The 78th Tony Awards hit all the right notes. Here's what to know:
- "Maybe Happy Ending," which follows two helper-bots who discover each other in Seoul, dominated the night, winning six awards, including best musical. Darren Criss, who co-starred, also scored his first Tony for best leading actor in a musical.
- Meanwhile, in the play categories, “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” took home three awards during the preshow. “Oh Mary!” a comedy about Mary Todd Lincoln, took home two awards, including one for its creator and star Cole Escola.
- The acting categories were stacked with a slew of Hollywood stars, including Sarah Snook, who took home her first Tony for best performance by a leading actress in a play for “The Picture of Dorian Gray.” Former Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger also won her first Tony for her role as faded Hollywood actress Norma Desmond in Jamie Lloyd’s revival of “Sunset Boulevard.”
- The original cast of Lin Manuel-Miranda's beloved musical "Hamilton," one of Broadway’s top-grossing shows, reunited for a highly anticipated nostalgic medley performance in honor of the show's 10th anniversary (aka "Hamilten").
- “Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo, a Grammy, Emmy and Tony award-winning actor and singer, hosted the 78th annual Tony Awards, which this year returned to New York City’s Radio City Music Hall.
Tony Awards highlights in 3 minutes
Hosted by Cynthia Erivo, the awards show was a night of first-time winners and big performances. Watch below.
Cynthia Erivo sings out the 2025 Tony Awards
With a rendition of "And I am Telling You (I'm Not Going)" from the Tony-winning musical "Dreamgirls," summing up the big events of the night, Erivo sang the audience out following the final award.
Her last note, evoking Effie White at her breaking point in the 1981 show, was met with a standing ovation as the telecast ended.
Nicole Scherzinger accepts the award for best actress in a musical
Winning the Tony for her Broadway debut, Scherzinger thanked God, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and her fiancé, Tom, after her win for performing in "Sunset Boulevard." She also thanked her co-star, Tom Francis, for "letting me cut your head off every night."
She closed by saying she felt like she didn't belong for a long time. She said she now feels accepted.
"If there’s anyone who feels like they don’t belong or your time hasn’t come, don’t give up," Scherzinger said. "Just keep on giving and giving, because the world needs your love and your light more than ever. This is a testament that love always wins.”
Darren Criss dedicates award to late father and brother
In an emotional speech after his win for best lead actor in a musical, Darren Criss thanked an range of people — particularly his wife, Mia, to whom he expressed gratitude for taking on the brunt of childrearing as he chased his dreams.
“Your love and your support for me and our beautiful children, combined with the miracle of working on something as magical as ‘Maybe Happy Ending,’ has been and will always be award enough,” Criss said.
He closed his speech by dedicating his Tony Award to the memory of his father, Bill, and his brother, Chuck.
Best musical
“Maybe Happy Ending” wins the best musical Tony.
Best performance by a leading actress in a musical
Nicole Scherzinger wins the best performance by a leading actress in a musical Tony for “Sunset Boulevard.”
Best performance by a leading actor in a musical
Darren Criss wins the best performance by a leading actor in a musical Tony for “Maybe Happy Ending.”
Oprah gets a (toy) car from Cynthia Erivo
Oprah Winfrey is getting the Oprah Winfrey treatment from host Cynthia Erivo, who told the mogul she has a surprise gift under her seat.
Winfrey, seated next to BFF Gayle King, checked and sure enough: Candy and a red toy car were waiting for her.
“You get a car,” Erivo said, referring to Winfrey's longtime act of giving her talk show audiences gifts during tapings. “I’ve been waiting all night to do that.”
Audra McDonald performs song from 'Gypsy' revival
McDonald performed the number "Rose's Turn," the show-stopping number near the end of the musical, for which she is nominated tonight for best leading actress in a musical. "Gypsy" had a total of five nominations this evening.
Best revival of a musical
“Sunset Boulevard” wins the revival of a musical Tony.
