DenBerg June 7, 2023

The 76th Annual Tony Awards takes place on Sunday, June 11, and cap a big year for Jews on Broadway. Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond dramatized the lynching of Leo Frank in Parade, even when neo-Nazis protested outside the theater. Some Like It Hot, a musical adaption of Billy Wilder’s 1959 film of the same name, garnered 13 nominations, the most of any show; did you know that its writers decided to cut the musical’s most Jewish song?

It seems like Jews and Broadway go together almost as well as cream cheese and lox. Many of the great Broadway artists were Jewish, like Oscar Hammerstein II and Stephen Sondheim; ditto for playwright Arthur Miller, composer Jerome Kern and lyricist Betty Comden. 

Let’s meet some of 2023’s nominees. 

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

To contact the author, email opinion@forward.com. 

1 / 23

2 / 23 Introduction

3 / 23 Micaela Diamond, Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Parade)

4 / 23 Micaela Diamond, Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Parade)

5 / 23 Sonia Friedman, Best Play (Leopoldstadt), Best Revival (August Wilson's The Piano Lesson) and Best Musical (New York, New York)

6 / 23 Sonia Friedman, Best Play (Leopoldstadt), Best Revival (August Wilson's The Piano Lesson) and Best Musical (New York, New York)

7 / 23 Jessica Hecht, Best Leading Actress in a Play (Summer, 1976)

8 / 23 Jessica Hecht, Best Leading Actress in a Play (Summer, 1976)

9 / 23 Amy Herzog, Best Revival (A Doll’s House)

10 / 23 Amy Herzog, Best Revival (A Doll’s House)

11 / 23 Thomas Kitt, Best Original Score (Almost Famous)

12 / 23 Julia Lester, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical (Into the Woods)

13 / 23 Julia Lester, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical (Into the Woods)

14 / 23 Patrick Marber, Best Direction of a Play (Leopoldstadt)

15 / 23 Patrick Marber, Best Direction of a Play (Leopoldstadt)

16 / 23 Jeffrey Seller, Best Revival of a Musical (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street)

17 / 23 Jeffrey Seller and Tommy Kail, Best Revival of a Musical (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street)

18 / 23 Tom Stoppard, Best Play (Leopoldstadt)

19 / 23 Tom Stoppard, Best Play (Leopoldstadt)

20 / 23 Tom Stoppard, Best Play (Leopoldstadt)

21 / 23 Brandon Uranowitz, Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play (Leopoldstadt)

22 / 23 Additional Nominees

23 / 23 Tony Awards for Lifetime Achievement: John Kander and Joel Grey

Correction: A version of this article misidentified two actresses’ religions. Ethel Merman was Episcopalian, not Jewish. Lea Michele was born to a Jewish father but was raised Catholic.

To contact the author, email opinion@forward.com

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount