Broadway’s biggest night truly lived up to its name in every capacity.
The 78th annual installation of the iconic awards show returned to it’s longtime home of Radio City Music Hall this year, after spending last year just a few blocks uptown at Lincoln Center. The red carpet was just that, red, and the walls sported a gorgeous maroon color, topped only by it’s stunning attendees.
Celebrity guests included host Cynthia Erivo, Oprah Winfrey, Leah Michelle, Michelle Williams, George and Amal Clooney, Anna Wintour, and so many more.
The evening showcased this season’s theatrical high points, with Buena Vista Social Club, Death Becomes Her, and Maybe Happy Ending each leading the pack with 10 nominations. Maybe Happy Ending emerged as the night’s biggest winner, taking home Best Musical, Best Leading Actor in a Musical(Darren Criss), Best Score, Best Book, Best Direction (Michael Arden), and Best Scenic Design. Nicole Scherzinger secured Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her riveting performance in Sunset Blvd., which also won Best Revival of a Musical. In the play categories, Branden Jacobs‑Jenkins’ Purpose nabbed Best Play, while Eureka Day was crowned Best Revival of a Play. Standout acting honors included Cole Escola for Best Leading Actor in a Play (Oh, Mary!), Sarah Snook for Best Leading Actress in a Play (The Picture of Dorian Gray), and technical kudos flowed to productions like Stranger Things: The First Shadow and Buena Vista Social Club\
If you’ve had any access to a device with internet lately, chances are you’ve seen or heard about Tom Francis’ iconic Sunset Blvd. walk, which starts at the top of act two. The buzz has sparked not only a continued interest in the already beloved Sunset Blvd. itself, a heavy-hitter in the revival circuit, but also fresh conversations about the power of subtlety in stage performance. Up-and-comer Francis proves that immersive performances are here to stay.
At the heart of Sunset Blvd.’s reinvention is director and producer Jamie Lloyd, whose stripped-back, cinematic vision turned the Andrew Lloyd Webber classic into one of the most talked-about productions of the year. This version trades in the grandeur of old Hollywood for something darker, more intimate, and—clearly—more unforgettable. “I mean, all I can say is that the whole idea, the whole thought behind this came to me in a dream. What—like a random dream—where I had this image of a person standing in a black slip, covered in blood, standing in front of a screen,” Lloyd said. “And that was Nicole Scherzinger.”
“The fact that we’re here at the Tonys having had this random dream one night is kinda mind-blowing to me,” Lloyd continued. “But the idea is to always connect to the story as deeply as possible and to chart the emotional and psychological journey very specifically. Really what we’re trying to do is increase the connection between the people on stage and the people in the auditorium. So everything we do—even though some of the ideas might seem so wild and off-kilter—they’re always in service to the story and hopefully increasing that emotional connection. So if you think about the screens and the close-up, it’s really—I think it’s very democratic, because wherever you are in the theater, you could be at the top of the side, and you’ve got this very kind of immediate connection with the actors.”
In true Tony’s fashion, the night didn’t just celebrate what’s new, but additionally, the landmarks that have brought theater to where it is today. Midway through the ceremony, Erivo took to the stage to cite that in 2015, things were quite different. “Obama was president, TikTok wasn’t even called TikTok, and I was in rehearsals for The Color Purple.” She proceeded to introduce a long-rumored reunion: the original cast of Hamilton, performing together in honor of the show’s 10th Broadway anniversary. Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr., Phillipa Soo, Daveed Diggs, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Jonathan Groff, Christopher Jackson, and more than two dozen original company members returned to the stage that launched them into Broadway history. What followed was a medley of moments that reminded the audience why Hamilton—with its 11 Tony wins and cultural tidal wave in 2016—still holds such deep resonance.
What did such a thing mean to the cast? So much. “We have no choice but to fight,” said original Hamilton cast member Ephraim Sykes. “And find the people that are your family. Find the people that you believe in. And even the people that you don’t agree with, find what they’re great at too and find out how to collaborate, and let’s fight.”
It was a fitting reflection for a night that celebrated both legacy and leap-of-faith reinvention. Whether it was Sunset Blvd. conjuring dream-logic into theatrical language, Maybe Happy Ending breathing new life into the original musical canon, or the Hamilton cast reminding us of the revolutionary spark that still burns ten years later, the 78th annual Tony Awards proved that Broadway remains a living, evolving force. One built on connection, on risk, on collaboration, and on the magic that happens when a stage becomes a place to dream boldly and fight together.
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