A guide to the Tony Awards

The 78th Tony Awards take place on Sunday 8 June 2025, with The Hills of California, Death Becomes Her, and Maybe Happy Ending in the lead with 10 nominations each.

Broadway is a hotbed of some of the most exciting theatrical talent in the world, with explosive performances taking place every night. Once a year, the great and good gather together to celebrate the highlights of the season at the Tony Awards, which always makes for a lavish and spectacular affair. The 78th Tony Awards ceremony takes place this Sunday at Radio City Music Hall presented by superstar Cynthia Erivo.

Named after Antoinette Perry, an actress, director, producer, and leader of the American Theatre Wing during World War II, the “Tonys” quickly became a byword for theatrical excellence. Read on to learn more about the Tonys and this year’s celebrations.

Book tickets to Tony Award-nominated shows on New York Theatre Guide.

What are the Tony Awards?

Officially titled the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, the annual Tony Awards are the highest accolade in American theatre. They are the Broadway equivalent of the Olivier Awards, which celebrate West End theatre. They were established by producer and director Brock Pemberton, who named them after his colleague Antoinette Perry (1888-1946), who had co-founded the non-profit organisation the American Theatre Wing. The first Tony Awards took place on 6 April 1947 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. "Tony" was the nickname Pemberton used when he referred to an award he was handing out — and the name stuck.

What does a Tony Award look like?

A Tony Award comprises a spinnable medallion featuring the masks of comedy and tragedy mounted on a black base with a miniature pewter plaque. The award was designed by the Dutch-born American artist and designer Herman Rosse. The trophies were first distributed at the third Tony Awards in 1949; on the first two occasions, gifts such as jewellery, cigarette lighters, and money holders were awarded.

Which shows are eligible for Tony nominations?

To be deemed eligible for consideration by the judges for the Tony Awards, a show must have had its opening night by the cut-off date agreed by the management committee (for the 2025 Tony Awards, all shows must have opened between 26 April 2024 to 27 April 2025). In terms of venues, a Broadway theatre is defined as having 500 or more seats. 40 of the 41 eligible venues are located within Times Square, plus Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater.

What are the categories in the Tony Awards?

The Tony Awards include 26 competitive awards and four special honorary awards. The categories are as follows:

Performance categories

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical

Show and technical categories

Best Musical Best Revival of a Musical Best Direction of a Musical Best Book of a Musical Best Original Score Best Orchestrations Best Choreography Best Scenic Design in a Musical Best Costume Design in a Musical Best Lighting Design in a Musical Best Sound Design of a Musical Best Play Best Revival of a Play Best Direction of a Play Best Scenic Design in a Play Best Costume Design in a Play Best Lighting Design in a Play Best Sound Design of a Play

Special awards

Regional Theatre Tony Award Special Tony Award (includes Lifetime Achievement Award) Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre Isabelle Stevenson Award (for charitable and advocacy work)

Who are the nominees for this year’s Tony Awards?

A full list of categories and nominees for the 78th Tony Awards (2025) can be found here on New York Theatre Guide. Leading the pack are Buena Vista Social Club, Death Becomes Her, and Maybe Happy Ending with ten nominations each. Dead Outlaw, The Hills of California, John Proctor is the Villain, and Sunset Boulevard have received seven nominations each. Numerous household names from film and television, including George Clooney, Mia Farrow, Sarah Snook, Nicole Scherzinger, and Bob Odenkirk have received nominations, alongside many outstanding Broadway veterans and newcomers.

When are this year’s Tony Awards?

The Tony Awards usually take place in June and this year’s ceremony takes place on Sunday 8 June 2025.

Where are this year’s Tony Awards taking place?

This year’s Tony Awards ceremony will be held at Radio City Music Hall. This Art Deco venue accommodates almost 6,000 people and is the home of the Radio City Dance Rockettes, a female precision dance troupe who have performed at the venue since 1932. Radio City has hosted the Tonys on multiple occasions and has also hosted the Grammys six times and the MTV Video Music Awards 12 times.

Who is the host of this year’s Tony Awards?

This year’s Tony Awards ceremony will be hosted by British star Cynthia Erivo, who plays Elphaba in the Wicked films (the second instalment, Wicked: For Good is due for release this autumn). A seasoned stage performer, Erivo won a Tony for her performance as Celie in The Color Purple in 2016. In early 2026, Erivo will return to the West End to perform a solo adaptation of Dracula adapted by Sydney Theatre Company’s Kip Williams (who is behind the Tony-nominated and Olivier Award-winning The Picture of Dorian Gray).

Which shows will be performing at this year’s Tony Awards?

The ceremony will feature performances from all five shows nominated for Best Musical: Buena Vista Social Club, Dead Outlaw, Death Becomes Her, Maybe Happy Ending, and Operation Mincemeat. All four nominees for Best Revival of a Musical – Floyd Collins, Gypsy, Pirates! The Penzance Musical, and Sunset Boulevard – will also be performing, as will Just in Time and Real Women Have Curves. Additionally, the original cast of Hamilton will reunite to celebrate the show’s 10th anniversary on Broadway, and the choir Broadway Inspirational Voices will make an appearance.

Will the Tony Awards be broadcast in the UK?

The Tony Awards will not be shown on television in the UK nor will it be available for streaming; however, you can keep up in real time (if you’re awake!) on social media and numerous clips from the performances will become available on YouTube afterwards.

Have any of this year’s Tony-nominated productions been seen in the West End?

Yes, several of this year’s Tony-nominated shows have previously been seen in the West End. Jez Butterworth’s play The Hills of California was first performed at the Harold Pinter Theatre and Jamie Lloyd’s revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard was seen at the Savoy Theatre. Eureka Day (two nominations), which originated in Berkeley and Off Broadway, was seen in the West End in 2022. Kip Williams’s adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray was first performed in Sydney in 2020 with Eryn-Jean Norvill and then played in the West End in 2024, starring Sarah Snook. Home-grown, quintessentially British musical Operation Mincemeat (four nominations) was developed on the London fringe before transferring to the West End, where it continues to thrive at the Fortune Theatre. You can also see Stranger Things: The First Shadow (five nominations) at the Phoenix Theatre.

What are some fun facts about this year’s Tony nominations?

• Audra McDonald’s Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical nomination for her performance as Rose in Gypsy marks her 11th nomination, making her the most nominated performer in Tony history. If she wins, it will be her seventh trophy.
• Daniel Dae Kim (Lost) has become the first Asian or Asian American actor to be nominated for a Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play award (for David Henry Hwang’s satire Yellow Face). Furthermore, English writer Sanaz Toossi is the first Iranian American playwright to be nominated for Best Play and Marjan Neshat and Tala Ashe are the first Middle Eastern performers to be nominated for Best Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Play.
• Four former Seymours from the current Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors are nominated this year: Darren Criss (Maybe Happy Ending), Jeremy Jordan (Floyd Collins), Jonathan Groff (Just in Time), and Conrad Ricamora (Oh, Mary!). The latter is nominated for Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Play and the other three for Best Actor in a Musical.
• In the acting categories, Nicole Scherzinger, Tom Francis (both Sunset Boulevard), Jak Malone (Operation Mincemeat), and Sarah Snook (The Picture of Dorian Gray) could potentially win an Olivier and a Tony for their performances.

Book tickets to Tony Award-nominated shows on New York Theatre Guide.