The 78th Tony Awards, held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on June 8, marked the end of one of the most memorable Broadway seasons in recent memory. With the help of celebrity star power (George Clooney and Denzel Washington, to name only two) and many standout productions, Broadway had its highest-grossing season in 2024-25. The Tony Awards broadcast further highlighted Broadway’s momentum, with an average of 4.85 million viewers on CBS. This marked a 38% increase from the previous year’s broadcast and the highest viewership since 2019.
Below are some of the biggest winners at the most-streamed Tony Awards of all-time.
Maybe Happy Ending (6 Wins)
One of three productions with 10 nominations, Maybe Happy Ending was the biggest winner at the 78th Tony Awards with six wins. Six other also shows won multiple awards. Maybe Happy Ending, an adaptation of a South Korean musical about a relationship between two helper robots, won Best Musical, beating out fellow nominees Buena Vista Social Club, Dead Outlaw, Death Becomes Her, and Operation Mincemeat. Darren Criss, known for Glee and his Emmy-winning performance in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: An American Crime Story, won the Tony for Leading Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of the “male” robot named Oliver.
Michael Arden, meanwhile, won Best Direction of a Musical for the second time in three years. Maybe Happy Ending co-creators Will Aronson and Hue Park also had a memorable night, sharing the Tonys for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score. Park is the first Korean national to win in the musical theater category. Finally, George Reeve and Dane Laffrey won Best Scenic Design of a Musical.
Maybe Happy Ending, which debuted in Seoul a decade ago, opened on Broadway at the Belasco Theatre in November 2024. Its six Tony wins weren’t that surprising considering it also won six Drama Desk Awards and top musical honors at the Drama League Awards and New York Drama Critics’ Circle.
Buena Vista Social Club (4 Wins)
While it didn’t win Best Musical, Buena Vista Social Club was the second-most awarded production at the 78th Tony Awards. It primarily received praise for its technical elements, with Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck winning for Best Choreography, Marco Paguia for Best Orchestrations, and Jonathan Deans for Best Sound Design of a Musical. Delgado and Paguia were first-time Tony nominees, while Deans won his first Tony in five tries; he was previously nominated in the Sound Design category for Ain’t No Mo’ (2023), Jagged Little Pill (2020), Pippin (2013), and La Cage aux Folles (2010). Peck previously won Tonys for his choreography in Carousel (2018) and Illinoise (2024).
Natalie Venetia Belcon, meanwhile, won Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical. The 56-year-old Trinidadian performer played Omara in the musical about a group of Cuban musicians reuniting to re-record their classic hits.
Nicole Scherzinger (Best Actress in a Musical)
A former singer with pop group The Pussycat Dolls, Nicole Scherzinger garnered critical and audience acclaim all season long for her portrayal of fading silent film star Norma Desmond in the Sunset Blvd revival. Appropriately, she won the Tony for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical. Scherzinger, in her Broadway debut, also won Distinguished Performance at the Drama League Awards and Outstanding Debut Performance at the Theatre World Awards.
“I’m feeling a gratitude I can’t explain, also an out-of-body experience, also tired and hungry,” she said after her Tony win, speaking to Playbill. “I just want to go home and cry. I just want to go home and cry, because when you care that much … I try to give my whole heart, and every performance, to know that it connected with people, it resonated with people, it made a difference in people’s lives… that’s the ultimate reward.”
Sarah Snook (Best Actress in a Play)
Australian performer Sarah Snook had a breakthrough role as Shiv Roy in HBO’s Succession, winning a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. She earned another major award at the 78th Tonys, winning Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play for The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Snook portrayed all 26 characters in director Kip Williams’ fresh take on Oscar Wilde’s 1890 novel. She previously won an Olivier Award for her performance in the play in London.
Cole Escola (Best Actor in a Play)
Cole Escola won Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play for Oh, Mary!, a dark comedy they conceived and wrote about Mary Todd Lincoln just before the assassination of her husband in 1865. The production was nominated for Best Play and also won Outstanding Production of a Play at the Drama League Awards.
Escola, meanwhile, is the first out non-binary performer to win the Tony for Lead Actor in a Play. They chose to be considered in this category. Alex Newell and J. Harrison Ghee made history two years prior as the first non-binary performers to win Tony Awards for acting.