Episode Details

The Tony nominations are here—and what a season it’s been. Corpses and Obsolete Robots and Demogorgons – oh my!

Host Patrick Pacheco is joined by top theater critics and journalists Helen Shaw (The New Yorker), Adam Feldman (Time Out New York), and Jan Simpson (Broadway Radio) to break down Broadway’s biggest night: the 78th Annual Tony Awards.

Together, they dive into standout shows, big surprises, and what the nominations say about the state of Broadway in 2025.

In this episode:

- “Maybe Happy Ending” emerges as a standout critical favorite and a top contender for Best Musical 
-“Death Becomes Her,” a $30 million spectacle with two leading ladies, Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard, possibly splitting votes  
- Buena Vista Social Club delivers rhythm, heart, and a rich celebration of classic Cuban music 
- Kara Young makes history with a fourth consecutive Tony nomination—recognized for every Broadway role she’s ever played 
- Audra McDonald earns her record-setting 11th Tony nod for her powerhouse turn in “Gypsy” 
- Jasmine Amy Rogers lights up the stage with a star-making performance in “BOOP! The Musical” 
- Darren Criss earns acclaim for his physically precise and emotionally layered work in “Maybe Happy Ending” 
- Netflix’s “Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” earns a Best Actor nomination for Louis McCartney, who Feldman says is “doing a spectacular job of keeping that show together”—a standout in a technically ambitious production 
- Nicole Scherzinger surprises with a bold, stylized take on Norma Desmond in “Sunset Boulevard,” earning her first Tony nomination
- This year’s Best Actress in a Musical nominees include Audra McDonald (“Gypsy”), Nicole Scherzinger (“Sunset Boulevard”), Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard (“Death Becomes Her”), and Jasmine Amy Rogers (“BOOP! The Musical”)

But the episode doesn’t just celebrate the season—it interrogates it. “I think the nominators are interested in signaling these overpriced shows and saying, ‘You know what? We don’t like this,’” says Shaw. “There’s a kind of oppositionality—‘Oh, you’ve just swanned in to give a substandard, under-rehearsed performance? We will ignore you ruthlessly.’”

Filmed ahead of the June 8 ceremony at Radio City Music Hall—hosted by Cynthia Erivo—this candid conversation is your go-to guide to the Tony Awards.

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