The 5 Hottest Tony Award Nominees Burning Up Broadway

In a year packed with powerhouse Broadway performances, the 2024 Tony Awards will no doubt be full of surprises. But if we can’t predict which nominees will ultimately triumph, we can say with confidence which contenders deserve a trophy for lighting up the stage with sex appeal.

Making his first appearance on Broadway in the Angelina Jolie-produced musical adaptation of The Outsiders, Brody Grant is winning raves —and hearts — with his portrayal of the sensitive Greaser Ponyboy. “Newcomer Brody Grant, with a record-deal-ready voice and a grounded teenage vulnerability, makes a sublime debut in the role,” reported The New York Post. “He’s the sort of bookworm heartthrob you’re more likely to find on Netflix nowadays than Broadway.” Streaming platform potential aside, Grant described himself as a “little Broadway nerd” growing up in Northern Michigan on an episode of The Broadway Show — and the way he moves across the floorboards in a white undershirt and 60’s-inspired denim proves he was indeed born for the Great White Way.

We last saw Jonathan Groff as King George III in Hamilton — another Tony-nominated performance — but the actor “has never been better than he is” in the hit revival of Merrily We Roll Along according to USA Today. As disillusioned movie producer Frank Shepard, Groff manages to imbue “a tricky character with tearful sincerity and charm.” With his shirtsleeves rolled up and his perfectly tousled hair, Groff is irresistibly charismatic…so much so that we’re willing to forgive his character’s sometimes less-than-stellar behavior.

It could be said that Groff’s Merrily We Roll Along co-star, Daniel Radcliffe, is the emotional center of the production as Charley Kringas. “As the twitching, high-integrity, high-anxiety writer, Radcliffe is a complete delight,” reported Vulture. “Next to Groff’s Frank, who’s tall, square-shouldered, and — at least outwardly — self-possessed, Radcliffe is a vibrating sprite, the kind of person whose big brain you can practically see smoking as it spins.” As always, Radcliffe’s expressive eyes and endearing grin never fail to enchant, even if he retired his magic wand long ago (and nobody’s ever looked better in an argyle sweater vest).

Notorious for committing to his acting process at all costs, everybody’s favorite “Eldest Boy,” Jeremy Strong, is once again finding critical acclaim as Dr. Thomas Stockmann in Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People. Variety called Strong’s performance “big but well-calibrated,” with the actor playing Stockmann’s “continued misunderstanding of the mess he’s in as less delusion than tragedy.” The clean-shaven face and dark hair of his Succession character are gone here; Strong’s Stockmann is a silver fox whose look transforms from buttoned-up to dangerously disheveled over the course of the play, his tie loosened and 19th century-style shirt open to expose his chest in a look theatregoers won’t soon forget.

William Jackson Harper might be most widely known for his roles on TV and in movies (The Good Place, Midsommar), but he’s no stranger to the stage. As Astrov in Uncle Vanya, Harper delivers a “scene-stealing performance,” according to Entertainment Weekly: “His despair is frenetic, ever-palpable…he crafts an Astrov who actively engages his unhappiness: courting it then batting it away.” Seductive and captivating, with soulful eyes and a bewitching smile, Harper’s chemistry with co-star Anika Noni Rose as Elena is as hot as it gets.

Liev Schreiber took home the Tony in 2005 for playing Richard Roma in Glengarry Glenn Ross, and the awards buzz is building again over his role as Father Flynn in Doubt. Referencing his “one-time Marvel build,” The Guardian said Schreiber “can’t help but play Flynn as a little bit imposing and intimidating; his presence has a natural command and gravitas, the kind that draws an audience toward admiration and respect.” With a hypnotic gaze that switches from steely to playful on a dime, Schreiber plays the part of a (probably) guilty man with so much charm that it’s easy to hope he might be innocent after all…and of course, that’s what the play is all about.