Awards
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Questions we asked, quips we heard and what we learned backstage at the 78th annual Tonys.
Maybe Happy Ending was the top winner at the 2025 Tony Awards, winning six awards including best musical, best original score written for the theatre and best book of a musical. Will Aronson and Hue Park were winners in all three categories – with Aronson and Park being among the producers of the musical. Maybe Happy Ending is based on a South Korean one-act musical. The musical follows two life-like helper-bots, who discover each other in Seoul in the late 21st century.
The 78th Annual Tony Awards, hosted for the first time by Cynthia Erivo, were held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Sunday (June 8). The show was broadcast live coast-to-coast on CBS, and streaming on Paramount+ in the U.S.
Darren Criss, who was part of the chart-conquering Glee phenomenon and has had such solo successes as A Very Darren Crissmas, won two Tonys for Maybe Happy Ending – best actor in a leading role in a musical and as one of the producers of the show. The versatile performer won a Primetime Emmy for his role as spree killer Andrew Cunanan in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (2018).
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Nicole Scherzinger, who had four top 10 hits on the Hot 100 with The Pussycat Dolls, won best actress in a musical for Sunset Blvd. Glenn Close won in the same category for the original production in 1995.
Scherzinger beat Audra McDonald for a revival of Gypsy. McDonald has won more Tonys than any other performer (six), but has now lost in her last three nominations – for Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune (2020), Ohio State Murders (2023) and now Gypsy.
Trailing Maybe Happy Ending on the list of shows with the most awards were: Buena Vista Social Club with four awards; Sunset Blvd. and Stranger Things: The First Shadow, with three; and Purpose, The Picture of Dorian Gray and Oh, Mary! with two each.
The productions that experienced the biggest shut-outs, going home empty-handed, were: Dead Outlaw, John Proctor Is the Villain and The Hills of California, each of went 0-7 on the night, and Floyd Collins and Just in Time, each of went 0-6; and English, Good Night, and Good Luck and Gypsy, each of went 0-5.
Sunset Blvd. also won best revival of a musical (beating Gypsy, among others). The original production won best musical in 1995. Greg Berlanti is among the producers of the revival.
Buena Vista Social Club features music recorded by Buena Vista Social Club. The musical is set in Havana, Cuba and follows the lives of four musicians, and their eventual collaboration in 1997 on the landmark album Buena Vista Social Club. The music in the show is presented entirely in Spanish. The original album was inducted into the National Recording Registry in 2022 and the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2024. This musical is based on a 1999 documentary about the making of the album that received an Oscar nod for documentary (feature).
Several people won for their Broadway debuts, including Sarah Snook, best performance by an actress in a leading role in play for The Picture of Dorian Gray; Jak Malone, best performance by an actor in a featured role in a musical for Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical; and George Reeve, best scenic design of a musical for Maybe Happy Ending.
Snook won a Primetime Emmy in 2023, outstanding lead actress in a drama series for her role as Shiv Roy in HBO Max’s Succession.
Paul Tazewell won best costume design of a musical for his work on Death Becomes Her. Tazewell won an Oscar earlier this year for best costume design for Wicked. “A Black queer boy from Canton, Ohio had no idea that in 2025 he would have the year he has had,” Tazewell said in a accepting his Tony.
Cole Escola won best performance by an actor in a leading role in a play for playing Mary Todd Lincoln in Oh, Mary! Julie Harris won best actress in a leading role in a play in 1973 for playing the former first lady in The Last of Mrs. Lincoln.
Kara Young won best performance by an actress in a featured role in a play for Purpose. She won in that category last year for Purlie Victorious. She’s the second actress to win two years running in that category. The first was Judith Light in 2012-13 for Other Desert Cities and The Assembled Parties. Moreover, she’s the first Black actor to win back-to-back Tonys in any category.
Erivo and Sara Bareilles sang “Tomorrow” from Annie over the In Memoriam segment. It was an apt choice, as that song’s composer, Charles Strouse, died in May. Also in the spot: actors including Richard Chamberlain, Linda Lavin, Jean Marsh, Gavin Creel and James Earl Jones and producer Quincy Jones.
Here’s the full list of 2025 Tony nominations, with winners marked:
Best Musical
Buena Vista Social Club – Producers: Orin Wolf, John Styles, Jr., Barbara Broccoli, Atlantic Theater Company, Viajes Miranda, LaChanze, David Yazbek, John Leguizamo, David F. Schwartz, Zak Kilberg, J. Todd Harris, Cabo Productions, Roy Furman, Hannah Rosenthal, Jamie deRoy/Marvin Rosen, Grove • REG & Frank Marshall, F.K.R.J. Productions, Patrick Milling-Smith/Brian Carmody, DJ Stage Productions, Palitz Wiesenfeld Productions, Richard & Roberta Shaker, Front Row Productions, Cathy Dantchik, Brooke & Brian Devine, Gilad Rogowsky, MacPac Entertainment, No Guarantees Productions, Rhythm & Rain Productions, Hadley Schnuck, James Francis Trezza, Yonge Street Theatricals, Patrick Daly, Olympus Theatricals/Firemused Productions, Ioana Alfonso/Eric Stine, William Berlind/W.M. Klausner, Creative Endeavor Office/Untitled Theatricals, Ruth Hendel/The Kaplans, Pam Hurst-Della Pietra/Philip Van Dijk, Debbie Ohanian/Stone Arch Theatricals, Composite Capital Partners, Larry Levien, Matt Murphy, Marc Platt, Sandy Robertson, Iris Smith, Thomas Steven Perakos/Douglas A. Fellman, Brad Blume/The Klaes’, Ankit Agrawal/Constance Cincotta, Independent Presenters Network, Nick & Nicky Gold, HoriPro Inc., Playful Productions UK, The Shubert Organization, Frederick Zollo, John Gore Organization, Nederlander Presentations Inc., Marco Ramirez, Allan Williams
Dead Outlaw – Producers: Lia Vollack Productions, Sonia Friedman Productions, Roy Furman, Ken & Janet Schur, Cue to Cue Productions, James Bolosh/Hillary Wyatt, Carl Moellenberg/Ricardo Hornos, Carl & Jennifer Pasbjerg/H2H Concord Theatricals, Masquerade Partners, Douglas Denoff, John Gore Organization, GFour Productions, Brian Hedden, KFRJ Productions, Lang Entertainment Group, James L. Nederlander, Marvin Rosen, Stanely S. Shuman, James L. Walker, Jr., Winkler & Smalberg, 42nd.club/Aligned Theatricals, Craig Balsam/Richard Batchelder, Jane Bergère/Willette and Manny Klausner, The Broadway Investor’s Club/Eastern Standard Time, Barbara Chiodo/Adam Cohen, Merrie L. Davis/Tony Spinosa, Noah Eisenberg/Sue Drew, Robin Gorman Newman/Laurence Padgett Productions, LLPR Productions/Patinogal, Mary Maggio/Janet Rosen, Thomas Swayne, Lawryn LaCroix, Audible
Death Becomes Her – Producers: Universal Theatrical Group, James L. Nederlander, Steven Spielberg & Kate Capshaw, Jason Blum & James Wan, Debra Martin Chase, John Gore Organization, Marc Platt, Lowe Cunningham, Marcia Goldberg
WINNER: Maybe Happy Ending – Producers: Jeffrey Richards, Hunter Arnold, Darren Criss, Dr. Pam Hurst-Della Pietra & Stephen Della Pietra, NHN Link Corporation, Greg & Lisa Love, Kayla Greenspan, Jayne Baron Sherman, Louise Gund, Spencer Ross, Yonge Street Theatricals, Ruth Hendel, Kaplan-Gopal-MMC, Adam Zotovich, At Rise Creative, Broadway Strategic Return Fund, Curt Cronin, Fahs Productions, Greg Field, Paul Gavriani/Michael Patrick, Rebecca Gold, Grace Street Creative Group, John Gore Organization, Willette & Manny Klausner, Kent Knudsen, James L. Nederlander, Salmira Productions, The Shubert Organization, Jacob Stuckelman & John Albert Harris, Wooran Foundation, You Should Smile More Productions, Mark and David Golub Productions, Diego Kolankowsky, Takonkiet Viravan, Brad Blume, Will Aronson & Hue Park, Hugo Six, Clarissa Cueva, Ali Daylami, Maia Kayla Glasman, Patrick W. Jones, Brandon J. Schwartz, Allan Williams
Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical – Producers: Avalon, SpitLip, Jon Thoday, Richard Allen-Turner, Bryan McCaffrey, Walport Productions, LeftNoRing Productions, Barbara Chiodo, Feuille Dooley North Productions, The Shubert Organization, Ken Davenport, Steve & Paula Reynolds, Concord Theatricals, Byron Grote & Susan Miller, John Gore Organization, M. Kilburg Reedy, Sony Music Entertainment, You Should Smile More Productions, Tom Smedes & Peter Stern, Judith Ann Abrams Productions/The Broadway Investor’s Club, Lang Entertainment Group, Alli Folk/Evelyn Hoffman & Gregory Stern, Nick Flatto/Evan & Claudia Caplan Reynolds, Larry Hirschhorn & Ricardo Hornos/Carl & Jennifer Pasbjerg, Independent Presenters Network/Lloyd Tichio Productions, Kendall Kellaway III/Megan Minutillo, Blume Johnson Rubin & Silver, Russell Citron, The Council, Jamie deRoy & Brian Rooney/Corey Brunish & Matthew P. Hui, Dodge Hall Productions, 42nd.club, IJB Productions, Mickey Liddell & Pete Shilaimon, Stephanie P. McClelland, James L. Simon, Mark Weinstein, Adam Cohen/Nick Padgett, Vibecke Dahle Dellapolla/Lynnette Barkley, Willette & Manny Klausner/Elizabeth Faulkner Salem, Michael Page/Burnt Umber Productions, Wallace-Phoebe/Laurie Oki & Alexander Oki, Margot Astrachan/TT Partners, Andrew Fell
Best Revival of a Musical
Floyd Collins – Book/Additional Lyrics: Tina Landau; Music & Lyrics: Adam Guettel; Producers: Lincoln Center Theater, André Bishop, Adam Siegel, Naomi Grabel, Ira Weitzman, Creative Partners Productions, Mark Cortale & Charles D. Urstadt
Gypsy – Producers: Tom Kirdahy, Mara Isaacs, Kevin Ryan, Diane Scott Carter, Wendy Federman & Heni Koenigsberg, Roy Furman, Viajes Miranda, Kerry Washington, Peter May, Thomas M. Neff, Cynthia J. Tong, Adam Hyndman, A Perfect Team Productions, Cue to Cue Productions, Da Silva Stone, DMQR Productions, Grant Spark Productions, Marguerite Steed Hoffman, KarmaHendelMcCabe, James L. Nederlander, Janet and Marvin Rosen, Archer Entertainment, Dale Franzen, 42nd.club, Rob Acton, All That JJAS, Mike Audet, Patty Baker, Cohen Soto, Concord Theatricals, Creative Partners Productions, Crumhale Taylor Productions, Ken Davenport, DJD Productions, Flipswitch Entertainment, Frankly Spoken Productions, Roy Gabay, Happy Recap Productions, Sandra and Howard Hoffen, John Gore Organization, Johnson Maggio Productions, Willette and Manny Klausner, Kors Le Pere Theatricals, LaCroix Eisenberg, David Lai, Little Lamb Productions, Bill and Sally Martin, Mohari Media, No Guarantees Productions, Pam Hurst-Della Pietra and Stephen Della Pietra, Regian Davison, Lamar Richardson, Patti and Michael Roberts, RTK Rose, Score 3 Partners, Silva Theatrical Group, Some People, Stone Arch Theatricals, Storyboard Entertainment LE, Mary and Jay Sullivan, The Adams Hendel Group, The Array VI, The Broadway Investor’s Club, Theatre Producers of Color, Tom Tuft, TreAmici Gooding, Waiting in the Wings Productions, Whitney Williams, Sara Beth Zivitz, Jamila Ponton Bragg, The Industry Standard Group
Pirates! The Penzance Musical – Producers: Roundabout Theatre Company, Todd Haimes, Scott Ellis, Sydney Beers, Christopher Nave, Steven Showalter, James L. Nederlander, Fran and Paul Turner, ATG Productions/Gavin Kalin Productions
WINNER: Sunset Blvd. – Producers: The Jamie Lloyd Company, ATG Productions, Michael Harrison for Lloyd Webber Harrison Musicals, Gavin Kalin Productions, Wessex Grove, Christopher Ketner, Aleri Entertainment, Sonia Friedman, Roth-Manella Productions, Winkler Smalberg, Caitlin Clements, 42nd.club, Abrams Johnson, Aron on Broadway, The Array V, At Rise Creative, Bad Robot Live, Craig Balsam, Greg Berlanti, Boardman Cannova Productions, Bob Boyett, Burnt Umber Productions, Patrick Catullo, Crane McGill Trunfio, Core Four Productions, Nicole Eisenberg, The Factor Gavin Partnership, Federman Jenen Koenigsberg, Forshaw Turchin, John Gore, Jake Hine, LAMF Secret Hideout, Jack Lane, Lang Entertainment Group, Lelli Armstrong, Alex Levy, Luftig Reade St. Kawana, Mary Maggio, Jay Marcus, Stephanie P. McClelland, James L. Nederlander, No Guarantees Productions, P3 Productions, Thomas Steven Perakos, Pam Hurst-Della Pietra, Shari Redstone, Regian Davison Buckman, Sand & Snow Entertainment, SBK Productions, The Shubert Organization, Smedes Stern Productions, Tilted, Willowrow Entertainment, WMKlausner
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
WINNER: Darren Criss, Maybe Happy Ending
Andrew Durand, Dead Outlaw
Tom Francis, Sunset Blvd.
Jonathan Groff, Just in Time
James Monroe Iglehart, A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical
Jeremy Jordan, Floyd Collins
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Megan Hilty, Death Becomes Her
Audra McDonald, Gypsy
Jasmine Amy Rogers, BOOP! The Musical
WINNER: Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset Blvd.
Jennifer Simard, Death Becomes Her
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Brooks Ashmanskas, SMASH
Jeb Brown, Dead Outlaw
Danny Burstein, Gypsy
WINNER: Jak Malone, Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical
Taylor Trensch, Floyd Collins
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
WINNER: Natalie Venetia Belcon, Buena Vista Social Club
Julia Knitel, Dead Outlaw
Gracie Lawrence, Just in Time
Justina Machado, Real Women Have Curves: The Musical
Joy Woods, Gypsy
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Dead Outlaw, Music & Lyrics: David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna
Death Becomes Her, Music & Lyrics: Julia Mattison and Noel Carey
WINNER: Maybe Happy Ending, Music: Will Aronson; Lyrics: Will Aronson and Hue Park
Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical, Music & Lyrics: David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts
Real Women Have Curves: The Musical, Music & Lyrics: Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez
Best Book of a Musical
Buena Vista Social Club, Marco Ramirez
Dead Outlaw, Itamar Moses
Death Becomes Her, Marco Pennette
WINNER: Maybe Happy Ending, Will Aronson and Hue Park
Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical, David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts
Best Direction of a Musical
Saheem Ali, Buena Vista Social Club
WINNER: Michael Arden, Maybe Happy Ending
David Cromer, Dead Outlaw
Christopher Gattelli, Death Becomes Her
Jamie Lloyd, Sunset Blvd.
Best Choreography
Joshua Bergasse, SMASH
Camille A. Brown, Gypsy
Christopher Gattelli, Death Becomes Her
Jerry Mitchell, BOOP! The Musical
WINNER: Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck, Buena Vista Social Club
Best Orchestrations
Andrew Resnick and Michael Thurber, Just in Time
Will Aronson, Maybe Happy Ending
Bruce Coughlin, Floyd Collins
WINNER: Marco Paguia, Buena Vista Social Club
David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sunset Blvd.
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Rachel Hauck, Swept Away
WINNER: Dane Laffrey and George Reeve, Maybe Happy Ending
Arnulfo Maldonado, Buena Vista Social Club
Derek McLane, Death Becomes Her
Derek McLane, Just in Time
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Dede Ayite, Buena Vista Social Club
Gregg Barnes, BOOP! The Musical
Clint Ramos, Maybe Happy Ending
WINNER: Paul Tazewell, Death Becomes Her
Catherine Zuber, Just in Time
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
WINNER: Jack Knowles, Sunset Blvd.
Tyler Micoleau, Buena Vista Social Club
Scott Zielinski and Ruey Horng Sun, Floyd Collins
Ben Stanton, Maybe Happy Ending
Justin Townsend, Death Becomes Her
Best Sound Design of a Musical
WINNER: Jonathan Deans, Buena Vista Social Club
Adam Fisher, Sunset Blvd.
Peter Hylenski, Just in Time
Peter Hylenski, Maybe Happy Ending
Dan Moses Schreier, Floyd Collins
Best Play
English – Author: Sanaz Toossi; Producers: Roundabout Theatre Company, Todd Haimes, Scott Ellis, Sydney Beers, Christopher Nave, Steven Showalter, Atlantic Theater Company
The Hills of California – Author: Jez Butterworth; Producers: Sonia Friedman Productions, No Guarantees Productions, Neal Street Productions, Brian Spector, Sand & Snow Entertainment, Stephanie P. McClelland, Barry Diller, Reade St. Productions, Van Dean, Andrew Paradis/We R Broadway Artists Alliance, Patty Baker, Wendy Bingham Cox, Bob Boyett, Butcher Brothers, Caitlin Clements, Kallish Weinstein Creative, Michael Scott, Steven Toll & Randy Jones Toll, City Cowboy Productions/Jamie deRoy, JKVL Productions/Padgett Ross Productions, Koenigsberg Riley/Tulchin Bartner Productions, Todd B. Rubin/Carlos Medina, Silly Bears Productions/Omara Productions, Michael Wolk/Cali e Amici, Manhattan Theatre Club, Lynne Meadow, Chris Jennings
John Proctor is the Villain – Author: Kimberly Belflower;Producers: Sue Wagner, John Johnson, John Mara, Jr., Runyonland, Eric Falkenstein, Jillian Robbins, Jen Hoguet, Rialto Productions, Corets Gough Kench Cohen, The Shubert Organization, James L. Nederlander, John Gore Organization, Patty Baker, Cue to Cue Productions, Echo Lake Entertainment, Harris Rubin Productions, Klausner & Zell, Jennifer Kroman, Mickey Liddell & Pete Shilaimon, Mahnster Productions, Nathan Winoto, The Cohn Sisters & Stifelman-Burkhardt, Astro Lab Productions, Creative Partners Productions, Sarah Daniels & Christopher Barrett, Frimmer & Benmosche, Joan Rechnitz, Melissa Chamberlain & Michael McCartney, Pam Hurst-Della Pietra & Stephen Della Pietra, McCaffrey & Demar, Alan & Peggy Mendelson, Newport & Smerigan, Jamie deRoy, Jaime Gleicher, Wes Grantom, Meena Harris & Jessica Foung, Los Angeles Media Fund, Corey Steinfast, SunnySpot & Valentine, Turchin Clements, Jane Bergère & Douglas Denoff, Amy Wen & Meister Leonard, 7th Inning Stretch & Stella La Rue, Indie Slingshot, Annaleise Loxton
Oh, Mary! – Author: Cole Escola; Producers: Kevin McCollum & Lucas McMahon, Mike Lavoie & Carlee Briglia, Bob Boyett, The Council, Jean Doumanian Productions, Nicole Eisenberg, Jay Marcus & George Strus, Irony Point, Richard Batchelder/Bradley Reynolds, Tyler Mount/Tommy Doyle, Nelson & Tao, Palomares & Rosenberg, ShowTown Productions
WINNER: Purpose – Author: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins; Producers: David Stone, Debra Martin Chase, Marc Platt, LaChanze, Rashad V. Chambers, Aaron Glick, Universal Theatrical Group, Eastern Standard Time, Trate Productions, Nancy Nagel Gibbs, James L. Nederlander, John Gore, ATG Entertainment, The Shubert Organization, Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Best Revival of a Play
WINNER: Eureka Day – Author: Jonathan Spector; Producers: Manhattan Theatre Club, Lynne Meadow, Chris Jennings
Romeo + Juliet – Producers: Seaview, Harbor Entertainment, Kevin Ryan, Eric & Marsi Gardiner, Roth-Manella Productions, Kate Cannova, J + J Productions, Julie Boardman, Alexander-Taylor Deignan, Atekwana Hutton, Bensmihen Mann Productions, Patrick Catullo, Chutzpah Productions, Corets Gough Willman Productions, Dave Johnson Productions, DJD Productions, Hornos Moellenberg, Pam Hurst-Della Pietra & Stephen Della Pietra, Mark Gordon Pictures, Oren Michels, No Guarantees Productions, Nothing Ventured Productions, Strus Lynch, Sunset Cruz Productions, Dennis Trunfio, Stephen C. Byrd, Fourth Wall Theatricals, Level Forward, Soto Productions, WMKlausner
Thornton Wilder’s Our Town – Producers: Jeffrey Richards, Samsational Entertainment, Louise Gund, Eric Falkenstein, Suzanne Grant, Patty Baker, Daryl Roth/Tom Tuft, Ronald Frankel, Rebecca Gold, Gabrielle Palitz, Brunish-Rooney-Hui/Laura Little, Thom and Karen Lauzon, Pamela Hurst-Della Pietra & Stephen Della Pietra, Score 3 Partners, Secret Hideout, David S. Stone, Craig Balsam, John Gore Organization, Caiola Productions, Concord Theatricals, Melissa & Bradford Coolidge, Irene Gandy, Kenny Leon, Willette & Manny Klausner, Andrew Marderian-Davis, Ellen Susman, Leslie Rainbolt, Randy Jones Toll & Steven Toll, James S. Levine, Hank & Kara Steinberg, Alexander “Sandy” Marshall, Ken & Rande Greiner/David Schwartz & Trudy Zohn, Patrick W. Jones, Maia Kayla Glasman, Brandon J. Schwartz, The Shubert Organization
Yellow Face – Author: David Henry Hwang; Producers: Roundabout Theatre Company, Todd Haimes, Scott Ellis, Sydney Beers, Christopher Nave, Steven Showalter
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck
WINNER: Cole Escola, Oh, Mary!
Jon Michael Hill, Purpose
Daniel Dae Kim, Yellow Face
Harry Lennix, Purpose
Louis McCartney, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Laura Donnelly, The Hills of California
Mia Farrow, The Roommate
LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Purpose
Sadie Sink, John Proctor is the Villain
WINNER: Sarah Snook, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Glenn Davis, Purpose
Gabriel Ebert, John Proctor is the Villain
WINNER: Francis Jue, Yellow Face
Bob Odenkirk, Glengarry Glen Ross
Conrad Ricamora, Oh, Mary!
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Tala Ashe, English
Jessica Hecht, Eureka Day
Marjan Neshat, English
Fina Strazza, John Proctor is the Villain
WINNER: Kara Young, Purpose
Best Direction of a Play
Knud Adams, English
Sam Mendes, The Hills of California
WINNER: Sam Pinkleton, Oh, Mary!
Danya Taymor, John Proctor is the Villain
Kip Williams, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Marsha Ginsberg, English
Rob Howell, The Hills of California
Marg Horwell and David Bergman, The Picture of Dorian Gray
WINNER: Miriam Buether and 59, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Scott Pask, Good Night, and Good Luck
Best Costume Design of a Play
Brenda Abbandandolo, Good Night, and Good Luck
WINNER: Marg Horwell, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Rob Howell, The Hills of California
Holly Pierson, Oh, Mary!
Brigitte Reiffenstuel, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Natasha Chivers, The Hills of California
WINNER: Jon Clark, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Heather Gilbert and David Bengali, Good Night, and Good Luck
Natasha Katz and Hannah Wasileski, John Proctor is the Villain
Nick Schlieper, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Best Sound Design of a Play
WINNER: Paul Arditti, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Palmer Hefferan, John Proctor is the Villain
Daniel Kluger, Good Night, and Good Luck
Nick Powell, The Hills of California
Clemence Williams, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Check out best pics from the 78th annual Tonys.
The BRIT Awards will move to Manchester in 2026 and 2027, marking the first time the ceremony has taken place outside of London in its nearly-50 year history.
Co-op Live, the venue operated by Oak View Group, will host the event on Feb. 28, 2026 and be broadcast live on ITV 1 and ITV X; 2027’s date is yet to be confirmed.
The 2025 event was held in March at The O2 Arena in London, the ceremony’s home since 2012. The BRITs has been held at various venues in the capital including Earl’s Court (1996-2011), Alexandra Palace (1993-1995) and The Grosvenor Hotel (1982-1987).
The first event in 1977 was held at the Wembley Conference Centre, and the BRITs became a yearly occurrence from 1982 onwards; the 2021 event was the first major event to take place in the U.K. following the outbreak of the COVID pandemic a year prior.
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2026 marks the first event of the three-year stewardship under Sony Music U.K.; stewardship rotates between the three major labels, with the BRIT Committee overseeing the show’s creative direction. Damian Christian, the managing director and president of promotions at Atlantic Records, a Warner Music subsidiary, served as the chair of the BRIT Committee from 2022-2025.
“Moving to Manchester, the home of some of the most iconic and defining artists of our lifetime, will invigorate the show and build on the BRITs legacy of celebrating and reinvesting in world-class music,” says Jason Isley MBE, chairman and CEO, Sony Music U.K. & Ireland. “Hosting the show in Manchester, with its vibrant cultural history, perfectly captures the spirit and energy of the BRIT Awards. I can’t wait to see the show at the amazing state-of-the art Co-op Live venue.”
Despite a beleaguered opening which saw delays and cancellation of shows in April 2024, the Co-op Live has since established itself as a key player in the U.K. live music scene. In 2024, the venue hosted the MTV EMAs, and 2025’s live slate includes Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Olivia Rodrigo, Tyler, The Creator and more. The venue’s 23,500 capacity makes it the largest indoor arena in Europe.
Tim Leiweke, co-founder and CEO of Oak View Group said: “The BRITs are the most important music event in the UK and were always the highlight of the year, not only because of its immense cultural contribution, but because of their commitment to improving the lives of youth through music. It is our honour to partner with our friends at BPI and Sony Music, alongside the great city of Manchester, to host the BRITs at Co-op Live and join in their mission to create opportunities for youth through music.”
The BRIT Awards regularly pulls big name performers, with 2025’s ceremony boasting live performances by Sabrina Carpenter, Lola Young, Teddy Swims and Sam Fender. Charli XCX, meanwhile, collected five awards on the night, including album of the year.
The move follows the relocation of the MOBO Awards in recent years to Coventry (2021) and Sheffield (2024), and the Mercury Prize which is set to be hosted in Newcastle’s Utilita Arena in September 2025.
The first time Broadway director and choreographer Sergio Trujillo heard about Real Women Have Curves, he didn’t pay much attention. His husband, producer Jack Noseworthy — with whom he runs Truworthy Productions, focused on finding Latino stories to empower the community through musical theater — had watched the America Ferrera-starring 2002 movie and asked him to see it, thinking it would make “a really interesting musical.”
“Mostly because he’s been growing up with my family — my mother, my sisters, all of them — and he said he saw something in it,” Trujillo, who was born in Colombia, tells Billboard Español. “I was so absorbed with so many other projects, that I sort of saw it but I didn’t pay attention.”
One night, he decided to give it another shot, learning that it was originally a play by Josefina López – which he read immediately. “I was like, ‘Oh, my God, this is a musical! Mostly because the characters were bigger than life. The language was so buoyant, it was like music. The story was beautiful,” he recalls joyfully. “And there is a phrase that [the protagonist] Ana says in the play — ‘Women are most powerful when they work together’ — that resonated with me deeply, more than anything else.”
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Set in the Boyle Heights section of Los Angeles in 1987, Real Women Have Curves follows Ana García, a cutely chubby, uber-smart daughter of immigrant parents who struggles between her ambitions of going to college and the desires of her mother for her to get married, have children and oversee the small, rundown family-owned textile factory. The show deals with gender politics and the Latina immigrant experience, with immigration agents messing with their husbands, judgment from other characters, and dreams that for many undocumented seem simply impossible to achieve.
Trujillo, both as an immigrant and as one of the few men in his family, felt a profound connection. “I thought, ‘What a great way to,’ first of all, in the mission to empower our community, ‘to empower women, but also celebrate all of my mother and my sister and my aunts, all of the women that have made so many sacrifices so that I could have the life that I have.’” And that is what he did.
Formally opening on April 27 at the James Earl Jones Theatre, Real Women Have Curves: The Musical is now nominated for two Tony Awards at Sunday’s show: best original score, by Latin music star Joy Huerta (half of the Mexican pop duo Jesse & Joy) and Benjamin Velez, and best performance by an actress in a featured role for Justina Machado — who in a full-circle moment plays Carmen García, the mother of Ana, more than 30 years after playing Ana herself at the Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago.
The fact that both Huerta and Machado received nominations this year is remarkable. The former is a Grammy-winning singer who had never done theater before. The latter — whom Trujillo worked with more than two decades ago and was completely convinced she was his Carmen — was initially reluctant to accept the role because she couldn’t see herself in it.
“When I did the play when I was 20 years old, it was just a different kind of role. And when I saw the movie, you know, with the wonderful, iconic Lupe Ontiveros [as Carmen], I just didn’t think that was something that I would want to do or that I would fit with,” Machado explains to Billboard. “I had to be talked into coming and doing a 29-hour reading — one of the first things you do when you’re developing a new musical or a new play.”
So the actress, known for TV series like Six Feet Under and One Day at a Time — and whose only previous Broadway credit was as a replacement for In The Heights‘ Daniela for a couple of months in 2009 — flew from Los Angeles to New York.
Once there, she not only found a less serious, less judgmental Carmen, but also a set of inspiring songs — from the soaring coming-of-age tune “Flying Away” to the humorous “Adiós Andes,” sort of a funny ode to menopause which she performs brilliantly during the show. (You can listen to the full album of Real Women Have Curves: The Musical here.)
“Really, what made me fall in love with the role was the music,” Machado admits. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, I love this music.’ But I had to be convinced that I was the person to play this role.”
And as much as she loved the music, the music creators loved her. Huerta, who was recruited early on as a songwriter and was there during that first reading of the show, recalls how the actress made her feel. “Justina was the first person I remember saying, ‘This is a non-negotiable for me,’” she tells Billboard. “I had never felt – I mean, I had felt it with music, but seeing a person perform that really made me forget about the world? I was like, ‘Please, please make sure to get her. … What do you have to do to make this happen?’”
“Sergio really was the one, he really kept on,” Machado says of what convinced her. “They were very persistent, and I’m so very happy that they were. … I never thought that I would be revisiting this play again in another form, and it really works as a musical. It’s almost like it should have always been a musical. It’s just so beautiful.”
Although it did not receive a Tony nomination for best musical or best actress, despite widespread acclaim for the show and for Tatiana Córdoba, who plays Ana in her Broadway debut, the cast of Real Women Have Curves will be performing at the awards ceremony on Sunday night.
Trujillo hopes the effort he’s put into representing Latinos on Broadway doesn’t go unnoticed by his target audience. “I’m on this mission to empower our community, to try to create content and stories in which they can see themselves,” he says. “But I need them to come to the theater. I need Latinos to do their part and support us.”
The Academy of Country Music held a round of layoffs on Thursday (June 5), with approximately one-quarter of the staff impacted, Billboard has learned.
“Coming off a successful 60th ACM Awards week and renewal with Prime Video through 2028, the Academy implemented a strategic staff realignment in an effort to support its future business and growth initiatives, resulting in the elimination of five staff positions across various departments including communications, marketing, events and community relations,” the ACM told Billboard in a statement. “We thank these individuals for their dedication and contributions to the work of the Academy.”
ACM staffers who were laid off include Alexis Bingham (coordinator, events), Lexi Cothran (senior manager, communications and strategic initiatives), Jesse Knutson (director, publicity and media relations), and Brittany Uhniat (manager, creative and content production).
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Prior to joining the ACM, Knutson joined the ACM in 2022 and previously worked in television news, including time at Nashville’s NewsChannel 5 (WTVF). Bingham served as an intern at the ACM before joining the staff full-time in 2021. Cothran joined the ACM in 2024, and previously worked for PR companies including Shore Fire Media and Sweet Talk PR. Prior to joining the ACM, Uhniat served as creative coordinator at Resin8 Music.
Nearly a month ago, on May 8, the Academy of Country Music celebrated the milestone 60th annual ACM Awards, which aired on Prime Video from the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas. Ella Langley, Lainey Wilson and Alan Jackson were among the night’s biggest winners, with Wilson taking home her second ACM entertainer of the year trophy. Meanwhile, Langley won five trophies and Jackson was feted with the inaugural ACM lifetime achievement award. The 60th anniversary ACM Awards was hosted by Reba McEntire.
Meanwhile, the ACM also recently announced that the organization and ACM Awards producer Dick Clark Productions (DCP) had cemented a deal with Prime Video for the ACM Awards to continue on Prime Video for the next three years, running through the 63rd annual ACM Awards ceremony in 2028.
BET has enlisted top talent to appear on its 25th annual BET Awards show, which will air live from Peacock Theatre at L.A. Live in Los Angeles on Monday, June 9, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on BET.
Comedian Kevin Hart is set to host the show. It’s his second time fronting the ceremony, having previously hosted in 2011.
Lil Wayne, Teyana Taylor, GloRilla, Playboi Carti and Leon Thomas are set to perform. GloRilla is one of this year’s leading nominees, with six nominations, including album of the year for Glorious. Playboi Carti has one of the most successful albums of 2025; Music (which was released after the eligibility period for the 2025 BET Awards ended) topped the Billboard 200 for three weeks in March and April.
Four top stars — Mariah Carey, Jamie Foxx, Snoop Dogg and Kirk Franklin — are set to receive the Ultimate Icon Award.
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Living legend Stevie Wonder joins the list of presenters and participants, along with Busta Rhymes, Ciara, Quinta Brunson, Kerry Washington, Keke Palmer and more, Billboard can exclusively reveal. Other participants include Tyler Perry and LeToya Luckett-Coles and Devon Franklin from the cast of Divorced Sistas, a spinoff of the BET comedy series Sistas. The spinoff is set to premiere on BET+ on June 10.
As previously announced, BET will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the launch of its music video countdown show 106 & Park with a special tribute. 106 & Park aired on BET from 2000-14. There are reports that a reboot of the show will premiere by September.
Kendrick Lamar leads the 2025 BET Awards nominations with 10 nods. Doechii, Drake, Future and GloRilla are tied with six nominations, Metro Boomin earned five, and SZA and The Weeknd are tied with four each.
Connie Orlando — evp of specials, music programming and music strategy at BET — serves as the executive producer for BET Awards 2025, with Jamal Noisette, svp of tentpoles and music community engagement, for BET. Jesse Collins Entertainment is the production company for the show, with Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay also serving as executive producers.
Performers
Lil Wayne
Teyana Taylor
GloRilla
Playboi Carti
Leon Thomas
Ultimate Icon Award recipients
Mariah Carey
Jamie Foxx
Snoop Dogg
Kirk Franklin
Presenters/Participants
LeToya Luckett-Coles (Divorced Sistas)
Devon Franklin (Divorced Sistas)
Tyler Perry
Keshia Chante (106&Park Tribute)
Terrence J (106&Park Tribute)
Free (106&Park Tribute)
Julissa Bermudez (106&Park Tribute)
DC YoungFly
Big Tigger (106&Park Tribute)
Crystal Renee
Busta Rhymes
Ciara
Tyler James Williams
Quinta Brunson
Drew Sidora (Cast of Run)
Marques Houston (Cast of Run)
Annie ilonzeh (Cast of Run)
Erika Pinkett (Cast of Run)
Erica Mena (Cast of Run)
Ken Lawson (Cast of Run)
Claudia Jordan (Cast of Run)
Kerry Washington
Deon Cole
Druski
Kai Cenat
Mariah the Scientist
Keke Palmer
LaLa Anthony
Diamond White
T.I.P.
Xavier Smalls
Ashley Nicole Moss
Cam Newton
Stevie Wonder
Tichina Arnold
Tisha Campbell
Clive Davis was honored with the Legacy Award at the 2025 Apollo Theater Spring Benefit on Wednesday (June 4). The legendary music industry executive hit the red carpet of the star-studded gala wearing a metallic suit coat, and posed for photos with attendees like Busta Rhymes, Larry Jackson, Sherri Shepherd, Jawn Murray and more. The […]
On a warm, breezy evening in Kyoto, Japan’s biggest music stars walked a red carpet, performed their most popular hits and thanked their fans as they took the stage to receive ruby-hued awards.The dazzling ceremony, which was televised across Japan May 21-22 and livestreamed on YouTube, felt in many ways similar to the Grammy Awards.
But remarkably, even though Japan is the world’s second-biggest music market, the inaugural Music Awards Japan (MAJ) marked the country’s first major national music awards show.
“We’re honored to have received an award, but I also believe this could become a goal for young people in Japan who are just starting out in music,” said Ayase, producer and member of Japanese duo YOASOBI, after winning the top global hit from Japan award. “I hope that through events like this, people both in Japan and abroad will come to appreciate the greatness of Japanese music even more.”
The glitzy new gala is core to Japan’s mission to turbocharge its export of music to the world. For years, its music industry was able to increase revenue by marketing to fans within its borders thanks to the country’s enormous appetite for physical products like CDs and vinyl, which still account for 62.5% of its overall recorded-music revenue, according to IFPI. But those days have come to an end: Japan’s population has been shrinking for the past 14 years — and has been slow to adopt streaming. The country’s recorded-music revenue fell 2.6% in 2024, even as global recorded-music revenue has grown for the last 10 years, according to IFPI. So, to woo a global audience, Japan’s major music trade groups representing labels, concert promoters, publishers, producers and other enterprises united to form the Japan Culture and Entertainment Industry Promotion Association (CEIPA) and organized the show, inviting guests from 15 countries to attend.
Nominees for most of the awards were selected based on chart data provided by Billboard Japan, and winners were determined by a two-stage voting process involving over 5,000 industry professionals.
Hip-hop sensation Creepy Nuts took home nine awards including song of the year for its viral hit “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born.” Singer-songwriter-pianist Fujii Kaze earned album of the year with his Love All Serve All project. Pop-rock band Mrs. GREEN APPLE racked up a multitude of honors including artist of the year. Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande won awards for the impact of their hits in Japan, though they weren’t present to accept in person. MAJ executive committee chairman Tatsuya Nomura says that CEIPA plans to host the next show in June 2026 at a bigger venue in Tokyo so fans and more international artists can attend.
One sign of this year’s success: Streams of songs that won top honors have jumped an average of 31% in Japan, with 21 out of the 27 songs that received top honors gaining streams compared with the previous week, according to Luminate.
This story appears in the June 7, 2025, issue of Billboard.
Epic Records chairwoman/CEO Sylvia Rhone being presented with the Vanguard Award was one of several highlights that took place during the inaugural Black Women in Music dinner, held Tuesday evening (June 3) at the Audrey Irmas Pavilion in Los Angeles.
The Black Music Month fete also honored Grammy-winning artist Ciara, music executive Phylicia Fant, creative director/costume designer June Ambrose, media personality DJ Kiss and photographer/photojournalist Florence “FLO” Ngala. Celebrating the global impact of Black women in the music industry, the dinner also served as the first fundraiser for its presenter, The Connie Orlando Foundation, which supports breast cancer prevention, care and research in Black communities.
As the first Black woman CEO of a major record label, Rhone accepted her award from Grammy- and Stellar Award-winning gospel powerhouse Yolanda Adams. In making the presentation to the industry trailblazer — also known as “The Godmother of the Music Industry” — Adams said of Rhone, “You are a beacon of hope and a powerful champion for change.”
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Flo Ngala, DJ Kiss, Sherrese Clarke, Phylicia Fant, Connie Orlando, Ciara, Sylvia Rhone and June Ambrose attend Black Women in Music Dinner convened by The Connie Orlando Foundation at Audrey Irmas Pavillion on June 03, 2025 in Los Angeles.
Leon Bennett/Getty Images for The Connie Orlando Foundation
Grammy-nominated artist Normani presented the Avant Garde Award to Ciara, saluting the Grammy-winning singer/songwriter/entrepreneur as “the blueprint for leveling up.” Emmy-winning actress Niecy Nash stepped onstage to honor hip-hop and R&B style pioneer Ambrose with the Guardian of Vision Award. “She taught hip-hop how to wear its crown — and how to do it in a fresh pair of heels,” Nash remarked.
Grammy-winning singer and actress Andra Day, alongside co-presenter/entrepreneur Lori Harvey, paid tribute to veteran music executive Fant (Warner Bros. Records, Columbia Records, Amazon) and her work in music marketing and advocacy for equitable representation. “Phylicia has a deep understanding of how crucial Black artistry is to the future of business, and her work stands as a testament to this,” Day said.
Giveon attends Black Women in Music Dinner convened by The Connie Orlando Foundation at Audrey Irmas Pavillion on June 03, 2025 in Los Angeles.
Leon Bennett/Getty Images for The Connie Orlando Foundation
HarborView Equity Partners founder/CEO Sherrese Clarke Soares — also founding partner of Black Women in Music — gave out special Guardian Angel Spotlight awards to aforementioned culture-shapers DJ Kiss and Ngala. Citing Black Women in Music as a “platform to reshape narratives around Black artistry and leadership,” Clarke Soares further commented, “At HarbourView, we believe artists deserve more than just a seat at the table. They deserve ownership of their stories and the freedom to build their own.”
In thanking the audience as well as the evening’s supporters and sponsors, Orlando addressed the call to action needed to fight the breast cancer crisis affecting the Black community. “It is a privilege for me to curate this event to give these extraordinary women their flowers, to shine a light on how vital they’ve been to global culture and to just say, ‘Thank You,’” added Orlando who is also exec. vp/head of specials, music programming and music strategy at BET.
Connie Orlando attends Black Women in Music Dinner convened by The Connie Orlando Foundation at Audrey Irmas Pavillion on June 03, 2025 in Los Angeles.
Leon Bennett/Getty Images for The Connie Orlando Foundation
The inaugural Black Women in Music dinner/fundraiser was hosted by actress and comedian Zainab Johnson with performances by Giveon, Alex Isley and YULI. Hip-hop icon MC Lyte voiced the tribute videos, while DJ Midi Ripperton provided afterparty entertainment. In addition to The Connie Orlando Foundation and founding partner HarbourView Equity Partners, the event’s prestige partners were BET and BET HER; contributing partners included Jesse Collins Entertainment, Flavor Unit, Quality Control, CMG, Epic Records, Atlantic Records, OWN and Universal Music Group.
Zainab Johnson attends Black Women in Music Dinner convened by The Connie Orlando Foundation at Audrey Irmas Pavillion on June 3, 2025 in Los Angeles.
Leon Bennett/Getty Images for The Connie Orlando Foundation