Daniel Radcliffe took home the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for Merrily We Roll Along. Radcliffe plays lyricist and playwright Charley Kringas in the revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s 1981 musical. The original production lasted only 12 days before being discontinued.
“I will speak quickly and try not to cry,” the interpreter said in his acceptance speech. “This was one of the best experiences of my life. It was amazing”.
“It’s an honor to be on stage with all of you every single night,” he added of his co-stars, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez, and the musical’s entire cast. Then he took a moment to thank her parents, who were in the audience.
“Happy Father’s Day,” he said towards the end of his speech, addressing his father. “Thank you for playing Sondheim in the car and for just loving me.”
In his speech, the actor also thanked the Broadway League and the American Theater Wing, which present the Tonys; director Maria Friedman; Sondheim and Furth for writing the original musical; everyone at the Hudson Theater who brings the show to life; his agent; the costume designer the singing teacher.
Since finishing his decade-long career as Harry PotterRadcliffe has found a new kind of success, having received his first Emmy nomination in 2023 for his performance as Weird Al Yankovic in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story and now his first Tony win.
“It’s amazing,” the actor said backstage after his win. “When I finished Harry Potter, I had no idea what my career would be. I had already started doing some things on stage, but I absolutely didn’t know what the future held for me.”
Radcliffe clashed with Roger Bart of Back to the Future – The MusicalJoshua Boone and Sky Lakota-Lynch by The OutsidersBrandon Victor Dixon by Hell’s Kitchen and Steven Skybell of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club.
Merrily We Roll Along, winner of Best Revival of a Musical, marked the actor’s fifth Broadway production. Among the other awards brought home by the musical were best leading actor for Jonathan Groff and best orchestrations for Jonathan Tunick.
The Lost City star made his Broadway debut in 2008 with Equus. “I didn’t know how the world would see me after the saga ended,” she told The Hollywood Reporter during the 2024 Tony Nominees roundtable.”Between Equus And How to Succeed in Business Without Really Tryingthis place was giving me a chance to be something else and discover who I was as an actor.”
Merrily We Roll Along tells the story of three lifelong friends, played by Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez. The musical begins in the present day, when the three friends have drifted apart, and continues backwards to the beginning of their friendship almost two decades earlier. Navigate success, entertainment and unbreakable bonds.
