Pulitzer drama ‘Purpose' takes top play at Broadway's 2025 Tonys
NEW YORK: The Pulitzer Prize-winning drama 'Purpose' won the 2025 best play award at the annual Tony Awards during a gala ceremony on Sunday night, capping a record-grossing post-pandemic Broadway theater season.
Playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' play follows a family whose carefully constructed legacy unravels when their youngest son returns home with an unexpected guest, exposing buried secrets and faith-based conflict.
Buoyed by a post-pandemic rebound, the 2024-25 season grossed a record $1.89 billion in revenue and drew 14.7 million attendees, the Broadway League said.
Host Cynthia Erivo, the 'Wicked' film star, opened the show at Radio City Music Hall with a walk to the stage from the dressing room that mimicked actor Tom Francis' viral post-intermission live outdoor Manhattan stroll as he sings the title song in 'Sunset Blvd.'
TV's 'Succession' star Sarah Snook, who made her Broadway debut this season, won best leading actress in a play for her tour-de-force performance of more than two dozen roles in 'The Picture of Dorian Gray.'
Francis Jue won best actor in a featured role in a play for 'Yellow Face.' He thanked the Asian American actors who came before him and addressed the next generation: 'This community sees you and I hope that encourages you to be brave, and to dream and to dream big.'
The original cast of 'Hamilton,' including the show's creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, reunited to perform an electric medley in honor of the musical's 10th anniversary.
'Stranger Things' play wins Tony Awards, setting stage for TV series finale
The number also served as a re-introduction to Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr, a role he will resume in the production later this year for a limited time. Kara Young, who was nominated for a Tony in the role of featured actress in a play four years in a row, won for the second year in a row for her role in the 2025 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama 'Purpose.'
Natalie Venetia Belcon won the award for best featured actress in a musical for her role as Cuban singer Omara Portuondo in 'Buena Vista Social Club.'
Other awards remained to be announced.
Alongside the creative highs this year were economic realities plaguing producers and audiences alike.
Premium seats for some productions run upwards from $400, prompting concern that Broadway is increasingly out of reach for casual and younger theater lovers. Even with lotteries and rush ticket programs, demand-driven pricing has become the norm.
Rising production costs a factor
Jason Laks, president of The Broadway League, said in a statement that rising costs have affected every facet of production, making it harder and harder to bring live theater to the stage.
The Broadway League presents the awards along with the American Theatre Wing.
This season showcased a wide range of voices and perspectives, with many shows being led by Asian American, Black, Middle Eastern and Hispanic actors and resulting in some historic nominations.
Four-time Tony-winning actor and writer Harvey Fierstein received a special Tony Award for lifetime achievement in the Theater.
'I dedicate this award to the people in the dark,' he said, 'and I offer my most profound thanks to the people in my community.'
Tony winner Celia Keenan-Bolger received the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award for her dedication to advocacy work through the arts, including helping to found the Gavin Creel Fellowship, which Keenan-Bolger said will benefit young actors who don't come from money when they arrive in New York City, as Creel requested. Creel died at age 48 from a rare form of cancer in September.
Darren Criss, a Tony nominee this year for 'Maybe Happy Ending,' and Renée Elise Goldsberry, who won a 2016 Tony for her performance in 'Hamilton,' announced technical awards in a pre-show ceremony which included best original score for 'Maybe Happy Ending'; best costume design for 'Death Becomes Her'; best scenic design for a musical for 'Maybe Happy Ending' and best lighting for 'Sunset Blvd.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
17 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Maybe Happy Ending' wins big at Tony Awards
Darren Criss wins first Tony for best leading actor in Maybe Happy Ending. Photo: File Maybe Happy Ending, a sweet and futuristic story that follows two obsolete helper robots as they navigate isolation, affection, and what it means to be human, was the big musical winner at the Tony Awards on Sunday, capping a record-grossing post-pandemic Broadway theatre season. The show won three big awards, including best musical. Darren Criss won his first Tony for best leading actor in a musical for his role as the innocent Oliver, and its director Michael Arden won the award for best director of a musical. The modern reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber's classic Sunset Blvd. also won big, taking awards for best revival of a musical and for Nicole Scherzinger, who stars as the faded movie star Norma Desmond, won best actress in a musical. The Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Purpose won the best play award. Written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, the play follows a family whose carefully constructed legacy unravels when their youngest son returns home with an unexpected guest, exposing buried secrets and faith-based conflict. Host Cynthia Erivo, the Wicked film star, opened the show at Radio City Music Hall with a walk to the stage from the dressing room that mimicked actor Tom Francis' viral post-intermission live outdoor Manhattan stroll as he sings the title song in Sunset Blvd. Buoyed by a post-pandemic rebound, the 2024-25 season grossed a record $1.89 billion in revenue and drew 14.7 million attendees, the Broadway League said. Cole Escola won the Tony for best lead actor in a play for his creation Oh, Mary! The show, Escola's reimagining of Mary Todd Lincoln's life and relationship with husband Abraham Lincoln, blends historical satire with absurd camp. The show also earned Sam Pinkleton the Tony for best director of a play. TV's Succession star Sarah Snook, who made her Broadway debut this season, won the award for best leading actress in a play for her tour-de-force performance of more than two dozen roles in The Picture of Dorian Gray. The original cast of Hamilton, including the show's creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, reunited to perform an electric medley in honour of the musical's 10th anniversary. The number also served as a reintroduction to Leslie Odom Jr as Aaron Burr, a role he will resume in the production later this year for a limited time. Francis Jue won best actor in a featured role in a play for Yellow Face. He thanked the Asian American actors who came before him and addressed the next generation: "This community sees you and I hope that encourages you to be brave, and to dream and to dream big." Reuters
Express Tribune
17 hours ago
- Express Tribune
I have to say what's necessary for society: Banu Mushtaq
All writers draw on their experience, whether consciously or not, says Indian author Banu Mushtaq – including the titular tale of attempted self-immolation in her International Booker Prize-winning short story collection, as reported by AFP. Mushtaq, who won the coveted literature prize as the first author writing in Kannada – an Indian regional language – said the author's responsibility is to reflect the truth. "You cannot simply write describing a rose," said the 77-year-old, who is also a lawyer and activist. "You cannot say it has got such a fragrance, such petals, such colour. You have to write about the thorns also. It is your responsibility, and you have to do it." Her book Heart Lamp, a collection of 12 powerful short stories, is also her first book translated into English, with the prize shared with her translator Deepa Bhasthi. Critics praised the collection for its dry and gentle humour, and its searing commentary on the patriarchy, caste and religion. Mushtaq has carved an alternative path in life, challenging societal restrictions and perceptions. As a young girl worried about her future, she said she started writing to improve her "chances of marriage". Born into a Muslim family in 1948, she studied in Kannada, which is spoken mostly in India's southern Karnataka state by around 43 million people, rather than Urdu, the language of Islamic texts in India and which most Muslim girls learnt. She attended college, and worked as a journalist and also as a high school teacher. 'Confused' But after marrying for love, Mushtaq found her life constricted. "I was not allowed to have any intellectual activities. I was not allowed to write," she said. "I was in that vacuum. That harmed me." She recounted how as a young mother aged around 27 with possible postpartum depression, and ground down by domestic life, she had doused petrol on herself and on the "spur of a moment" readied to set herself on fire. Her husband rushed to her with their three-month-old daughter. "He took the baby and put her on my feet, and he drew my attention to her and he hugged me, and he stopped me," Mushtaq told AFP. The experience is nearly mirrored in her book – in its case, the protagonist is stopped by her daughter. "People get confused that it might be my life," the writer said. Explaining that while not her exact story, "consciously or subconsciously, something of the author, it reflects in her or his writing". Books line the walls in Mushtaq's home, in the small southern Indian town of Hassan. Her many awards and certificates – including a replica of the Booker prize she won in London in May – are also on display. She joked that she was born to write – at least that is what a Hindu astrological birth chart said about her future. "I don't know how it was there, but I have seen the birth chart," Mushtaq said with a laugh, speaking in English. The award has changed her life "in a positive way", she added, while noting the fame has been a little overwhelming. "I am not against the people, I love people," she said, referring to the stream of visitors she gets to her home. "But with this, a lot of prominence is given to me, and I don't have any time for writing. I feel something odd... Writing gives me a lot of pleasure, a lot of relief." 'Patriarchy everywhere' Mushtaq's body of work spans six short story collections, an essay collection and poetry. The stories in Heart Lamp were chosen from the six short story collections, dating back to 1990. The Booker jury hailed her characters – from spirited grandmothers to bumbling religious clerics – as "astonishing portraits of survival and resilience". The stories portray Muslim women going through terrible experiences, including domestic violence, the death of children and extramarital affairs. Mushtaq said that while the main characters in her books are all Muslim women, the issues are universal. "They (women) suffer this type of suppression and this type of exploitation, this type of patriarchy everywhere," she said. "A woman is a woman, all over the world." While accepting that even the people for whom she writes may not like her work, Mushtaq said she remained dedicated to providing wider truths. "I have to say what is necessary for the society," she said. "The writer is always pro-people... With the people, and for the people."
Business Recorder
a day ago
- Business Recorder
Pulitzer drama ‘Purpose' takes top play at Broadway's 2025 Tonys
NEW YORK: The Pulitzer Prize-winning drama 'Purpose' won the 2025 best play award at the annual Tony Awards during a gala ceremony on Sunday night, capping a record-grossing post-pandemic Broadway theater season. Playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' play follows a family whose carefully constructed legacy unravels when their youngest son returns home with an unexpected guest, exposing buried secrets and faith-based conflict. Buoyed by a post-pandemic rebound, the 2024-25 season grossed a record $1.89 billion in revenue and drew 14.7 million attendees, the Broadway League said. Host Cynthia Erivo, the 'Wicked' film star, opened the show at Radio City Music Hall with a walk to the stage from the dressing room that mimicked actor Tom Francis' viral post-intermission live outdoor Manhattan stroll as he sings the title song in 'Sunset Blvd.' TV's 'Succession' star Sarah Snook, who made her Broadway debut this season, won best leading actress in a play for her tour-de-force performance of more than two dozen roles in 'The Picture of Dorian Gray.' Francis Jue won best actor in a featured role in a play for 'Yellow Face.' He thanked the Asian American actors who came before him and addressed the next generation: 'This community sees you and I hope that encourages you to be brave, and to dream and to dream big.' The original cast of 'Hamilton,' including the show's creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, reunited to perform an electric medley in honor of the musical's 10th anniversary. 'Stranger Things' play wins Tony Awards, setting stage for TV series finale The number also served as a re-introduction to Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr, a role he will resume in the production later this year for a limited time. Kara Young, who was nominated for a Tony in the role of featured actress in a play four years in a row, won for the second year in a row for her role in the 2025 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama 'Purpose.' Natalie Venetia Belcon won the award for best featured actress in a musical for her role as Cuban singer Omara Portuondo in 'Buena Vista Social Club.' Other awards remained to be announced. Alongside the creative highs this year were economic realities plaguing producers and audiences alike. Premium seats for some productions run upwards from $400, prompting concern that Broadway is increasingly out of reach for casual and younger theater lovers. Even with lotteries and rush ticket programs, demand-driven pricing has become the norm. Rising production costs a factor Jason Laks, president of The Broadway League, said in a statement that rising costs have affected every facet of production, making it harder and harder to bring live theater to the stage. The Broadway League presents the awards along with the American Theatre Wing. This season showcased a wide range of voices and perspectives, with many shows being led by Asian American, Black, Middle Eastern and Hispanic actors and resulting in some historic nominations. Four-time Tony-winning actor and writer Harvey Fierstein received a special Tony Award for lifetime achievement in the Theater. 'I dedicate this award to the people in the dark,' he said, 'and I offer my most profound thanks to the people in my community.' Tony winner Celia Keenan-Bolger received the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award for her dedication to advocacy work through the arts, including helping to found the Gavin Creel Fellowship, which Keenan-Bolger said will benefit young actors who don't come from money when they arrive in New York City, as Creel requested. Creel died at age 48 from a rare form of cancer in September. Darren Criss, a Tony nominee this year for 'Maybe Happy Ending,' and Renée Elise Goldsberry, who won a 2016 Tony for her performance in 'Hamilton,' announced technical awards in a pre-show ceremony which included best original score for 'Maybe Happy Ending'; best costume design for 'Death Becomes Her'; best scenic design for a musical for 'Maybe Happy Ending' and best lighting for 'Sunset Blvd.'
