The Tony Awards are on Sunday night. If you’re new to this season, or to theater, here are some things you might want to know.
What are the Tony Awards?
The Tony Awards, presented by the Broadway League and the American Theater Wing, is an annual ceremony honoring plays and musicals staged on Broadway. And Broadway, in industry parlance, refers to 41 theaters in and around Times Square, each of which must have at least 500 seats. There are awards in 26 competitive categories, plus a few noncompetitive prizes like lifetime achievement.
The main event is on Sunday, June 8, at 8 p.m. Eastern, broadcast on CBS and streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime. Cynthia Erivo is hosting at Radio City Music Hall.
Many of the awards for creative teams will be given out at a preshow that starts at 6:40 p.m.; it is streaming on Pluto TV and hosted by Darren Criss and Renée Elise Goldsberry.
Here’s more on what to expect, including a 10th anniversary “Hamilton” performance:
How is Broadway doing?
It’s a mixed picture. The 2024-25 season that just ended was the highest grossing in history, and it was the first since the coronavirus pandemic to outgross the prepandemic peak of 2018-19, although those figures are not inflation-adjusted.
But attendance is still slightly down from its prepandemic high, and profitability is down considerably because of rising production costs.
The big success story this past season was among plays: Six of them have become profitable. No new musicals have achieved profitability yet.
What about ticket prices?
Although average ticket prices industrywide have not changed all that much, ticket prices for the hottest shows are quite high, and that is becoming a subject of increasing public concern. Here’s an explanation of the ticket price situation and a guide to saving some money.
Who is nominated?
There are 29 shows with at least one nomination. Three musicals have the most, with 10 nominations each: “Buena Vista Social Club,” “Death Becomes Her” and “Maybe Happy Ending.”
We shot portraits of 41 nominated performers and asked them about obstacles they have overcome.
What are the top contenders?
“Maybe Happy Ending” is the leading contender for best new musical. Rachel Sherman looked at how that show’s Tony-nominated star, Darren Criss, uses a background in physical theater to inform his movement while playing a robot.
“Sunset Boulevard” is likely to be named best musical revival. That show has a coup de théâtre at the top of the second act, when the actor Tom Francis sings the title song on camera while walking down a backstage stairwell and through Shubert Alley. Sarah Bahr explained how that number comes together.
Sarah Snook, an Australian actress who won an Emmy for playing Siobhan Roy (known as Shiv) on HBO’s “Succession,” is expected to take home her first Tony for a high-tech adaptation of “The Picture of Dorian Gray.” Alexis Soloski explored how Snook plays all 26 characters.
Cole Escola, the creator and star of the comedy “Oh, Mary!,” is favored to win a Tony as best lead actor. I looked at the inspirations for that show’s physical production.
Want more? Here are my predictions for who is likely to win, based on interviews with voters.
What’s next for Broadway?
All of the productions on the awards show that are still running will try to sell tickets based on their performances or prizes.
Meanwhile, a new season is already underway: Jean Smart is starring in a one-woman play, “Call Me Izzy,” that opens on Thursday. In August, “Mamma Mia!” returns to Broadway.
And in September, Broadway’s love affair with starry play productions resumes: Bobby Cannavale, James Corden and Neil Patrick Harris will open a revival of Yasmina Reza’s “Art,” and Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter will headline a revival of Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot.”
Michael Paulson is the theater reporter for The Times.
The post 2025 Tony Awards: What to Know Ahead of the Ceremony appeared first on New York Times.
