For composer Justin Levine, working on The Outsiders is a full circle moment in multiple ways. He's currently up for three Tony Awards: Best Book of a Musical alongside collaborator Adam Rapp, Best Original Score with Jamestown Revival, and Best Orchestrations with Matt Hinkley and Jamestown Revival.
"I am someone who's driven by what excites me, and what I've never done before, or something that I don't understand," Levine says. "I think in a way, I've always tried to follow that kind of gut impulse. So in the case of [The Outsiders], this was one of my favorite books growing up, and so it really just felt like such a pure return to my inner child in a lot of ways."
Levine has worked as a lyricist, music supervisor, orchestrator, and arranger on multiple Broadway shows over the years, including Moulin Rouge! (for which he received a 2020 Tony Award for Best Orchestrations). From his Broadway debut to receiving his second, third, and fourth Tony nominations this year, Levine said there were many people who helped him along the way.
"I can think of every job I've ever had, and the people who guided me through or who challenged me," Levine says. "A name that comes to mind is Michael Friedman. Michael wrote Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, which was my Broadway debut as a music director, and as an actor and as an orchestrator. I remember when we first started working on that, I thought he was so hard on me and he just had a million notes for me every single day. I just remember that point at which I realized how much he was making me the best version of myself, and then when I would do other shows, the way he would support me through that. And to be at the Jacobs Theatre again, which is where Bloody Bloody was, to be doing The Outsiders there is incredible."
And below, see Levine share a heartwarming moment with fellow Tony nominee Amber Iman, who credits Levine with giving her her first New York acting gig.
The 77th Annual Tony Awards are set for June 16 at Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater. The evening will kick off with The Tony Awards: Act One, streaming for free on Pluto TV. Details are to be announced. The 77th Annual Tony Awards will follow beginning at 8 PM ET, broadcasting live on CBS (check local listings) and streaming live (for premium-level subscribers) via Paramount+. All Paramount+ subscribers will have on demand access to the broadcast beginning June 17. Stage and screen star Ariana DeBose will be back for the third consecutive year to host.
Visit Playbill.com/Tonys for more.
Linda Cho
Linda Cho
Adam Guettel
Adam Guettel
Peter Nigrini
Peter Nigrini
Kelli O'Hara and Brian d'Arcy James
Kelli O'Hara and Brian d'Arcy James
Kelli O'Hara and Brian d'Arcy James
Kelli O'Hara
Kelli O'Hara
Kelli O'Hara
Kelli O'Hara
Kelli O'Hara
Brian d'Arcy James
Brian d'Arcy James
Brian d'Arcy James
Daniel Aukin
Daniel Aukin
Eli Gelb
Eli Gelb
Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer
Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer
Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer
Leslie Odom, Jr.
Leslie Odom, Jr.
Leslie Odom, Jr.
Kara Young
Kara Young
Kara Young
Kara Young
Kimie Nishikawa, Andrew Moerdyk, and Santiago Orjuela-Laverde of dots
Will Pickens
Kenny Leon
Will Butler
David Adjmi
David Adjmi
Joshua Boone
Joshua Boone
Joshua Boone
David Zinn
David Zinn
Justin Craig
Justin Craig
Danya Taymor
Danya Taymor
Tom Pecinka
Tom Pecinka
Justin Levine
Justin Levine
Amber Iman and Justin Levine
Amber Iman
Amber Iman
Amber Iman
Amber Iman
Eden Espinosa
Eden Espinosa
Eden Espinosa
Juliana Canfield
Juliana Canfield
Juliana Canfield
Sky Lakota-Lynch
Sky Lakota-Lynch
Sky Lakota-Lynch
Brody Grant
Brody Grant
Brody Grant
Jocelyn Bioh
Jocelyn Bioh
Jocelyn Bioh
Jocelyn Bioh
Whitney White
Whitney White
Eddie Redmayne
Eddie Redmayne
Eddie Redmayne
Eddie Redmayne
Lila Neugebauer
Lila Neugebauer and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Sarah Paulson
Sarah Paulson
Sarah Paulson
Corey Stoll
Will Brill
Will Brill
Will Brill
Sarah Pidgeon
Sarah Pidgeon
Sarah Pidgeon
William Jackson Harper
Roger Bart
Roger Bart
Maryann Plunkett and Dorian Harewood
Maryann Plunkett and Dorian Harewood
Maryann Plunkett
Dorian Harewood
Maryann Plunkett and Betsy Aidem
Betsy Aidem
Betsy Aidem
Dr. Jason Kindt
Kecia Lewis
Kecia Lewis
Kecia Lewis
Kecia Lewis
Kecia Lewis
Nikki M. James
Nikki M. James
Nikki M. James
Nikki M. James
Nikki M. James
Celia Keenan-Bolger
Celia Keenan-Bolger
Celia Keenan-Bolger
Celia Keenan-Bolger
David Korins
David Korins
Isabella Byrd
Maleah Joi Moon
Maleah Joi Moon
Maleah Joi Moon
Maleah Joi Moon
Camille A. Brown
Camille A. Brown
Jeff Kuperman and Rick Kuperman
Leigh silverman
Lynne Meadow and Chris Jennings
Michael Greif
Michael Greif
Michael Stuhlbarg
Michael Stuhlbarg
LaChanze and Jamie Forshaw
LaChanze
Jamie Forshaw
Nikiya Mathis
Nikiya Mathis
Joshua Harmon
Wendall K. Harrington
Dede Ayite
Dede Ayite
Dede Ayite
Bekah Brunstetter
Bekah Brunstetter
Bekah Brunstetter
Bekah Brunstetter
Quincy Tyler Bernstine
Quincy Tyler Bernstine
Steven Skybell
Steven Skybell
Steven Skybell
Maria Friedman
Maria Friedman
Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel Radcliffe
Jonathan Groff
Jonathan Groff
Lindsay Mendez
Lindsay Mendez
Lindsay Mendez
Stefania Bulbarella
Stefania Bulbarella
Kristoffer Diaz
Shoshana Bean
Shoshana Bean
Shoshana Bean
Shoshana Bean
Shoshana Bean
Jessica Stone
Jessica Stone
Colleen Jennings-Roggensack
Jessica Lange
Jessica Lange
Jim Parsons
Jim Parsons
Jill Furman and Rachel Sussman
Jill Furman and Rachel Sussman
Adam Rapp
Adam Rapp
Ryan Rumery
Ryan Rumery
Enver Chakartash
Enver Chakartash
Zachary Chance and Jonathan Clay of Jamestown Revival
Zachary Chance and Jonathan Clay of Jamestown Revival
Will Brill
Will Brill