Nicole Scherzinger as Norma Desmond in <em>Sunset Blvd</em>.
(
Marc Brenner
)
Topline:
Sarah Paulson and Wendell Pierce announced the nominations for the 78th Annual Tony Awards on Thursday morning.
Familiar names: Those nominated for awards include film and TV stars George Clooney, Nicole Scherzinger, Sadie Sink, Sarah Snook and Mia Farrow, plus Broadway legends such as Audra McDonald, James Monroe Iglehart, Brooks Ashmanskas and Jeremy Jordan. (That list doesn't include those who were/are on Broadway this season and aren't nominated, like Denzel Washington, Robert Downey Jr., Kieran Culkin and Nick Jonas.)
Three shows are tied for most nominations: Buena Vista Social Club, Death Becomes Her and Maybe Happy Ending with 10 each, including best musical. Operation Mincemeat and Dead Outlaw, were also nominated for best musical,
Read on . . . for a full list of this year's nominees.
Sarah Paulson and Wendell Pierce announced the nominations for the 78th Annual Tony Awards on Thursday morning. The full list is below.
The awards ceremony, hosted by Wicked star Cynthia Erivo, will be June 8 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
No one show is sweeping the nominations of this year's Tonys — and that's a good thing. It was one of the strongest seasons in memory. Sure, there were celebrities — those nominated for awards include film and TV stars George Clooney, Nicole Scherzinger, Sadie Sink, Sarah Snook and Mia Farrow, plus Broadway legends such as Audra McDonald, James Monroe Iglehart, Brooks Ashmanskas and Jeremy Jordan. (That list doesn't include those who were/are on Broadway this season and aren't nominated, like Denzel Washington, Robert Downey Jr., Kieran Culkin and Nick Jonas.)
But it wasn't a great season because (or just because) of so many famous people on stage.
It was great because the shows are spectacular.
That's likely why three shows are tied for most nominations: Buena Vista Social Club, Death Becomes Her and Maybe Happy Ending with 10 each, including best musical. These are excellent productions, but there is so much goodness here. Operation Mincemeat, also nominated for best musical, managed to be simultaneously moving and zany — perhaps the most fun show I saw this year. And the other musical nominated, Dead Outlaw, is wildly original, with earworm tunes.
And that list doesn't include the shows that were nominated for things other than best musical … but were fantastic, nonetheless. There was the warm charm of BOOP!, based on the Betty Boop cartoon character; the glitz of SMASH, based on the TV show; the joy radiating from Real Women Have Curves.
Then there are the plays. Plays are often overshadowed during Tony season — it's the musicals that will tour, after all, and plays tend to have shorter runs. But this year, it was often the plays that dazzled. The Picture of Dorian Gray has six nominations (though not for best play) — and it is a wonder. Sarah Snook becomes 26 characters and the production uses live video and recorded video to have her interact with … herself. Purpose is a funny, incisive look from Tony-winning playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins about how racism warps one American political family. John Proctor is the Villain has a punch of an ending. Oh, Mary! is a raunchy farce.
All this is to say — if you're in New York, go see a show that opened this season on Broadway. Any show, whether it is nominated for a Tony Award or not. This is the rare year when no matter what you choose, you're likely to be moved to cry or dance or laugh. There is spectacle. There is diverse representation. There are majestic performances. There is intensity. This season, Broadway is not just back — it is raising the bar. Here's the list:
<em>Buena Vista Social Club</em>
(
Matthew Murphy
)
2025 Tony Nominations
Best Musical Buena Vista Social Club Dead Outlaw Death Becomes Her Maybe Happy Ending Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical
Best Play English The Hills of California John Proctor is the Villain Oh, Mary! Purpose
Best Revival of a Play Eureka Day Romeo + Juliet Thornton Wilder's Our Town Yellow Face
Best Revival of a Musical Floyd Collins Gypsy Pirates! The Penzance Sunset Blvd.
George Clooney in <em>Good Night & Good Luck.</em>
(
Emilio Madrid
)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role 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 an 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
<em>Dead Outlaw</em>
(
Matthew Murphy
)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role 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: The Louis Armstrong Musical Jeremy Jordan, Floyd Collins
Best Performance by an 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. Jennifer Simard, Death Becomes Her
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role 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 an 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
Alana Arenas (Morgan) and Kara Young (Aziza) in <em>Purpose.</em>
(
Marc J. Franklin
)
Best Performance by an 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 Taylor Trensch, Floyd Collins
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role 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: The Musical Joy Woods, Gypsy
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 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
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 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 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
Special Tony Awards will be presented to:
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).
As previously announced, the 2025 Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre will be presented to Great Performances, Michael Price, New 42, and The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. The Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award will be presented to Celia Keenan-Bolger. Harvey Fierstein will receive the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.
