Theater Icon Audra McDonald Makes History as Tony Nominations are Announced

The curtain rose on Broadway this year not with a loud declaration but with a powerful presence. It wasn’t a “Broadway is back” kind of season — it was more like, “Broadway never left.” And now, with the 2025 Tony Award nominations announced, this season is proving something even more profound: when women rise, we all rise.

There’s no runaway favorite this year — and that’s exactly the point. Three wildly different musicals lead the pack with 10 nominations each: Buena Vista Social Club, Death Becomes Her, and Maybe Happy Ending. From Cuban soul to sci-fi sweetness to dark comedy with diva flair, Broadway has once again become a playground for bold ideas and unexpected storytelling.

But while the shows are grabbing headlines, it’s the women who are making history.

Audra McDonald, Broadway’s Queen, Shatters Records

This year, Audra McDonald received her 11th Tony Award nomination — this time for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for her portrayal of Momma Rose in Gypsy. With this milestone, she becomes the most Tony-nominated performer in Broadway history, adding another layer to a career that already made her the most Tony-awarded performer, with six wins to date.

McDonald’s trailblazing path began with her Broadway debut in The Secret Garden, followed by a Tony-winning role in Carousel that launched a legacy. From Ragtime to A Raisin in the Sun to Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, every performance has not only demonstrated her range but redefined what it means to lead on stage as a woman — and as a Black woman in a historically exclusive industry.

This year, her turn as the fierce and iconic Momma Rose joins the ranks of legendary interpretations, but with a perspective and voice uniquely her own. “As a Black actor, Rose was never a character I thought I would play,” McDonald shared in a written statement about her nomination. “It took a long time for the idea to germinate... I feel so incredibly grateful to share this Gypsy with the world.”

The revival is nominated for four additional Tonys, including Best Revival of a Musical and nods for Camille A. Brown’s choreography and co-stars Danny Burstein and Joy Woods — yet another example of women shaping the creative heart of Broadway.

A Strong Season for Women On and Off the Stage

This isn’t just McDonald’s moment — it’s a moment for women across Broadway. Sarah Snook’s performance in The Picture of Dorian Gray, where she played 26 characters through a mix of live and pre-recorded video, is nothing short of a theatrical tour de force. And playwrights like Lila Neugebauer (Appropriate) and Aleshea Harris (On Sugarland) have brought complexity, humor, and heart to the stage, further pushing the boundaries of what theater can be.

Even shows that might not wear their feminism on their sleeve, like Oh, Mary! and John Proctor is the Villain, are reframing historical and cultural narratives with a fresh, female-centered lens. And let’s not forget Nicole Scherzinger, whose transition from pop star to powerhouse stage actress is earning critical acclaim. Nicole, along with co-star George Clooney, have been nominated for their first Tonys. 

Other notable nominations, and iWoman fan favorites, include Purpose – led by Director Phylicia Rashad and Executive Producer Debra Martin-Chase, the timely dark family dramedy cuts right into the intersection of race and politics. John Proctor is the Villain flipped the American high school experience on its head, and Oh, Mary! gives a wonderfully unhinged, raunchy reimagining of Mary Todd Lincoln. And A Wonderful World star James Monroe Iglehart received a well-deserved nod for his stunning portrayal of jazz legend Louis Armstrong.

More Than Awards — This Is About Legacy

This year’s Tonys reflect a Broadway that is more inclusive, more daring, and more female-driven than ever. Whether in leading roles, creative teams, or emerging voices, women are not just participating — they are commanding the spotlight.

As we cheer for Audra McDonald’s historic nomination, we also celebrate every woman who has helped shape this extraordinary season. Because when one woman wins, it’s a victory for all of us.

See the list of nominations below:

2025 Tony Nominations

Best Musical

Buena Vista Social Club

Dead Outlaw

Death Becomes Her

Maybe Happy Ending

Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical

Best Play

English

The Hills of California

John Proctor is the Villain

Oh, Mary!

Purpose

Best Revival of a Play

Eureka Day

Romeo + Juliet

Thornton Wilder's Our Town

Yellow Face

Best Revival of a Musical

Floyd Collins

Gypsy

Pirates!

The Penzance

Sunset Blvd.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play

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

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play

Laura Donnelly, The Hills of California

Mia Farrow, The Roommate

LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Purpose

Sadie Sink, John Proctor is the Villain

Sarah Snook, The Picture of Dorian Gray

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical

Darren Criss, Maybe Happy Ending

Andrew Durand, Dead Outlaw

Tom Francis, Sunset Blvd.

Jonathan Groff, Just in Time

James Monroe Iglehart, A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical

Jeremy Jordan, Floyd Collins

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical

Megan Hilty, Death Becomes Her

Audra McDonald, Gypsy

Jasmine Amy Rogers, BOOP! The Musical

Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset Blvd.

Jennifer Simard, Death Becomes Her

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play

Glenn Davis, Purpose

Gabriel Ebert, John Proctor is the Villain

Francis Jue, Yellow Face

Bob Odenkirk, Glengarry Glen Ross

Conrad Ricamora, Oh, Mary!

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

Tala Ashe, English

Jessica Hecht, Eureka Day

Marjan Neshat, English

Fina Strazza, John Proctor is the Villain

Kara Young, Purpose

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical

Brooks Ashmanskas, SMASH

Jeb Brown, Dead Outlaw

Danny Burstein, Gypsy

Jak Malone, Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical

Taylor Trensch, Floyd Collins

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical

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

Best Direction of a Play

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

Best Direction of a Musical

Saheem Ali, Buena Vista Social Club

Michael Arden, Maybe Happy Ending

David Cromer, Dead Outlaw

Christopher Gattelli, Death Becomes Her

Jamie Lloyd, Sunset Blvd.

Best Book of a Musical

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 Zoë Roberts

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Dead Outlaw, Music & Lyrics: David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna

Death Becomes Her, Music & Lyrics: Julia Mattison and Noel Carey

Maybe Happy Ending, Music: Will Aronson, Lyrics: Will Aronson and Hue Park

Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical, Music & Lyrics: David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts

Real Women Have Curves: The Musical, Music & Lyrics: Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez

Best Choreography

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

Best Orchestrations

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 Blvd.

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

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

Best Costume Design of a Play

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

Best Costume Design of a Musical

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

Best Lighting Design of a Play

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

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Jack Knowles, Sunset Blvd.

Tyler Micoleau, Buena Vista Social Club

Scott Zielinski and Ruey Horng Sun, Floyd Collins

Ben Stanton, Maybe Happy Ending

Justin Townsend, Death Becomes Her

Best Sound Design of a Play

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

Best Sound Design of a Musical

Jonathan Deans, Buena Vista Social Club

Adam Fisher, Sunset Blvd.

Peter Hylenski, Just in Time

Peter Hylenski, Maybe Happy Ending

Dan Moses Schreier, Floyd Collins

Best Scenic Design of a Play

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