# Maybe Happy Ending leads the 78th Tony Awards with six wins at Radio City Music Hall

The 78th Tony Awards, held on 2025-06-08 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, were defined by a new musical winning the night’s top prize, historic acting milestones, and a broad spread of honors across Broadway’s major categories. The romantic robot musical *Maybe Happy Ending* emerged as the most decorated show, collecting six awards and confirming its status as the evening’s central story.

The musical was named best musical, while its star Darren Criss won leading actor in a musical. Michael Arden added best direction of a musical, and the production’s sweep made it the clear benchmark for the ceremony. The Guardian’s account of the night described the show as a triumph for a Broadway season that had already been unusually strong, and that framing was reinforced by the scale of its awards haul.

The Tony voters also made space for other headline-making performances. Nicole Scherzinger won best leading actress in a musical for *Sunset Boulevard*, beating Audra McDonald in one of the night’s most closely watched races. That production also picked up best revival of a musical and lighting design, giving it a notable showing even though it did not match *Maybe Happy Ending*’s total. Scherzinger’s win stood out because it marked a first-time Tony victory after an already established stage career elsewhere.

In the play categories, *Oh, Mary!* helped produce one of the ceremony’s clearest historic moments. Cole Escola became the first non-binary winner of the leading actor in a play award for a performance that had already made the role of Mary Todd Lincoln one of Broadway’s most discussed turns. Escola also beat George Clooney, whose *Good Night, and Good Luck* had been heavily anticipated after a strong box office run and five nominations but left without a single Tony.

Another play, *Purpose*, won best play, adding another major prize to a season that had seen several notable dramas compete for attention. Kara Young’s featured actress in a play win for *Purpose* also carried significance beyond the title itself: she became the first Black actor to win two consecutive Tony Awards, and she did so after being nominated in the same category for the fourth time in a row. Sarah Snook added another notable performance win by taking best actress in a leading role in a play for *The Picture of Dorian Gray*, in what was described as her Broadway debut.

The evening’s awards were spread across a number of other productions. *Buena Vista Social Club* picked up four awards. *Eureka Day* was named best revival of a play. *Stranger Things: The First Shadow* collected three craft awards. Francis Jue became only the second Asian-American winner of featured actor in a play for *Yellow Face*, and Jak Malone won actor in a featured role in a musical for *Operation Mincemeat*.

The ceremony itself, hosted by Cynthia Erivo, leaned into performance and nostalgia. Erivo opened the show with Broadway Inspirational Voices and later joined Sara Bareilles for “Tomorrow” in the in memoriam segment. The night also included a reunion performance by the original *Hamilton* cast, marking the show’s 10th anniversary. Behind the celebration, the broader Broadway business story was strong: the season reached a record US$1.89 billion at the box office. That commercial backdrop helped explain why the 2025 Tonys felt both retrospective and forward-looking at once.

Claim-to-source map - *Maybe Happy Ending* won six Tony Awards, including best musical: Guardian source 5499 - Darren Criss, Michael Arden, Nicole Scherzinger, Cole Escola, Kara Young, Sarah Snook, Francis Jue, and Jak Malone won in the cited categories: Guardian source 5499 - The ceremony was hosted by Cynthia Erivo and included Broadway Inspirational Voices, Sara Bareilles, and a *Hamilton* reunion: Guardian source 5499 - The season box office reached US$1.89 billion: Guardian source 5499