Live theater commanded the world’s spotlight as Broadway stars gathered to celebrate the 78th Annual Tony Awards. From theater veterans Audra McDonald and Kristin Chenoweth walking the red carpet to first-time winners Nicole Scherzinger and Sarah Snook at the podium, Broadway’s biggest night brought home even bigger wins for this year’s nominated stars of the stage.
Held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, the 78th Tony Awards was hosted by Wicked star and Tony Award-winner Cynthia Erivo, who gave several performances of her own in addition to her hosting duties.
The biggest win of the night for Best Play went to Purpose – a gripping exploration of the dynamics of the Jasper Family, a prominent Black family whose roots run deep in the civil rights movement and politics. And Maybe Happy Ending won the Tony for Best Musical, a play which follows the rich journey and connection of two retired HelperBots as they navigate relationships, love and mortality in a technology-driven near-futuristic Seoul, South Korea.
Many of the primary wins of the night went to a slew of first-time winners. Nicole Sherzinger took home the Tony for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for her portrayal of struggling silent-film star Norma Desmond in Jamie Lloyd’s Sunset Blvd. Sarah Snook snagged the award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play for her work in The Picture of Dorian Gray, undeniably well deserved as Snook takes on all of the production’s 26 roles.
Cole Escola made history as the first non-binary actor to win a Tony in a play category, taking home the award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play for their role as the exaggerated and inebriated Mary Todd Lincoln in Oh, Mary!
And longtime theater master Darren Criss achieved his first Tony win for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for his role as the life-like HelperBot Oliver in Maybe Happy Ending.
The 78th Tony Awards featured many impressive performances from this year’s Broadway runs, including Audra McDonald in Gypsy, the cast of Real Women Have Curves, and Darren Criss and Helen J Shen in Maybe Happy Ending. But the evening’s standout performance was made of familiar faces and comfortably worn lyrics from the iconic musical Hamilton.
Hamilton celebrated its ten year anniversary at the Tony Awards, featuring a performance from the show’s original cast including none other than Alexander Hamilton himself Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ariana DeBose, Leslie Odom Jr., Jonathan Groff and many more reunited cast members.
After hours of stirring acceptance speeches and emotional applause, Erivo concluded the ceremony with a powerful rendition of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” from the musical Dreamgirls, earning a standing ovation as the 78th Tony Awards came to a close.
2025 Tony Award Winners
Best Play – “Purpose”
Best Musical – “Maybe Happy Ending”
Best Book of a Musical – “Maybe Happy Ending”
Best Original Score (music and/or lyrics) Written for the Theatre – “Maybe Happy Ending”
Best Revival of a Play – “Eureka Day”
Best Revival of a Musical – “Sunset Blvd.”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play – Cole Escola for “Oh, Mary!”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play – Sarah Snook for “The Picture of Dorian Gray”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical – Darren Criss for “Maybe Happy Ending”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical – Nicole Scherzinger for “Sunset Blvd.”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play – Francis Jue for “Yellow Face”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play – Kara Young for “Purpose”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical – Jak Malone for “Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical – Natalie Venetia Belcon for “Buena Vista Social Club”
Best Scenic Design of a Play – Miriam Buether and 59 for “Stranger Things: The First Shadow”
Best Scenic Design of a Musical – Dane Laffrey and George Reeve for “Maybe Happy Ending”
Best Costume Design of a Play – Marg Horwell for “The Picture of Dorian Gray”
Best Costume Design of a Musical – Paul Tazewell for “Death Becomes Her”
Best Lighting Design of a Play – Jon Clark for “Stranger Things: The First Shadow”
Best Lighting Design of a Musical – Jack Knowles for “Sunset Blvd.”
Best Sound Design of a Play – Paul Arditti for “Stranger Things: The First Shadow”
Best Sound Design of a Musical – Jonathan Deans for “Buena Vista Social Club”
Best Direction of a Play – Sam Pinkleton for “Oh, Mary!”
Best Direction of a Musical – Michael Arden for “Maybe Happy Ending”
Best Choreography – Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck for “Buena Vista Social Club”
Best Orchestrations – Marco Paguia for “Buena Vista Social Club”
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