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      Tonys 2025 Takeaways: ‘Maybe Happy Ending’ Wins 6 Awards

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      Broadway rewarded adventurous newcomers including Sarah Snook (“The Picture of Dorian Gray”), Nicole Scherzinger (“Sunset Boulevard”) and Cole Escola (“Oh, Mary!”).“Maybe Happy Ending,” a stirring Broadway musical about two discarded robots who go on a road trip and forge a relationship, won the coveted Tony for best new musical on Sunday night, capping a remarkable journey for a show that faced long odds but won over both critics and fans.The triumph of a show with a puzzling title and tough-to-explain themes was a vote of confidence in originality by an industry often dominated by big-brand intellectual property and big-name Hollywood stars.The musical’s prize capped a night in which Broadway rewarded adventurous newcomers: Sarah Snook, the “Succession” star who played 26 roles in a technologically complicated adaptation of “The Picture of Dorian Gray”; Nicole Scherzinger, the former Pussycat Doll who, barefoot and bloodied, delivered a scorching performance in a revival of “Sunset Boulevard”; and Cole Escola, an alt-cabaret performer who imagined Mary Todd Lincoln as an alcoholic who longs to be a chanteuse and turned that zany idea into the hit play “Oh, Mary!”The awards were spread out among a diverse array of shows. “Maybe Happy Ending,” set in a futuristic Korea, won a night-leading six awards, and “Buena Vista Social Club,” a musical set in Cuba, finished with four competitive prizes.Natalie Venetia Belcon performed a song from “Buena Vista Social Club” before winning a Tony for best featured actress in a musical.Sara Krulwich/The New York TimesThe awards show took place as Broadway seems finally to be rebounding after a damaging pandemic shutdown. The season that just ended was the highest grossing on record when the figures are not adjusted for inflation. But attendance remains slightly below prepandemic levels and very few musicals are achieving profitability. The season’s success was attributable in large part to three starry plays whose runs are now ending: “Good Night, and Good Luck,” “Othello” and “Glengarry Glen Ross.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Cole Escola Wins the Tony for Best Actor in a Play

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      In “Oh, Mary!,” Escola plays a drunken, melodramatic Mary Todd Lincoln who yearns to return to cabaret.Cole Escola won the Tony for best actor in a play for their performance in the outlandish, ahistoric comedy “Oh, Mary!” This is Escola’s Broadway debut, and first Tony.Escola, who is nonbinary, plays a self-indulgent, scheming Mary Todd Lincoln, who aspires to become a chanteuse. As a result, her boredom — which includes pining to perform her “madcap medleys” of yesteryear — drives her to all kinds of antics. (With Cole prancing around in a hoop skirt, hilarity ensues.)The New York Times chief theater critic, Jesse Green, called “Oh, Mary!,” which Escola also wrote, “one of the best crafted and most exactingly directed Broadway comedies in years.”Directed by Sam Pinkleton, the show opened at the Lyceum Theater last summer after a sold-out and twice-extended Off Broadway run. The play has also been extended multiple times since it transferred to Broadway. (It was the first show in the Lyceum’s 121-year history to gross more than $1 million in a single week.)Escola, known for their roles in Hulu’s “Difficult People,” TBS’s “Search Party” and sketches on YouTube, came up through New York’s cabaret and alt comedy scenes. The premise for “Oh, Mary!” began with an idea, which Escola sat on for more than 12 years: “What if Abraham Lincoln’s assassination wasn’t such a bad thing for Mary Todd?”The Tony Awards, like the Oscars, use gendered categories for performers, and Escola agreed to be considered eligible for an award as an actor. Escola isn’t the first nonbinary actor to win a Tony Award.In 2023, J. Harrison Ghee became the first out nonbinary performer to win a Tony for best leading actor in a musical, for “Some Like It Hot,” and Alex Newell became the first out nonbinary performer to win for best featured actor in a musical for “Shucked.” More

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      Nicole Scherzinger Wins the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical

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      In “Sunset Boulevard,” Scherzinger plays Norma Desmond, a former screen star who descends into madness.Nicole Scherzinger won the Tony Award for best actress in a musical for her performance in a revival of “Sunset Boulevard,” a high-tech, minimal-scenery staging from Jamie Lloyd about a washed-up silent film star, Norma Desmond, who haunts a grand, ghostly Los Angeles mansion. This is Scherzinger’s first nomination and win.This latest run of “Sunset Boulevard” — based on the 1950 film by Billy Wilder — is dramatically scaled back compared to previous revivals of the Andrew Lloyd Webber show. Instead, the show relies on technology to modernize it for a new audience. It is the type of show that demands vocal and choreographic athleticism, something that Scherzinger — the former lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls — takes on with confidence.It first opened in London in 2023, winning Scherzinger praise and an Olivier. It then moved to Broadway last fall, and Jesse Green, the chief theater critic for The New York Times, wrote that Scherzinger delivered an “exciting yet exceptionally weird and counterintuitive performance.”Speaking to The Times in 2023, Scherzinger described her turn as Norma as “grueling.”“But for many years I have been saying I am using a fraction of my potential, and now I feel I have really tapped into that,” she said.Before joining the show and after the Pussycat Dolls disbanded in 2010, Scherzinger pursued a solo career with modest success — dropping two solo albums and working as a judge on “The X Factor” and “The Masked Singer.”She later performed “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” (from Lloyd Webber’s “Evita”) as part of a TV special celebrating Lloyd Webber, who, along with the director Trevor Nunn, asked her to join the cast of the 2014 revival of “Cats” in the West End. More

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      Lin-Manuel Miranda and Original ‘Hamilton’ Cast Reunited for a Tonys Medley

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      Marking the 10th anniversary of the show’s opening, the creator and cast reunited to perform “My Shot,” “The Schuyler Sisters” and other notable songs.The cast of “Hamilton” on Sunday returned to the room where it happened, at least metaphorically.To mark the 10th anniversary of the show’s opening, 28 members of the original cast — the show’s creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, along with the other stars, ensemble members, swings and standbys — gathered onstage at Radio City Music Hall and performed a medley of some of the musical’s biggest songs: “Non-Stop,” “My Shot,” “The Schuyler Sisters,” “Guns and Ships,” “You’ll Be Back,” “Yorktown,” “The Room Where It Happens” and “History Has Its Eyes on You.”They dressed not in the show’s period costumes, but in an array of high-fashion evening wear — all black with a few character-driven accents (Lafayette got a Frenchman’s beret; Burr a dueler’s cape; and King George the one splash of color: royal red).They didn’t say a word, but Cynthia Erivo, this year’s Tony Awards host and in 2016 the only musical performer to win a Tony for any show other than “Hamilton,” hailed the production.“Hamilton reinvigorated the American theater and changed not just Broadway, but how Americans views their own history,” Erivo said, before adding wryly, “or so I’m told.”“Hamilton” opened on Broadway on Aug. 6, 2015. The following spring, it was nominated for a record 16 Tony Awards, and then, in a Tonys ceremony at the Beacon Theater, it won 11 prizes, including best musical. (The event was memorable for many reasons — among them, it took place hours after the deadly Pulse nightclub shooting in Florida, which led the “Hamilton” cast to drop the use of muskets in its production number, and prompted Miranda to give his “love is love” acceptance speech.)The show quickly became the biggest phenomenon Broadway had seen in quite some time, and in the decade since, it has only gotten bigger, spinning off touring companies, streaming a live-capture film on Disney+, grossing about $3 billion in North America, and still going strong.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Tony Award Winners 2025: Updating List

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      The Tony Awards are underway at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.Follow the latest live updates and photos from the Tony Awards.The 78th Tony Awards are here, and it’s a close race in several categories.“Buena Vista Social Club,” “Death Becomes Her” and “Maybe Happy Ending,” all musicals, lead with 10 nominations each. “Dead Outlaw,” “John Proctor Is the Villain,” “Sunset Boulevard” and “The Hills of California” are close behind, with seven apiece.The ceremony, hosted by Cynthia Erivo, began at 8 p.m. E.T. at Radio City Music Hall and is being broadcast on CBS and available to stream on Paramount+. Several awards were announced at a preshow ceremony, hosted by Renée Elise Goldsberry and Darren Criss, who is nominated this year for best actor in a musical.Expect a night of energetic performances, including from “Gypsy,” “Operation Mincemeat,” “Sunset Boulevard” and “Buena Vista Social Club” — as well as a live number from “Hamilton.”An updating list of winners is below.Sarah Snook won a best leading actress Tony for her role in “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” in which she plays all 26 roles.Sara Krulwich/The New York TimesWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Candid Photos from the Tony Awards Red Carpet

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      George Clooney, Nicole Scherzinger, Audra McDonald, Sarah Snook, Daniel Dae Kim and Cole Escola are some of the big names up for top acting prizes at Sunday night’s Tony Awards. Before the ceremony, as Broadway stars arrived at New York’s Radio City Music Hall, the photographer Sinna Nasseri captured their candid moments.Got a singing welcome from some of our media counterparts.What it feels like to be stared down by Cole Escola.The photo op spots are plentiful on the red carpet. On the left, Nicole Scherzinger poses. On the right, it’s Jonathan Groff with Gracie Lawrence. One night after his play, “Good Night, and Good Luck” was broadcast on CNN, George Clooney arrives at the Tonys.Brooke Shields lets her hair down. The star of “John Proctor Is the Villain,” Sadie Sink. Cynthia Erivo, the host of the telecast, in the first of her many outfits of the night.Anna Wintour and her daughter, Bee Carrozzini, chat in the background as Julianne Hough looks on in a white dress.LaTanya Richardson Jackson, a nominee for “Purpose,” with her husband, Samuel L. Jackson. Sarah Paulson arrives, regally.The actor Keanu Reeves will be back in New York this September, starring with his “Bill and Ted” co-star Alex Winter in “Waiting for Godot.”Danielle Brooks was a nominee in 2016 for her performance in “The Color Purple.”Sinna Nasseri for The New York TimesAndrew Durand (right) of “Dead Outlaw” points and gets pointed at.The actress Fina Strazza gets some help with her dress.The rain rolled at the same time as “Sunset Boulevard” nominee Tom Francis.Mia Farrow, a nominee for her performance in “The Roommate,” brought her son, Ronan Farrow. Megan Hilty is nominated alongside her “Death Becomes Her” co-star Jennifer Simard.Jamie Lloyd, the director of “Sunset Boulevard,” stands out with his sunglasses and tattoos. Two acting nominees, Daniel Dae Kim and Danny Burstein, share a moment. The producer Jordan Roth, in a flowing gown.Justin Peck was last year’s winner for best choreography.Waiting in line is a part of every red carpet arrival.Renée Elise Goldsberry, part of the original cast of “Hamilton,” takes questions.A red sticker on a purse that has the word “talent” on it will make sure you get where you need to go. Being with Leslie Odom Jr., will also help with that.The designer Christian Siriano.There’s always time for a quick conversation during red carpet arrivals.First-time nominee Bob Odenkirk. More

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      in Television

      How to watch the Tony Awards.

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      The televised portion of this year’s Tony Awards starts at 8 p.m. Eastern (5 p.m. Pacific) on CBS. Cynthia Erivo will host the ceremony at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan.Sara Krulwich/The New York TimesThe Tony Awards, the annual event honoring the best work on Broadway, take place tonight (Sunday, June 8). This is the 78th Tony Awards ceremony.Here’s how to watch:What time does the show start?The televised portion of the ceremony starts at 8 p.m. Eastern (5 p.m. Pacific) at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan. The broadcast is scheduled to last three hours.Where can I watch?The main event, with prizes for plays, musicals and performers, will be televised on CBS. For those without network television, it’s a bit more complicated: In the United States, it will stream on Paramount+, but only Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers can stream it live, via their local CBS affiliate; otherwise it can be streamed on demand starting the next day.Who is hosting?The broadcast ceremony will be hosted by Cynthia Erivo, a powerhouse singer best known for starring as Elphaba in the “Wicked” films. She is a Tony winner herself, for a 2015 revival of “The Color Purple.” The broadcast will feature performances by 11 of this past season’s Broadway musicals, as well as by the original cast of “Hamilton” in honor of that show’s 10th anniversary. The presenters will include Oprah Winfrey, Charli D’Amelio, Bryan Cranston, Samuel L. Jackson, Adam Lambert and Keanu Reeves.Is there a non-broadcast portion of the ceremony?Yes. There is a preshow ceremony, starting at 6:40 p.m. Eastern, at which many of the awards for creative teams will be handed out. That event will be hosted by Darren Criss and Renée Elise Goldsberry, and can be streamed free on Pluto TV (click on the “Live Music” channel in the “Entertainment” category).What’s eligible?The 21 plays and 21 musicals that opened on Broadway between April 26, 2024, and April 27, 2025, are eligible for awards this year. Prizes will be granted in 26 competitive categories. The most-nominated shows are the musicals “Buena Vista Social Club,” “Death Becomes Her” and “Maybe Happy Ending,” with 10 nominations each. More

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      Here’s what to expect at tonight’s ceremony.

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      The Tony Awards are Broadway’s biggest night, when the latest plays and musicals are introduced to a television audience of several million, any of whom might turn into a theater lover, a ticket buyer, or even an artist (so many Broadway performers and producers have stories about watching the Tony Awards as children). Here’s what to expect:The ceremony is being hosted by Cynthia Erivo, who won a Tony Award in 2016 for her breakout performance in a revival of “The Color Purple” and was nominated this year for an Oscar for playing Elphaba in the “Wicked” film adaptation. In the years since winning the Tony, Erivo, a 38-year-old British actress, has focused on movies, television and music — she has just released her second studio album and the second “Wicked” film comes out Nov. 21.After the Tony Awards, she’ll be returning to the stage. In August she’s playing Jesus in a one-weekend run of “Jesus Christ Superstar” at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, and then early next year she’ll star in a one-woman version of “Dracula” in London’s West End.Who will be performing?Much of the excitement is likely to focus on a 10th anniversary performance by the entire original cast of “Hamilton,” which is Broadway’s last huge hit. The number is expected to be a medley of the show’s best-known songs.All five shows nominated for best new musical will perform songs from their shows: “Buena Vista Social Club,” about a group of Cuban musicians; “Dead Outlaw,” about a bandit and his outlandish afterlife; “Death Becomes Her,” about two women whose quest for eternal youth has comical consequences; “Maybe Happy Ending,” about a relationship between two involuntarily retired robots; and “Operation Mincemeat,” about a bizarre British counterintelligence operation.The four shows nominated for best musical revival are also performing, including “Floyd Collins,” about a trapped cave explorer; “Gypsy,” about a stripper’s stage mother; “Pirates!” about a lovelorn buccaneer; and “Sunset Boulevard,” about a faded film star.There will also be performances by two other new musicals: “Just in Time,” about the singer Bobby Darin, and “Real Women Have Curves,” which explores immigrant experiences through the eyes of a young woman.Sara Bareilles will join Erivo to perform during the In Memoriam segment, and the choir Broadway Inspirational Voices will join Erivo for the opening number.Who is presenting?There will be lots of household names introducing shows and presenting awards. Among them: Oprah Winfrey, Samuel L. Jackson, Keanu Reeves, Adam Lambert, Michelle Williams, Bryan Cranston, Ben Stiller, Jean Smart, Lea Michele, Danielle Brooks, Lea Salonga and Sarah Paulson. Lin-Manuel Miranda is expected to present the award for best musical.Who will win?The most-nominated shows are the musicals “Buena Vista Social Club,” “Death Becomes Her” and “Maybe Happy Ending,” each with 10 nods. The prizes are likely to be quite spread out, but “Maybe Happy Ending,” “Sunset Boulevard” and the play “Oh, Mary!” seem certain to get some love from voters.Many celebrities performed on Broadway this season, but several of them were not nominated for Tony Awards, and others are not likely to win. One star favored to go home with a statuette: Sarah Snook, best known for HBO’s “Succession,” is expected to win a Tony Award for playing every character in a stage adaptation of “The Picture of Dorian Gray.” More