There are eight productions vying for this year's Tony Award for Best Revival statuettes, and they're sure to be tight races toward the finish line. Playbill is taking a look at how the nominated revivals of plays and musicals at the 76th Annual Tony Awards compare to their previous productions. See the full list of Tony nominations here.
Read on to see which of these shows have taken home a trophy or two in years past, and if they did better on Broadway the subsequent time around.
There are four Best Revival of Musical nominees: Into The Woods, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Camelot, and Parade. Only two other musical revivals, 1776 and Dancin', were eligible for this season's honors (though those two shows did not receive any Tony nominations).
Into the Woods
The 2022 City Center transfer production of Into The Woods, which closed on Broadway in January, was notably recognized by this years Tony committee, bringing in six nominations, including Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for Brian D'Arcy James, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for Sara Bareilles, and Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical for Julia Lester. The revival was also nominated for Best Sound Design of a Musical, Best Direction of a Musical, and Best Revival of a Musical.
Into the Woods is an industry favorite whenever it comes to Broadway. The original 1987 production of Into The Woods received 10 Tony nominations, winning Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, and Best Actress in a Musical for Joanna Gleason. The 2002 revival, starring Vanessa Williams, Laura Benanti, and John McMartin, was also nominated for 10 Tony's, winning Best Revival and Best Lighting Design.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
The 2023 Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's Sweeney Todd is the most Tony-nominated revival of the season, with eight nods, including Best Revival of a Musical, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for Josh Groban, and Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for Annaleigh Ashford. The revival is also nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical for Ruthie Ann Miles, Best Scenic Design of a Musical for Mimi Lien, Best Lighting Design of a Musical for Natasha Katz, Best Sound Design of a Musical for Nevin Steinberg, and Best Choreography for Steven Hoggett.
This is now the most Tony-nominated production of Sweeney Todd since the original 1979 production, which netted nine nominations. It eventually won Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Actor in a Musical for Len Cariou, Best Actress in a Musical for Angela Lansbury, Best Scenic Design, Best Costume Design, and Best Direction of a Musical.
The 1989 revival starring Beth Fowler and Bob Gunton brought in four nominations, with no wins. The stripped down 2005 revival starring Patti LuPone and Michael Cerveris was nominated six times, winning Best Direction and Best Orchestrations.
Camelot
Lerner and Loewe's Camelot received five Tony nominations this season, including Best Performance by an Actor in Featured Role in a Musical for Jordan Donica, Best Scenic Design of a Musical, Best Costume Design of a Musical, Best Lighting Design of a Musical, and Best Revival of a Musical.
This is now the most-nominated production of Camelot since the original staging, which also received five nominations—winning Best Actor in a Musical for Richard Burton, Best Scenic Design for a Musical, Best Costume Design for a Musical, and the now-defunct category of Best Conductor and Musical Director, for Franz Allers.
The 1980 revival, which played an encore engagement in 1981, was nominated for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Paxton Whitehead, and Best Reproduction (Play or Musical)—which preceded the Best Revival categories. The second revival that starred original Lancelot Robert Goulet as Arthur was completely shut out of the 1993 Tony Awards.
Parade
The first Broadway revival of Parade, which transferred from New York City Center's Encores program, received six Tony nominations, including Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for Ben Platt, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for Micaela Diamond, Best Costume Design of a Musical for Susan Hilferty, Best Lighting Design of a Musical for Heather Gilbert, Best Direction of a Musical for Michael Arden, and Best Revival of a Musical.
The revival certainly had big shoes to fill; the original 1998 production was the most Tony-nominated production of the season, receiving nine nominations. It eventually won Best Book of a Musical for Alfred Uhry and Best Original Musical Score for Jason Robert Brown.
Company of Into the Woods
Sara Bareilles and Brian d'Arcy James in Into The Woods
Jordan Donica, Phillipa Soo, Andrew Burnap and the Company of Camelot
Phillipa Soo and the Company of Camelot
Micaela Diamond and Ben Platt
Jay Armstrong Johnson
Josh Groban, Annaleigh Ashford, and cast of Sweeney Todd
Annaleigh Ashford and Josh Groban in Sweeney Todd
There are four productions vying for this year's Best Revival of Play Tony Award: August Wilson's The Piano Lesson, A Doll's House, The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window, and Suzan-Lori Parks's Topdog/Underdog. Only two other play revivals, Death of a Salesman and Ohio State Murders, were eligible for this season's honors (though those two shows received nominations in other categories, they did not receive the Best Play Revival nomination).
August Wilson's The Piano Lesson
The first Broadway revival of August Wilson's The Piano Lesson netted two Tony nominations this time around, for Best Revival of a Play and Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play for Samuel L. Jackson.
The Pulitzer winner was nominated for five Tony Awards for its original 1990 engagement, but didn't take home any wins. Will this be the year the fourth play in August Wilson's Century Cycle takes home a Tony?
A Doll's House
The new version of A Doll's House by Amy Herzog was heavily recognized, netting six nominations, including Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play for Jessica Chastain, Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play for Arian Moayed, Best Lighting Design of a Play for Jon Clark, Best Sound Design of a Play for Ben & Max Ringham, Best Direction of a Play for Jamie Lloyd, and Best Revival of a Play (with a shoutout to Herzog in particular for her adaptation of Ibsen's play).
While this is the first Broadway staging of Herzog's adaptation, various productions of Ibsen's story have been presented on Broadway since the 1800's, with the 1997 revival starring Janet McTeer taking the record for most Tony wins (bringing home Best Revival of a Play, Best Actress in a Play, Best Featured Actress in a Play, and Best Direction of a Play). Even the musical adaptations and sequels of A Doll's House have caught Tony attention; Laurie Metcalf won a prize for her portrayal of Nora in A Doll's House, Part 2, and the musical adaptation A Doll's Life snagged three nominations.
The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window
This rarely seen Lorraine Hansberry play snuck in under the wire of the Tony nomination deadline, and it paid off! Actress Miriam Silverman was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play for her role as Mavis, in addition to the production's nomination for Best Revival of a Play.
This is par for the course. The role of Mavis is something of a lock at the Tony Awards, netting the only nominations for both the original 1964 production, and the short-lived 1972 revival. Alice Ghostley, who originated the role, won the Tony. And the role kickstarted Frances Sternhagen's already successful career in 1972, setting her up for six additional Tony nominations, including two wins. Will Silverman follow in the path of her predecessors? We shall see June 11!
Suzan-Lori Parks's Topdog/Underdog
The first Broadway revival of Suzan-Lori Parks' Topdog/Underdog was nominated for three Tonys this season, edging out the original Broadway production. Both of the production's stars, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Corey Hawkins, are nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play, alongside the play's nod for Best Revival of a Play.
Perhaps the Pulitzer winner will be luckier this time around; the original Broadway production of Topdog/Underdog received two nominations, Best Play and Best Actor in a Play for Jeffrey Wright, losing both. After all, it's a game of chance.
Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington in The Piano Lesson
Danielle Brooks in The Piano Lesson
Jessica Chastain and Okieriete Onaodowan
Arian Moayed and Jessica Chastain
Oscar Isaac and Glenn Fitzgerald
Julian De Niro and Miriam Silverman
Corey Hawkins and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in Topdog/Underdog
Corey Hawkins in Topdog/Underdog
Winners of the Tony Awards will be named in a starry ceremony at Washington Heights' United Palace Theatre June 11. The Tony Awards: Act One, a 90-minute pre-show of live and exclusive content, will stream on Pluto TV beginning at 6:30 PM ET, with hosts and further details to be announced. The main awards ceremony will follow at 8 PM ET, hosted by West Side Story Oscar winner Ariana DeBose. The awards portion will broadcast live on CBS, and stream live (for premium-level subscribers) via Paramount+. All Paramount+ subscribers will have on demand access to the broadcast beginning June 12.
For more Tony Awards coverage, visit Playbill.com/Tonys.
