Frontmezzjunkies reports: the Winners of The 2025 Tony Awards
It was a very happy ending at the 78th Annual Tony Awards last night, June 8, at Radio City Music Hall, for the new musical Maybe Happy Ending, which was named Best Musical at the ceremony, as well as a surprise win for Darren Criss for lead actor in a musical, and a not so surprising slew of writing awards.
With ten nominations, Maybe Happy Ending arrived at the awards ceremony as the front runner for winning one of the 4 main production awards given out, and the show did not disappoint. The surprisingly sweet and touching musical about two HelperBots that have been regarded as obsolete and sent away to a storage condo cell, in essence, won a total of six 2025 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, the most of any show of the season.
The musical was one of three shows tied for the most-nominated productions of the season, alongside the electrifying Buena Vista Social Club and the hilarious film-to-stage musical Death Becomes Her. The new musical Buena Vista Social Club also found its way into the winners’ circle with four very well-earned Tonys, while the London-imported play, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, won three design prizes.
The Best Play Tony went to Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Pulitzer Prize-winning Purpose, which unpacks the complicated relationships inside an Illinois family headed by two parents, both well-known and highly regarded as civil rights leaders and pillars of Black American politics. Jacobs-Jenkins made history at the Tony Awards, not only for becoming one of only three playwrights who have won back-to-back Tonys, joining the small circle that includes Tony Kushner and the late Terrence McNally, but also for becoming the first Black playwright to achieve that distinction.
Jamie Lloyd’s revolutionary production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic musical, Sunset Blvd., which was an award-winning hit in the West End before transferring to Broadway, won the competitive Best Revival of a Musical Tony. Jonathan Spector’s Eureka Day, was named Best Revival of a Play.
In the lead actor categories, Sunset Blvd‘s Nicole Scherzinger surprised the room by repeating her Olivier Award win by earning the Tony for Leading Actress in a Musical for her work as the legendary Norma Desmond. Sarah Snook also matched her Olivier Award win by taking home the Tony Award for Leading Actress in a Play by playing a total of 26 characters in The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Cole Escola won to thunderous applause the Tony for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play for their performance as the alcoholic First Lady, Mary Todd Lincoln in their play Oh, Mary!
For the same play, which transferred from off-Broadway to Broadway, the Tony Award for Best Director of a Play went to Sam Pinkleton, and Michael Arden won, once again, for Best Direction of a Musical for Maybe Happy Ending, after winning the same award in 2023 for his direction of the revival of Parade.
Kara Young won the Tony for Featured Actress in a Play award for playing Aziza Houston in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Purpose, magnificently making history at this year’s ceremony, becoming the first Black actor to win Tonys in consecutive seasons. Last year, she won the same Tony for her portrayal of Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins in the Broadway revival of Ossie Davis’ Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch. Young has also been Tony-nominated each of the last four consecutive years for each of her Broadway outings, a very impressive run which I hope she just keeps doing year after year.
The ceremony, hosted by a dazzling Cynthia Erivo, was full of spectacular performances, including the many exciting outfits the host changed into throughout the broadcast. Many of the awards were given out before the main broadcast, including the honorary award given to Harvey Fierstein. Which was a bit disappointing, as I now have to search online so I can watch his speech, as I’m sure it will be something to remember.
During that first portion of the evening, Tony Awards: Act One, which was hosted by Tony winner Renée Elise Goldsberry and 2025 Tony winner Criss on PlutoTV, Paul Tazewell picked up the Tony Award for Best Costume Design of a Musical for his work on the stage adaptation of Death Becomes Her; earlier this year, Tazewell won an Academy Award for his costume designs for the first half of the “Wicked” film adaptation.
You can watch the evening’s performances, including numbers from all of this season’s Best Musical and Best Revival of a Musical nominees, here.
Here is a full list of the nominees and the WINNERS for the 2025 Tony Awards.
✅ – who I thought would win (2pts)
🤞 – who I really wanted to win (1pt)
🏆 – who DID end up winning
What was your total? Mine was 42.
The Tony Award Winners and Nominations
Best Musical
Buena Vista Social Club
Dead Outlaw
Death Becomes Her
🏆 🤞✅ Maybe Happy Ending
Operation Mincemeat
Best Play
English
🤞The Hills of California
John Proctor is the Villain
✅ Oh, Mary!
🏆 Purpose
Best Revival of a Play
🏆 ✅ Eureka Day
Romeo + Juliet
Our Town
🤞Yellow Face
Best Revival of a Musical
🤞Floyd Collins
Gypsy
Pirates! The Penzance Musical
🏆 ✅ Sunset Blvd
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
🏆 🤞 Darren Criss, Maybe Happy Ending
Andrew Durand, Dead Outlaw
Tom Francis, Sunset Blvd
✅ Jonathan Groff, Just in Time
James Monroe Iglehart, A Wonderful World
Jeremy Jordan, Floyd Collins
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Megan Hilty, Death Becomes Her
Audra McDonald, Gypsy
✅ 🤞Jasmine Amy Rogers, BOOP! The Musical
🏆 Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset Blvd
Jennifer Simard, Death Becomes Her
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck
🏆 🤞✅ Cole Escola, Oh, Mary!
Jon Michael Hill, Purpose
Daniel Dae Kim, Yellow Face
Harry Lennix, Purpose
Louis McCartney, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
🤞Laura Donnelly, The Hills of California
Mia Farrow, The Roommate
LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Purpose
Sadie Sink, John Proctor is the Villain
🏆 ✅ Sarah Snook, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Brooks Ashmanskas, SMASH
Jeb Brown, Dead Outlaw
Danny Burstein, Gypsy
🏆 🤞✅ Jak Malone, Operation Mincemeat
Taylor Trensch, Floyd Collins
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
🏆 🤞Natalie Venetia Belcon, Buena Vista Social Club
Julia Knitel, Dead Outlaw
Gracie Lawrence, Just in Time
✅ Justina Machado, Real Women Have Curves
Joy Woods, Gypsy
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
Glenn Davis, Purpose
Gabriel Ebert, John Proctor is the Villain
🏆 ✅ Francis Jue, Yellow Face
Bob Odenkirk, Glengarry Glen Ross
🤞Conrad Ricamora, Oh, Mary!
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Tala Ashe, English
🤞Jessica Hecht, Eureka Day
Marjan Neshat, English
Fina Strazza, John Proctor is the Villain
🏆 ✅ Kara Young, Purpose
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Marsha Ginsberg, English
🤞Rob Howell, The Hills of California
Marg Horwell and David Bergman, The Picture of Dorian Gray
🏆 ✅ Miriam Buether and 59, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Scott Pask, Good Night, and Good Luck
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Rachel Hauck, Swept Away
🏆 🤞✅ Dane Laffrey and George Reeve, Maybe Happy Ending
Arnulfo Maldonado, Buena Vista Social Club
Derek McLane, Death Becomes Her
Derek McLane, Just in Time
Best Costume Design of a Play
Brenda Abbandandolo, Good Night, and Good Luck
🤞Marg Horwell, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Rob Howell, The Hills of California
Holly Pierson, Oh, Mary!
🏆 ✅ Brigitte Reiffenstuel, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Dede Ayite, Buena Vista Social Club
✅ Gregg Barnes, BOOP! The Musical
🤞Clint Ramos, Maybe Happy Ending
🏆 Paul Tazewell, Death Becomes Her
Catherine Zuber, Just in Time
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Natasha Chivers, The Hills of California
🏆 ✅ Jon Clark, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Heather Gilbert and David Bengali, Good Night, and Good Luck
Natasha Katz and Hannah Wasileski, John Proctor is the Villain
🤞Nick Schlieper, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
🏆 Jack Knowles, Sunset Blvd
Tyler Micoleau, Buena Vista Social Club
Scott Zielinski and Ruey Horng Sun, Floyd Collins
🤞Ben Stanton, Maybe Happy Ending
✅Justin Townsend, Death Becomes Her
Best Sound Design of a Play
🏆 ✅ Paul Arditti, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Palmer Hefferan, John Proctor is the Villain
Daniel Kluger, Good Night, and Good Luck
Nick Powell, The Hills of California
🤞Clemence Williams, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Jonathan Deans, Buena Vista Social Club
🏆 ✅ Adam Fisher, Sunset Blvd
Peter Hylenski, Just in Time
🤞Peter Hylenski, Maybe Happy Ending
Dan Moses Schreier, Floyd Collins
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 Direction of a Musical
Saheem Ali, Buena Vista Social Club
🏆 🤞Michael Arden, Maybe Happy Ending
David Cromer, Dead Outlaw
Christopher Gattelli, Death Becomes Her
✅ Jamie Lloyd, Sunset Blvd
Best Choreography
Joshua Bergasse, SMASH
Camille A. Brown, Gypsy
Christopher Gattelli, Death Becomes Her
Jerry Mitchell, BOOP! The Musical
🏆 🤞✅Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck, Buena Vista Social Club
Best Orchestrations
🤞✅ Andrew Resnick and Michael Thurber, Just in Time
Will Aronson, Maybe Happy Ending
Bruce Coughlin, Floyd Collins
🏆 Marco Paguia, Buena Vista Social Club
David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sunset Blvd
Best Book of a Musical
Buena Vista Social Club
Marco Ramirez
Dead Outlaw
Itamar Moses
Death Becomes Her
Marco Pennette
🏆 ✅ Maybe Happy Ending
Will Aronson and Hue Park
🤞Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical
David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
🤞Dead Outlaw
Music & Lyrics: David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna
Death Becomes Her
Music & Lyrics: Julia Mattison and Noel Carey
🏆 ✅ Maybe Happy Ending
Music: Will Aronson
Lyrics: Will Aronson and Hue Park
Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical
Music & Lyrics: David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts
Real Women Have Curves: The Musical
Music & Lyrics: Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez
Special Awards
The musicians who make up the band of Buena Vista Social Club – Marco Paguia (Music Director, Conductor/Piano); David Oquendo (Associate Music Director, Guitar); Renesito Avich (Tres); Gustavo Schartz (Bass); Javier Días, Román Diaz, Mauricio Herrera (Percussion); Jesus Ricardo (Trumpet); Eddie Venegas (Trombone); Hery Paz (Woodwinds); Leonardo Reyna (Piano);
The Illusions & Technical Effects of Stranger Things: The First Shadow (Jamie Harrison, Chris Fisher, Gary Beestone & Edward Pierce).
Lifetime Achievement
Harvey Fierstein
Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award
Celia Keenan-Bolger
Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre
Great Performances
Michael Price
New 42
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
