2025 Tony Awards Highlights: Hamilton Reunion, Historic Wins and Robot Romance

The 78th Annual Tony Awards returned to Radio City Music Hall on June 8 in a ceremony packed with showstoppers, comedy and heartfelt acceptance speeches. Here’s a highlight reel of Broadway's biggest night. 

They Got Their Shot: Hamilton Reunion Rocks the Tonys
Hamilton's 10th anniversary reunion performance was one of the most highly anticipated moments of the night. And as expected, it electrified Radio City Music Hall. A live mixtape of sorts, each familiar face and sensational tune sent shockwaves through the audience. Twenty-eight members of the original cast, led by creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, performed hits like “My Shot” and “The Room Where It Happens.” Among the many recognizable OG stars were Leslie Odom Jr., Renée Elise Goldsberry and our beloved “Bullet,” Ariana DeBose.

No More ‘Maybe’ About It: Maybe Happy Ending Wins Big
Maybe Happy Ending can drop the “maybe.” The unusual original show about a romance between two robots defied the odds, charming Tony voters and snagging six of the evening’s biggest awards—the most of the night—including Best Musical. Michael Arden—while accepting the Tony for Best Direction—called it a “perfect musical” and implored audiences to embrace the show’s underlying message about the importance of connection. “It reminds us that compassion is the antidote for isolation and that empathy is not a weakness, but it's a gift and our shared responsibility.”

The show’s writers, Broadway newcomers Will Aronson and Hue Park, took home Tonys for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score. Star Darren Criss also won Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his moving and wide-eyed portrayal of the aging Helperbot Oliver. Backstage, Criss acknowledged the production’s unlikely journey to success, saying, “You do stuff because you believe in it and you think it’s beautiful. Full Stop. None of this was on the itinerary.”

Cynthia Erivo’s Wicked Good Night as Host
Hosting can be a tough and thankless gig. This year’s first-time emcee Cynthia Erivo was practically flawless as she brought humor, glamor and powerhouse vocals to Broadway’s biggest night. The Wicked star kicked things off with the original, gospel-inspired number “Sometimes All You Need Is a Song” and—while she certainly didn’t need any help—compelled solos from audience members including Kristin Chenowith, Aaron Tveit and Adam Lambert. As the show went on, Erivo infused comedy throughout the show, making for an unusually funny telecast. She delivered news headlines in a segment spoofing George Clooney’s star turn in Good Night, and Good Luck. She mingled with audience members and even surprised Oprah with a gift hidden under the media mogul’s seat. (It turned out to be a toy car, which gave Erivo the opportunity to gleefully scream, “You Get a Car!”) In one final treat, the consummate host returned as the credits rolled, singing “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” from Dreamgirls, swapping out the lyrics to honor the evening’s winners.

Hand-Me-Down Tux
Erivo’s many outfit changes of the night (she popped up in a new gorgeous gown for just about every camera shot) would have easily won the biggest fashion kudos, had they not been upstaged by a single, meaningful tuxedo. Francis Jue won Best Featured Actor in Play for his portrayal of a Chinese American banker in Yellow Face (a role he originated nearly two decades ago off-Broadway). While accepting the award, he told audiences that his threads had been handed down to him by the late Alvin Ing. "He had it made for himself for the opening of Pacific Overtures on Broadway in 1976, and when he gave it to me 20 years ago, he told me he wanted me to wear it when I accepted my Tony Award.” Cue the tears.

Broadway’s Leading Ladies Deliver, But One Queen Reigns Supreme
A positively stacked competition for Lead Actress in a Musical led to—as Oprah pointed out while presenting the award—much “conversation” on Broadway this season. In a single year, we were treated to Audra McDonald’s Momma Rose (Gypsy) and Nicole Scherzinger’s Norma Desmond (Sunset Boulevard)—both of whom performed their character’s biggest numbers—solo—on the telecast. And we were all the better for it. But the evening ultimately belonged to Scherzinger, who accepted the most debated award of the night after performing her stripped-down version of “As If We Never Said Goodbye.” “Growing up, I always felt like I didn’t belong,” Scherzinger said in her speech. “But you all have made me feel like I belong, and I have come home at last.”

Two Years, Two Tonys: Kara Young Makes History
Actress Kara Young made history at this year’s Tonys, scoring a trophy for the second year in a row. It’s the first time a Black performer has won a Tony Award in back-to-back years. This year, Young won Best Actress in a Featured Role in a Play for her portrayal of Aziza in Purpose, which took home the Tony for Best Play. Last year—in the same category—Young won for Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch. Backstage in the press room, she reflected on her sustained success and the unifying power of theater: “We can literally sit in the theater and nothing else matters but the story and our heartbeats and our listening ears.”

Havana Heatwave: Buena Vista Social Club Brings the House Down
In one of the buzziest moments of the night, the entirety of Radio City Music Hall took a quick but energetic trip to Havana, courtesy of the cast of Buena Vista Social Club. The Best Musical nominee’s showstopper “Candela” illustrated why so many of its cast and creative team went home winners. For one, it expertly showcased the brilliant choreography of Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck. Second, that band! The musicians—many Cuban Americans themselves—brought the show’s music to life with their virtuosity and received a Special Tony Award for their excellence. And then, standing center stage, there was Natalie Venetia Belcon, who won Best Featured Actress in a Musical. It was a homecoming decades in the making for Venetia Belcon, who last performed at the Tonys in 2004 as the original Gary Coleman of Avenue Q.

Curtain Calls and Compassion
Heartstrings were pulled in a series of terrific speeches during the evening’s “Act One." Celia Keenan-Bolger, this year’s recipient of the Isabelle Stevenson Award, honored her later partner in advocacy Gavin Creel and promoted the new Gavin Creel Fellowship program for young actors. But it was performer and playwright Harvey Fierstein who stole the pre-show. At just 71, Fierstein was awarded this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award. A pillar on Broadway since 1982, he burst onto the scene starring in his own Torch Song Trilogy and penning the book for the trailblazing La Cage aux Folles. He’d go on to give a Tony-winning performance in the hit musical Hairspray and write contemporary staples like Kinky Boots and Newsies. “What I find most humbling is the thought that somehow my journey means something to you,” he told the Tony audience. “There is nothing quite like bathing in the applause of a curtain call. But when I bow, I bow with the audience and with gratitude, knowing that without them I might as well be lip-syncing show tunes in my bedroom mirror.”

Keanu Caught in the Splash Zone
Finally, it’s an image that will forever be seared into many of our minds: Just in Time leading man Jonathan Groff straddling Keanu Reeves. As he began a medley of Bobby Darin hits, Groff jumped into the audience and stood on the armrests of his The Matrix Resurrections co-star. Reeves seemed happy to play along, pumping his fists and throwing up rock ‘n’ roll signs. And just in case that didn’t get the Tony audience wet enough, (the actor has long been known for his enthusiastic diction) Groff pulled double duty, appearing again with the original Hamilton cast later in the evening.