The stage is set for Broadway’s biggest celebration, and the 78th Annual Tony Awards nominations are officially in. From undead divas to love-struck robots, this year’s crop of nominees is as eclectic and electric as it gets.
Leading the pack with 10 nominations each are Death Becomes Her, a gloriously campy comedy about two rivals obsessed with staying forever young; Maybe Happy Ending, a surprisingly moving love story between two androids; and Buena Vista Social Club, a musical celebration of Cuban music legends. All three shows will go head-to-head in the Best Musical category, joined by the hauntingly inventive Dead Outlaw and the wildly bizarre wartime comedy Operation Mincemeat.
Over in the Musical Revival category, it’s a battle of the classics. Nods went to Floyd Collins, Gypsy, Pirates! The Penzance Musical, and Sunset Blvd., with each production offering its own unique take on beloved material.
When it comes to plays, the most recognition went to John Proctor Is the Villain and The Hills of California, each earning seven nominations. John Proctor gives a feminist twist to The Crucible, while Jez Butterworth’s Hills offers an emotionally rich portrait of a musical family dealing with loss. Both are up for Best Play alongside Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ deeply personal Purpose, Cole Escola’s delightfully chaotic Oh, Mary!, and Sanaz Toossi’s poignant dramedy English.
History was also made this year as Audra McDonald landed her 11th Tony nomination—more than any performer ever—for her take-no-prisoners turn as Mama Rose in Gypsy. She’s joined in the fiercely competitive Best Actress in a Musical race by Nicole Scherzinger, who’s earning raves as Norma Desmond in Sunset Blvd.; Death Becomes Her co-stars Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard; and Jasmine Amy Rogers, the breakout star of Boop! The Musical.
Plenty of Hollywood heavyweights made their mark on stage this season. George Clooney picked up his first Tony nomination for his Broadway debut in Good Night, and Good Luck, while Succession star Sarah Snook was recognized for her mind-boggling performance in The Picture of Dorian Gray—where she juggles an incredible 26 roles. Other screen actors turned stage stars include Stranger Things’ Sadie Sink, nominated for John Proctor Is the Villain, and Bob Odenkirk for Glengarry Glen Ross.
Odenkirk’s co-star Kieran Culkin, despite his recent Emmy and Oscar wins, missed out on a nod for his role as Richard Roma in Glengarry. Other notable snubs? Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal for Othello, Idina Menzel for Redwood, Robert Downey Jr. for McNeal, and Jim Parsons for Our Town.
The nominations were announced by past Tony winners Sarah Paulson and Wendell Pierce. In total, 42 shows—21 musicals and 21 plays—were eligible this season, which ran from April 26, 2024, through April 27, 2025. That’s more than in either of the two previous years, pointing to a bustling Broadway scene.
The 2025 Tony Awards will take place on June 8 at Radio City Music Hall. Cynthia Erivo—Tony winner, Wicked star, and all-around powerhouse—will host the ceremony, which airs live on CBS and streams 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.
