Maybe Happy Ending Wins 6 Tonys as Broadway Hits $2B Season

The 78th Tony Awards, hosted by Cynthia Erivo at Radio City Music Hall, celebrated Broadway's most successful season with the South Korean musical "Maybe Happy Ending" winning six awards, including Best Musical, Best Original Score, and Best Direction of a Musical. Darren Criss won Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his role in "Maybe Happy Ending," while Nicole Scherzinger won Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her debut in "Sunset Boulevard," which also won Best Musical Revival. "Purpose," a family drama about a Black political family, earned Best Play, with Branden Jacobs-Jenkins becoming the first Black playwright to win consecutive Tony Awards, and Kara Young making history with back-to-back wins as Best Featured Actress in a Play. Sarah Snook took home Best Leading Actress in a Play for her one-woman performance in "The Picture of Dorian Gray," and Cole Escola won Best Leading Actor in a Play for "Oh, Mary!" The season set records with nearly $2 billion in ticket sales and 14.7 million attendees, marking Broadway's robust recovery post-pandemic. The ceremony featured memorable performances, including a "Hamilton" reunion, and honored both emerging talent and veterans, with special awards recognizing lifetime achievement and arts advocacy.