_2025_06_09_11_43_22.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
Nicole Scherzinger and Darren Criss win Tony Awards for Best Actress, Best Actor in a Musical
Congratulations are in order for our Nicole Scherzinger and Darren Criss! The two Fil-Ams have won the Best Actress and Best Actor in a Musical at the Tony Awards 2025.
Nicole won for her captivating performance as Norma Desmond on "Sunset Blvd," which also won the Best Musical Revival award.
Nicole won on her first Tony nomination. In her emotional speech, Nicole said she was "so honored to be recognized alongside exceptional warrior women in this category."
"I wanna thank all of you so much for making this little Hawaiian-Ukrainian-Filipino girl's dream come true. I'm so proud to present," she said.
"Growing up I always felt like I didn't belong but you all made me feel like I belong and I have come home. At last. So it there's anyone out there who feels like they don't belong or that their time hasn't come up yet, don't give up. Just keep giving and giving because the world needs your love and your light now more than ever" she added.
According to an earlier Instagram post, she will be extending her run for another week until July 20.
Darren meanwhile took home the Tony trophy for Best Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of a retired robot in "Maybe Happy Ending." The play incidentally also won five other Tony awards including Best Musical.
Other notable awardees this year includes "Succession" actress Sarah Snook who took home Best Actress in Play for her work in "The Picture of Dorian Gray."
Lea Salonga was earlier announced to return as presenter at the Tony Awards 2025.
What's that they say? Pinoy Pride is it? Most definitely! Congratulations, mga Kabayans!
— LA, GMA Integrated News
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
GMA Network
38 minutes ago
- GMA Network
Garrett Bolden takes flight in 'Come From Away': 'It's not just singing'
After powerful turns in "Rent" and "Once on This Island," Garrett Bolden returns to the musical stage with a challenge unlike any he's faced before. In "Come From Away," currently running in Manila, Garrett joins a powerhouse ensemble dubbed by fans as the 'Avengers of Philippine Theater.' But for the Sparkle artist and rising theater star, the thrill comes not just from the company he keeps, but from the deeply human story they get to tell. 'This is a different take on a musical,' Garrett tells GMA News Online in an interview. "I'm still gonna sing—but it's not like singing lang. It's more of telling a story talaga.' Set in the days following the September 11 attacks, "Come From Away" tells the true story of 7,000 airline passengers stranded in a small town in Newfoundland, Canada, and the community that welcomed them. The Tony Award-winning musical relies on tight ensemble work, fluid transitions, and the performers' ability to switch characters and accents with precision—all of which Garrett found to be a creative challenge. 'Ang pinaka-biggest challenge sa amin: the accents,' he admits. "We're playing a lot of characters aside from our main roles. So kailangan talaga pagtuunan ng pansin 'yung dialogue and how to attack it—especially the monologues and even the comedic parts.' For Garrett, the role pushed him to explore a new dimension of performance, one that's less about vocal prowess and more about authentic storytelling. 'It's really about connecting with the audience,' he says. 'Hindi mo lang kakantahin 'yung linya mo—you're sharing something with heart.' A message that resonates with Filipinos Asked about what message he hopes Filipino audiences take from the show, Garrett points to the musical's reminder of shared humanity and bayanihan spirit. 'Sa ating mga Pinoy, sobrang likas talaga sa atin 'yung tumulong,' he says. "'Come From Away' is a reminder of that. Yung pagmamalasakit, 'yung biglaang pagbibigay ng tulong nang walang kapalit—those things are innate in us.' He believes that, beyond the global story it tells, the musical mirrors the very best of Filipino values: compassion, community, and the unspoken readiness to help strangers in times of crisis. Working with theater's finest Despite the message of unity, Garrett admits he felt nervous stepping into this particular production. "Some of the actors I'm working with are really haligi ng Philippine theater,' he says, clearly still in awe. "They were even dubbed the Avengers of theater. I'm thankful just to be included in that.' Among those he shares the stage with is veteran performer Gian Magdangal, whom Garrett has long admired. 'It's a dream come true,' he beams. "The last time I got to work with him was back in 2018, and that was for a short piece. Now, I get to see him and work with him every day.' Embracing the journey For Garrett, "Come From Away" is more than just another title in his growing list of credits. It's an opportunity to stretch himself as an actor, to honor a story that celebrates kindness, and to be part of a show that speaks to the core of what it means to be human. 'Masarap sa pakiramdam na bahagi ka ng ganitong klaseng kwento,' he says. "And to do it with this kind of cast? It's more than I could have hoped for.' "Come From Away" runs until June 29, 2025, at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati. This production also marks a milestone in Philippine theater as this is the first Filipino-led show from GMG Productions, brought to life by a stellar cast that includes Cathy Azanza-Dy, Caisa Borromeo, Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, Gian Magdangal, Carla Guevara Laforteza, Garrett Bolden, among others. The ensemble of 15 actors portrays approximately 84 characters, showcasing their remarkable versatility through lightning-fast transitions, distinct accents, and layered emotional beats—an extraordinary feat that speaks to the cast's depth and precision. — LA, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
an hour ago
- GMA Network
'Sang'gre' cast struts down the red carpet in full costume
It's one week to go before we enter the world of "Encantadia" again! The highly-anticipated spinoff of the fantasy series, "Sang'gre" is set to premiere on GMA Prime on Monday and its cast is more than ready to slay their roles. On Sunday's media conference, Bianca Umali, Faith Da Silva, Kevin Miranda, and Angel Guardian led the star-studded cast in flexing their full costumes while walking down the red carpet. They were fiercely in character and showed off each of their unique fighting stunts. "Sang'gre" is directed by Rico Gutierrez and Enzo Williams. It is set to air on GMA Prime beginning June 16. —MGP, GMA Integrated News
_2025_06_09_16_11_55.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
GMA Network
2 hours ago
- GMA Network
Alongside Nicole Scherzinger and Darren Criss, a 3rd Fil-Am won at the Tony Awards: Meet Marco Paguia
Fil-Ams ruled at the 78th Tony Awards show. There was Darren Criss, who won for his performance in 'Maybe Happy Ending,' and there was Nicole Scherzinger, a former Pussycat Doll who bagged the Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for playing Norma Desmond in 'Sunset Blvd.' But there was a 3rd Fil-Am winner that evening at the Radio City Music Hall in New York: Marco Paguia, who bagged a Tony Award for Best Orchestrations for the musical 'Buena Vista Social Club.' Based on the book of Mario Ramirez and featuring the music recorded by the ensemble musician group, Buena Vista Social Club, the musical is set in Havana, Cuba and spans from the 1950s to the 1990s. It follows the lives of four prominent musicians. Paguia, a music director, arranger, orchestrator and pianist based in New York, competed against David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber ('Sunset Blvd.'), Andrew Resnick and Michael Thurber ('Just in Time'), Will Aronson ('Maybe Happy Ending'), and Bruce Coughlin ('Floyd Collins'). Marco Paguia poses with the Best Orchestrations award for Buena Vista Social Club at the 78th Annual Tony Awards in New York City, U.S., June 8, 2025. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon He was also the music director for 'Gutenberg! The Musical!,' 'Girl From the North Country,' 'Peter and the Starcatcher,' and 'Everyday Rapture' (Broadway). Paguia also played on the soundtrack to Steven Spielberg's 'West Side Story' with the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. His arrangements and orchestrations have been performed at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. It was definitely a big night for Fil-Ams, because Criss not only won for Best Performance by a lead in a Musical, he also won for producing the musical. Winning his first two Tony Awards, allowed the former "Glee" star to make history by becoming the first known Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) actor to win the leading role in a musical category, and the first person to win that award for a show they also produced. Criss, who attended the awards show with his wife Mia Swier, thanked the latter profusely in his acceptance speech. Saying 'a lot of humans got me here," Criss first thanked a slew of personalities from his mom to his teachers, before zeroing in on Mia. "The real hero about this remarkable journey is my wife, Mia, who took a massive swing on allowing me to do this and to allow this crazy upheaval in our life to make this logistically possible, and for bearing the brunt of raising two tiny friends under three so that I could raise a singing robot at the Belasco Theater eight times a week," he said. Darren Criss accepts Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical award for Maybe Happy Ending at the 78th Annual Tony Awards in New York City, U.S., June 8, 2025. REUTERS/Brendan Mcdermid 'Mia, you are the very pedestal that upholds the shiny, spinning bit in our lives, and your love and your support for me and our beautiful children, combined with the miracle of working on something as magical as Maybe Happy Ending has been and will always be award enough," Darren added. 'This play that we're doing is about love and memory, so I would like to dedicate this in loving memory to one of the greatest role models I ever had, one of the best friends I ever had, and that is my father, Bill and my brother Chuck. Congratulations to all of you here tonight on your achievements. Everybody out there. Break a leg. And I'm going to go celebrate with my favorite kind of people to party - with theater people.' 'Maybe Happy Ending' dominated the night with six wins including Best Musical, Best Musical Actor (Criss), Best Musical Director, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, and Best Scenic Design for a Musical. Criss beat Jonathan Groff ('Just in Time'), Jeremy Jordan ('Floyd Collins'), Andrew Durand ('Dead Outlaw'), Tom Francis ('Sunset Blvd.') and James Monroe Iglehart ('A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical'). Finally, Scherzinger was "so proud to represent" as she thanked everything "for making this little Hawaiian-Ukrainian-Filipino girl's dream come true." Nicole Scherzinger accepts Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical award for Sunset Blvd. at the 78th Annual Tony Awards in New York City, U.S., June 8, 2025. REUTERS/Brendan Mcdermid In her emotional speech, the 46-year-old singled out her mom "who had me at 18 and gave everything up for me" and "who instilled in me an unshakable faith." She also made a special shout out to her fiance Tom, "who believes in me when I forget to believe in myself." 'Growing up, I always felt like I didn't belong. But you all have made me feel like I belong. And I have come home at last. So if there's anyone out there who feels like they don't belong or their time hasn't come, don't give up. Just keep on giving and giving. Because the world needs your love and your light now more than ever. This is a testament that love always wins. Thank you so much. God bless you.' Scherzinger, who was introduced by Glenn Close, brought the house down and received a standing ovation when she performed 'As If We Never Said Goodbye' from the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. Close, who performed Norma Desmond in the 1995 musical 'Sunset Blvd.,' has praised Scherzinger's performance. She wrote, 'Nicole's performance is an act of raw artistry and astounding bravery.' 'Sunset Blvd.' also won as Best Revival of a Musical. Also nominated in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical were Audra McDonald ('Gypsy'), Megan Hilty ('Death Becomes Her'), Jasmine Amy Rogers ('BOOP! The Musical'), and Jennifer Simard ('Death Becomes Her'). Other Fil-Ams nominated for a Tony this year included Conrad Ricamora (Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play for 'Oh, Mary!') and Clint Ramos (Best Costume Design of a Musical for 'Maybe Happy Ending'). — LA, GMA Integrated News
