Poster Curtain call at opening night of 'Hamilton'
Lin-Manuel Miranda, center, bows with other members of the cast at 'Hamilton' opening night at Richard Rodgers Theatre in August 2015
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

'Hamilton' nets record 16 Tony Award nominations

Actor and composer Lin-Manuel Miranda (center) performs on stage during a rehearsal of Hamilton ahead of the Grammy Awards in February in New York City.
Actor and composer Lin-Manuel Miranda (center) performs on stage during a rehearsal of Hamilton ahead of the Grammy Awards in February in New York City.
Theo Wargo/WireImage/Getty Images

Hamilton, the Broadway musical about "the scrappy young immigrant who forever changed America" has made history, after being nominated for a record 16 Tony Awards. The nominees were announced today.

Hamilton eclipsed the 15 nominations that were garnered by both The Producers (2001) and Billy Elliot (2009). For more about the musical, see this post/podcast from NPR's Linda Holmes.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator and force behind Hamilton, is nominated for three individual awards, including for best book, best original score and best performance by a lead actor in a musical.

Hamilton got more Tony nominations than either The Producers or Billy Elliot did in their respective years. Here, Broadway cast members including the show's creator and star, Lin-Manuel Miranda (in blue), performed at the White House last month.
Hamilton got more Tony nominations than either The Producers or Billy Elliot did in their respective years. Here, Broadway cast members including the show's creator and star, Lin-Manuel Miranda (in blue), performed at the White House last month.
Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images

This year's field of nominees for Best Musical also include:

Bright Star;
School of Rock — The Musical;
Waitress;
Shuffle Along, or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed

As Jeff Lunden reports for our Newscast unit, Shuffle Along scored 10 nominations despite being the last musical to open this season.

The nominees for Best Play include:

Eclipsed;
The Father;
The Humans;
King Charles III

Looking at other categories, Jeff adds, "Revivals of Long Day's Journey into Night, A View from the Bridge and She Loves Me dominated their categories."

The Tony Awards show will be broadcast live on CBS at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 12.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Love the music?

Donate by phone
1-800-562-8440

Show your support by making a gift to YourClassical.

Each day, we’re here for you with thoughtful streams that set the tone for your day – not to mention the stories and programs that inspire you to new discovery and help you explore the music you love.

YourClassical is available for free, because we are listener-supported public media. Take a moment to make your gift today.

More Ways to Give

Your Donation

$5/month
$10/month
$15/month
$20/month
$
<!--DO NOT REMOVE-CONTENTS PLACED HERE-->