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

It's showtime! The 2025 Tony Awards nominations are here.

via: Variety

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.

To also see the Tony Awards snubs and surprises, check out Variety's report here.