Sarah Paulson (02:10):
Good morning, everyone. Happy Tony nominations day.
Wendell Pierce (02:14):
American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing.
Sarah Paulson (02:18):
And we are coming to you from the official hotel of the Tonys, Sofitel New York, where the staff has seen us nervously pronouncing names, like Scherzinger. Scherzinger. Nicole Scherzinger.
Wendell Pierce (02:30):
You got it. Attention must be paid to the theatre community's talented writers, directors, designers, marketers, technicians, stage managers, actors, and audiences. Thus, we are here to honor many of them.
Sarah Paulson (02:43):
That's why we are here. Just two regular human Tony winners here to announce this year's nominations.
Wendell Pierce (02:49):
Yes, human winners, not helper bots programmed by Broadway producers.
Sarah Paulson (02:57):
Why would they possibly think that? From an English language classroom in Iran to debating vaccines, this season on Broadway has something for you.
Wendell Pierce (03:07):
From dead outlaws to dead pilots to dead movie stars, this season on Broadway has something for you.
Sarah Paulson (03:13):
From Betty Boop to Marilyn Monroe to Mary Todd Lincoln, ooh, that would be a good musical, this season has something for you.
Wendell Pierce (03:20):
Musicals, plays, camp, drama, comedy, tragedy. It's all there. All to make us feel a part of something.
Sarah Paulson (03:28):
And as the lights turn back up in the house, we hope you walk out of the theater feeling empowered with a hunger for conversation, empathy, and community.
Wendell Pierce (03:38):
So, let's begin this year's nominations. Earlier on CBS Morning, we announced several categories. We're announcing them again here.
(03:47)
The nominees for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play are Laura Donnelly, The Hills of California; Mia Farrow, The Roommate; LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Purpose; Sadie Sink, John Proctor is the Villain; Sarah Snook, Picture of Dorian Gray.
(04:10)
The nominees for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play are George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck; Cole Escola, Oh, Mary!; Jon Michael Hill, Purpose; Daniel Dae Kim, Yellow Face; Harry Lennix, Purpose; Louis McCartney, Stranger Things: The First Shadow.
Sarah Paulson (04:38):
The nominees for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical are Megan Hilty, Death Becomes Her; Audra McDonald, Gypsy; Jasmine Amy Rogers, Boop! The Musical; Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset Boulevard; Jennifer Simard, Death Becomes Her.
(04:58)
The nominees for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical are Darren Criss, Maybe Happy Ending; Andrew Durand, Dead Outlaw; Tom Francis, Sunset Boulevard; Jonathan Groff, Just in Time; James Monroe Iglehart, A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical; Jeremy Jordan, Floyd Collins.
Wendell Pierce (05:21):
The nominees for Best Play are English by Sanaz Toossi; The Hills of California by Jez Butterworth; John Proctor is the Villain by Kimberly Belflower; Oh, Mary! by Cole Escola; Purpose by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins.
(05:44)
The nominees for Best Musical are Buena Vista Social Club; Dead Outlaw; Death Becomes Her; Maybe Happy Ending; Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical.
Sarah Paulson (06:00):
The nominees for Best Book of a Musical are Buena Vista Social Club, Marco Ramirez; Dead Outlaw, Itamar Moses; Death Becomes Her, Marco Pennette; Maybe Happy Ending, Will Aronson and Hue Park; Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical, David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoe Roberts.
(06:23)
The nominees for Best Original Score, Music and/or Lyrics, Written for the Theatre, Dead Outlaw, music and lyrics David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna; Death Becomes Her, music and lyrics Julia Mattison and Noel Carey; Maybe Happy Ending, music Will Aronson, lyrics Will Aronson and Hue Park; Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical, music and lyrics David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoe Roberts; Real Women Have Curves: The Musical, music and lyrics Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez.
Wendell Pierce (06:58):
The nominees for Best Scenic Design of a Play are Marsha Ginsberg, English; Rob Howell, The Hills of California; Marg Horwell and David Bergman, The Picture of Dorian Gray; Miriam Buether and 59, Stranger Things: The First Shadow; Scott Pask, Good Night, and Good Luck.
(07:20)
The nominees for Best Scenic Design of a Musical are Rachel Hauck, Swept Away; Dane Laffrey and George Reeve, Maybe Happy Ending; Arnulfo Maldonado, Buena Vista Social Club; Derek McLane, Death Becomes Her; Derek McLane, Just in Time.
Sarah Paulson (07:40):
The nominees for Best Costume Design of a Play are Brenda Abbandandolo, Good Night, and Good Luck; Marg Horwell, The Picture of Dorian Gray; Rob Howell, The Hills of California; Holly Pierson, Oh, Mary!; Brigitte Reiffenstuel, Stranger Things: The First Shadow.
(08:00)
The nominees for Best Costume Design of a Musical are Dede Ayite, Buena Vista Social Club; Gregg Barnes, Boop! The Musical; Clint Ramos, Maybe Happy Ending; Paul Tazewell, Death Becomes Her; Catherine Zuber, Just in Time.
Wendell Pierce (08:17):
The nominees for Best Lighting Design of a Play are Natasha Chivers, The Hills of California; Jon Clark, Stranger Things: The First Shadow; Heather Gilbert and David Bengali, Good Night, and Good Luck; Natasha Katz and Hannah Wasileski, John Proctor is the Villain; Nick Schlieper, The Picture of Dorian Gray.
(08:39)
The nominees for Best Lighting Design of a Musical are Jack Knowles, Sunset Boulevard; Tyler Micoleau, Buena Vista Social Club; Scott Zielinski and Ruey Horng Sun, Floyd Collins; Ben Stanton, Maybe Happy Ending; Justin Townsend, Death Becomes Her.
Sarah Paulson (08:59):
The nominees for Best Sound Design of a Play are Paul Arditti, Stranger Things: The First Shadow; Palmer Hefferan, John Proctor is the Villain; Daniel Kluger, Good Night, and Good Luck; Nick Powell, The Hills of California; Clemence Williams, The Picture of Dorian Gray.
(09:17)
The nominees for Best Sound Design of a Musical are Jonathan Deans, Buena Vista Social Club; Adam Fisher, Sunset Boulevard; Peter Hylenski, Just in Time; Peter Hylenski, Maybe Happy Ending; Dan Moses Schreier, Floyd Collins.
Wendell Pierce (09:34):
The nominees for Best Direction of a Play are Knud Adams, English; Sam Mendes, The Hills of California; Sam Pinkleton, Oh, Mary!; Danya Taymor, John Proctor is the Villain; Kip Williams, The Picture of Dorian Gray.
(09:55)
The nominees for Best Direction of a Musical are Saheem Ali, Buena Vista Social Club; Michael Arden, Maybe Happy Ending; David Cromer, Dead Outlaw; Christopher Gattelli, Death Becomes Her; Jamie Lloyd, Sunset Boulevard.
Sarah Paulson (10:15):
The nominees for Best Choreography are Joshua Bergasse, Smash; Camille A. Brown, Gypsy; Christopher Gattelli, Death Becomes Her; Jerry Mitchell, Boop! The Musical; Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck, Buena Vista Social Club.
(10:33)
The nominees for Best Orchestrations are Andrew Resnick and Michael Thurber, Just in Time; Will Aronson, Maybe Happy Ending; Bruce Coughlin, Floyd Collins; Marco Paguia, Buena Vista Social Club; David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sunset Boulevard.
Wendell Pierce (10:51):
The nominees for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play are Tala Ashe, English; Jessica Hecht, Eureka Day; Marjan Neshat, English; Fina Strazza, John Proctor is the Villain; and Kara Young, Purpose.
(11:11)
The nominees for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play are Glenn Davis, Purpose; Gabriel Ebert, John Proctor is the Villain; Francis Jue, Yellow Face; Bob Odenkirk, Glengarry Glen Ross; Conrad Ricamora, Oh, Mary!
Sarah Paulson (11:33):
The nominees for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical are Natalie Venetia Belcon, Buena Vista Social Club; Julia Knitel, Dead Outlaw; Gracie Lawrence, Just in Time; Justina Machado, Real Women Have Curves: The Musical; Joy Woods, Gypsy.
(11:54)
The nominees for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical are Brooks Ashmanskas, Smash; Jeb Brown, Dead Outlaw; Danny Burstein, Gypsy; Jak Malone, Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical; Taylor Trensch, Floyd Collins.
Wendell Pierce (12:11):
The nominees for Best Revival of a Play are Eureka Day by Jonathan Spector; Romeo + Juliet; Thornton Wilder's Our Town, Yellow Face by David Henry Hwang.
Sarah Paulson (12:28):
The nominees for Best Revival of a Musical are Floyd Collins, Book/Additional Lyrics, Tina Landau, Music & Lyrics, Adam Guettel; Gypsy; Pirates! The Penzance Musical; Sunset Boulevard.
Wendell Pierce (12:43):
This season, Special Tony Awards will be given to the musicians who make up the band of Buena Vista Social Club, and for The Illusions & Technical Effects of Stranger Things: The First Shadow.
(12:55)
Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre will go to four outstanding contributors to the Broadway industry: PBS Great Performances, Michael Price, New 42, and The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
Sarah Paulson (13:09):
And we are honoring the incredible actor and writer, four-time Tony Award winner, Harvey Fierstein with a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.
(13:19)
The 2025 Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award, in recognition for her unwavering dedication to advocacy work through the arts, goes to Celia Keenan-Bolger.
Wendell Pierce (13:28):
Just like putting on a Broadway show, it takes hundreds of people to put on the Tony Awards each year. We want to take a moment to thank our incredible sponsors. And a special thank you to Sofitel New York for hosting us this morning. Please visit tonyawards.com for a full list of this year's nominations and other Tony news. Be sure to follow Tony Awards on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, maybe.
Sarah Paulson (13:58):
Congratulations again to all of this year's nominees, and please tune in to the 78th Annual Tony Awards on Sunday, June 8th, 8:00 PM Eastern on CBS and Paramount+, hosted by the incomparable Cynthia Erivo. And watch The Tony Awards: Act One, a pre-show of live, exclusive content leading into the Tony Awards on Pluto TV. Additional details will be available at a future date. Thank you for joining us, and have a wonderful day.
Wendell Pierce (14:27):
Thank you for joining us, and have a wonderful day.
