Tonys 2025 Live Updates: ‘Purpose' Named Best Play, With Sarah Snook Among Acting Winners
June 8, 2025, 8:27 p.m. ET
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The 'Buena Vista Social Club' band performs onstage throughout the show.
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Sara Krulwich/The New York Times
Special Tony Awards are going to the musicians who make up the band of 'Buena Vista Social Club,' the hit Cuban musical based on the 1997 album, and to three people behind the stage illusions and effects in 'Stranger Things: The First Shadow,' a play based on the Netflix series.
In addition, the actor and writer Harvey Fierstein received a lifetime achievement Tony. Over the course of his career, he has earned four Tony Awards. He took two home in 1983 for 'Torch Song Trilogy,' winning best play and best actor. He also won best book of a musical for 'La Cage aux Folles' in 1984 and best actor in a musical for 'Hairspray' in 2003.
The musicians from the 'Buena Vista Social Club' being honored include Marco Paguia, the music director and conductor; David Oquendo, the associate music director and guitarist; Renesito Avich, who plays the Cuban tres; Gustavo Schartz, the bassist; Jesus Ricardo, the trumpeter; Eddie Venegas, the trombonist; Hery Paz on woodwinds; and Leonardo Reyna, a pianist; and Javier Diaz, Román Díaz and Mauricio Herrera on percussion. The musical was inspired by the influential 1997 album of the same title, which became a blockbuster and brought international recognition to the musicians.
The ambitious scenery in 'Stranger Things: The First Shadow' included a 1,300 pound structure that had to move safely and quickly. Jamie Harrison, Chris Fisher, Gary Beestone and Edward Pierce will be honored for the show's illusions and technical effects. The play, set 24 years before the start of the Netflix series, follows the teenage life of the show's antagonist Henry Creel.
In addition, the Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theater, given annually for work not eligible in the competitive categories, are going to these recipients:
'Great Performances,' the staple showcase for the performing arts on PBS for more than a half century.
Michael P. Price, who at the time was the longest-serving executive director of any American theater when he retired from Goodspeed Musicals in 2014. In his 47 years at the helm of the theater, he produced more than 250 classic musicals and 100 new musicals. Along the way, he earned 13 Tony Awards.
New 42, an entity created to revive 42nd Street and the surrounding theaters.
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, operating since 1965, which has one of the world's largest collections focused on the performing arts, with more than 8 million items.
The Isabelle Stevenson Tony was given to Celia Keenan-Bolger for her advocacy work through the arts. This award is presented annually to an individual in the theater community who has volunteered time and effort to humanitarian, social service or charitable organizations. Billy Porter was last year's recipient.
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