2025 Tony Awards winners: Glee actors raise the bar three years in a row, Stranger Things scores big

Sunday dropped the curtain on Broadway‘s biggest night of the year, the 78th Annual Tony Awards, at Radio City Music Hall in New York. Wicked star Cynthia Erivo, a fellow Tony recipient in the past, hosted the 2024-2025 Broadway celebration on June 8.

Thanks to A-list Hollywood stars-turned-stage performers, like George Clooney and Stranger Things‘ Sadie Sink, this particular stage play season churned out the highest-grossing record. Both prominent names also earned nominations this year for their performances in “Good Night and Good Luck,” and “John Proctor Is the Villain,” respectively.

Meanwhile, Cola Escola led the way with a whopping five nods this weekend. Former Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger also climbed to the top with her Best leading Actress in a Musical nomination and subsequent win.

Major wins for TV titles at the 2025 Tony Awards

What particularly hit TV fans in the feels were big wins recorded by the stage play expansion of the Hawkins universe with “Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” and the years-old fan-favourite musical dramedy, Glee. Continuing a three-year streak for Ryan Murphy’s jukebox TV series creation, Darren Criss, who played Blaine Anderson, scored his first-ever Tony victory by taking home the Best Leading Actor in a Musical trophy.

He followed in the golden footsteps of his Jonathan Groff, who much like his character arc on the show also won a Tony Award last year (Lead Actor – Musical). He was nominated this year as well, but as we now know, his Glee castmate ended up besting him this year. In 2023, yet another star of the much-loved musical series, Alex Newell, scripted history as the the first non-binary actor win a Tony Award.

Tony Awards 2025 winners list

• Best New Musical: “Maybe Happy Ending”
• Best New Play: “Purpose”
• Best Leading Actress in a Musical: Nicole Scherzinger for “Sunset Blvd”
• Best Leading Actor in a Musical: Darren Criss for “Maybe Happy Ending”
• Best Actor in a Play: Cole Escola for “Oh Mary!”
• Best Actress in a Play: Sarah Snook for “The Picture of Dorian Gray”
• Best Musical Revival: “Sunset Boulevard”
• Best Featured Actress in a Play: Kara Young for “Purpose”

• Best Featured Actor in a Play: Francis Jue for “Yellow Face”
• Best Featured Actress in a Musical: Natalia Venetia Belcon for “Buena Vista Social Club”
• Best Featured Actor in a Musical: Jak Malone for “Operation Mincemeat”
• Best Direction in a Musical: Michael Arden for “Maybe Happy Ending”
• Best Direction of a Play: Sam Pinkleton for “Oh Mary!”
• Best Book of a Musical: “Maybe Happy Ending”
• Best Scenic Design of a Play: Miriam Buether and 59 for “Stranger Things: The First Shadow”
• Best Orchestrations: Marco Paguia for “Buena Vista Social Club”
• Best Sound Design of a Play: Paul Arditti for “Stranger Things: The First Shadow”
• Best Original Score: Will Aronson and Hue park for “Maybe Happy Ending”
• Best Costume Design of a Musical: Paul Tazewell for “Death Becomes Her”