I love the Antoinette Perry awards because they give me a gauge of how to assess the shows when they eventually appear at Proctors Theater in Schenectady or another regional venue in two to five years. The 2025 Tonys, taking place on Sunday, June 8, 2025, are no exception. Here is the list.
Even though I have seen exactly one of these productions, I’ve developed rooting interests.
Best Musical:
Buena Vista Social Club – I saw the 1999 movie documentary and own the soundtrack, both of which I love
Death Becomes Her – I saw the 1992 movie, which was technologically great in a so-so film. But I saw a story on CBS Sunday Morning about how they did the scene when one character falls down the stairs, and it was fascinating.
Maybe Happy Ending – the one show I saw on Broadway, which I loved.
Best Revival of a Play
Romeo + Juliet – I’ve seen several productions, including one in 2014, which Dan Van Riper reviewed.
Thornton Wilder’s Our Town – I appeared in a FOCUS churches production in the early 1980s
Best Revival of a Musical
Sunset Blvd. – I saw the 1950 movie on television several years ago, a suboptimal way for me to see a film.
“Unpack the Tony Awards History of the 2025 Nominated Revivals. Many of this season’s nominated revivals have been Tony-tested before. How did they fare? The past may not always be the best indicator of the future, but accolades of years past provide interesting insight nonetheless. Check out a complete list of who was nominated, in what categories, and most importantly… if they won!”
Stars
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
I’ll be shocked if Sarah Snook, playing 26 different roles in The Picture of Dorian Gray, doesn’t win.
But I loved this interview with Patti LuPone and nominee Mia Farrow of The Roommate.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
I saw the 2005 film Good Night, and Good Luck. George Clooney played CBS executive Fred Friendly in the film. In the play, he’s Edward R. Murrow, legendary newsman.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Audra McDonald, Gypsy – here’s the NPR Tiny Desk concert of the show, featuring Audra
Jasmine Amy Rogers, BOOP! The Musical – Here’s the stage announcement of her nomination and her recording Where I Want To Be
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Unsurprisingly, I’m rooting for Darren Criss from Maybe Happy Ending
Tony Nominations by Production
Buena Vista Social Club, Death Becomes Her, Maybe Happy Ending – 10 each
Dead Outlaw, John Proctor is the Villain, Sunset Blvd., The Hills of California – 7 each
Floyd Collins, Just in Time , Purpose, The Picture of Dorian Gray – 6 each
English, Good Night, and Good Luck, Gypsy, Oh, Mary!, Stranger Things: The First Shadow – 5 each
Not getting a nomination can be the death knell of a show. Idina Menzel was on CBS Mornings touting her new musical Redwood on April 8. But the show posted a closing notice for May 18 following the Tonys snub.
Stage fright
In other theater news: The National Endowment for the Arts has begun withdrawing approved and recommended grants.
“Arts administrators described the timing and delivery of the cancellations—via non-reply email addresses—as abrupt and disruptive, especially for organizations that had factored the funding into current programming and budgets.
“In Portland, Oregon, Portland Playhouse learned it was losing a $25,000 grant just one day before opening its production of August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. ‘Times are tough for theaters — we’re already pressed, and in this moment where every dollar matters, this was a critical piece of our budget,’ said Brian Weaver, the company’s producing artistic director.
“Some recipients were told that their “tentative funding recommendation” was being withdrawn, while others who had already received formal award notices were informed that their grants were terminated effective May 31, 2025.”
