Tony Awards 2025 winners: Succession's Sarah Snook kicks off the night as she scores Best Actress award for her Broadway debut
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The star-studded 78th Annual Tony Awards were held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Sunday.
The show celebrated Broadway's brightest talents in singing, acting, dancing and more.
Sarah Snook, 37, was the first winner of the night for Best Leading Actress in a Play. Snook delivered an unbelievable performance in The Picture of Dorian Gray, playing all 26 characters.
The Succession star made her Broadway debut in the ambitious stage adaptation of Oscar Wilde's novel.
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure stars Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter presented her with the award.
Sarah beat out a strong lineup of nominees including Laura Donnelly for The Hills of California, Mia Farrow for The Roommate, LaTanya Richardson Jackson for Purpose, and Sadie Sink for John Proctor Is the Villain.
'Thank you so much for this. This means so much for a little Australian girl to be here on Broadway,' Sarah told the crowd as she accepted the award.
'Thank you to my incredible team... and just everybody on stage. It is billed as a one person show and I don't feel alone any night that I do this show.'
'There are so many people on the stage making it work and so many people behind the stage making it work.'
She also thanked her husband Dave Lawson: 'And an exceptional thank you, the biggest thank you I can ever give to my husband, my soulmate, you are so brilliant holding family together and looking after the phones.'
Francis Jue, 61, won the best featured actor in a play for his performance in Yellow Face.
Katie Holmes and Danielle Brooks presented him with the award.
He beat out Glenn Davis for Purpose, Gabriel Ebert for John Proctor Is the Villain, Bob Odenkirk for Glengarry Glen Ross, and Conrad Ricamora, Oh, Mary!
He gave a passionate speech, telling the crowd: 'For those who don't feel seen, for those being targeted in these authoritarian times, I see you. At its best, this community sees you. And I hope that encourages you to be brave and to dream and to dream big.'
He began his speech saying: '20 years ago, wonderful actor, singer Alvin Ng gave me this tux. He had it made for himself for the opening of "Pacific overtures" on Broadway in 1976.'
'When he gave it to me he told me he wanted me to wear it when I accepted my Tony award. I am only here because of the encouragement and inspiration of generations of wonderful Asian artists who came before me, and never got the opportunities that I have had.'
'It can be difficult in challenging times to be brave, so I would like to thank Scott Ellis and roundabout theater for daring to do a play called "Yellow face" in an election season. Thank you to David Henry long for me and so many others of voice.'
English actor Jak Malone, 30, nabbed the win for best featured actor in a musical.
He beat out Brooks Ashmanskas for Smash, Jeb Brown for Dead Outlaw, Danny Burstein for Gypsy, and Taylor Trensch for Floyd Collins.
In an impassioned speech, Malone told the audience: 'Eight times a week I walk out on that stage and tell the audience I'm a woman. I'm not one. I only convey it through simple adjustment to posture, voice, and energy, but night after night the audience is believe in Hester.'
'If you watched our show and found yourself believing in Hester, I'm so glad to tell you that intentionally or otherwise you might have just bid farewell to cynicism, outdated ideas of that rotten old binary and open yourself up to a world that's already out there in glorious technicolor and isn't going away anytime soon.'
The most prestigious ceremony honoring theatre is hosted by three-time Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo, who kicked off the show with a thrilling performance featuring Oprah.
This year features major star power in the lead actor and actress categories.
George Clooney is competing for his massively successful play Good Night, And Good Luck — an adaptation of the film of the same name that he directed, co-wrote and costarred in — for the lead actor in a play category, while acting legend Mia Farrow is competing against Succession star Sarah Snook and Stranger Things star Sadie Sink in the lead actress in a play category.
Darren Criss and Jonathan Groff are adding some star power to the lead actor in a musical category, while Megan Hilty, Nicole Scherzinger and Broadway legend Audra McDonald are some of the biggest names in the lead actress in a musical category.
Bob Odenkirk is best known for his film and television work, including his acclaimed run on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, but he's now nominated in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play category for his turn in the revival of David Mamet's iconic drama of desperation, Glengarry Glen Ross.
Presenters this year include Charli D'Amelio, Michelle Williams, Hacks' Jean Smart, LaTanya Richardson Jackson and Lea Salonga, all of whom are currently appearing on Broadway.
The stage icon Kristin Chenoweth will also be presenting, while Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter will have a Bill and Ted reunion on stage ahead of their upcoming production of Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot. Glee star Lea Michele will also be joined on stage by Aaron Tveit.
Several former Tony winners will be helping to announce awards, including Oprah Winfrey, Bryan Cranston, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sarah Paulson, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Kelli O'Hara and Rachel Bay Jones.
And the other presenters aren't exactly slouches, as several of them have Oscars and Grammy Awards to their names. They include Ben Stiller, Samuel L. Jackson, Katie Holmes, Jesse Eisenberg, Allison Janney, Ariana DeBose, Adam Lambert, Carrie Preston, Danielle Brooks and Sara Bareilles.
Going into the 2025 ceremony, three musicals are leading the pack with 10 nominations each: Buena Vista Social Club, Death Becomes Her and Maybe Happy.
Buena Vista Social Club is inspired by the beloved Cuban ensemble of the same name, which recorded a hit eponymous album in 1997 and was documented in Wim Wenders' acclaimed documentary (also of the same name) in 1999.
Death Becomes Her is based on the Robert Zemeckis fantastical black comedy from 1992, which starred Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn and Bruce Willis.
Unlike those musicals, which are adapted from existing music and films, Maybe Happy is a science fiction–romance that originated in South Korea. It follows two android helper-bots who develop feelings for each other, despite the fact that their short life spans threaten any future plans.
Dead Outlaw, John Proctor Is The Villain, Sunset Blvd. and The Hills Of California are all tied for seven Tony nominations, while Floyd Collins, Justin In Time, Purpose and The Picture Of Dorian Gray are tied for six.
Dead Outlaw and Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical are also competing in the Best Musical category, while English, The Hills Of California, John Proctor Is The Villain, Oh, Mary! and Purpose are vying for Best Play.
Purpose and English have already been honored with Pulitzer Prizes.
This year's nominated revivals include Eureka Day, Romeo + Juliet, Thornton Wilder's Our Town and David Henry Hwang's Yellow Face in the play category, while Floyd Collins, Gypsy, Pirates! The Penzanze Musical and Sunset Blvd. fill out the Best Revival of a Musical category.
The performances this year will highlight all of the new and revived musical nominees, as well as Just In Time and Real Women Have Curves, which weren't nominated in best musical or revival but did receive other major nominations.
The 2025 Tonys will look to the past as well with a tribute to Hamilton for its 10th anniversary as the original cast reunites for a performance.
Miranda will be accompanied by Leslie Odom Jr., Phillipa Soo, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Daveed Diggs, Ariana DeBose, Jonathan Groff and Christopher Jackson, all of whom were part of the original production.
Erivo, 38, was better known for her work in the theatre before expanding into a successful film and television career.
The Wicked Star — who recently stirred up controversy when she was announced as the star of a production of Jesus Christ Superstar being held at the Hollywood Bowl in August — is already three-quarters of the way toward completing the rare and coveted EGOT after winning an Emmy, a Grammy and a Tony.
Along the way, she also received nominations for four Golden Globe Awards, two British Academy Film Awards and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
She previously starred on Broadway in the popular adaptation of The Color Purple, which led to her performing its song I’m Here at the 2016 Tonys.
The three-hour show, which starts at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT, can be watched live on CBS or streamed on Paramount+ with Showtime. Users with the Paramount+ Essential subscription will have the option to begin watching the show on the following day.
