By SHARON EBERSON
UPDATED: The 78th annual Tony Awards nominations were announced on Thursday, May 1, 2025, with, as is often the case, Carnegie Mellon University alums front and center.
Megan Hilty (CMU, 2004) earned her second Tony nod, this time as leading actress in a musical for Death Becomes Her. Her competition includes costar Jennifer Simard, Nicole Scherzinger (Sunset Boulevard), Jasmine Amy Rogers (Boop! The Musical) and the Queen of Broadway and Tonys record-breaker Audra McDonald (Gypsy), with her 11th nomination – she’s won six, covering every female acting category.
In the Leading Actor in a Musical category, the question may be: Can Jonathan Groff (Just in Time) win back-to-back Tonys? He’s up against Darren Criss (Maybe Happy Ending), Andrew Durand (Dead Outlaw), Tom Francis (Sunset Boulevard), James Monroe Iglehart (A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical) and Jeremy Jordan (Floyd Collins).
Best new musical nominees are Death Becomes Her, Dead Outlaw, The Buena Vista Social Club, Maybe Happy Ending and Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical.
The cast of The Buena Vista Social Club includes Isa Antonetti, a BFA student at Carnegie Mellon University, in her Broadway debut as young Omara, while CMU alum Natalie Venetia Belcon – nominated as Best Featured Actress in a Musical – portrays the adult Omara, a renowned Cuban singer-dancer.
Broadway producer extraordinaire Jamie DeRoy, Class of 1967, already possesses 17 Tonys (via the Internet Broadway Data Base). In 2025, she is nominated as a producer of Best Play nominees John Proctor is the Villain and The Hills of California, Best Musical nominees Buena Vista Social Club, Dead Outlaws and Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical, and Best Musical Revival nominees Gypsy and Sunset Boulevard.
The Buena Vista Social Club, Death Becomes Her and Maybe Happy Ending are tied for the most nominations with 10 each. Representing the scope of musical theater, Buena Vista is inspired by true events documented in a 1999 film about Cuban musicians who made their way from the streets of Havana to Carnegie Hall; Death Becomes Her comes from the movie of the same name as a big, bold and brassy spectacle, featuring Tony-nominated Paul Tazewell costumes; and Maybe Happy Ending is an endearing four-hander, featuring an innovative set design, about robots (Criss and newcomer Helen J. Shen) who fall in love.
CMU’s other 2025 nominees are: Peter Hylenski, 1997 School of Drama, Just in Time and Maybe Happy Ending (Best Sound Design of a Musical), and Ankit Agrawal, producer, 2014 Heinz College of Information and Public Policy alumnus, Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical and Buena Vista Social Club.
Noah Plomgren out of CMU, seen in Pittsburgh Public Theater and City Theatre productions, is an understudy in Dead Outlaw, based on the true story of Elmer McCurdy, an outlaw who became a mummified sideshow attraction after his death.
Best play nominees are English, The Hills of California, John Proctor is the Villain, Oh, Mary and Purpose.
A wild and unpredictable category is Best Actor in a Play, which includes George Clooney (Good Night, and Good Luck) and the comic darling of the Broadway season, Cole Escola (Oh, Mary). Others in the category are Jon Michael Hill and Harry Lennix (Purpose), Daniel Dae Kim (Yellow Face) and Louis McCartney (Stranger Things: The First Shadow).
The Tonys ceremony, hosted by Cynthia Erivo, returns to Radio City Music Hall this year, on June 8, broadcasting live 8-11 p.m. on CBS and streaming live and on-demand on Paramount+ (with subscriber restrictions).
Previously announced honorees include actor/playwright and four-time Tony-winner Harvey Fierstein (Hairspray, Torch Song Trilogy, Kinky Boots) who will receive the award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre. Celia Keenan-Bolger will receive the 2025 Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award for her unwavering dedication to advocacy work through the arts.
TONY AWARDS CHALLENGE
Beginning at noon on May 1, Broadway fans can participate in an interactive ballot-style game, in which they try to predict the winners of the 78th Tony Awards in each of the 26 categories. Fans will have a chance to win a number of prizes, including a “Dream Week on Broadway” that includes airfare, hotel and tickets to five Broadway shows of your choice. This year, all entrants who complete a ballot will automatically receive 500 Audience Rewards ShowPoints, regardless of the number of correct guesses – that’s enough points to redeem for an orchestra seat to a Broadway show for as low as $36. To play, visit http://www.TonyAwardsChallenge.com. Players must be Audience Rewards members to enter, and the program is free to join at AudienceRewards.com.
2025 TONY AWARD NOMINATIONS HIGHLIGHTS
For a full list of 2025 Tony Awards nominations, visit https://www.tonyawards.com/nominees/
BEST MUSICAL
Buena Vista Social Club
Dead Outlaw
Death Becomes Her
Maybe Happy Ending
Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical
BEST PLAY
English
The Hills of California
John Proctor is the Villain
Oh, Mary!
Purpose
BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY
Eureka Day
Romeo + Juliet
Thornton Wilder’s Our Town
Yellow Face
BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
Floyd Collins
Gypsy
Pirates! The Penance Musical
Sunset Blvd.
LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL, ACTRESS
Megan Hilty, Death Becomes Her
Audra McDonald, Gypsy
Jasmine Amy Rogers, Boop! The Musical
Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset Blvd.
Jennifer Simard, Death Becomes Her
LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL, ACTOR
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
LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY, ACTRESS
Laura Donnelly, The Hills of California
Mia Farrow, The Roommate
LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Purpose
Sadie Sink, John Proctor is the Villain
Sarah Snook, The Picture of Dorian Gray
LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY, ACTOR
George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck
Cole Escola, Oh, Mary!
Jon Michael Hill, Purpose
Daniel Dae Kim, Yellow Face
Harry Lennix, Purpose
Louis McCartney, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
FEATURED ACTOR, PLAY
Glenn Davis. Purpose
Gabriel Ebert, John Proctor is the Villain
Francis Jue, Yellow Face
Bob Odenkirk, Glengarry Glen Ross
Conrad Ricamora, Oh, Mary!
FEATURED ACTRESS, PLAY
Tala Ashe, English
Jessica Hecht, Eureka Day
Marjan Neshat, English
Fina Strazza, John Proctor is the Villain
Kara Young, Purpose
FEATURE ACTOR, MUSICAL
Brooks Ashmanskas, Smash
Jeb Brown, Dead Outlaw
Danny Burstein, Gypsy
Jak Malone, Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical
Taylor Trensch, Floyd Collins
FEATURED ACTRESS, MUSICAL
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
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