Cole Escola, who has taken the theater and fashion worlds by storm, is nominated in the categories of both lead performance, for their portrayal of a fully wasted, hysterical Mary Todd Lincoln in Oh, Mary!, and best play. The show also scooped up a featured-actor nomination for Conrad Ricamora (an aggrieved and crafty Abraham Lincoln), as well as recognition in directing and costume design (still holding out hope for a hoopskirt-specific special honor).
George Clooney is both established and a Broadway newbie: He’s nominated for lead actor in a play for his Broadway debut in Good Night, and Good Luck, going against Escola as well as Daniel Dae Kim, who stars in in Yellow Face. Mia Farrow got a leading-actress nod for The Roommate, competing with Sadie Sink, nominated for her role in the buzzy John Proctor Is the Villain, and Sarah Snook, who has wowed in a one-woman production of The Picture of Dorian Gray. If reviews are anything to go by, marveling at her high-energy performance never gets old. Audra McDonald, nominated for best leading actress in a musical for her role in the latest revival of Gypsy, is already the winningest actor in the history of the Tonys, but, hey, bet she wouldn’t say no to another.
And Broadway really is a community: In the lead-up to the Tonys, all of the nominees for leading actor in a musical met up to have dinner together (Darren Criss put the very cute receipts on his Instagram to prove it), as did the nominees for featured actor in a musical, who upped the ante by having custom matching hats made. What? Does your group hang not come with extremely specific merch? Weird.
See the full list of this year’s Tony nominees here.
Who will be at the 2025 Tonys?
An official guest list hasn’t been released (read: No, we don’t know if Patti LuPone will be there, with hundreds of her Broadway colleagues having signed an open letter asking the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League to bar her from attending, prompting her first-ever public apology after making unprofessional comments about Audra McDonald and Kecia Lewis), but the names of several presenters are already confirmed for the 78th annual Tony Awards. To name a few: Adam Lambert, Allison Janney, Ariana DeBose, Ben Stiller, Bryan Cranston, Jean Smart, Jesse Eisenberg, Katie Holmes, Keanu Reeves, Kristin Chenoweth, Lea Michele, Lea Salonga, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Michelle Williams, Oprah Winfrey, Samuel L. Jackson, Sara Bareilles, and Sarah Paulson.
Who will perform at the Tony Awards 2025?
While there are always some surprises during the show, with some performances at the 2025 Tonys remaining under wraps, we do know that the original Broadway cast of Hamilton will reunite and perform during the show to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the musical’s opening on Broadway. Yes, that includes Lin-Manuel Miranda, the writer and original star of the show; Leslie Odom Jr., who won a Tony for originating the role of Aaron Burr and is set to return to the Broadway cast in the fall; and more. The show still holds the record as the most nominated musical in Tony history, having earned 16 nods in 2016. It ultimately won 11 awards, falling just short of the record held by The Producers, which won 12 at the 2001 Tony Awards.
Nominees in the best-musical and best-musical-revival categories often—but not always—perform a number or medley from their shows. This year the casts of Buena Vista Social Club, Dead Outlaw, Death Becomes Her, Floyd Collins, Gypsy, Maybe Happy Ending, Operation Mincemeat, Pirates! The Penzance Musical, Sunset Blvd., Just in Time, and Real Women Have Curves will perform during the telecast. The Tonys have announced that the show will also feature an appearance by Broadway Inspirational Voices, a choir and service organization that received a special Tony in 2019.
There’s room for theatrics even before the show: Powerhouses Darren Criss and Renée Elise Goldsberry are hosting the Act One preshow, and it would be a crime to stop them from belting. Might we be in for a two-performance night from Criss? Here’s hoping.
How long are the Tony Awards?
The ceremony is scheduled for a three-hour run time, ending at 11 p.m. ET There will be no intermission, so prepare accordingly.
