The 78th Annual Tony Awards Red Carpet

Tony Awards 2025 Recap: Winners, Performances and Highlights

The 78th edition of the Tony Awards lit up Radio City Music Hall, with Cynthia Erivo as host

The 78th Annual Tony Awards lit up Radio City Music Hall on June 8, 2025, hosted by Cynthia Erivo, who opened the night with a stirring rendition of “Sometimes All You Need Is a Song”. Her performance set a powerful tone for a show packed with unforgettable moments.

One of the night’s biggest stars was Maybe Happy Ending, a touching romantic comedy about androids, which took home six awards—including Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Score. In the play category, Best Play went to Purpose by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, a bold and thought-provoking drama with a strong political edge.

The award for Best Revival of a Musical went to Sunset Boulevard, with Nicole Scherzinger winning Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her powerful performance—her emotional speech was one of the most memorable moments of the night.

Darren Criss made history by becoming the first Asian-American man to win Best Leading Actor in a Musical, also for Maybe Happy Ending. Meanwhile, Cole Escola broke new ground as the first openly non-binary performer to win Best Leading Actor in a Play, thanks to their standout role in Oh, Mary!.

Finally, Sarah Snook wowed audiences and judges alike, winning Best Leading Actress in a Play for her intense one-woman take on The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Special Honors

Harvey Fierstein received a Lifetime Achievement Award, celebrating his enduring contributions to theater. The musicians of Buena Vista Social Club and the team behind Stranger Things technical effects also received special Tony awards.

The 2025 Tony Awards highlighted a Broadway season defined by diversity, innovation, and powerful storytelling. With performances that moved audiences and historic wins that broadened representation on Broadway, this year’s ceremony felt like a true celebration of where theater is today—and where it’s headed next.

Full List of Winners

Best Play

  • English
    Author: Sanaz Toossi
  • The Hills of California
    Author: Jez Butterworth
  • John Proctor Is the Villain
    Author: Kimberly Belflower
  • Oh, Mary!
    Author: Cole Escola
  • Purpose — WINNER
    Author: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

Musical

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

Revival of a Play

  • Eureka Day — WINNER
    Author: Jonathan Spector
  • Romeo + Juliet
  • Thornton Wilder’s Our Town
  • Yellow Face
    Author: David Henry Hwang

Revival of a Musical

  • Floyd Collins
    Book/Additional Lyrics: Tina Landau
    Music & Lyrics: Adam Guettel
  • Gypsy
  • Pirates! The Penzance Musical
  • Sunset Blvd. — WINNER 

Best Performance

Actor in a Leading Role in a Play

  • George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck
  • Cole Escola, Oh, Mary! — WINNER 
  • Jon Michael Hill, Purpose
  • Daniel Dae Kim, Yellow Face
  • Harry Lennix, Purpose
  • Louis McCartney, Stranger Things: The First Shadow

Actress in a Leading Role 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 — WINNER 

Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical

  • Darren Criss, Maybe Happy Ending — WINNER 
  • Andrew Durand, Dead Outlaw
  • Tom Francis, Sunset Blvd.
  • Jonathan Groff, Just in Time
  • James Monroe Iglehart, A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical
  • Jeremy Jordan, Floyd Collins

Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical

  • Megan Hilty, Death Becomes Her
  • Audra McDonald, Gypsy
  • Jasmine Amy Rogers, BOOP! The Musical
  • Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset Blvd. — WINNER 
  • Jennifer Simard, Death Becomes Her

Actor in a Featured Role in a Play

  • Glenn Davis, Purpose
  • Gabriel Ebert, John Proctor is the Villain
  • Francis Jue, Yellow Face — WINNER 
  • Bob Odenkirk, Glengarry Glen Ross
  • Conrad Ricamora, Oh, Mary!

Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

  • Tala Ashe, English
  • Jessica Hecht, Eureka Day
  • Marjan Neshat, English
  • Fina Strazza, John Proctor Is the Villain
  • Kara Young, Purpose — WINNER 

Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical

  • Brooks Ashmanskas, Smash
  • Jeb Brown, Dead Outlaw
  • Danny Burstein, Gypsy
  • Jak Malone, Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical (— WINNER 
  • Taylor Trensch, Floyd Collins

Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical

  • Natalie Venetia Belcon, Buena Vista Social Club (WINNER)
  • Julia Knitel, Dead Outlaw
  • Gracie Lawrence, Just in Time
  • Justina Machado, Real Women Have Curves: The Musical
  • Joy Woods, Gypsy

Direction of a Play

  • Knud Adams, English
  • Sam Mendes, The Hills of California
  • Sam Pinkleton, Oh, Mary! — WINNER 
  • Danya Taymor, John Proctor is the Villain
  • Kip Williams, The Picture of Dorian Gray

Direction of a Musical

  • Saheem Ali, Buena Vista Social Club
  • Michael Arden, Maybe Happy Ending — WINNER 
  • David Cromer, Dead Outlaw
  • Christopher Gattelli, Death Becomes Her
  • Jamie Lloyd, Sunset Blvd.

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 (WINNER)
Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical, David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts

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 — WINNER
    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

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 — WINNER 
  • Scott Pask, Good Night, and Good Luck

Scenic Design of a Musical

  • Rachel Hauck, Swept Away
  • Dane Laffrey and George Reeve, Maybe Happy Ending — WINNER 
  • Arnulfo Maldonado, Buena Vista Social Club
  • Derek McLane, Death Becomes Her
  • Derek McLane, Just in Time

Costume Design of a Play

  • Brenda Abbandandolo, Good Night, and Good Luck
  • Marg Horwell, The Picture of Dorian Gray — WINNER 
  • Rob Howell, The Hills of California
  • Holly Pierson, Oh, Mary!
  • Brigitte Reiffenstuel, Stranger Things: The First Shadow

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 — WINNER 
  • Catherine Zuber, Just in Time

Lighting Design of a Play

  • Natasha Chivers, The Hills of California
  • Jon Clark, Stranger Things: The First Shadow — WINNER 
  • 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

Lighting Design of a Musical

  • Jack Knowles, Sunset Blvd. — WINNER 
  • Tyler Micoleau, Buena Vista Social Club
  • Scott Zielinski and Ruey Horng Sun, Floyd Collins
  • Ben Stanton, Maybe Happy Ending
  • Justin Townsend, Death Becomes Her

Sound Design of a Play

  • Paul Arditti, Stranger Things: The First Shadow — WINNER 
  • 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

Sound Design of a Musical

  • Jonathan Deans, Buena Vista Social Club — WINNER 
  • Adam Fisher, Sunset Blvd.
  • Peter Hylenski, Just in Time
  • Peter Hylenski, Maybe Happy Ending
  • Dan Moses Schreier, Floyd Collins

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 — WINNER 

Orchestrations

  • Andrew Resnick and Michael Thurber, Just in Time
  • Will Aronson, Maybe Happy Ending
  • Bruce Coughlin, Floyd Collins
  • Marco Paguia, Buena Vista Social Club — WINNER 
  • David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sunset Blvd.