It’s Tonys season, pals! This morning, actors Sarah Paulson and Wendell Pierce announced which musicals, plays, stage performers and more will be vying for the highest honors in American theater at the 78th Tony Awards. Some of the nominations were not surprises: The inimitable Audra McDonald became the most nominated performer in Tony history after securing a nomination for portraying Mama Rose in “Gypsy,” the 11th nomination she’s received throughout her career. Plus, the raved about “Maybe Happy Ending,” “Death Becomes Her” and “Buena Vista Social Club” led musical nominations with 10 nods a piece, and plays “John Proctor Is the Villain” and “The Hills of California” each garnered seven nominations.
Celebrity performers also did well for themselves. George Clooney (“Good Night, And Good Luck”), Sadie Sink (“John Proctor Is the Villain”), Sarah Snook (“The Picture of Dorian Gray”), Nicole Scherzinger (“Sunset Blvd”), Cole Escola (“Oh, Mary!”) and Gracie Lawrence (“Just in Time”) all nabbed nominations for their roles.
However, some of the biggest storylines of the 2025 Tonys season are the snubs — which include shows with explicitly Jewish narratives, characters and actors. “Redwood,” the musical featuring the Jewish values of tikkun olam and bal tashchit and starring Jewish Broadway icon Idina Menzel, was completely shut out of the nominations. The same is true for “The Last Five Years,” Jewish composer Jason Robert Brown’s musical about a failed marriage starring Nick Jonas and Adrienne Warren. The buzzy revival of “Othello” starring Denzel Washington and Jewish actor Jake Gyllenhaal also, shockingly, came away with zero nominations. Other high profile snubs include Kieran Culkin for “Glengarry Glen Ross,” and Rachel Zegler and Kit Connor for “Romeo + Juliet.”
Even so, there are still plenty of Jews to root for at the 78th Tony Awards. Before the ceremony airs on June 8, here are all the big Jewish nominees:
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Jeremy Jordan (“Floyd Collins”)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Danny Burstein (“Gypsy”)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Gracie Lawrence (“Just in Time”)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Jessica Hecht (“Eureka Day”)
Best Book of a Musical
Itamar Moses (“Dead Outlaw”)
Best Direction of a Play
Danya Taymor (“John Proctor is the Villain”)
Honoree for Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Harvey Fierstein
