Maybe Happy Ending' wins big at Tony Awards

Maybe Happy Ending, a sweet and futuristic story that follows two obsolete helper robots as they navigate isolation, affection, and what it means to be human, was the big musical winner at the Tony Awards on Sunday, capping a record-grossing post-pandemic Broadway theatre season.

The show won three big awards, including best musical. Darren Criss won his first Tony for best leading actor in a musical for his role as the innocent Oliver, and its director Michael Arden won the award for best director of a musical.

The modern reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber's classic Sunset Blvd. also won big, taking awards for best revival of a musical and for Nicole Scherzinger, who stars as the faded movie star Norma Desmond, won best actress in a musical.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Purpose won the best play award. Written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, the play follows a family whose carefully constructed legacy unravels when their youngest son returns home with an unexpected guest, exposing buried secrets and faith-based conflict.

Host Cynthia Erivo, the Wicked film star, opened the show at Radio City Music Hall with a walk to the stage from the dressing room that mimicked actor Tom Francis' viral post-intermission live outdoor Manhattan stroll as he sings the title song in Sunset Blvd.

Buoyed by a post-pandemic rebound, the 2024-25 season grossed a record $1.89 billion in revenue and drew 14.7 million attendees, the Broadway League said.

Cole Escola won the Tony for best lead actor in a play for his creation Oh, Mary! The show, Escola's reimagining of Mary Todd Lincoln's life and relationship with husband Abraham Lincoln, blends historical satire with absurd camp. The show also earned Sam Pinkleton the Tony for best director of a play.

TV's Succession star Sarah Snook, who made her Broadway debut this season, won the award for best leading actress in a play for her tour-de-force performance of more than two dozen roles in The Picture of Dorian Gray.

The original cast of Hamilton, including the show's creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, reunited to perform an electric medley in honour of the musical's 10th anniversary. The number also served as a reintroduction to Leslie Odom Jr as Aaron Burr, a role he will resume in the production later this year for a limited time.

Francis Jue won best actor in a featured role in a play for Yellow Face. He thanked the Asian American actors who came before him and addressed the next generation: "This community sees you and I hope that encourages you to be brave, and to dream and to dream big." Reuters