Latest news with #BrandenJacobsJenkins
Sky News
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News
Androids rom-com Maybe Happy Ending wins six major Tony Awards
Maybe Happy Ending, a romantic-comedy about a pair of androids falling in love, has won six Tony Awards, including best new musical. The story charts the relationship between two decommissioned robots, becoming a commentary on human themes and the passage of time. Starring Darren Criss and Helen J Shen, Maybe Happy Ending enjoyed huge success at the 78th annual ceremony held at the Radio City Music Hall in New York on Sunday. The acclaimed Broadway production's awards also included Criss winning best leading actor in a musical, alongside prizes for best direction of a musical, best original theatre score, best book of a musical, and best scenic design of a musical. In other awards, Purpose, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' drawing room drama about an accomplished black family exposing hypocrisy and pressures during a snowed-in gathering, won best new play. Jacobs-Jenkins becomes the first black playwright to win the award since August Wilson took home the accolade in 1987 for Fences. It underlines a triumphant year for Jacobs-Jenkins after scooping the Pulitzer Prize for Purpose - and winning back-to-back Tonys after his Appropriate won best play revival in 2024. Kara Young - the first black female actor to be nominated for a Tony in four consecutive years - became the first black person to win two awards consecutively, picking up the trophy for featured actress in a play for her work in Purpose. Sunset Blvd won best musical revival, handing composer Andrew Lloyd Webber his first competitive Tony since 1995, when the original show won. The current version is a stripped-down, minimalist production. Sarah Snook took home the trophy for leading actress in a play for her tireless work in The Picture Of Dorian Gray, where she plays all 26 roles. "I don't feel alone any night that I do this show," Snook said, dismissing the idea of her play as a one-woman show. "There are so many people onstage making it work and behind the stage making it work." Oh Mary! saw Sam Pinkleton win best director and Cole Escola landing best actor in a play. Francis Jue won best actor in a featured role in a play for his work in a revival of Yellow Face. Jak Malone won best actor in a featured role in a musical for the British import, Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical. Eureka Day, Jonathan Spector's social satire about well-meaning liberals debating a school's vaccine policy, won the best play revival trophy. Stranger Things: The First Shadow - based on the 12-time Emmy-winning Netflix hit sci-fi series, won best scenic design, lighting design and sound design of a play. The production, which has been running in London's West End, also picked up a special award for its illusions and technical effects.
CBC
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Tony Awards laud android rom-com Maybe Happy Ending and history-making Purpose
Social Sharing Maybe Happy Ending, a rom-com musical about androids that crackles with humanity, had a definite happy ending at Sunday's Tony Awards. It won best new musical on a night when Kara Young made history as the first Black person to win two Tonys consecutively, for Purpose, which also won best new play. Starring Darren Criss and Helen J. Shen, Maybe Happy Ending charts the romantic relationship between two decommissioned robots, becoming a commentary on human themes and the passage of time. It won a leading six Tonys. With Purpose, a drawing-room drama about an accomplished Black family exposing hypocrisy and pressures during a snowed-in gathering, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins caps a remarkable year. In addition to winning back-to-back Tonys — his Appropriate won best play revival in 2024 — earned the Pulitzer Prize for Purpose. (That win came the day of the Met Gala, where he served on the host committee.) Jacobs-Jenkins becomes the first Black playwright to win for best new play since August Wilson took home the trophy in 1987 for Fences. He urged Tony viewers to support regional theatres; Purpose was nurtured in Chicago. Young, the first Black female actor to be nominated for a Tony Award in four consecutive years, became the first Black person to win two Tonys consecutively with the featured actress in a play trophy for her work in Purpose. Young thanked her parents, Jacobs-Jenkins, her cast and director Phylicia Rashad. "Theatre is a sacred space that we have to honour and treasure, and it makes us united," she said. Sunset Blvd., with Nicole Scherzinger starring as a fallen screen idol desperate to reclaim her fame, won best musical revival, handing composer Andrew Lloyd Webber his first competitive Tony since 1995 — when the original show won. The current version is a stripped-down, minimalist production. Scherzinger also won for best lead actress in a musical, muscling aside a considerable challenge from Audra McDonald, who was gunning for her seventh statuette. It caps a remarkable career pivot for Scherzinger, once the lead singer of the pop group Pussycat Dolls and a TV talent show judge. "Don't give up," she said. "This is a testament that love always wins." Criss, who has starred in everything from Glee to The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, won his first Tony for Maybe Happy Ending, which he also co-produced. He said he shared it with Shen, who was not nominated. Notable Tony moments Sarah Snook took home the trophy for leading actress in a play for her tireless work in The Picture of Dorian Gray, where she plays all 26 roles. "I don't feel alone any night that I do this show," Snook said, dismissing the idea of her play as a one-woman show. "There are so many people onstage making it work and behind the stage making it work." Downtown cabaret star Cole Escola took home the best actor in a play trophy for playing a deranged, repressed and over-the-top ahistorical version of Mary Todd Lincoln in Oh, Mary!, beating such Hollywood stars as George Clooney and Daniel Dae Kim. Sam Pinkleton won best director for Oh, Mary! and thanked Escola, saying he taught him, "Do what you love, not what you think people want to see." Francis Jue won best actor in a featured role in a play for his work in a revival of Yellow Face. He said he was gifted his tuxedo from another Asian actor who wanted him to wear it to the Tonys. "I'm only here because of the encouragement and inspiration of generations of wonderful deserving Asian artists who came before me," he said. "To those who don't feel seen," he added, "I see you." Jak Malone won best actor in a featured role in a musical for the British import Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical, playing a woman every performance. He hoped his win could be a powerful advocacy for trans rights. Eureka Day, Jonathan Spector's social satire about well-meaning liberals debating a school's vaccine policy, won the best play revival trophy. It made its off-Broadway debut in 2019. The original cast of Hamilton, including creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, did a victory lap all dressed in black to mark the show's 10th anniversary on Broadway, with a medley including My Shot, The Schuyler Sisters, History Has Its Eyes on You and The Room Where It Happens. 1st-time host First-time host Cynthia Erivo kicked off the show from her dressing room in Radio City Music Hall, unsure of her opening number as the stage manager urged her to get to the stage. As she made her way through the backstage warren, she ran into various people offering advice until she reached Oprah Winfrey, who advised, "The only thing you need to do is just be yourself." Erivo then appeared at the stage in a red, spangly gown with white accents, hip cocked, as she launched into the slow-burning original song Sometimes All You Need Is a Song, written by Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Initially alone with just a pianist, Erivo's soaring voice was soon joined by dozens of members of the Broadway Inspirational Voices choir, all dressed in white, making her look like a powerful strawberry in a bowl of whipped cream. In her opening comments, she singled out first-time nominees Louis McCartney, Sadie Sink, Cole Escola and "an up-and-comer that I think you're going to really be hearing quite a bit about — George Clooney." She noted that the 2024-2025 season took in $1.9 billion US, making it the highest-grossing season ever and signalling that Broadway has finally emerged from the COVID-19 blues. "Broadway is officially back," Erivo said. "Provided we don't run out of cast members from Succession," a nod to appearances this season by former co-stars Snook and Kieran Culkin and last season by Jeremy Strong. She and Sara Bareilles duetted for a moving in memoriam section, singing The Sun Will Come Out from Annie, and honouring its composer Charles Strouse as well as George Wendt, Richard Chamberlain, Athol Fugard, Joan Plowright, Quincy Jones, Linda Lavin, James Earl Jones and Gavin Creel. The best book and best score awards went to Maybe Happy Ending, with lyrics written by Hue Park and music composed by Will Aronson. Its director, Michael Arden, won — Happy Pride! he said — and it also picked up best scenic design of a musical. Justin Peck and Patricia Delgado won for choreographing Buena Vista Social Club and Peck noted a song from the renowned original album was played at their wedding. The musical takes its inspiration from Wim Wenders's 1999 Oscar-nominated documentary on the making of the Cuban album. Harvey Fierstein, the four-time Tony winner behind Torch Song Trilogy and Kinky Boots, was honoured with a lifetime achievement Tony and became emotional during his speech. "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. And so I dedicate this award to the people in the dark."
CTV News
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Tony Awards laud android rom-com ‘Maybe Happy Ending' and history-making ‘Purpose'
The cast and crew of "Maybe Happy Ending" accept the award for best musical for during the 78th Tony Awards on Sunday, June 8, 2025, at Radio City Music Hall in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP) NEW YORK -- 'Maybe Happy Ending,' a rom-com about androids that crackles with humanity, had a definite happy ending at Sunday's Tony Awards. It won best new musical on a night when Kara Young made history as the first Black person to win two Tonys consecutively for 'Purpose,' which also won best new play. Starring Darren Criss and Helen J. Shen, 'Maybe Happy Ending' charts the relationship between two decommissioned robots, becoming a commentary on human themes and the passage of time. It won a leading six Tonys. With 'Purpose,' a drawing-room drama about an accomplished Black family exposing hypocrisy and pressures during a snowed-in gathering, playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins caps a remarkable year: In addition to winning back-to-back Tonys -- his 'Appropriate' won best play revival last year -- he earned the Pulitzer Prize for 'Purpose.' (That win came the day of the Met Gala, where he served on the host committee.) Jacobs-Jenkins is the first Black playwright to win the category since August Wilson for 'Fences' in 1987. He urged viewers to support regional theaters; 'Purpose' was nurtured in Chicago. 'Theatre is a sacred space that we have to honor and treasure, and it makes us united,' Young said in her own acceptance speech. Notable Tony moments 'Sunset Blvd.,' with Nicole Scherzinger as a fallen screen idol desperate to reclaim her fame, won best musical revival, handing composer Andrew Lloyd Webber his first competitive Tony since 1995 -- when the original show won. The current version is a stripped-down, minimalist production. Scherzinger also won for best lead actress in a musical, muscling aside a considerable challenge from Audra McDonald in a remarkable career pivot for the former lead singer of pop group Pussycat Dolls and TV talent show judge. '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,' she said. 'So if there's anyone out there who feels like they don't belong, or your 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.' Criss, who has starred in everything from 'Glee' to 'The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story,' won his first Tony for 'Maybe Happy Ending,' which he also co-produced. He said he shared it with Shen, who was not nominated. Sarah Snook won leading actress in a play for her tireless work in 'The Picture of Dorian Gray,' where she plays all 26 roles. 'I don't feel alone any night that I do this show,' Snook said, dismissing the idea of it as a one-woman show. 'There are so many people onstage making it work and behind the stage making it work.' Downtown cabaret star Cole Escola won best actor in a play for their deranged, repressed and over-the-top ahistorical version of Mary Todd Lincoln in 'Oh Mary!,' beating such Hollywood stars as George Clooney and Daniel Dae Kim. Sam Pinkleton won best director for 'Oh, Mary!' and thanked Escola, saying they taught him, 'Do what you love, not what you think people want to see.' Francis Jue won best featured actor in a play for the revival of 'Yellow Face.' He said he was gifted his tuxedo from another Asian actor who wanted him to wear it to the Tonys. 'I'm only here because of the encouragement and inspiration of generations of wonderful deserving Asian artists who came before me,' he said. Jak Malone won best featured actor in a musical for the British import 'Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical,' playing a woman every performance. He hoped his win could be powerful advocacy for trans rights. 'Eureka Day,' Jonathan Spector's social satire about well-meaning liberals debating a school's vaccine policy, won best play revival. The original cast of 'Hamilton,' including creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, did a victory lap dressed in black to mark the show's 10th anniversary on Broadway, with a medley including 'My Shot,' 'The Schuyler Sisters,' 'History Has Its Eyes on You' and 'The Room Where It Happens.' The host with the most First-time host Cynthia Erivo kicked off the show from her Radio City Music Hall dressing room, unsure of her opening number. As she made her way through the backstage warren, she ran into various people offering advice until she reached Oprah Winfrey, who advised, 'The only thing you need to do is just be yourself.' Erivo then appeared at the stage in a red, spangly gown with white accents, hip cocked, as she launched into the slow-burning original 'Sometimes All You Need Is a Song,' written by Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Initially alone with a pianist, Erivo's soaring voice was soon joined by members of the Broadway Inspirational Voices choir, all dressed in white, making her look like a powerful strawberry in a bowl of whipped cream. In her opening comments, she singled out first-time nominees Escola, Louis McCartney, Sadie Sink, and 'an up-and-comer that I think you're going to really be hearing quite a bit about -- George Clooney.' She noted that the 2024-2025 season took in US$1.9 billion, making it the highest-grossing ever and signalling Broadway has finally emerged from the COVID-19 blues. 'Broadway is officially back,' Erivo said. 'Provided we don't run out of cast members from `Succession,'' a nod to appearances this season by former co-stars Snook and Kieran Culkin and last season by Jeremy Strong. She and Sara Bareilles dueted for a moving in memoriam, singing 'The Sun Will Come Out' from 'Annie,' and honoring its composer Charles Strouse as well as George Wendt, Richard Chamberlain, Athol Fugard,Joan Plowright, Quincy Jones, Linda Lavin, James Earl Jones and Gavin Creel. Erivo was an amiable host, at one point appearing in the second mezzanine to comment that everyone likes the view from theater balconies -- except perhaps Abraham Lincoln. She had fun with Winfrey later on, telling her to check under her chair, where she found a gift bag with a toy automobile. 'You get a car!' Erivo cracked. Pre-show results The best book and best score awards went to 'Maybe Happy Ending,' with lyrics written by Hue Park and music composed by Will Aronson. Its director, Michael Arden, won -- 'Happy Pride!' he said -- and it also picked up best scenic design. Justin Peck and Patricia Delgado won for choreographing 'Buena Vista Social Club' and Peck noted a song from the renowned original album was played at their wedding. The musical takes its inspiration from Wim Wenders' 1999 Oscar-nominated documentary on the making of the Cuban album. It won four Tonys. Best costumes in a play went to Marg Hornwell for 'The Picture of Dorian Gray,' while 'Death Becomes Her' won the musical counterpart for Paul Tazewell months after he became the first Black man to win an Oscar for designing costumes. Harvey Fierstein, the four-time Tony winner behind 'Torch Song Trilogy' and 'Kinky Boots,' was honoured with a lifetime achievement Tony and became emotional during his speech. '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,' he said. 'And so I dedicate this award to the people in the dark.' By Mark Kennedy
Khaleej Times
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
'Maybe Happy Ending' triumphs at Tony Awards with top musical wins
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, 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 (Dh6.94 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. Hamilton reunited 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. 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.' 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. Jak Malone won the award for best featured actor in a musical for Operation Mincemeat, a fast-paced World War Two spy farce based on a bizarre true British plot to trick the Nazis with a dead body. Best revival of a play went to Jonathan Spector's Eureka Day, a sharp comedy about well-meaning parents at a progressive school whose unity cracks open over a vaccine debate. Rising production costs a factor 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 theatre lovers. Even with lotteries and rush ticket programs, demand-driven pricing has become the norm. 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.'
Daily Mail
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Tony Awards 2025 winners: AT A GLANCE
A sobbing Nicole Scherzinger won the Best Leading Actress in a Musical award, for her performance in Sunset Boulevard Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical: Nicole Scherzinger — Sunset Blvd. Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical: Darren Criss — Maybe Happy Ending Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical: Natalie Venetia Belcon — Buena Vista Social Club Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical: Jak Malone — Operation Mincemeat Best Musical: Maybe Happy Ending Best Revival of a Musical: Sunset Blvd. Best Direction of a Musical: Michael Arden — Maybe Happy Ending PLAY CATEGORIES Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play: Sarah Snook — The Picture Of Dorian Gray Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play: Cole Escola — Oh, Mary! Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play: Kara Young — Purpose Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play: Francis Jue — Yellow Face Best Play: Purpose — Author: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins Best Revival of a Play: Eureka Day — Author: Jonathan Spector Best Direction of a Play: Sam Pinkleton — Oh, Mary!
