If there’s one thing I’m doing every year, it’s sitting down in front of my television and watching the Tony Awards. The glitz, the glamour, the drama, the breath support, I love it all. So it only makes sense that I would want to pick up a book that is giving the essence of this year’s nominees. For every theater kid — or theater kid at heart — check out these books paired with 2024 Tony nominees for Best Musical and Best Revival of a Musical.
(Feel free to sing to yourself as you read.)
BEST MUSICAL
Stereophonic + Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Daisy Jones, a young California socialite, seeks solace in the Sunset Strip music scene, while Billy and Graham Dunne form The Six as an escape from their troubled past. Billy’s whirlwind romance with Camila leads to marriage and fatherhood, but his struggle with addiction threatens their happiness. Daisy’s entry into the band sparks creative success but also romantic tension with Billy. Amidst affairs, substance abuse, and personal struggles, the band faces internal conflicts and eventual dissolution. Despite love and loss, Daisy finds redemption in sobriety, while Camila ensures Billy’s happiness even after her passing. Their intertwined lives culminate in a poignant resolution, echoing the power of music and enduring love.
Hell’s Kitchen + Sleepers by Lorenzo Carcaterra
The tale of four inseparable boys from Hell’s Kitchen in New York City, who thrive on mischief until a fateful summer day leads to a year in a brutal boys’ home. The trauma haunts them into adulthood, shaping their paths: lawyer, reporter, and two turn into hitmen. Fueled by vengeance, they manipulate the legal system, risking everything for retribution, knowing failure means death.
Illinoise + Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman
The story of a sudden and powerful romance that blossoms between Elio, an adolescent boy, and Oliver, a summer guest at Elio’s parents’ cliffside mansion on the Italian Riviera. Each is unprepared for the consequences of their attraction, when, during the restless summer weeks, unrelenting currents of obsession, fascination, and desire intensify their passion and test the charged ground between them. Recklessly, the two verge toward the one thing both fear they may never truly find again: total intimacy. It is an instant classic and one of the great love stories of our time.
The Outsiders + That Was Then, This Is Now by S.E. Hinton
Since childhood, Bryon and Mark have been as close as brothers. Now things are changing. Bryon’s growing up, spending a lot of time with girls, and thinking seriously about who he wants to be. Mark still just lives for the thrill of the moment. The two are growing apart — until Bryon makes a shocking discovery about Mark. Then Bryon faces a terrible decision — one that will change both of their lives forever.
Suffs + 19: The Musical by Jennifer Schwed and Doug Bradshaw
19: The Musical is the dynamic and little-known story of Alice Paul, Ida B. Wells, Susan B. Anthony, Carrie Chapman Catt, Inez Milholland and the other suffragists who fought to get women the right to vote: The 19th Amendment. The inspirational story of these fearless women is brought to life through jazz, traditional musical standards style, spoken word, and hints of gospel. Alice Paul and the suffragist’s fight for equality have been re-imagined for a new generation with a poignant and uplifting message that will resonate for years to come.
Water for Elephants + Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
Somewhere in South America, at the home of the country’s vice president, a lavish birthday party is being held in honor of the powerful businessman Mr. Hosokawa. Roxanne Coss, opera’s most revered soprano, has mesmerized the international guests with her singing. It is a perfect evening — until a band of gun-wielding terrorists takes the entire party hostage. But what begins as a panicked, life-threatening scenario slowly evolves into something quite different, a moment of great beauty, as terrorists and hostages forge unexpected bonds and people from different continents become compatriots, intimate friends, and lovers.
BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club + Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood
Isherwood magnificently captures 1931 Berlin: charming, with its avenues and cafés; marvelously grotesque, with its nightlife and dreamers; dangerous, with its vice and intrigue; powerful and seedy, with its mobs and millionaires — this was the period when Hitler was beginning his move to power. The book is inhabited by a wealth of characters: the unforgettable and “divinely decadent” Sally Bowles; plump Fraulein Schroeder, who considers reducing her Buste relieve her heart palpitations; Peter and Otto, a gay couple struggling to come to terms with their relationship; and the distinguished and doomed Jewish family, the Landauers.
Gutenberg! The Musical! + As If On Cue by Marisa Kanter
Lifelong rivals Natalie and Reid clash when their school’s art budget is on the line. To save her play, Natalie must face off against Reid’s band. Their rivalry escalates into a prank war, leading to an unexpected compromise: co-writing and directing a musical. As they navigate newfound feelings and collaboration, they must deliver a hit show to save both programs. But with their competitive history, working together proves to be a challenge they never expected.
Merrily We Roll Along + The People We Keep by Allison Larkin
April Sawicki, living in a motorhome her father won, struggles in a town where she feels out of place. After a pivotal open mic night, she leaves home for good, seeking a life of her own. Without a set destination, she finds solace in Ithaca, working at Cafe Decadence. Despite newfound belonging, April fears she’ll hurt those she cares about. Through music and new connections, she learns that her past doesn’t define her future.
The Who’s Tommy + Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
Galaxy “Alex” Stern, hailing from the fringes of Los Angeles, receives an unexpected scholarship to Yale following a traumatic past. Tasked with surveilling Yale’s secretive societies, she uncovers a world of privilege intertwined with dark occult practices, blurring the boundaries between life and death.
Jennifer Vance is a publicist at Books Forward, an author publicity and book marketing firm committed to promoting voices from a diverse variety of communities. From book reviews and author events, to social media and digital marketing, we help authors find success and connect with readers.
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