Cynthia Erivo kicks off Tony Awards with advice from Oprah; Sarah Snook wins
"Succession" star Sarah Snook took home the first acting Tony Award on Sunday, winning the trophy for leading actress in a play for "The Picture of Dorian Gray", in which she plays all 26 roles, reprising a performance that won her an Olivier Award.
"This means so much for a little Australian girl," she said. She thanked her husband, Dave Lawson, for "holding down the fort and keeping our family together."
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 the tux he was wearing 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 punch for trans rights.
The host with the most
First-time host Cynthia Erivo kicked off the show from her dressing room in Radio City Music Hall, urged by the stage manager to get to the stage. He asked if she had an opening number and she replied she hadn't figured it out yet.
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 Radio City 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.
Alone onstage 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. She went into the audience and got front-row guests to sing along, including Adam Lambert.
"So, I took in all the voices that told me what to do/And I looked through all the choices and I found one thing is true/It's really very simple/It's the thing that makes you sing, that makes you soar/Sometimes, sometimes all you need is a song."
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 USD 1.9 billion, 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.
Pre-show results
"Buena Vista Social Club", "Maybe Happy Ending" and "Stranger Things: The First Shadow" built up early heads of steam at the Tony Awards - well before the main event had even started. Each had a leading three trophies from the pre-show.
The best book and best score awards went to "Maybe Happy Ending", with lyrics written by Hue Park and music composed by Will Aronson. The show was one of the favourites to win the best new musical crown, also picking 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 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.
"Stranger Things: The First Shadow", an effects-driven prequel to the ‘Netflix’ hit show "Stranger Things", won best sound design of a play, best scenic design and best lighting design for a play. "Sunset Blvd." won best lighting design for a musical.
Marco Paguia won best orchestrations for "Buena Vista Social Club" and thanked Broadway for welcoming Cuban music. "Buena Vista Social Club" also won best sound design for a musical.
Best costumes in a play went to Marg Hornwell for "The Picture of Dorian Gray", while "Death Becomes Her" won the musical counterpart, a win for Paul Tazewell in a year where he also became the first Black man to win an Oscar for designing costumes, for "Wicked."
"I have dressed so many of you out there," he said from the podium.
This season on Broadway
Broadway buzz is usually reserved for musicals but this year the plays - powered by A-list talent - have driven the conversation. There's Snook, nominee Clooney in "Good Night and Good Luck", Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal in "Othello" and Culkin and nominee Bob Odenkirk in "Glengarry Glen Ross."
There were two Pulitzer winners - 2024 awardee "English" and "Purpose" from 2025 - but perhaps one of the season's biggest surprises was "Oh, Mary!", Escola's irreverent, raunchy, gleefully deranged revisionist history centred on Mary Todd Lincoln. All three are nominated for best play, along with "John Proctor is the Villain" and "The Hills of California."
On the musical side, three options seem to be in the mix for the top prize: "Maybe Happy Ending", a rom-com about a pair of androids; "Dead Outlaw", about an alcoholic drifter whose embalmed body becomes a prized possession for half a century and "Death Becomes Her", the musical satire about longtime frenemies who drink a magic potion for eternal youth and beauty. "Maybe Happy Ending", "Death Becomes Her" and fellow musical nominee, "Buena Vista Social Club", led nominations with 10 apiece.
History on the line
Audra McDonald, the most recognised performer in the theatre awards' history, could possibly extend her Tony lead. Already the record holder for most acting wins with six Tonys, McDonald could add to that thanks to her leading turn in an acclaimed revival of "Gypsy". She has to get past Nicole Scherzinger, who has been wowing audiences in "Sunset Blvd".
And Kara Young - the first Black female actor to be nominated for a Tony Award in four consecutive years - could become the first Black person to win two Tonys consecutively, should she win for her role in the play "Purpose".
Other possible back-to-back winners include director Danya Taymor, hoping to follow up her 2024 win with "The Outsiders" with another for "John Proctor Is the Villain" and "Purpose" playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, who won last year with "Appropriate".
Other possible firsts include Daniel Dae Kim, who could become the first Asian winner in the category of best leading actor in a play for his work in a revival of "Yellow Face". And Marjan Neshat and her "English" co-star Tala Ashe could become the first female actors of Iranian descent to win a Tony, while their playwright, Sanaz Toossi, could be the first Iranian-born play winner.
Broadway this season saw a burst in alt-rock and the emergence of stories of young people for young people, including "John Proctor is the Villain" and a "Romeo + Juliet" pitched to Generation Z and millennials.
Sunday's telecast, as usual, has a musical number for each of the shows vying for the best new musical crown, as well as some that didn't make the cut, like "Just in Time", a musical about Bobby Darin and "Real Women Have Curves". This year, there's also room for "Hamilton”, celebrating its 10th year on Broadway. But the musicals "BOOP! The Betty Boop Musical" and "SMASH" did not get slots.
