Tony Awards 2025

[+ ApexNomad]

I thought the Tonys were strong this year. Maybe Happy Ending taking Best Musical and Purpose winning Best Play felt right. No major surprises — all the predicted winners were well deserved. Cynthia Erivo did a great job as host. Bring her back next year!

My only wish? Let the winners speak longer. Those moments matter.

https://playbill.com/article/tony-awards-2025-live-updating

 

[BuffaloKyle]

I'm surprised George Clooney didn't win. I thought for sure he'd have the major star appeal going. 

[+ ApexNomad]

8 minutes ago, BuffaloKyle said:

I'm surprised George Clooney didn't win. I thought for sure he'd have the major star appeal going. 

George Clooney played a role. Cole Escola summoned a batshit Victorian demon in a wig and made her belt. Broadway said: Lunch!

[viewing ownly]

I'm not a theatre fan, but am a fan of award shows. This was entertaining and well done. It's nice to see that mix of successful stage actors I'm completely unfamiliar with, along with well established television and movie actors together for an evening. 

Odd moment - Cole Escola thanking a Grindr hook-up. Most awkward moment - when Samuel L. Jackson read the winner of the play he was presenting, he wasn't at all hiding his disappointment. Personal favorite moment - seeing what Adam Lambert looks like these days. I hadn't seen him on tv in a long time. Not-so-bold prediction - The upcoming Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure play won't win any awards next year. That idea should stay in the phone booth.

Much agreed that the winners collectively are having to cram too much into what should be an enjoyable, un-rushed celebration of their accomplishment.

I'm hoping my tongue-in-cheek porn play I'm writing can someday get put into motion, and be a groundbreaker for unique stage entertainment. 

[+ ApexNomad]

10 minutes ago, viewing ownly said:

The upcoming Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure play won't win any awards next year. That idea should stay in the phone booth.

They’ll be performing Waiting for Godot. Although, if it were a Bill and Ted play, I’d see that sooner than I would Godot. 

[+ Cash4Trash]

So much fun in our future when John Wick fans show up, pay $800.00 a ticket and see Godot. Reactions will be priceless. 

[ShortCutie7]

Absolutely no surprises this year… all of the juggernauts won exactly which awards they were expected to.  I only caught the second half of the broadcast, but I didn’t find that any of the performances made me want to see the respective shows- for me, the highlight was the Bareilles/Erivo duet during the In Memoriam section.  I wish “Boop” and “Smash” had been given the chance to perform… I think “Boop” in particular would have really benefited from a minute or so of Jasmine Amy Rogers singing- the “Real Women Have Curves” performance could have been combined with other non-nominated shows.

And @ApexNomad I agree, the acceptance speeches seemed to be shorter than usual this year. 

[Ali Gator]

One big surprise this year - Audra was Chadwicked by Nicole.

They brought in Oprah to hand out the award, and they saved the award for next-to-last. (Oprah even made 'asides' of why Audra was in the news lately.) Reminiscent of the Oscars a few years ago, when the deceased Chadwick Boseman was the presumed clear winner, and oops! He lost. So did she. 

 

[ShortCutie7]

16 minutes ago, Ali Gator said:

One big surprise this year - Audra was Chadwicked by Nicole.

They brought in Oprah to hand out the award, and they saved the award for next-to-last. (Oprah even made 'asides' of why Audra was in the news lately.) Reminiscent of the Oscars a few years ago, when the deceased Chadwick Boseman was the presumed clear winner, and oops! He lost. So did she. 

 

For me this was not remotely surprising- there was so much buzz surrounding Nicole’s performance since before Sunset even opened that she had the award in the bag.  The red hat incident was not serious enough to sway that many voters (and I frankly don’t believe she’s MAGA, but that’s not a conversation for this board).  
Having personally seen her, Audra, and Jasmine, any of them would have been completely deserving of the award… they were all phenomenal in very different roles/productions.

[RyTorrens]

Agree not too many surprises. Best Actress really was a toss up between Nicole and Audra. With possible spoiler for Jasmine Amy Rogers. Best actor in musical also came down pretty close from what i read. Biggest surprise of the night was Purpose beating "Oh Mary". 

I also think Boop would have been fun to see at the Tonys. "Where I wanna be" is made to be sung at the Tonys.

[d.anders]

On 6/9/2025 at 12:10 AM, ApexNomad said:

Cole Escola summoned a batshit Victorian demon in a wig

I suppose it was just a matter of time before a young, poor, gay boy from Oregon, with bad teeth, who doesn't know what gender they is, but has a ton of talent, takes Broadway by storm, in a dress. Good for him/they/them.

Sadly, the "them" is 38, and hit Broadway plays do not last forever. I hope the woke star is saving all their money and finds a way to survive and thrive in this current climate crisis.

[+ ApexNomad]

8 hours ago, d.anders said:

I suppose it was just a matter of time before a young, poor, gay boy from Oregon, with bad teeth, who doesn't know what gender they is, but has a ton of talent, takes Broadway by storm, in a dress. Good for him/they/them.

Sadly, the "them" is 38, and hit Broadway plays do not last forever. I hope the woke star is saving all their money and finds a way to survive and thrive in this current climate crisis.

This comment is dripping with condescension masked as backhanded praise. It’s not a genuine compliment, but passive-aggressive snark aimed at Cole’s gender expression, success, and perceived politics.

[+ nycman]

And the award for "best performance at the Tony’s" goes to……..

 

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

On 6/9/2025 at 7:35 AM, ShortCutie7 said:

I wish “Boop” and “Smash” had been given the chance to perform…

From what I understand, they didn't want to pay.  

Not that it costs to be invited, but the sheer cost of the number is always at odds with producers who want to save money.

Boop and SMASH aren't doing all that well at the BO and didn't have strong TONY nominations.  I can't blame them for skipping out.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

Audra not winning was a little surprising to me, but hey, she's got six existing trophies at home to keep her warm.

In Sunset, Nicole has two songs to sing and then walks around the stage for the rest of the show, mugging for the camera.

In Gypsy, Audra is giving a much more nuanced, difficult performance, both acting and vocally.  

That said, it was good telecast and a great ad for keeping people coming to NYC to see shows.

[Bokomaru]

Nice to hear all of the reactions here. 
 

The closing number “You Won a Tony” was pitch perfect. Great call by the producers. I hate when they sign off 3 seconds after the last speech. That song really summed up the evening and felt emotionally appropriate. 

[+ ApexNomad]

22 minutes ago, BenjaminNicholas said:

Audra not winning was a little surprising to me, but hey, she's got six existing trophies at home to keep her warm.

In Sunset, Nicole has two songs to sing and then walks around the stage for the rest of the show, mugging for the camera.

In Gypsy, Audra is giving a much more nuanced, difficult performance, both acting and vocally.  

That said, it was good telecast and a great ad for keeping people coming to NYC to see shows.

I actually thought Audra’s performance at the Tonys felt a bit off. It was a very different experience seeing her live in the full production.

For what it’s worth, I’ve always felt that Rose’s Turn, taken on its own, doesn’t land with the same impact—you really need to see how the character gets there for it to feel earned. I get why the producers always showcase it.

The Sunset ballads, on the other hand, stand on their own and could easily be played on the radio. 

With Sondheim, I almost always need the context. His songs tend to come alive when you understand the journey that leads to them.

[ShortCutie7]

41 minutes ago, BenjaminNicholas said:

Audra not winning was a little surprising to me, but hey, she's got six existing trophies at home to keep her warm.

In Sunset, Nicole has two songs to sing and then walks around the stage for the rest of the show, mugging for the camera.

In Gypsy, Audra is giving a much more nuanced, difficult performance, both acting and vocally.  

That said, it was good telecast and a great ad for keeping people coming to NYC to see shows.

If I remember correctly, you hated this production of Sunset and left early, right?  From my experience, the whole of Nicole’s performance was significantly more impactful than the sum of its parts- it just had the “it” quality that made sense of the buzz surrounding it.  I do agree that Audra’s performance is MUCH more nuanced and she has more challenging material in both quantity and content.

[pubic_assistance]

On 6/9/2025 at 12:48 AM, viewing ownly said:

I'm not a theatre fan

Me neither...so I know nothing.

Just came here to say I heard Darren Criss won (something) and that made me happy because hes such a cutie.  Happy for him. 

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

Just now, ShortCutie7 said:

If I remember correctly, you hated this production of Sunset and left early, right?  From my experience, the whole of Nicole’s performance was significantly more impactful than the sum of its parts- it just had the “it” quality that made sense of the buzz surrounding it.  I do agree that Audra’s performance is MUCH more nuanced and she has more challenging material in both quantity and content.

The first time I saw it, I did leave at intermission.

I've sat through it in-full since then.  I didn't find the whole show experience to really change my feelings.

I didn't hate it.  It just wasn't my thing.  Art is, as it always has been, subjective.

[+ ApexNomad]

1 hour ago, BenjaminNicholas said:

The first time I saw it, I did leave at intermission.

I've sat through it in-full since then.  I didn't find the whole show experience to really change my feelings.

I didn't hate it.  It just wasn't my thing.  Art is, as it always has been, subjective.

If you can sit through Threepenny Opera, you can sit through Sunset Blvd. 😘

I almost walked out of Thou Shalt Not—starring Harry Connick Jr., with music by Harry Connick Jr., co-starring Debra Monk. The only reason I stayed after intermission was because Monk’s character becomes paralyzed in the face and has to communicate using a chalkboard around her neck. I was holding out hope for an 11 o’clock number featuring Monk and the chalkboard—but alas, it never came.

[TonyDown]

3 hours ago, pubic_assistance said:

Me neither...so I know nothing.

Just came here to say I heard Darren Criss won (something) and that made me happy because hes such a cutie.  Happy for him. 

Me too!

I was in an elevator with Darren Criss a few years ago.  That's when I concluded that we get used to good looking celebrities on TV, and may not realize how handsome they really are until seeing them live, in person.    He looked SO nice. ♥️

I also saw Darren Criss in Hedwig at The Pantages.  He was in really good shape for that role.  😉.   Was a great performance.

 

 

[viewing ownly]

14 minutes ago, TonyDown said:

Me too!

I was in an elevator with Darren Criss a few years ago.  That's when I concluded that we get used to good looking celebrities on TV, and may not realize how handsome they really are until seeing them live, in person.    He looked SO nice. ♥️

I also saw Darren Criss in Hedwig at The Pantages.  He was in really good shape for that role.  😉.   Was a great performance.

 

 

I was going to say that he appears to be packing a lot more than an "Angry Inch", but then realized that he's not Hedwig in the play! Never seen the play, but is one of my all-time favorite soundtracks.

[Ali Gator]

4 hours ago, ApexNomad said:

I actually thought Audra’s performance at the Tonys felt a bit off. It was a very different experience seeing her live in the full production.

You're not the only one. Everyone is talking about how bad her performance was Sunday night. She went up on her lyrics at one point, and she came across as angry throughout the whole performance. The cameraman was not her friend.  On another forum, one witty member said between her costume and her facial expressions, she looked like she was channeling Moms Mabley.  I can't disagree. 

[+ nycman]

8 hours ago, viewing ownly said:

I was going to say that he appears to be packing a lot more than an "Angry Inch", but then realized that he's not Hedwig in the play! Never seen the play, but is one of my all-time favorite soundtracks.

Ummm…..Darren Criss is playing Hedwig in that shot. 

Hedwig strips down to tiny black shorts and their assistant Yitzhak takes the stage in “Hedwig drag" during “Midnight Radio" at the close of the show. Done correctly, it’s a powerful moment of release and transformation. And yeah, if you’re gonna play Hedwig, you gotta starve yourself to get into those shorts.