This year’s Tony nominations have left the Broadway community abuzz, with the oft-talked-about-but-impossible-to-see Hamilton scoring a record 16 nominations across the board, from Best New Musical to Best Original Score. Shuffle Along, a revival of the Jazz Age musical which set the careers of Josephine Baker and Paul Robeson in motion, scored 10 nominations, while She Loves Me scored eight.
A notable range of Broadway newcomers — Orange is the New Black‘s Danielle Brooks, singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, and Steve Martin — have been nominated for Tonys in their inaugural year.
Sara Bareilles, who scored Waitress, gushes about her new endeavor and her Tony nom. “Working on Waitress has been a life changing experience personally and professionally,” she told Billboard in a statement. “What I have learned from my collaborators on this show and the theater community at large about heart, perseverance, intention, and grace has rewired the way I think about what I put into the world as an artist. Congratulations to all the nominees, as well as all those wonderful shows, actors, singers, dancers and creators who simply make up this truly unique and inspired medium… awards or not. It is truly the highest honor to be sharing this theater season with such outstanding artists. I am very grateful to be here and consider myself a very lucky girl.”
Trending on Billboard
Tony Nominations: ‘Hamilton’ Scores Big, See Full List Here
Leslie Odom Jr., nominated for his compulsively watchable turn as Aaron Burr in Hamilton, told Billboard, “I’m overjoyed. The sweetest part continues to be sharing all this with my family at the Rodgers. It’s a blessing that so many of us were recognized in this way. We’ll get to walk this out together. Couldn’t be happier….We had a feeling when we first encountered this material. We felt like if we gave it our all, our collective potential was limitless. That feeling we had is confirmed when we speak to our audiences after the show, when we give concerts at the White House, and meet our heroes, and on mornings like this one. The confirmation is so bolstering.”
Read reactions from Steve Martin, Danielle Brooks, Lin-Manuel Miranda and more below:
Soooo my brother and @RafaelCasal broke into my apartment this morning… Ha! pic.twitter.com/f5U0jwfR2l
— Daveed Diggs (@DaveedDiggs) May 3, 2016
CONGRATULATIONS to my friends and colleagues. So grateful to be a part of this theatrical community. @TheTonyAwards @HamiltonMusical
— Phillipa Soo (@Phillipasoo) May 3, 2016
And a big thanks for all of the love ??
— Phillipa Soo (@Phillipasoo) May 3, 2016
Hamilton, hamilton, Ha-Ha!!! @HamiltonMusical #theBullet pic.twitter.com/97NHCD3tGO
— Ariana DeBose (@ArianaDeBose) May 2, 2016
AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!—————————-congrats to all and oh my goodness FOUR noms for @WaitressMusical!! pic.twitter.com/VbK8sI2QAY
— Sara Bareilles (@SaraBareilles) May 3, 2016
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! https://t.co/0a7Qpb78QP
— Sara Bareilles (@SaraBareilles) May 3, 2016
Reeling from the news of our 16 Tony Nominations @HamiltonMusical —————————- #wow #TonyAwards #nominations
— Carleigh Bettiol (@cmbettiol) May 3, 2016
Yaaaaaay!!! Thank you @TheTonyAwards!!! #SheLovesMe pic.twitter.com/TBtEaeZs7k
— Laura Benanti (@LauraBenanti) May 3, 2016
The number of loving messages from brilliant, generous actresses might be my favorite thing about today. —#WomenAreFriendsNotFoes
— Laura Benanti (@LauraBenanti) May 3, 2016
Hamilton got 16 Tony nominations and I’m still liking pics on Instagram of shirtless guys
— Andrew Chappelle (@Achapphawk) May 3, 2016
CAN NOT BELIVE IT!! https://t.co/VygbPnAVbD
— Cynthia Erivo (@CynthiaEriVo) May 3, 2016
Congrats to the squad @DaveedDiggs @reneeelisegolds @Lin_Manuel @ChrisisSingin @Phillipasoo @leslieodomjr Rep our set. #hamsfriends #win
— The Incredible OAK (@OakSmash) May 3, 2016
I don’t know that I’ve ever really known what it feels like to be “beside myself” before this morning…
— Zachary Levi (@ZacharyLevi) May 3, 2016
I am so humbled and honored to be nominated for a Tony, especially alongside so many others from my #SheLovesMe family…
— Zachary Levi (@ZacharyLevi) May 3, 2016
———————————-??????
— Saycon Sengbloh (@SayconSengbloh) May 3, 2016
— Danielle Brooks (@thedanieb) May 3, 2016
THANK YOU, THANK YOU @TheTonyAwards nomination committee for this incredible honor!!! I am speechless!!
— Adrienne Warren (@adriennelwarren) May 3, 2016
Watched the Tony noms with my baby girl this morning! I am so grateful for her and for all of… https://t.co/l9xQ8yLHI4
— RenéeEliseGoldsberry (@reneeelisegolds) May 3, 2016
What a privilege to be a member of a @TheTonyAwards nominated show…congrats to ALL! @BwayColorPurple @CynthiaEriVo @thedanieb #sodeserved!
— Heather Headley (@heatherheadley) May 3, 2016
Ecstatic for @SteveMartinToGo @ediebrickell & @BrightStarBway family, then to be nominated for this role so dear to me is beyond imagination
— Carmen Cusack (@carmen_cusack) May 3, 2016
This is insane!!! And SO exciting!!!Thank you #TonyAwards for all the #NoisesOff love!!! And congratulations to all the nominees!
— Megan Hilty (@meganhilty) May 3, 2016
Good morning. —
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) May 3, 2016
Congrats to EVERYONE this season. You got your show up. You get to do what you love. You’re in the play.
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) May 3, 2016
Wow! Bright Star get Tony nominations for Best Musical, Best Book, Best Score, and Best Orchestration. What a show they’ll have tonight.
— Steve Martin (@SteveMartinToGo) May 3, 2016