This past Sunday, June 8th, was a magical night at the Radio City Music Hall; filled with the most talented and hardworking people in one of the world’s hardest industries. That’s right; the Tony Awards were hosted this weekend. For some background information, the Tony Awards were founded by theatre producer and director Brock Pemberton. The name comes from a world-renowned actress, producer, and theatre director, as well as a prominent figure in the American Theatre Wing: Antoinette “Tony” Perry. The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, shortly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence within Broadway theatre; both in plays and musicals. Actors, directors, producers, composers, and many other significant creative workers involved in the Broadway industry have this once-a-year opportunity to get the sought-after Tony Award. A few of the categories would be Best Play, Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Revival of a Play, Best Revival of a Musical, and plenty more. The Tony Awards started in 1947, and have continued to be a major event every year within the Broadway industry. In this article, I will be discussing everything you need to know about the 2025 Tony Awards.
In the Broadway Season of 2025 filled with incredible Tony-nominated shows like “Maybe Happy Ending,” “Sunset Boulevard,” “Death Becomes Her,” and “John Proctor is the Villain,” the Tony Awards was an incredibly fun and exciting night to celebrate the talents of everyone working in the Broadway industry. Hosted by Cynthia Erivo, famous for her role as Elphaba in the Wicked Movie, the Tony Awards kept many on the edge of their seats, waiting to find out who won each award. For the Best New Musical Award, “Maybe Happy Ending” took the win against nominees including “Buena Vista Social Club,” “Dead Outlaw,” “Death Becomes Her,” and “Operation Mincemeat.” This musical stars Helen J. Shen as Claire and Darren Criss as Oliver, who are two helper bots that discover each other in futuristic Seoul. Additionally, “Purpose” won the Best New Play award against nominees like “English,” “The Hills of California,” “John Proctor is the Villain.” and “Oh, Mary!” This play, written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, dives into themes of faith, legacy, and Black American politics. For Best Musical Revival, Sunset Boulevard was the winner against “Floyd Collins,” “Gypsy,” and “Pirates! The Penzance Musical.” The one-and-only Andrew Lloyd Webber’s reimagined “Sunset Boulevard” starring brilliant actors Tom Francis and Nicole Scherzinger tells the story of Norma Desmond, a movie star haunted by dreams of Hollywood. Best Leading Actress in a Musical went to Nicole Scherzinger for her role as Norma Desmond in “Sunset Boulevard,” and Best Leading Actor in a Musical went to Darren Criss for his role as Oliver in “Maybe Happy Ending.” Overall, a total of 26 Tony Awards were given this season to the most hardworking and skilled people working in the Broadway industry.
Not only were Tony Awards being given out, but also many striking and riveting performances took the stage at the Radio City Music Hall. For instance, the prominent Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton performed a medley of different Hamilton songs for the 10th anniversary of Hamilton on Broadway. Entirely written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, their performance brought excitement and thrill throughout the entire Broadway community, as they had not performed together in over 10 years. Famous cast members like Lin-Manuel Miranda himself, Leslie Odom Jr., and Johnathon Groff took the stage that night, telling the story of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. The Hamilton cast performed the following songs: “Non-Stop,” “My Shot,” “The Schuyler Sisters,” “The Room Where It Happens,” “History Has Its Eyes On You,” “You’ll Be Back,” “The Battle of Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down),” and “Guns and Ships.” In essence, this performance was incredibly captivating and enthralling. In addition to Hamilton, many other Broadway shows of the 2025 Season performed some of their hits. Cynthia Erivo also performed a captivating opening and closing performance for the Tony Awards as her duty as a host this year.
In conclusion, the 2025 Tony Awards was a fascinating event filled with the charm of celebrating Broadway performances and performers. This once-a-year night at Radio City Music Hall always brings such excitement to the Broadway community with special performances, and just an overall perfect chance to recognize the hard work and dedication Broadway actors put into each performance. This season’s Broadway shows were phenomenal, filled with incredible performances and talent. The 2025 awards were so exciting to watch, and I cannot wait to see what next year will bring to the stage!
