Nominees for the 78th annual Tonys were announced on Thursday, and “Death Becomes Her,” a campy comedy about frenemies on a quest to stay youthful, “Maybe Happy Ending,” a tenderhearted tale about two robots in love, and “Buena Vista Social Club,” a joyous story about celebrated Cuban musicians, were this year’s most nominated shows with 10 nods apiece.
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.”
“John Proctor Is the Villain,” a modern, feminist retelling of “The Crucible” and Jez Butterworth’s “The Hills of California,” a portrait of a musical family grappling with grief, were the most nominated plays, each scoring seven nominations. 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 her 11th nomination for playing the ultimate 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.”
Several major Hollywood stars were included among the year’s nominees. George Clooney earned his first nod for his Broadway 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 of ’em, to be exact) 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.” Other 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 stretch on the Great White Way, outpacing the 37 eligible shows from the 2023-2024 season and 38 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 and 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
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
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.
From Variety US