Tony Awards Nominations 2025: ‘Death Becomes Her,’ ‘Maybe Happy Ending’ and ‘Buena Vista Social Club’ Lead

Tonys 2025: ‘Death Becomes Her,’ ‘Maybe Happy Ending’ and ‘Buena Vista Social Club’ Lead Noms

Oh Mary Death Becomes Her Maybe Happy Ending
Oh Mary/Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman/

Nominees for the 78th annual Tonys were announced on Thursday, May 1.

“Death Becomes Her,” a campy comedy about frenemies obsessed with staying youthful, “Maybe Happy Ending,” a tale about two robots in love, and “Buena Vista Social Club,” a joyous story about celebrated Cuban musicians, were the most nominated shows with 10 nods a piece.

Those three productions will compete against the macabre “Dead Outlaw” and stranger-than-fiction “Operation Mincemeat” for best musical.

Contenders for musical revival are “Floyd Collins,” “Gypsy,” “Pirates! The Penzance Musical” and “Sunset Blvd.”

Those shows will compete against Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ family drama “Purpose,” Cole Escola’s deranged comedy “Oh, Mary!” and Sanaz Toossi’s dramedy “English” for best play.

Audra McDonald made history as the most nominated performer in Tony Awards history, landing 11th nomination for playing the stage mom in “Gypsy.”

She’ll be up against powerhouse performances from Nicole Scherzinger, who plays Norma Desmond in “Sunset Blvd,” as well as “Death Becomes Her” stars Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard, and Jasmine Amy Rogers from “Boop! The Musical.”

Major Hollywood stars were included among the year’s nominees. Oscar winner George Clooney earned his first nod for his debut in “Good Night, and Good Luck,” while Sarah Snook, who won an Emmy for the final season of “Succession,” was recognized for her tour-de-force role (she juggles 26) in “The Picture of Dorian Gray.”
Other notable screen actors who were recognized for stage performances include “Stranger Things” star Sadie Sink” for “John Proctor Is the Villain” and Bob Odenkirk for “Glengarry Glen Ross.”

Odenkirk’s scene partner Kieran Culkin, who just scored consecutive Emmy and Oscar awards, will fall short of the Triple Crown; he was snubbed for his take on Richard Roma in “Glengarry.”

Notable omissions include Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal for “Othello,” Idina Menzel for “Redwood,” Robert Downey Jr. for “McNeal” and Jim Parsons for “Our Town.”

Tony winners Sarah Paulson and Wendell Pierce unveiled the nominees. This season, 21 musicals and 21 plays that premiered on Broadway between April 26, 2024 and April 27, 2025 were eligible.
It was a busy, outpacing the 37 eligible shows from the 2023-2024 season and 28 productions from the 2022-2023 season.

This year’s awards ceremony will take place on June 8 at Radio City Music Hall. “Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo, a Tony winner for “The Color Purple,” will host the show, which will air live on CBS and stream on Paramount+.

See all of this year’s nominees:

Best Musical

Buena Vista Social Club
Dead Outlaw
Death Becomes Her
Maybe Happy Ending
Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical

Best Play

English
The Hills of California
John Proctor is the Villain
Oh, Mary!
Purpose

Best Revival of a Musical

Floyd Collins
Gypsy
Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Sunset Blvd.

Best Revival of a Play

Eureka Day
Romeo + Juliet
Thornton Wilder’s Our Town
Yellow Face

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical

Megan Hilty, Death Becomes Her
Audra McDonald, Gypsy
Jasmine Amy Rogers, Boop! The Musical
Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset Blvd.
Jennifer Simard, Death Becomes Her

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical

Darren Criss, Maybe Happy Ending
Andrew Durand, Dead Outlaw
Tom Francis, Sunset Blvd.
Jonathan Groff, Just in Time
James Monroe Iglehart, A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical
Jeremy Jordan, Floyd Collins

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play

Laura Donnelly, The Hills of California
Mia Farrow, The Roommate
LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Purpose
Sadie Sink, John Proctor is the Villain
Sarah Snook, The Picture of Dorian Gray

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play

George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck
Cole Escola, Oh, Mary!
Jon Michael Hill, Purpose
Daniel Dae Kim, Yellow Face
Harry Lennix, Purpose
Louis McCartney, Stranger Things: The First Shadow

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical

Brooks Ashmanskas, Smash
Jeb Brown, Dead Outlaw
Danny Burstein, Gypsy
Jak Malone, Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical
Taylor Trensch, Floyd Collins

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical

Natalie Venetia Belcon, Buena Vista Social Club

Julia Knitel, Dead Outlaw
Gracie Lawrence, Just in Time
Justina Machado, Real Women Have Curves: The Musical
Joy Woods, Gypsy

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play

Glenn Davis, Purpose
Gabriel Ebert, John Proctor is the Villain
Francis Jue, Yellow Face
Bob Odenkirk, Glengarry Glen Ross
Conrad Ricamora, Oh, Mary!

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

Tala Ashe, English
Jessica Hecht, Eureka Day
Marjan Neshat, English
Fina Strazza, John Proctor is the Villain
Kara Young, Purpose

Best Book of a Musical

Buena Vista Social Club, Marco Ramirez
Dead Outlaw, Itamar Moses
Death Becomes Her, Marco Pennette
Maybe Happy Ending, Will Aronson and Hue Park
Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical, David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Dead Outlaw, Music & Lyrics: David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna
Death Becomes Her, Music & Lyrics: Julia Mattison and Noel Carey
Maybe Happy Ending, Music: Will Aronson; Lyrics: Will Aronson, Hue Park
Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical, Music & Lyrics: David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts
Real Women Have Curves: The Musical, Music & Lyrics: Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez

Best Scenic Design of a Play

Marsha Ginsberg, English
Rob Howell, The Hills of California
Marg Horwell and David Bergman, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Miriam Buether and 59, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Scott Pask, Good Night, and Good Luck

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Rachel Hauck, Swept Away
Dane Laffrey and George Reeve, Maybe Happy Ending
Arnulfo Maldonado, Buena Vista Social Club
Derek McLane, Death Becomes Her
Derek McLane, Just in Time

Best Costume Design of a Play

Brenda Abbandandolo, Good Night, and Good Luck
Marg Horwell, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Rob Howell, The Hills of California
Holly Pierson, Oh, Mary!
Brigitte Reiffenstuel, Stranger Things: The First Shadow

Best Costume Design of a Musical

Dede Ayite, Buena Vista Social Club
Gregg Barnes, Boop! The Musical
Clint Ramos, Maybe Happy Ending
Paul Tazewell, Death Becomes Her
Catherine Zuber, Just in Time

Best Lighting Design of a Play

Natasha Chivers, The Hills of California
Jon Clark, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Heather Gilbert and David Bengali, Good Night, and Good Luck
Natasha Katz and Hannah Wasileski, John Proctor is the Villain
Nick Schlieper, The Picture of Dorian Gray

Jack Knowles, Sunset Blvd.
Tyler Micoleau, Buena Vista Social Club
Scott Zielinski and Ruey Horng Sun, Floyd Collins
Ben Stanton, Maybe Happy Ending
Justin Townsend, Death Becomes Her

Best Sound Design of a Play

Paul Arditti, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Palmer Hefferan, John Proctor is the Villain
Daniel Kluger, Good Night, and Good Luck
Nick Powell, The Hills of California
Clemence Williams, The Picture of Dorian Gray

Best Sound Design of a Musical

Jonathan Deans, Buena Vista Social Club
Adam Fisher, Sunset Blvd.
Peter Hylenski, Just in Time
Peter Hylenski, Maybe Happy Ending
Dan Moses Schreier, Floyd Collins

Best Direction of a Play

Knud Adams, English
Sam Mendes, The Hills of California
Sam Pinkleton, Oh, Mary!
Danya Taymor, John Proctor is the Villain
Kip Williams, The Picture of Dorian Gray

Best Direction of a Musical

Saheem Ali, Buena Vista Social Club
Michael Arden, Maybe Happy Ending
David Cromer, Dead Outlaw
Christopher Gattelli, Death Becomes Her
Jamie Lloyd, Sunset Blvd.

Best Choreography

Joshua Bergasse, Smash
Camille A. Brown, Gypsy
Christopher Gattelli, Death Becomes Her
Jerry Mitchell, Boop! The Musical
Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck, Buena Vista Social Club

Best Orchestrations

Andrew Resnick and Michael Thurber, Just in Time
Will Aronson, Maybe Happy Ending
Bruce Coughlin, Floyd Collins
Marco Paguia, Buena Vista Social Club
David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sunset Blvd.

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