The Complete List Of 2025 Tony Winners!

It was Broadway's Biggest Night last night and it did not disappoint.

Here's the wrap up on the 2025 Tony Awards and the comple list of winners:

Here are the Tony wins by show:

Many Happy Endings – 6
Buena Vista Social Club – 4
Stranger Things: The First Shadow – 3
Sunset Blvd. – 3
Oh, Mary! – 2
The Picture Of Dorian Gray – 2
Purpose – 2
Death Becomes Her – 1
Eureka Day – 1
Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical – 1
Yellow Face – 1

And now, the list:

Best Musical
Maybe Happy Ending

Best Play
Purpose

Best Revival of a Play
Eureka Day

Best Revival of a Musical
Sunset Blvd.

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Darren Criss, Maybe Happy Ending (shown above)

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset Boulevard

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
Cole Escola, Oh, Mary!

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Sarah Snook, The Picture of Dorian Gray

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Jak Malone, Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Natalie Venetia Belcon, Buena Vista Social Club

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
Francis Jue, Yellow Face

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Kara Young, Purpose

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Miriam Buether and 59, Stranger Things: The First Shadow

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Dane Laffrey and George Reeve, Maybe Happy Ending

Best Costume Design of a Play
Marg Horwell, The Picture of Dorian Gray

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Paul Tazewell, Death Becomes Her

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Jon Clark, Stranger Things: The First Shadow

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Jack Knowles, Sunset Blvd.

Best Sound Design of a Play
Paul Arditti, Stranger Things: The First Shadow

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Jonathan Deans, Buena Vista Social Club

Best Direction of a Play
Sam Pinkleton, Oh, Mary!

Best Direction of a Musical
Michael Arden, Maybe Happy Ending

Best Choreography
Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck, Buena Vista Social Club

Best Orchestrations
Marco Paguia, Buena Vista Social Club

Best Book of a Musical
Maybe Happy Ending Will Aronson and Hue Park

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Maybe Happy Ending Music: Will Aronson Lyrics: Will Aronson and Hue Park

Tony Memories: Mary And Ethel . . .

It's time for Broadway's Tony Awards and the event on Sunday evening reminds me of all the wonderful experiences I've had in Broadway theaters over the years, seeing more than 280 shows and spending thousands of hours in those darkened confines where disbelief is gloriously suspended.

When you've seen this much, chances are you've experienced most of greats when they were at the top of their form. And yes, I've seen Robert Preston and Carol Channing and Gwen Verdon and Liza Minelli and Jerry Orbach and Sammy Davis Jr. and Gloria Swanson and Julie Harris and Angela Lansbury and so many others all live, on stage. But two of the greatest that still stand out were the two undisputed reigning Queens of Broadway -- Ethel Merman and Mary Martin. What a joy it was to be able to witness their incandescent talent!

Mary Martin and Ethel Merman were towering figures of Broadway’s golden age—two women whose names became synonymous with the very essence of American musical theatre from the 1930s into the 1960s. Though their careers unfolded on the same grand stages, their paths, styles, and legacies reflect two very different sides of the Broadway coin, or for that matter the Tony Award itself, as both were Tony winners.

Mary Martin exuded warmth. With a lilting soprano voice, radiant smile, and natural grace, she brought a sense of sweetness and emotional depth to her roles. Audiences fell in love with her as Nellie Forbush in South Pacific, as the boy who wouldn't grow up in Peter Pan, and as the optimistic Maria in The Sound of Music. She became the quintessential Rodgers and Hammerstein heroine—wholesome, sincere, and utterly captivating. Her performances were not about overpowering the audience but about drawing them in. There was an emotional intimacy to Martin’s work; she seemed to sing from the heart, and her characters always felt grounded in a kind of gentle truth. I had the unique experience of seeing Martin perform both in concert and in a Broadway show and all of these qualities were on full display.

Ethel Merman, by contrast, was Broadway’s brass and bravado. With a booming mezzo-soprano that could cut through a full orchestra without amplification, Merman didn’t just sing—she belted. Her voice and her stage presence were larger than life. She commanded attention in every scene, whether as the sharp-shooting Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun, the evangelist-turned-singer Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes, or the fearsome Mama Rose in Gypsy, a role many critics consider the greatest female role in musical theatre. Where Martin soothed, Merman soared. She reveled in big, brassy showstoppers and punchy comedic timing, representing the quintessential showbiz dynamo. I also saw Merman in concert and on the Broadway stage in Annie Get Your Gun. Even in front of a full symphony orchestra, she never needed a microphone.

At the 1960 Tony Awards both Martin and Merman were nominated for Best Actress in a Musical, Merman for Gypsy and Martin for The Sound of Music. Merman's performance was a dazzling tour de force and she gave it her all, leaving everything on the stage. But Martin won the Tony for portraying Maria von Trapp whose story included her time as a novitiate. Merman's comment? "How are you gonna buck a nun?"

Their differences extended beyond performance styles. Martin was often described as gracious and maternal offstage—quietly influential and beloved by colleagues. Merman, meanwhile, had a famously bold personality. She was tough, outspoken, and unapologetically direct, much like the characters she played. While Martin worked closely with Rodgers and Hammerstein, Merman was the darling of composers like Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, and the Gershwins—masters of the pre-“book musical” era who valued vocal fireworks and vaudevillian flair.

Maybe the differences in style can in part be attributed to the fact that Mary Martin was married to a man who diligently handled all of her professional affairs through the bulk of her career while Merman never had much success at marriage and pretty much faced the music alone. Martin's husband/manager cushioned her from the rough 'n tumble of show business while Merman had no such built-in protection. And let's not forget that Merman hailed from New York City (Astoria, Queens) while Martin was born in the small town of Weatherford, Texas.

And yet, for all their differences, both Mary Martin and Ethel Merman defined what it meant to be a Broadway star. They both worked incredibly hard, toured with their shows ands never missed performances. Both theatrical troupers, they originated some of the most iconic roles in theatre history, won countless awards, and helped shape the very idea of the Broadway musical. If Martin represented the heart and soul of the evolving American musical—its turn toward emotional storytelling and sincerity—Merman embodied its exuberance and theatrical punch.

Yes, they were competitors but, in the end, they weren’t so much rivals as they were complementary, each keenly aware of her unique appeal and her audience. Merman and Martin each illuminated a different side of the stage, and together, they set a standard that Broadway performers still aspire to today.

As Tony Night approaches, let's remember them fondly and give thanks for Broadway's illustrious legacy.