Tony Awards in Review
Tuesday, June 10, 2025 at 12:01PM Editors Note: Oscar predictions for the 98th Academy Awards begin tomorrow -- we're only two months late for "April Foolish" predictions! But first, a bit of theater to wrap up that season which just ended.
Cynthia Erivo -- all she needs is a song! -- at the Tony Awards
The 78th Annual Tony Awards were held on Sunday night, June 8th, with Cynthia Erivo hosting. It was a big night for fans of minimal sets apart from screen projections, non binary performers, frequent mic problems, and 2024 Olivier Award winners (5 repeats!) from the West End. It was even a big night for Grindr -- was Cole Escola's hilarious shout out to "T-Bo from Grindr" the first ever awards mention for the hook-up app? The winners and a few comments after the jump...
Best Musical
- “Buena Vista Social Club” - (10 nominations, 4 wins, + 1 special award)
- “Dead Outlaw” - (4 nominations, 0 wins)
- “Death Becomes Her” - (10 nominations, 1 win)
- ★ “Maybe Happy Ending” - (10 nominations, 6 wins)
- “Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical” - (10 nominations, 1 win)
Believe the hype but, paradoxically, don't get overhyped! "Maybe Happy Ending" is the kind of show that can only take off with ticket buyers if critical buzz and word of mouth are both sensational; they were and it did! But it's a delicate show with a slow arc, unshowy musical numbers, and a thoughtful throughline so we hope that people lured in by its big Tony night don't expect a different kind of show going in. It's a wistful elegantly simple and beautifully executed romantic drama about two discontinued helper bots who will soon run out of battery life. Darren Criss, the soon-to-expire Oliver won a Tony to sit beside his Emmy. Helen Chen, his co-star, wasn't nominated but it was a crazy competitive year in the Best Actress category and she wasn't the only performer to miss the cut who would surely have been honored in lesser seasons. With awards shows, it's never only about the art in question, but also timing, context, and luck.
"Buena Vista Social Club", a musical adaptation of Wim Wender's Oscar-nominated Documentary, was clearly the 'runner up' for the big prize. In addition to its four wins, the American Theater Wing also honored it with a special Tony for "the musicians who make up the band of Buena Vista Social Club".
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.
There was never any doubt that the stripped down, screen projection and fog heavy reimagining of Sunset Blvd was going to win this category. A sensation on the West End, it was also successful on Broadway. I did not see all of the nominees this year but I will say that Pirates! was undersung. Best Revival was its only nomination but it was quite a lot of fun with a game cast -- Ramin Karimloo and David Hyde Pierce were the standouts though neither snagged a nomination.
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
- ★ Darren Criss -(4th show, 1st nomination, 1st win) “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”
Darren Criss is committed to that limited robotic register in "Maybe Happy Ending" but still reads as endearingly human which is just what the show needed for its cathartic journey. He is now halfway to an EGOT. The Grammy could be next if "Maybe Happy Ending" is nominated and wins for Best Musical Theater Album next February at the Grammys. But, FACT: That Grammy is hard to win and it doesn't line up with the show that wins "Best Musical" at the Tony Awards as often as you'd imagine. Grammy voters quite often defer to the show they're most familiar with in some way either from jukebox scores, previously celebrated IP, revivals, or enormously profitable shows that crossover into the mainstream somehow.
It's easy to imagine that Jonathan Groff would have taken the Tony for "Just in Time" had he not won just last season for "Merrily We Roll Along". In the intro to his 'Mack the Knife' performance, Cynthia Erivo joked that he is 'the man that makes everyone wet.' This surely went over the heads of anyone who doesn't spend a lot of time online where the clips of his co-stars from "Merrily" ruthlessly ribbed him over his very "well-hydrated" singing. He's such a delight that it's surely an honor to be spat on, whilst dueting. If you're a fan of Groff or just a fan of gay romance onscreen, please seek out A Nice Indian Boy (currently available to rent online) which is my favourite film of 2025 thus far (but, yes, the film year is quite young).
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"
Sherzinger was the early "locked" frontrunner, but toward the end of the season there was quite a swell of support for the perpetually buried in Tonys superstar Audra McDonald. Her Mama Rose was divisive but those who loved her take on the King Lear of musical theater roles for women, were enthralled and pushed for a SEVENTH Tony. I loved her take but it is most certainly full of "choices" so I get why others did not. She starts the show at 11 and I thought "Audra, where are you going to go from there?"... but somehow she got to 12... even 13!" My favourite Mama Rose remains Imelda Staunton in the West-End Revival; Sorry Audra, Bernadette, Patti, Tyne, Bette, Rosalind, and Ethel.
Despite the surge of good press for Audra at the end of the season, Scherzinger held strong despite her politics and her vaguely divisive show. She annoyed me right off the bat by thanking God when she won. I am not anti-God but I am 100% anti-thanking God in awards show speeches. God is not an awards show voter and doesn't care if you win little golden idols. Plus, it always gives off tone-deaf narcissism.... so God wanted you to win, and didn't care about the losers? Okay, okay. If you need to believe that, I guess.
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"
In a repeat of the the 76th Tony Awards, half of the four male performance categories went to gender non-conforming AMAB talents. Jak Malone was up first for his much-lauded performance as "Hester" in Operation Mincemeat, repeating his West-End triumph and winning a Tony to sit beside his Olivier Award.
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"
While I was rooting for Justina Machado, who was note-perfect in "Real Women...", Natalie Venetia Balcon gave endearing speech with the thirstiest off-the-cuff shout-out to Jason Momoa. Over the years the live performances from the Tony Awards have been noted for their ability to reinvigorate ticket sales of whichever show really turned it out on the televised event and we have to assume that Buena Vista Social Club was the show that sold the most tickets Sunday night. What a performance and Belcon was a big part of why it went over so well.
Best Direction of a Musical
- Saheem Ali -(3rd show, 2nd nom) “Buena Vista Social Club”
- ★ Michael Arden - (12th show, 4th directing nom, 2nd 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”
When the nominees were announced I wrote the following.
"Maybe Happy Ending" feels like exactly the kind of show that would fall flat if the direction weren't so incisive.
And I'm happy to see that Tony voters agreed. It's his second Tony in three years. He won two years ago for the revival of "Parade".
Best Book of a Musical
"Buena Vista Social Club"
"Dead Outlaw"
"Death Becomes Her"
★ "Maybe Happy Ending"
"Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical"
Sadly they don't broadcast all of the awards anymore so we didn't see an acceptance speech for this one.
Best Costume Design of a Musical
“Sunset Bouelvard”
“Buena Vista Social Club”
“Floyd Collins”
“Maybe Happy Ending”
★ “Death Becomes Her”
Given the relatively minimalist competition this win was no surprise.
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
“Buena Vista Social Club”
★ “Maybe Happy Ending”
“Death Becomes Her”
"Just in Time"
"Swept Away"
"Maybe Happy Ending" is a high-tech production with lots of interesting lighting and scenic design work, so this win also wasn't a surprise.
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, 0 wins) Closed March 2
- “The Hills of California” - (7 nominations, 0 wins) Closed Dec 22, 2024
- “John Proctor is the Villain” - (7 nominations, 0 wins) Scheduled to Close July 6
- “Oh, Mary! - (5 nominations, 2 wins) Scheduled to Close on June 28
- ★ “Purpose” - (5 nominations, 2 wins) Scheduled to Close July 6
While the win for "Purpose" was not a complete surprise -- awards voters from all orgs tend to defer to serious drama over inspired comedy -- I was a tiny bit sad for the hilarious "Oh Mary!" but at least it took two Tonys! I remain surprised that "The Picture of Dorian Gray" -- which is just riveting and so much fun -- didn't make the lineup but perhaps it was viewed as a star vehicle first and foremost?
Best Revival of a Play
- ★ "Eureka Day" (2 nominations, 1 win). CLosed Feb 16
- "Romeo + Juliet" (1 nomination, 0 wins) Closed Feb 16
- "Thornton Wilder's Our Town" (1 nomination, 0 wins). Closed Jan 19
- "Yellow Face" (3 nominations, 1 win). Closed Nov 24, 2024
A surprise win here for the least discussed of the nominees. I personally loved it but then I am often partial to plays starring Bill Irwin and Jesscica Hecht who always always deliver. This one is a comedy about politics among parents at a private school and it feels quite timely given the anti-vaxxer foolishness at its center
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, 1st win)
- 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)
Cole Escola, in Bernadette Peters drag (bless!), was obviously overjoyed to win. We were elated for them! And they give such good quotes in interviews. That Colbert interview during the campaign was hilarious.
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, 1st win)
If you read the Tony nomination piece you know I was rooting for Sarah Snook. Her win meant that three of the Olivier Award winners from 2024 also won Tonys when their shows transferred to Broadway (the others were Jak Malone & Nicole Scherzinger). This also means that two key Succession alum have won major showbiz awards (Oscar & Tony) shortly after their Emmy wins. Who is next?
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!"
Francis Jue gave a lovely speech! "Yellow Face" is currently streamable on PBS though it leaves soon so hurry up and watch it,
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, 2nd CONSECUTIVE win) "Purpose"
Kara Young (probably best known for Netflix's I'm A Virgo) is four-of-four with nominations from her Broadway performances. She's won half of them.
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”
This was surely a tight race -- we have to imagine that Kip Williams came close. We loved Pinkleton's speech.
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"
With "Stranger Things" and "Dorian Gray" winning multiple Tony Awards, there weren't a lot of Tonys to go around for the actual Best Play or Best Revival of a Play nominees!
Cynthia Erivo's closing number was fun. But most of all she seemed so happy to be there which is always charming in an awards show host.
Reader Comments (11)
Nicole Scherzinger is the definition of an overachiever. Someone who has talent but is so fucking full of herself. I don't think she's a good singer nor can act for shit. I will never get over how Universal Music spent millions and millions of dollars on an album that she did that never came out and was later remade into the 2nd Pussycat Dolls album while you had talented bands like Queens of the Stone who wanted to do an EP were treated like shit.
Wasn't able to see Buena Vista Social Club but I love that Belcon was the original Gary Coleman in Avenue Q, so pleased with her win by proxy.
I'll never get to see any of these shows,I know you love the theatre but can we please have your April fools Oscar predictions,that's what we want,congrats to the winners though half who i've never heard of.
But we can thank God in the comments, right? God bless Cole Escola! They've been bringing me joy since the first time I saw their serial killer documentary clip.
The last time I was in NYC, I had to make a choice between Merrily with Jonathan Groff or Oh Mary off-broadway. We chose Merrily, and I honestly don't know if I should feel regret or not.
I guess this means that your true favorite is Angela Lansbury. She's in such a class by herself that you didn't even need to mention her. ;-)
The best Rose IS Angela Lansbury. Listen to the recordings and watch the available clips, it's breathtaking work.
Your blog always feels like a comforting conversation. This post was beautifully written and genuinely inspiring social media panel
Random thoughts
After Purpose won Best Play, I really didn’t understand Phylicia Rashad’s snub for Best Director.
I love Christian Siriano, but that fugly tux Darrin Criss wore was a huge misstep.
I may have to fly to New York to see Jonathan Groff in Just in Time. Wow!
Cynthia Erivo was a damn fine host.
And Tyne Daly is the best Rose! Lansbury yelled her way through Rose’s Turn. Daly was sex on two legs in that production. No one was scratching their head and wondering why Herbie stayed for so many years. Daly made Rose’s Turn into a riveting exploration of madness.
Darren and Nicole are Tony winners. What a beautiful morning.
Imelda Forever.
We'll get you a Tony, Jessica Hecht.
"All You Need Is a Song" was genius: Let that be a lesson to all the late-night bros with their stupid setpieces, prerecorded bits and open contempt for whatever show they're hosting! By comparison, even someone decent like NPH looks like he completely overthought/overworked the assignment.
I've long been an Erivo skeptic but thought she was flawless: It was an elegant, grown-up, less-is-more, masterful hosting performance. Even her vulgar "Groff gets everyone wet" line felt totally earned in context. The Oprah moment felt cleverly tossed off like a cabaret parody of "awards show host." And the looks—no notes!
I too was rooting for Jessica Hecht, who wowed me a couple years ago in Summer 1976. I'm happy Nicole Scherzinger won: I also find her a bit vain and shallow, but she's incredible in the show. And Broadway at its worst feels *so* clubby that a last-minute rally for Audra McDonald would have rubbed me the wrong way, just an expression of in-group out-group dynamics that keep the theater small and stale.
Speaking of clubbiness, I think Patti Lupone went over the line, but it's funny: If Patti were a stage character, all these actors would be tripping over themselves to play her; In interviews they'd wax about how complicated, vulnerable, strong, full of humanity she is; I wish these people in the "empathy business" would use those powers to accept the enormous characters in their midst rather than aiming to punish and flatten them! Again, I can see why it's not cool to call a total stranger a "bitch" in print. But also, let's take what a noted, walking personality disorder says with a grain of salt.
Erivo's Annie-inspired opening look (from Gap Studio) was kinda genius, especially with "Tomorrow" sung over the In Memoriam sequence later in the ceremony.