Monday, June 9, 2025
Those who attended the 78th Annual Tony Awards were lucky enough to be in the room where it happened—the 10th anniversary of “Hamilton” and its Broadway debut “mixtape” celebration that featured the original cast. The reunion was the highlight of the awards and featured the original cast clad in black, highlighted the musical’s hits. When they were done, they bowed to raucous applause and a standing ovation.
The awards were at Radio City Music Hall this year, and Cynthia Erivo (who many may recognize as Elphaba in the current “Wicked” movies) hosted. Erivo did a wonderful job, singing throughout the show and even using her voice for playoff music instead of the typical orchestra playoff, which made for a more unique and fun way to stop speeches that ran long.
Award win highlights included Sarah Snook (“Succession”), who is now halfway to the elusive EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) with her first Tony win for the one-woman show “The Picture of Dorian Gray.” Cole Escola beat out George Clooney to win best actor in a play for their performance in “Oh, Mary!” Escola, who is non-binary, wrote the play, which portrays Mary Todd Lincoln as a scheming woman who wishes to become a nightclub singer.
It was also fun as a millennial to see the stars we loved in our teens and early 20s growing up. If the actors were the characters they played in “Glee,” they would be beside themselves with joy at the fact that Darren Criss won his first Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for “Maybe Happy Ending.” Also, fellow “Glee” alum Jonathan Groff (already a four-time Tony Award winner), was on stage twice, for the “Hamilton” reunion (he played King George III in the original iteration), and singing a Bobby Darin medley for his role in “Just In Time.”
The Pussycat Dolls’ Nicole Scherzinger won the award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role in Andrew Lloyd Weber’s “Sunset Blvd.”
The usual “In Memoriam” segment was exceptionally sad, as it ended with Gavin Creel, who died in September of last year of a rare cancer at just 48 years old. Singer Sara Bareilles and Cynthia Erivo performed “Tomorrow” from “Annie,” and as Bareilles turned around to see Creel’s face as the song ended, she burst into tears at the sight of her friend (whom she collaborated with for her hit musical “Waitress). Comforted by Erivo, it was a poignant reminder that we lost such a huge talent far too soon. The American Theatre Wing is partnering with a group of Creel’s friends for an endowment to support young theater makers. You can find more information on that here.
Toward the end of the show, Audra McDonald brought the house down, performing “Rose’s Turn,” from “Gypsy.” McDonald was nominated for an eleventh Tony for her role, making her the most nominated performer of all time.
“Maybe Happy Ending,” a musical about robots trying to find a sense of humanity and love in the heart of Seoul, took home the Best Musical Award and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ “Purpose,” about the influential Jasper family, who have been a pillar of Black American politics for years, took home the Best Play honors.
The show clocked in at three hours and nine minutes, which in the grand scheme of awards shows, wasn’t too bad. For a complete list of this year’s winners, click here.