play is the clear favorite in its category – but the project almost didn't come to fruition. Adjmi originally had I gave up playwriting after a high-stakes collaboration failed, but he landed on the idea for “Stereophonic” when he chose to fulfill a final grant obligation for playwriting.

Best musical — “Hell's Kitchen”

This jukebox musical is semi-autobiographical and follows the story of Alicia Keys' own upbringing in the artists' paradise of Manhattan Plaza in Hell's Kitchen. Aramide Tinubu of Variety called it “a sparkling story paying homage to New York, to that beautiful and heartbreaking transition from childhood to womanhood, and to the women who hold our hands through it all.”

Best Actor in a Musical — Jonathan Groff

Playing a Broadway composer turned movie producer in “Merrily We Roll Along,” Groff, now a three-time Tony nominee, is the first choice for best actor in a musical. His co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Lindsay Mendez are also strong contenders in their supporting actor categories.

Best Actress in a Musical — Kelli O'Hara

In “Days of Wine and Roses,” O'Hara gives a moving performance as Kirsten, a young woman whose social drinking eventually turns into something much more serious. The play follows her marriage to Joe and how their dependence on each other throws their lives into turmoil.

Best Actor in a Play — Leslie Odom Jr.

“Purlie Victorious,” Ossie Davis's 1961 comedy play about a black preacher in the 1950s South, was neglected for many years. But Odom's portrayal, alongside co-star Kara Young, breathed new life into the piece and brought it to the forefront of this year's ceremony.

Best Actress in a Play — Sarah Paulson

At at the center of the popular “Appropriate”, Paulson plays one of three siblings unpacking the literal and metaphorical baggage of their deceased father. The 49-year-old actress is probably best known for Ryan Murphy's anthology series “American Horror Story” and “American Crime Story,” but she largely carries this ensemble cast.