Josh Groban lands his ‘dream role’ on Broadway — and his 2nd Tony nomination

Several years after his Broadway debut in “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812,” Josh Groban has returned to the Great White Way — this time as the murderous barber Sweeney Todd.

The role snagged Groban his second Tony nomination. But during the 76th annual Tony Awards ceremony Sunday night, Groban was unable to claim what would’ve been his first Tony. Instead, the award for best leading actor in a musical went to J. Harrison Ghee in “Some Like It Hot,” NPR reported.

While winning a Tony would’ve marked a big milestone for Groban, above all else, the singer is simply happy to have landed what he said is “a dream role.”

“Sweeney Todd is a dream role in a dream show and the great honor of my career to perform,” Groban shared on Twitter Sunday. “Nothing could have prepared me for the joy of doing it at this level with this cast and creative team. Today is a day to celebrate that work and that joy.”

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Josh Groban stars in Broadway’s ‘Sweeney Todd’

In many ways, starring in the revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” has been a long time coming for Groban, a longtime Sondheim fan who named his dog Sweeney. During his tour last summer — which included a stop at Salt Lake City’s Vivint Arena — Groban included a cover of “Not While I’m Around” from “Sweeney Todd” on his set list. Additionally, the opening act on his tour, Eleri Ward, performed indie-folk renditions of Sondheim classics, the Deseret News reported.

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“We all have these roles that we think to ourselves, ‘If this were ever to happen, I would give it everything that I’ve got,’ and this is certainly one of those roles for me,” Groban told The New York Times.

Performances for “Sweeney Todd” began in February with the official opening night on March 26, Deadline reported. The production was the latest in a series of Sondheim revivals announced following the composer’s death in November 2021.

Groban has received high praise — “his lush baritone is, unsurprisingly, a glorious match for Sondheim ballads ‘My Friends’ and ‘Pretty Women,’” Patrick Ryan wrote for USA Today. “And when he does unleash Sweeney’s monstrous side in ‘Epiphany’ and the Act 2 climax, Groban is downright terrifying to behold.”

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When was the 2023 Tony Awards?

The 2023 Tony Awards, hosted by Ariana DeBose, took place June 11 in New York City, CBS News reported. The ceremony aired on CBS and Paramount+, and will be available on demand on Paramount+.

Following negotiations amid the ongoing writers’ strike, the Tony Awards ceremony was unscripted, per Playbill.

A list of 2023 Tony Awards winners is available on Tonyawards.com.