Tony Nominations 2025: "Death Become Her" and more...

by Nathaniel R

Movie to musical adaptations "Death Becomes Her" and "Buena Vista Social Club" dominated the Tony nominations with 10 each. But they weren't alone. The critically acclaimed original musical about two robots in love "Maybe Happy Ending" tied them -- that's a lot of productions in the double digits this year despite robust competition in terms of eligibility (41 or 42 ? were eligible, split roughly in half between musicals and plays).

The 78th Annual Tony Awards will be held June 8th in New York City, and broadcast on CBS Paramount+. This year's festivities will be hosted by Tony and Grammy winner and three-time (already!) Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo. The nominations and a few comments are after the jump... 

MUSICALS

Best Musical

• “Buena Vista Social Club” - (10 nominations)
• “Dead Outlaw” - (4 nominations) 
• “Death Becomes Her” - (10 nominations) 
• “Maybe Happy Ending” - (10 nominations)
• “Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical” - (10 nominations)

"Maybe Happy Ending" is the earliest of these musicals to open (Nov 2024) but was a critical darling and eventually built great word of mouth. It's quite excellent! I would break down which of the musicals has been the most successful but Broadway grosses are very difficult to understand since each show has a different earning capacity based on the number of seats, different operating budgets to keep the show running (depending on size of cast/orchestra, etc), different "in order to recoup" initial spend, and different tickets prices!  At least from my very limited perspective, though, all of these shows appear to be doing well. 

Eligible but missed the top category: Considering that it landed 6 nominations, "Just in Time", the Bobby Darin biographical musical starring Jonathan Groff, was possibly just on the outside looking in. Or maybe the just-miss production was either "Boop! The Musical" (3 noms), "Real Women Have Curves" (2 noms), "Smash" (2 noms), or "A Wonderful World" (1 noms). What'cha think?

Completely shut-out:  "Swept Away" and "Tammy Faye" (which both closed quickly), "Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends"  and "Redwood" were all left with zero nominations, a tough break in a crowded season. "Old Friends" is a limited run revue (closing June 15) so it's "Redwood" (currently playing at 75% capacity) that is probably in the most danger for a quick closing notice post-Tony nominations.

Best Revival of a Musical 

• "Floyd Collins" - (6 nominations). 1st time "on Broadway"
• "Gypsy" - (5 nominations) 5th revival of the 1959 classic. 
• "Pirates! The Penzance Musical" (1 nomination) 26th revival of this 19th century Gilbert & Sullivan classic
• "Sunset Blvd."- (7 nominations) 2nd revival of the 1994 musical. Scheduled to close on July 13

"Sunset Boulevard" and "Gypsy" both arrived in 2024 so they aren't the shiniest of new toys for Tony voters to play with but "Sunset Boulevard" is surely still a threat to win this prize... unless "Floyd Collins" proves a spoiler.

Eligible but completely shut out: Only seven productions were eligible and the ones that missed the top category, missed ALL categories: the already closed "Elf" and "Once Upon a Mattress" which means that the freshly opened "The Last Five Years" (based on my fav Off Broadway musical that has already had a movie adaptation) is in danger to close. 

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical

• Darren Criss -(4th show, 1st nomination) “Maybe Happy Ending”
• Andrew Durand - (6th show, 1st nomination) "Dead Outlaw"
• Tom Francis -(Broadway debut, 1st nomination)  “Sunset Blvd”
• Jonathan Groff - (5th show, 4th nomination, 1 win)  “Just in Time”
• James Monroe Iglehart - (9th show, 2nd nomination, 1 win), “A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical”
• Jeremy Jordan - (8th show, 2nd nomination)  Floyd Collins”

Iglehart, who won the Tony for "Aladdin" 11 years ago, and Groff, who won the Tony last season for "Merrily We Roll Along" are the only previous winners in the mix. We don't have a guess of who might win this but Criss is so excellent in "Maybe Happy Ending" that he could add a Tony to sit beside his Emmy on a shelf at home. 

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

• Megan Hilty -(4th show, 2nd nomination) “Death Becomes Her”
• Audra McDonald - (14th show, 11th nomination, 6 wins)  “Gypsy” 
• Jasmine Amy Rogers - (Broadway debut, 1st nom) “Boop! The Musical” 
• Nicole Scherzinger - (Broadway debut, 1st nom)  “Sunset Blvd”
• Jennifer Simard - (9th show, 3rd nomination) “Death Becomes Her"

Hilty and Simard, who are playing the Streep and Hawn roles in the musical adaptation of Death Becomes Her (1992) both have one previous nomination as "Featured" so it's a beautiful symmetry that they graduated to lead nods together! In Hilty's case, isn't it funny that her big duet triumph is in the same season that "Smash" (based on the tv series she starred in) finally arrives on Broadway?  Simard was absolutely amazing a couple of seasons ago in what is usually not a stand-out part in "Company" -- but she brought so much to it she landed a nomination.

But we think Scherzinger takes  this one. 

Record-Breaking: Audra McDonald, already the most Tony-winning performer with six Tonys (which includes at least one trophy from all four female acting categories!) , has now become the most-nominated performer of all time, nabbing her 11th nod. 

Shut Out: Our beloved Sutton Foster, a Tony regular with 7 nominations and 2 wins, didn't make the cut this time for the short-lived "Once Upon a Mattress" revival. 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical

• Brooks Ashmanskas - (16th show, 3rd nom), "Smash"
• Jeb Brown - (10th show, 1st nomination) "Dead Outlaw" 
• Danny Burstein (20th show, 8th nom, 1 win)  "Gypsy"
• Jak Malone -(Broadway debut, 1st nom) "Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical
• Taylor Trensch, (8th show, 1st nom) "Floyd Collins"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical

• Natalie Venetia Belcon - (4th show, 1st nomination)  "Buena Vista Social Club
• Julia Knitel - (3rd show, 1st nomination) - "Dead Outlaw"
• Gracie Lawrence - (2nd show, 1st nomination) "Just in Time"
• Justina Machado - (3rd show, 1st nomination) "Real Women Have Curves"
• Joy Woods - (3rd show, 1st nomination)  "Gypsy"

It's a category with ALL first timers. And it feels like a toss up (at least from the outside looking in). Machado (Six Feet Under, The Horror of Dolores Roach, One Day at A Time) is just perfect in "Real Women..." with unsurprisingly wonderful comic timing and  strong singing, too. But support for the show was definitely muted among Tony voters.  Joy Woods has the benefit of a famous role that's always Tony nominated when the show is produced, but only one previous "Louise" has ever won: Laura Benanti (in the Patti Lupone revival)

Best Direction of a Musical

• Saheem Ali -(3rd show, 2nd nom) “Buena Vista Social Club”
• Michael Arden - (12th show, 4th directing nom, 1 directing win), “Maybe Happy Ending”
• David Cromer - (9th show, 3rd nom, 1 win)  “Dead Outlaw”
• Christopher Gattelli -(21st show, 1st directing nom), “Death Becomes Her”
• Jamie Lloyd - (4th show, 3rd directing nom) “Sunset Boulevard”

Jamie Lloyd has the distinction of being the only director of a Revival to make it into this category for the season, so that surely gives "Sunset Blvd" the edge in the Best Revival category. He's up against strong competition here. Arden, who won for, feels like a threat since "Maybe Happy Ending" feels like exactly the kind of show that would fall flat if the direction weren't so incisive - He won two years ago for the revival of "Parade".  David Cromer previously won for "The Band's Visit". Gatelli has been up for several Tonys for Choreography but this is his first time directing a Broadway show. 

Best Book of a Musical

"Buena Vista Social Club"
"Dead Outlaw"
"Death Becomes Her"
"Maybe Happy Ending"
"Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical"

Best Costume Design of a Musical

“Sunset Bouelvard”
“Buena Vista Social Club”
“Floyd Collins”
“Maybe Happy Ending”
“Death Becomes Her”

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

“Buena Vista Social Club”
“Maybe Happy Ending”
“Death Becomes Her”
"Just in Time"
"Swept Away"

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

“Sunset Blvd”
“Buena Vista Social Club”
“Floyd Collins”
“Maybe Happy Ending”
“Death Becomes Her”

Best Sound Design of a Musical

“Sunset Blvd”
“Buena Vista Social Club”
“Floyd Collins”
“Maybe Happy Ending”
“Just in Time”

Technically speaking plays are also eligible in these last three categories though they're rarely nominated...

Best Choreography

“Smash”
“Buena Vista Social Club”
“Gypsy”
“Death Becomes Her”
“Boop! The Musical”

Best Orchestrations

“Sunset Blvd”
“Buena Vista Social Club”
“Floyd Collins”
“Maybe Happy Ending”
"Just in Time”

Best Original Score

“Dead Outlaw”
“Death Becomes Her”
“Maybe Happy Ending”
“Operation Mincemeat”
“Real Women Have Curves”

PLAYS

A good portion of plays, unlike musicals, are "limited runs" rather than open-ended so if something is closing quickly it isn't always because it's not successful. This is especially true if the play has movie/tv stars who generally won't sign on more than a few months (given screen projects)

Best Play

• “English” -(4 nominations) Closed March 2
• “The Hills of California” - (7 nominations) Closed Dec 22, 2024
• “John Proctor is the Villain” - (7 nominations) Scheduled to Close July 6
• “Oh, Mary! - (5 nominations) Scheduled to Close on June 28
• “Purpose” - (5 nominations)  Scheduled to Close July 6

"Oh Mary!" is as hilarious as you've been hearing. Tyler Burgess took over the lead role of Mary Lincoln for a while but writer/star Cole Escola is back on the boards in time for the Tony Awards. 

Eligible but missed the top category: Was it "The Picture of Dorian Gray" (6 noms), "Good Night and Good Luck" (5 noms), or "Stranger Things: The First Shadow" (5 noms... also receiving a special Tony for its Effects work) that just missed this top category? It probably wasn't "The Roommate" (a single nomination) 

Completely shut-out: "All In: Comedy About Love" "Cult of Love" "Job", "Left on Tenth", "McNeal", "The Picture of Dorian Gray"

Best Revival of a Play

• "Eureka Day" (2 nominations). CLosed Feb 16
• "Romeo + Juliet" (1 nomination) Closed Feb 16
• "Thornton Wilder's Our Town" (1 nomination). Closed Jan 19
• "Yellow Face" (3 nominations). Closed Nov 24, 2024

Eligible but not nominated: "Home" and two star-studded productions: "Glengarry Glen Ross" (1 nomination) and "Othello"

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play

• George Clooney, “Good Night, and Good Luck” (Broadway debut, 1st nom)
• Cole Escola, “Oh, Mary!” (Broadway debut, 1st nom)
• Jon Michael Hill, “Purpose” (3rd show, 2nd nom)
• Daniel Dae Kim, “Yellow Face” (2nd show, 1st nom)
• Harry Lennix, “Purpose” (2nd show. 1st nom)
• Louis McCartney, “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” (Broadway debut, 1st nom)

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play

• Laura Donnelly, “The Hills of California” (3rd show, 2nd nomination)
• Mia Farrow, “The Roommate” (4th show, 1st nomination)
• LaTanya Richardson Jackson, "Purpose" (6th show, 2nd acting nomination)
• Sadie Sink, “John Proctor is the Villain” (3rd show, 1st nomination)
• Sarah Snook, “The Picture of Dorian Gray” (Broadway debut, 1st nomination)

I'm rooting for Sarah Snook who is just incredible and exhausting to watch playing every role in this Oscar Wilde adaptation. The night I saw it Jodie Foster (!!!) was on the aisle seat just a handful of rows ahead of me.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play

• Glenn Davis - (2nd show, 1st nom) "Purpose"
• Gabriel Ebert -(8th show, 2nd nom, 1 win) , "John Proctor is the Villain"
• Francis Jue -(4th show, 1st nom), "Yellow Face"
• Bob Odenkirk -(Broadway debut, 1st nom) "Glengarry Glen Ross"
• Conrad Ricamora - (3rd show, 1st nom) "Oh Mary!"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

• Tala Ashe -(Broadway debut, 1st nom) "English" 
• Jessica Hecht -(11th show, 3rd nom) "Eureka Day"
• Marjan Neshat -(Broadway debut, 1st nom)  "English"
• Fina Strazza - (2nd show, 1st nom) "John Proctor is the Villain"
• Kara Young (4th show, 4th nom, 1 win) "Purpose"

I'm getting impatient for the always great Jessica Hecht to actually win a Tony... or anything really. She was Emmy nominated a handful of years ago as the stressed out mom in "Special". In "Eureka" she plays a grief stricken anti-vaxxer mom. 

Kara Young has such a crazy perfect track record. Four shows in and she's been nominated every single time, always in this category. The others were "Clydes" "Cost of Living", and last season's "Purlie Victorious" (she won)

Best Direction of a Play

Knud Adams, “English”
Sam Mendes, “The Hills of California”
Sam Pinkleton, “Oh, Mary!”
Danya Taymor, “John Proctor Is the Villain”
Kip Williams, “The Picture of Dorian Gray”

Best Scenic Design of a Play

“English”
“The Hills of California"
"Good Night, and Good Luck"
"The Picture of Dorian Gray"
"Stranger Things: The First Shadow"

Best Costume Design of a Play

“Oh Mary”
“The Hills of California"
"Good Night, and Good Luck"
"The Picture of Dorian Gray"
"Stranger Things: The First Shadow"

Best Lighting Design of a Play

“The Hills of California"
"Good Night, and Good Luck"
"The Picture of Dorian Gray"
"Stranger Things: The First Shadow"
"John Proctor is the Villain"

Best Sound Design of a Play

"Good Night, and Good Luck"
“The Hills of California"
"The Picture of Dorian Gray"
"John Proctor is the Villain"
"Stranger Things: The First Shadow"

Do you always watch the Tonys? If you've been to any of the shows which have you loved? 

Comments

[Peggy Sue]

Read online that the recorded version of Rose's Turn was way better than the one making the rounds on TikTok. Well, it's not. It SUCKS.

So glad Othello was completely ignored. Turning theatre into opera should not be celebrated. Poor Jake, he's never in the right project.

[Finbar McBride]

Of the snubbed, I feel most for two time Tony winner (acting) Phylicia Rashad who was overlooked for directing Best Play nominee Purpose. The well received show received four acting nominations. The last time a show received that many acting nods but missed a director’s nod was two decades ago for the Kathleen Turner / Bill Irwin revival of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

[par]

you knew there'd be some old show queen proofreading this...

dead outlaw scored 7 nominations, operation mincemeat got 4

jennifer simard has two previous featured actress nominations - company [in the role barbara barrie was also nominated for in the original production] and disaster!

additional trivia: yes, audra mcdonald holds the record for most acting nominations and her gypsy co-star danny burstein is now the most nominated male actor

i really hope cole escola wins the harvey fierstein double of best play/best actor on the night that harvey gets the lifetime achievement award

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[Mr Ripley79]

It's hard to be excited about a bunch of shows i'll never get to see on Broadway.

Can we have the FilmBitch finalists or April Folls predix instead.

[Blogger Backie]

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[Lenard W]

Swept Away got a nomination as you point out later so it should go into the previous category. John Gallagher Jr should have been nominated and won in my opinion, but I am not a Tony voter with a usually short attention span. Maybe Happy Ending and Death Becomes Her were just strong early contenders and the April shows did not have strong reviews.

[Joe G.]

While it seems destined to be a big night for Oh Mary!, I'd love to Purpose pick something up. It's a great play and both Harry Lennix and Jon Michael Hill give nuanced and surprising performances.

[Charmaine Drusilla]

What do you think caused the likes of “Swept Away” and “Tammy Faye” to be completely shut out of the nominations – was it because of their poor quality, or was That's Not My Neighbor simply because the awards season was so crowded and competitive?