By Jessica Wedemeyer
9:25am PDT, Jun 9, 2025
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The 2025 Tony Awards had a little something for everyone: a high-energy, totally original show opener featuring one of Hollywood's biggest stars, a GOAT in a showstopper from the revival of a Stephen Sondheim classic, a former pop star proving her chops and so much more.
While not every number hit it out of the park during the June 8 show in New York City, by and large, the evening was stuffed with solid numbers.
Join us as we count down every performance from the 2025 Tonys, from good to great.
Keep reading to see the evening's top performer…
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No. 15: "Ballad" and "Dead" from Dead Outlaw
The cast of
Dead Outlaw delivered a disjointed performance of
two numbers — "Ballad" and "Dead" — from the biographical musical. The brief first number introduced the titular dead outlaw, Elmer McCurdy, and the second picked up in 1976 —
long after his death. The thematically dissimilar numbers didn't offer much for us to latch on to emotionally, unfortunately.
No. 14: "We Sail the Ocean Blue" from Pirates! The Penzance Musical
David Hyde Pierce and Jinkx Monsoon led the cast of
Pirates! The Penzance Musical through a lackluster rendition of "
We Sail the Ocean Blue" from the 2025 adaptation of the 1879 opera "The Pirates of Penzance." The number wasn't necessarily
bad, it just couldn't keep up with the rest of the evening's showstoppers.
No. 13: "Jugglin'" from Real Women Have Curves
The cast of
Real Women Have Curves had just two and a half minutes to win over the audience with their performance of "
Jugglin'" – which had the added disadvantage of coming
very late in a stacked evening. The number was fun enough, but we noticed Tati Córdoba didn't quite land the final note. Bummer!
No. 12: "Born to Lead" from Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical
The principal cast of
Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical delivered a fun but mostly forgettable performance of "
Born to Lead." We have to admit we were expecting more from the hit comedic musical!
No. 11: "The Ballad of Floyd Collins" and "The Call" from Floyd Collins
The ensemble cast of
Floyd Collins kicked off
a tribute to the biographical musical with a rendition of the show's dissonant opening number, "The Ballad of Floyd Collins." The number then transitioned to star Jeremy Jordan highlighting his impressive yodeling skills in "The Call." Unfortunately, the number might've been more powerful without the lackluster first half.
No. 10: "Mack the Knife," "That's All" and "Once in a Lifetime" from Just in Time
Jonathan Groff had just two and half minutes to squeeze in
a medley of three songs from his new musical
Just in Time: "Mack the Knife," "That's All" and "Once in a Lifetime." It just wasn't enough to fully hook us, though we loved the stunt he pulled midway through the number when he headed down into the audience and leaped onto Keanu Reeves' seat, leaving the
John Wick actor looking frightened and then thrilled as the Broadway icon reached down to caress the action star's face.
No. 9: Cynthia Erivo's Closing Number
Who decided to close out the 2025 Tony Awards with Cynthia Erivo singing
a spoof of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from
Dreamgirls with updated lyrics calling out the evening's biggest winners? Whoever they are, they deserve an Emmy. She absolutely destroyed every note as the end credits rolled – all while honoring big winners like Sarah Snook, Cole Escola and Nicole Scherzinger. Genius!
No. 8: "Never Fly Away" from Maybe Happy Ending
Their number may not have featured the evening's best vocals, but Darren Criss and Helen J. Shen still managed to win over the audience with their rendition of "
Never Fly Away" from
Maybe Happy Ending, which kicked off with them acting out a scene centered around catching fireflies as a man in a tuxedo used a light-up wand to emulate a flying insect. As the "firefly" flew away, the stage floor expanded to reveal the orchestra hidden below – a technical stunt that earned applause from the audience. As for the man in the tuxedo? He was revealed to be the conductor.
No. 7: "Candela" from Buena Vista Social Club
The cast of
Buena Vista Social Club killed their rendition of "
Candela" from the Cuba-set musical. The number featured impressive vocals and choreography, but it was the musicians on stage who truly stole the show.
No. 6: "Sometimes All You Need Is a Song" (Opening Number)
Cynthia Erivo kicked off the show on a high note (literally) with the opening number: an original track titled "
Sometimes All You Need Is a Song" that highlighted her star power and impressive vocal chops as she sang about the evening's nominees while accompanied first by a pianist and then by a white-clad choir that danced down the theater's center aisles to join her on stage. She delivered a fun surprise by heading into the audience to pass her mic to Kristin Chenoweth, Aaron Tveit and Adam Lambert, who each gamely belted a few notes.
No. 5: "Tomorrow" from Annie ("In Memoriam" segment)
There wasn't a dry eye in the house after Cynthia Erivo teamed up with Sara Bareilles for this year's "In Memoriam" segment: a duet of "
Tomorrow" from
Annie. Our hearts broke when the tributes ended with a photo of Gavin Creel, who starred opposite Bareilles in the hit musical
Waitress. (She wrote the music and lyrics and also headlined the Broadway production.) The pain on her face was evident as she shared a comforting hug with Erivo. (Creel died at 48 in September 2024.)
No. 4: "For the Gaze" from Death Becomes Her
Megan Hilty knocked it out of the park with her high-energy performance of "
For the Gaze" from
Death Becomes Her, which saw her nailing a Liza Minnelli impression, multiple costume changes and tricky choreography including splits and a series of cartwheels.
No. 3: Hamilton medley
Wow. It was the moment everyone was waiting for — and it did not disappoint! Lin-Manuel Miranda reunited with his co-stars from the original cast of
Hamilton — Leslie Odom Jr., Philipa Soo, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Daveed Diggs, Christopher Jackson, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Anthony Ramos, Jonathan Groff and Ariana DeBose — for
a nine-song medley of some of the beloved musical's biggest hits: "Non-Stop," "My Shot," "The Schuyler Sisters," "Guns and Ships," "You'll Be Back," "Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)," "The Room Where It Happens" and "History Has Its Eyes on You." Tragically, the number – which celebrated the show's 10th anniversary — lasted just four a half minutes, leaving us desperately hungry for more.
No. 2: "Rose's Turn" from Gypsy
Well, there's a reason why she's the GOAT! Audra McDonald — who was met with thunderous applause from the audience before she sang a single note — absolutely destroyed a rendition of "
Rose's Turn" from
Gypsy that highlighted both her flawless vocal chops and incredible acting skills. Bravo!
No. 1: "As If We Never Said Goodbye" from Sunset Blvd.
That voice! Nicole Scherzinger brought the house down with her rendition of "
As If We Never Said Goodbye" from
Sunset Blvd. Just moments after she belted out the final note, she won the Tony for best lead actress in a musical. So well deserved!
