Tony Awards Celebrate ‘Maybe Happy Ending,’ ‘Purpose’ Triumphs/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ The Tony Awards honored Maybe Happy Ending as best musical and Purpose as best play, with Kara Young making history with back-to-back wins. Darren Criss, Nicole Scherzinger, and Sarah Snook also took home top honors. Host Cynthia Erivo brought warmth and humor to Broadway’s biggest night.
Tony Awards 2025: Quick Looks
- Best Musical: Maybe Happy Ending, a romantic tale of androids and humanity.
- Best Play: Purpose, a powerful family drama that earned playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins his second consecutive Tony.
- Historic Wins: Kara Young becomes the first Black actor to win two Tonys in a row.
- Nicole Scherzinger’s Surprise Victory: Wins best actress in a musical for Sunset Blvd.
- Darren Criss Gets First Tony: For performance and co-producing Maybe Happy Ending.
- Sarah Snook Triumphs: Wins best actress in a play for portraying 26 characters in The Picture of Dorian Gray.
- Cole Escola Wins Best Actor in a Play: For portraying a chaotic Mary Todd Lincoln in Oh Mary!
- Lifetime Honor: Harvey Fierstein receives the lifetime achievement award with a heartfelt speech.
- Cynthia Erivo’s Hosting Debut: Opened with a rousing original number and Oprah cameo.
- ‘Hamilton’ Reunion: Cast returns for 10th anniversary tribute performance.
Deep Look: Tony Awards Crown ‘Maybe Happy Ending,’ Spotlight Trailblazing Performances and Bold New Voices
NEW YORK — The 2025 Tony Awards offered an evening of emotional breakthroughs, powerful performances, and historical firsts — led by the android romantic comedy Maybe Happy Ending, which won Best New Musical, and Purpose, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ searing family drama that earned Best Play and etched his name into Broadway history.
Starring Darren Criss and Helen J. Shen, Maybe Happy Ending delivered a poignant, sci-fi-inflected story of love and identity between two decommissioned androids. The show captured six Tonys, including Best Score, Best Book, Best Scenic Design, and Best Direction for Michael Arden, who shouted “Happy Pride!” from the stage.
Jacobs-Jenkins, also a Pulitzer winner this year for Purpose, became the first Black playwright since August Wilson to win Best Play. His win followed 2024’s Tony for Appropriate and places him among theater’s most acclaimed contemporary voices.
Kara Young Makes Tony History
Kara Young, star of Purpose, became the first Black performer to win back-to-back Tonys, marking a milestone in Broadway history. She dedicated her speech to the transformative power of live theater:
“Theater is a sacred space… it makes us united.”
Stunning Performances and Big Career Pivots
Former Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger stunned audiences and critics by winning Best Lead Actress in a Musical for Sunset Blvd. Her minimalist, gritty take on a faded star yearning for past fame added new depth to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic. The win marked Webber’s first competitive Tony since 1995.
“I always felt like I didn’t belong,” Scherzinger shared tearfully. “But you’ve made me feel like I’ve come home.”
Criss, known for Glee and Versace: American Crime Story, also celebrated a career-defining moment. Winning his first Tony, Criss called out Shen’s overlooked contributions:
“This is ours. We built this story together.”
The Plays That Dared
Sarah Snook, fresh off Succession, won Best Actress in a Play for her transformational one-woman feat in The Picture of Dorian Gray, playing 26 characters seamlessly. Meanwhile, Cole Escola took Best Actor in a Play for their chaotic, comedic twist on Mary Todd Lincoln in Oh Mary!, a play also awarded Best Director to Sam Pinkleton.
The revival of Yellow Face saw Francis Jue win Best Featured Actor in a Play, donning a tux gifted by another Asian actor as a symbol of intergenerational solidarity.
“I’m only here because of the Asian artists who came before me,” he said.
Musically, Operation Mincemeat’s Jak Malone scored a win as Best Featured Actor in a Musical, delivering a powerful moment for the trans and nonbinary community.
“Every night, I play a woman. Every night, I am my whole self.”
Cynthia Erivo Lights Up Radio City
Making her hosting debut, Cynthia Erivo opened with a musical number — “Sometimes All You Need Is a Song” — penned by Broadway’s top writing talent, including Marc Shaiman and Benj Pasek. Dressed in a shimmering red gown, Erivo exuded joy and humor, including a cheeky joke about Abraham Lincoln’s seat preference and a playful Oprah cameo.
She noted Broadway’s record-breaking $1.9 billion season, saying:
“Broadway is officially back — if we don’t run out of Succession cast members.”
Erivo and Sara Bareilles honored lost icons with a stirring rendition of “The Sun Will Come Out” during the in memoriam, paying tribute to Charles Strouse, Quincy Jones, Linda Lavin, and others.
Honoring Legends and New Voices
The original Hamilton cast reunited for a 10th-anniversary performance, closing the night with fan favorites like “My Shot” and “The Room Where It Happens.”
A deeply emotional Harvey Fierstein accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award, saying:
“Without an audience, I might as well be lip-syncing show tunes in my bedroom mirror.”
Other major wins included:
- Best Revival of a Musical: Sunset Blvd.
- Best Revival of a Play: Eureka Day
- Best Choreography: Buena Vista Social Club by Justin Peck and Patricia Delgado
- Best Costume Design: Death Becomes Her (Musical), Dorian Gray (Play)
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