"2025 Tony Awards: Celebrating Broadway's Best"

 

2025 Tony Awards Overview

Introduction

The 78th Annual Tony Awards, celebrating the best of Broadway for the 2024-2025 season, will take place on June 8, 2025, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The ceremony will be broadcast live on CBS from 8:00-11:00 PM ET and streamed on Paramount+. Hosted by Tony, Emmy, and Grammy Award-winner Cynthia Erivo, known for her role in The Color Purple and recent Wicked press, the event promises to honor an exceptionally vibrant Broadway season.




Key Details

  • Date and Venue: June 8, 2025, at Radio City Music Hall, New York City.
  • Broadcast: Live on CBS and Paramount+ (live for SHOWTIME subscribers, on-demand for Essential subscribers the next day). A pre-show, The Tony Awards: Act One, hosted by Darren Criss and Renée Elise Goldsberry, will stream on Pluto TV from 6:40-8:00 PM ET.
  • Host: Cynthia Erivo, a 2016 Tony winner for The Color Purple.
  • Announcer: Brian Stokes Mitchell.
  • Eligibility: Productions from April 26, 2024, to April 27, 2025, in 41 eligible Broadway theaters.

Nominations

Nominations were announced on May 1, 2025, by Tony winners Sarah Paulson and Wendell Pierce. The season saw 42 eligible productions, including 14 new musicals, 14 new plays, and 14 revivals, marking a robust recovery from the pandemic with record-setting box office grosses.

Top Nominated Shows

  • Musicals:
    • Buena Vista Social Club, Death Becomes Her, and Maybe Happy Ending led with 10 nominations each, all vying for Best Musical alongside Dead Outlaw and Operation Mincemeat.
    • Sunset Boulevard earned 7 nominations, including Best Revival of a Musical, competing with Floyd Collins, Gypsy, and Pirates! The Penzance Musical.
  • Plays:
    • John Proctor Is the Villain and The Hills of California led with 7 nominations each, followed by Purpose, The Picture of Dorian Gray, English, and Good Night, and Good Luck with 5-6 nods.

Notable Nominees

  • Actors:
    • 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).
    • 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), Louis McCartney (Stranger Things: The First Shadow).
    • Leading Actress in a Musical: Audra McDonald (Gypsy), Nicole Scherzinger (Sunset Boulevard), Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard (Death Becomes Her), Jasmine Amy Rogers (BOOP! The Musical).
    • Leading Actor in a Musical: Jonathan Groff (Just in Time), Darren Criss (Maybe Happy Ending).
  • Historic Achievements:
    • Audra McDonald became the most-nominated performer in Tony history with her 11th nomination for Gypsy.
    • Kara Young earned her fourth consecutive acting nomination.

Notable Snubs

High-profile omissions included Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal for Othello, Idina Menzel for Redwood, Robert Downey Jr. for McNeal, and Kieran Culkin for Glengarry Glen Ross.

Performances

The ceremony will feature performances from all five Best Musical nominees (Buena Vista Social Club, Dead Outlaw, Death Becomes Her, Maybe Happy Ending, Operation Mincemeat) and all four Best Revival of a Musical nominees (Floyd Collins, Gypsy, Pirates! The Penzance Musical, Sunset Boulevard). Additional performances include Just in Time and Real Women Have Curves. A special performance by the original Hamilton cast, including Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr., and others, will celebrate the musical’s 10th anniversary.

Special Awards

  • Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre: Great Performances, Michael Price, New 42, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
  • Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award: Celia Keenan-Bolger for her advocacy work.
  • Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement: Harvey Fierstein.
  • Special Tony Awards: The musicians of Buena Vista Social Club and the illusions/technical effects team of Stranger Things: The First Shadow.

Predictions

  • Best Musical: Maybe Happy Ending is favored to win due to strong reviews and awards from the Drama Desk, Drama League, and Outer Critics Circle. Buena Vista Social Club is a strong contender.
  • Best Play: Oh, Mary! is predicted to win, buoyed by its Drama League success and comedic appeal.
  • Best Revival of a Musical: Sunset Boulevard is expected to take the prize for its innovative staging, over Gypsy.
  • Leading Actress in a Musical: A tight race between Audra McDonald (Gypsy) and Nicole Scherzinger (Sunset Boulevard), with McDonald slightly favored for a record seventh Tony.
  • Leading Actor in a Musical: Jonathan Groff (Just in Time) is a frontrunner, with Darren Criss (Maybe Happy Ending) as a potential upset.
  • Leading Actress in a Play: Sarah Snook (The Picture of Dorian Gray) is a strong contender for her innovative performance.
  • Leading Actor in a Play: Cole Escola (Oh, Mary!) is predicted to win for his standout comedic role.

Significance

The 2024-2025 Broadway season was notable for its diversity, star power, and box office recovery, with 42 productions drawing younger audiences and featuring a mix of innovative and traditional works. However, rising ticket prices and production costs remain challenges. The Tony Awards will celebrate this dynamic season, highlighting both established stars like Audra McDonald and newcomers like Nicole Scherzinger, while honoring the theater community’s resilience and creativity.

How to Watch

Tune in to CBS or stream on Paramount+ on June 8, 2025, at 8:00 PM ET. The pre-show, The Tony Awards: Act One, streams free on Pluto TV from 6:40 PM ET. For tickets to Tony-nominated shows, visit Broadway.com.

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