2025 Tony Nominations: A Personal Take on the Acting Categories in Musicals

Every year when the Tony nominations drop, I have the same ritual: coffee in one hand, phone in the other, watching the livestream and loudly reacting like it's the Super Bowl. And this year’s acting categories for musicals? Let’s just say I had a few “Yes!!” moments, a few surprises, and one where I wanted to punch a wall.. Yesterday, I posted my predictions (which I nailed many of them, *cue pat on back) ,so let’s break it down.

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)

  • Taylor Trensch (Floyd Collins)​

Who’s Missing

  • Christopher Sieber (Death Becomes Her)

The buzz around Brooks Ashmanskas in Smash has been strong from the jump — and let’s be honest, if you’re doing backstage Broadway meta-comedy, Brooks is your guy. Danny Burstein continues his run as the most consistently great person onstage(and off). Taylor Trensch getting in for Floyd Collins is a really nice surprise, and there’s been some quiet-but-persistent love for Jak Malone in Operation Mincemeat (a show that still feels like an underdog in the big Broadway picture, but clearly made an impression). Now, I haven’t seen Dead Outlaw, but Jeb Brown’s nomination caught me off guard — not in a bad way, but he wasn’t a name I saw pop up much in the lead-up chatter. It just goes to show that Tony voters still like to toss in a wild card or two. That said...

WHERE IS CHRISTOPHER SIEBER?!

Best Featured Actress 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)

  • Joy Woods (Gypsy)

Who’s Missing

  • Bernadette Peters

This category feels like a mix of “that makes sense” and “oh, interesting!” Joy Woods has been building buzz all season, people love her, obvious pick. Justina Machado’s nomination is one I’m really rooting for. Let her cook.

Gracie Lawrence’s nod for Just in Time makes me think the show had more traction than I realized, because hers wasn’t a name I had on my radar at all. Julia Knitel also benefits from the Dead Outlaw love — and while I can’t say I’ve seen a ton of discussion about her specifically, the fact that the show landed two acting featured noms makes me curious.

And then there’s Natalie Venetia Belcon. It’s honestly so cool to see her here. Very surprised not to see Bernadette Peters(Old Friends) here.

Best Actor in a Musical

  • Darren Criss (Maybe Happy Ending)

  • Andrew Durand (Dead Outlaw)

  • Tom Francis (Sunset Boulevard)

  • Jonathan Groff (Just For One Day)

  • James Monroe Iglehart (A Wonderful World)

  • Jeremy Jordan (Floyd Collins)

Who’s Missing

Not really anyone

Let’s start with what makes sense. Criss, Durand, Groff and Jordan were all going to be here. I’m glad Tom Francis is included as well. James Monroe Iglehart is the pleasant surprise here, especially since A Wonderful World closed back in February. I had honestly assumed it had faded from voters' minds, but clearly, his performance made a lasting impression. If the category was going to six nominees, I thought David Hyde Pierce would get the nod.

Best Actress in a Musical

  • Megan Hilty (Death Becomes Her)

  • Audra McDonald (Gypsy)

  • Jasmine Amy Rogers (BOOP! The Musical)

  • Nicole Scherzinger (Sunset Boulevard)

  • Jennifer Simard (Death Becomes Her)

Who’s Missing?

HELEN J SHEN!!!!!

Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard both scoring nods for Death Becomes Her shows just how much that show is doing right (or at least how good those two are). Audra McDonald is back, and honestly, it’s not even surprising anymore — she breathes, she gets nominated, and I’m not mad about it. Jasmine Amy Rogers is a breakout star, and I love this for her.

And Nicole Scherzinger in Sunset Boulevard? Look, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this nomination shows that Tony voters will overlook elephants in the room and on social media, if the performance is strong enough.

BUT HELEN. J. SHEN.

I had a feeling that if Death Becomes Her got both nominations, she would be elbowed out, but I was really hoping it wasn’t going to happen. The fact that she’s not on this list is baffling.

At the end of the day, even with the snubs and surprises, there’s nothing quite like Tony season. The buzz, the drama, the celebration of a year’s worth of storytelling — it’s what makes this community so electric. I’ll be watching Tony night like it’s the Olympics, cheering on my favorites (and side-eyeing a few choices), because that’s the fun of it all.

And if you’re craving more takes, stay tuned — OnStage Blog will be diving into the other categories all week long. We’ve got thoughts. You’ve got opinions. Let’s talk Tonys.

Tony Awards, BroadwayChristopher PetersonChris Peterson