New York’s theater scene is buzzing, and the 2025 Tony Awards are shaping up to be a blockbuster. On May 1, the nominations dropped, and heavyweights like George Clooney, Sarah Snook, and Sadie Sink snagged spots among the contenders. This year’s race, celebrating the 2024-25 Broadway season, is packed with Hollywood names and stage vets alike, proving the Great White Way is back with a vengeance.
Clooney, the silver-haired charmer known for Ocean’s Eleven, made his Broadway debut in Good Night, and Good Luck, a play he also co-wrote. He’s up for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play, facing off against Daniel Dae Kim for Yellow Face, Cole Escola for Oh, Mary!, Jon Michael Hill and Harry Lennix for Purpose, and Louis McCartney for Stranger Things: The First Shadow. It’s a tough crowd, but Clooney’s turn as a 1950s newsman has critics talking.
Sarah Snook, fresh off her Emmy-winning run as Shiv Roy in Succession, is nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play for The Picture of Dorian Gray. She plays 26 characters in a dazzling, tech-heavy production that’s also nabbed six nominations. Snook’s up against Mia Farrow for The Roommate, Laura Donnelly for The Hills of California, LaTanya Richardson Jackson for Purpose, and Sadie Sink for John Proctor Is the Villain. It’s a stacked category, with first-time nominees like Snook and Farrow duking it out with stage stalwarts.
Sadie Sink, the Stranger Things breakout, earned her nod for John Proctor Is the Villain, a sharp, feminist reimagining of The Crucible set in a Georgia high school. Her performance as a student wrestling with power and justice has drawn young crowds to Broadway, and the play itself scored seven nominations, tying with The Hills of California for the most among plays.
The musicals are stealing the spotlight, too. Buena Vista Social Club, Death Becomes Her, and Maybe Happy Ending each racked up 10 nominations, including Best Musical. They’ll slug it out with Dead Outlaw and Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical. Audra McDonald, already a six-time Tony winner, made history with her 11th nomination for Gypsy, cementing her as the most-nominated performer ever. She’s competing in Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical against Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard for Death Becomes Her, Nicole Scherzinger for Sunset Blvd., and Jasmine Amy Rogers for BOOP! The Musical.
Other big names in the mix include Bob Odenkirk, nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play for Glengarry Glen Ross, and Jonathan Groff, up for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for Just in Time. The best play category features English, The Hills of California, John Proctor Is the Villain, Oh, Mary!, and Purpose.
The season itself was a beast, with 42 productions—14 new musicals, 14 new plays, and 14 revivals—hitting Broadway. Box office numbers are nearing pre-pandemic highs, and quirky shows like Oh, Mary! are pulling in younger audiences. The nominations were announced by Tony winners Sarah Paulson and Wendell Pierce, first on CBS Mornings, then on the Tony Awards’ YouTube channel.
Cynthia Erivo, the Wicked star and 2016 Tony winner for The Color Purple, will host the ceremony on June 8 at Radio City Music Hall. It’ll air live on CBS and stream on Paramount+ at 8 p.m. ET, with a 90-minute pre-show on Pluto TV starting at 6:30 p.m. ET. Special awards are set for Harvey Fierstein, who’ll get a lifetime achievement Tony, and Celia Keenan-Bolger, who’ll receive the Isabelle Stevenson Award for her arts advocacy. The Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre will go to Great Performances, Michael Price, New 42, and The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
The 78th Tony Awards cap a season that’s been a wild ride, with star power and bold new works lighting up Broadway. The winners will be crowned in just over a month, and the theater world is holding its breath.