2025 Tony Awards: Nicole Scherzinger wins, Cole Escola and Kara Young make history
NEW YORK — Nicole Scherzinger is ready for her close-up.
A radical reimaging of Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'Sunset Boulevard,' starring the former Pussycat Dolls frontwoman, won big at the Tony Awards on Sunday, earning a trophy for its star as well as the award for Best Revival of a Musical.
Through tears, Scherzinger accepted her first-ever Tony for her portrayal of Norma Desmond, a fading film star haunted by her past.
'If there's anyone who feels like they don't belong or your time hasn't come, don't give up,' Scherzinger said. 'Just keep on giving and giving because the world needs your love and your light more than ever. This is a testament that love always wins.'
Scherzinger had to beat out theater great Audra McDonald — who holds the record for the most acting wins with six Tony Awards — to take home the trophy for Best Leading Actress in a Musical.
'Boop!' star Jasmine Amy Rogers was also nominated alongside Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simrand, who together lead 'Death Becomes Her,' inspired by the 1998 camp classic starring Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn.
The leading ladies were among the many stars of the stage who showed up Sunday for the 78th Annual Tony Awards, which saw nearly three dozen Broadway shows nominated across 26 different categories.
Three-time Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo kicked off her first turn hosting the ceremony in a slinky red dress, crooning 'Sometimes all you need is a song' from the stage of Radio City Music Hall. Also an Emmy and Grammy winner, the 'Wicked' star nabbed her own Tony back in 2016 for her performance as Celie in 'The Color Purple.'
'Maybe Happy Ending,' 'Death Becomes Her' and 'Buena Vista Social Club' went into the night with a whopping 10 nominations each — including Best Musical — with 'Dead Outlaw' and spy satire 'Operation Mincemeat' rounding out the category. In the end, 'Maybe Happy Ending,' the Darren Criss-starring musical about robots, won the award, in addition to Best Original Score and Best Book.
The 'Glee' alum also earned Best Actor in a Musical for his performance, marking his first win.
'Oh, Mary!' meanwhile earned five nods, including Best Play, but it ultimately lost the top prize to 'Purpose,' a drawing-room drama written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins about an accomplished Black family exposing hypocrisy during a snowed-in gathering.
With the win, Jacobs-Jenkins became the first Black playwright to nab Best New Play since August Wilson took home the trophy in 1987 for 'Fences.'
'Oh, Mary!' — Cole Escola's madcap dark comedy about a miserable Mary Todd Lincoln in the lead-up to Abraham Lincoln's assassination — did, however, earn Sam Pinkleton the award for Best Direction of a Play, while Michael Arden won Best Direction of a Musical for 'Maybe Happy Ending.'
Escola also took home the trophy for Best Lead Actor in a Play, making them the first openly nonbinary actor to win the award. Escola bested first-time nominee George Clooney, who earned a nod for his portrayal of Edward R. Murrow in 'Good Night, and Good Luck,' as well as Daniel Dae Kim, who starred as DHH in the revival of 'Yellow Face.' Kim's nomination made him the first-ever Asian actor to be recognized in the category.
'Purpose' star Kara Young — already the first Black woman to be nominated for four consecutive Tonys — also made history after winning Featured Actress in a Play, becoming the first Black person to ever win back-to-back Tonys.
'In this world, we are so divided,' she said while accepting her award. 'Theater is a sacred space. It's a sacred space that we have to honor and treasure.'
Emmy winner Sarah Snook — following in the footsteps of her former 'Succession' co-star Jeremy Strong, who nabbed the Tony last year for Best Leading Actor in a Play — won for her debut Broadway performance in the one-man interpretation of 'The Picture of Dorian Gray.' In it, she plays all 26 roles, reprising a performance that won her an Olivier Award.
'Broadway is officially back. Provided we don't run out of cast members from 'Succession,'' Erivo joked, in a nod to Kieran Culkin also appearing onstage this season in 'Glengarry Glen Ross.'
Both 'Stranger Things: The First Shadow,' which took home trophies in most of the technical categories, and 'Buena Vista Social Club' were among the night's recurring winners. The latter, a show that follows the journey of a Cuban music group and is sung entirely in Spanish, earned Tonys for Orchestration, Scenic Design and Choreography. Natalie Venetia Belcon also won as Best Featured Actress in a Musical for playing Omara Portuond in the show.
Four-time Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein was also honored with a lifetime achievement award in the theater.
'There is nothing quite like bathing in the applause of a curtain call, but when I bow, I bow to the audience … with gratitude, knowing that without them I might as well be lip-syncing showtunes in my bedroom mirror,' Fierstein said during a heartfelt yet hilarious speech. 'And so I dedicate this award to the people in the dark.'
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