Daniel Dae Kim Making History / May 2, 2025 by David Hwang

This year's nominations were filled with surprises and welcomed industry trends.

If the Tony Awards are the theatre Super Bowl, then the Tony Awards nominations day can be considered the play-offs (pun very much intended). This morning, theatre fans gathered at their screens to see which of our favorite teams or players will get to make it to Broadway biggest night.

While there was a number of overlooked artists, there were also some illuminating surprises and trends—all of which showcased one of the strongest (and highest-grossing) Broadway seasons in recent memory. Here's what we noticed about this year's Tony nominees.

Daniel Dae Kim and English Make History

This year included a large amount of first-time nominees (more on that later), but a notable one on the list was Daniel Dae Kim. Kim is now the first Asian actor to be nominated for a Tony Award for Best Performance By a Leading Actor in a Play (B.D. Wong, the first Asian actor to win an acting Tony, was in the Featured category for M. Butterfly). But Kim wasn't alone in making Tonys history. Sanaz Toossi is the first Iranian-American playwright to be nominated for Best Play, for English; and that show's cast members Tala Ashe and Marjan Neshat are the first Middle Eastern actors to be nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play.

Tony Nominations / May 2, 2025 by David Hwang

In a robust season with 14 new musicals, three tied for the most nominations, with 10 each: “Buena Vista Social Club,” “Death Becomes Her” and “Maybe Happy Ending.” And Audra McDonald, who has already won a record six competitive Tony Awards, set another record: she picked up her 11th nomination for her role in “Gypsy,” making her the most-nominated performer ever.

The nominations were announced at the end of the most robust Broadway season since the pandemic. Box office grosses are approaching prepandemic levels amid a bumper crop of 42 show openings. Several productions have drawn much-desired young audiences, and the season featured a mix of quirky and original shows alongside big-brand spectacle. But the industry faces challenges too: Ticket prices, especially for the hottest shows, have become out-of-reach for many, and fewer shows are turning a profit as the cost of producing has risen.

Four new takes on classic shows were nominated for best musical revival, including “Gypsy,” “Pirates! The Penzance Musical,” “Sunset Boulevard” and “Floyd Collins.” The four nominees for best play revival are “Eureka Day,” “Our Town,” “Romeo + Juliet” and “Yellow Face.”

Daniel Dae Kim made history as the first Asian American ever nominated as best leading actor in a play, for his performance in “Yellow Face,” according to the Asian American Performers Action Coalition. Asian Americans have historically been significantly underrepresented on Broadway, and this season was noteworthy for the relatively high number of Asian American performers, producers and members of creative teams.

Reactions From the 2025 Tony Award Play Nominees / May 2, 2025 by David Hwang

George Clooney, Louis McCartney, and David Henry Hwang

Learn how the artists in the play categories feel about getting nominated in this reaction round-up.

David Henry Hwang, Best Revival of a Play, Yellow Face

“This morning's nomination is a joyful affirmation of the work director Leigh Silverman and I have done over 20 years, to create and refine Yellow Face into a play which can bring audiences together, to laugh and think about how to move our country forward. Thank you so much to the nominators!"

Daniel Dae Kim, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play, Yellow Face

"I'm really proud of the show. I feel like the entire company and our creative team worked so hard to bring this show to life, and it's really a validation of all the work we're doing. The fact that the play was nominated for Best Revival and that Francis [Jue] was recognized for Featured Actor, is all so meaningful to me and heartwarming, because it was a group effort. And when I think about the fact that I'm the first Asian-American to be nominated in this category, that feels especially significant, because it's not something I thought about before. I realized, and remember, how many Asian American actors there were before me who never received any kind of recognition despite the incredible work and hard work that they were doing for generations earlier."

Francis Jue, Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play, Yellow Face

"It's so completely flabbergasting...it's hard to breathe. I can't feel my body. On the other hand, it feels like for 18 years, I've been thinking about this play, about David's father, about what it means to be an immigrant in this country, and... all of the above. I am ecstatic, in a way that i haven't been in a long time. And partly that's because Daniel Dae Kim also got nominated, which is historic. This is the first time an Asian actor has been nominated for a Lead Actor in a Play on Broadway. I'm ecstatic for David Henry Huang, because I think it's a great American play that is going to stand the test of time. It's been a banner year for Asians in theatre in New York and on Broadway. So I'm just ecstatic."

2025 Tony Award Nominations / May 2, 2025 by David Hwang

Sarah Paulson and Wendell Pierce will announce this year's nominees for Broadway's top honors beginning at 8:30 AM ET.

It's all ties with this year's Tony Awards nominations, announced May 1 by Sarah Paulson and Wendell Pierce. Musicals Buena Vista Social Club, Death Becomes Her, and Maybe Happy Ending all tied to become the most nominated productions of the season, each including the much coveted Best Musical. (With a Special Tony Award being bestowed on Buena Vista Social Club's band, the musical is technically the most recognized in this nomination announcement.)

And even looking at plays (which have less opportunities for nominations), John Proctor is the Villain and The Hills of California tied to become the most nominated plays of the season, with seven each including Best Play. Musicals Dead Outlaw and Sunset Blvd. also earned seven nominations, the second-highest of this year's nods.

Best Revival of a Play
Eureka Day, Jonathan Spector
Romeo + Juliet
Thornton Wilder's Our Town
Yellow Face, David Henry Hwang

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck
Cole Escola, Oh, Mary!
Jon Michael Hill, Purpose
Daniel Dae Kim, Yellow Face
Harry Lennix, Purpose
Louis McCartney, Stranger Things: The First Shadow

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Glenn Davis, Purpose
Gabriel Ebert, John Proctor is the Villain
Francis Jue, Yellow Face
Bob Odenkirk, Glengarry Glen Ross
Conrad Ricamora, Oh, Mary!

Who Should Be a Tony Awards Nominee in 2025? / May 2, 2025 by David Hwang

Jesse Green saw all 42 productions that are eligible for Tony Awards this season, as well as many, Off Broadway and elsewhere, that aren’t.

Though the official Tony Awards nominations aren’t scheduled to be announced until Thursday, I give you my unofficial ones right now. If it were up to me, these would be the nominees.

They include some, marked with an asterisk, that because they were seen Off Broadway or were otherwise ineligible, the real Tonys won’t include. Call it theatrical license that I do so anyway. Also bucking the rule book is my best ensemble category, which I argue for every year even though choosing among the Broadway riches is all but impossible.

Best Revival of a Play
Eureka Day, Jonathan Spector
Romeo + Juliet
Thornton Wilder's Our Town
Yellow Face, David Henry Hwang

Gold House names 100 most influential AAPIs / May 2, 2025 by David Hwang

Olympic gold medalist and swimmer Torri Huske, Wicked director Jon Chu and U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) are among the more than 100 Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders named to the 8th annual Gold House A100 list.

The nonprofit which champions narrative change released its honor roll of the most impactful Asian Pacific leaders on the morning of May 1, day 1 of Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Also singled out in the entertainment field were R&B sensation Bruno Mars; Darren Criss and Helen Shen, lead actors of Broadway’s Maybe Happy Ending; David Henry Hwang and Daniel Dae Kim, playwright and lead actor of Broadway’s Yellow Face; and Abdullah Saeed, Asif Ali, Saagar Shaikh and Poorna Jagannathan, lead cast and creators of Hulu Boys Deli Boys.

Daniel Dae Kim becomes first AAPI Tony nominee for Lead Actor in a Play; record 7 Asian acting bids / May 2, 2025 by David Hwang

With today's announcement of the Tony Awards nominations, Daniel Dae Kimhas made history as the first AAPI nominee in the Lead Actor in a Play category. Kim was recognized for his performance in the revival of Yellow Face, where he plays a satirical version of playwright David Henry Hwang. Kim's nomination is also part of a record-setting year for Asian representation at the Tonys.

BD Wong was the first actor of Asian descent to score a Tony. Coincidentally, his 1988 win for Featured Actor in a Play came courtesy of another Hwang play, M. Butterfly.

Photos: Dramatists Guild Awards Honor David Henry Hwang / May 2, 2025 by David Hwang

Daniel Dae Kim, David Henry Hwang, Leigh Silverman

The ceremony was held April 28, 2025 at the Green Fig.The ceremony was held April 28, 2025 at the Green Fig.

Last night, the Dramatists Guild of America honored the recipients of their 2025 Awards with a ceremony at Green Fig at which playwrights, composers, lyricists, and librettists celebrated their fellow theatre writers.

Amanda Green, President of the Dramatists Guild Council, hosted the event, which featured musical numbers, moving speeches, and many powerful moments of solidarity and community.

The final award of the evening was the Dramatists Guild Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by the Dramatists Guild Council’s Treasurer, Christine Toy Johnson, to playwright David Henry Hwang.

Photos: Outer Critics Circle Marks 75th Anniversary With Star-Studded Cocktail Party / May 2, 2025 by David Hwang

Francis Jue and David Henry Hwang of *Yellow Face*
(© Tricia Baron)

See photos from the event, which took place at the West Bank Cafe.

The Outer Critics Circle celebrated its milestone 75th Anniversary on Monday, April 28, with a star-studded cocktail party at the West Bank Cafe.

A group comprising critics and journalists from print and digital publications across the country, the Outer Critics Circle presented awards first during the 1949-50 season, where recipients included Sheila Guyse (Lost in the Stars) and Daniel Reed (Come Back, Little Sheba), T.S. Elliot’s The Cocktail Party and Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Consul.

This year’s full list of nominees can be found here. Winners will be announced May 12.

2025 Outer Critics Circle Awards Nominations- The Full List / April 26, 2025 by David Hwang

The Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of writers on New York theatre for out-of-town, national, and digital news publications, has announced the nominees for the 2025 Outer Critics Circle Awards, honoring the 2024-2025 Broadway and Off-Broadway season.

Leading the pack with the most honors of the season is the Broadway musical Death Becomes Her, with twelve nominations, followed by Maybe Happy Ending with nine nominations. Stranger Things: The First Shadow leads in the play categories with a total of seven nominations, followed by The Hills of California with six.

2025 OUT CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD NOMINATIONS

Outstanding New Broadway Play

Cult of Love
The Hills of California
John Proctor Is the Villain
Purpose
Stranger Things: The First Shadow

Outstanding New Broadway MusicalOutstanding New Broadway Musical

Boop! The Musical
Death Becomes Her
Maybe Happy Ending
Operation Mincemeat
Real Women Have Curves

David Henry Hwang doesn’t mind being the butt of the joke — in fact, for Broadway’s ‘Yellow Face’ he needed to be / April 26, 2025 by David Hwang

David Henry Hwang (Credit: Courtesy of David Henry Hwang)

The three-time Pulitzer Prize finalist explains why he structured the comedy as a pseudo-documentary and how putting himself at the center freed up audiences.

David Henry Hwang’s “Yellow Face” opens like a documentary citing a source. “Email, received January 30,” the character of DHH begins, reciting the first line of Hwang’s satire about racial identity and family. The play hangs on two tentpole events, according to Hwang: “One is the protest against the casting Jonathan Pryce in ‘Miss Saigon’ and the second, towards the end [of the play], would be the charges against my father for allegedly laundering money for China,” Hwang explained. “Once I had those two real events, it just seemed to make sense that I could use a kind of stage-documentary format.”

But beyond those two events, “I just haven’t really affirmed or denied what’s true in the play,” Hwang told Broadway News. In “Yellow Face,” DHH is a Tony Award-winning playwright who finds himself in the spotlight when he objects to “Miss Saigon” casting a Welsh actor as Asian (in yellow face). DHH’s father is so proud of his son making the news; DHH not so much. Later, DHH finds himself in a bind when he accidentally casts a white actor in an Asian role — ironically in his play about mistaken racial identity, called “Face Value.”

‘Yellow Face’ star Francis Jue on playing David Henry Hwang’s father for 17 years: ‘He was allowed to thrive until he wasn’t’ / April 25, 2025 by David Hwang

“In 17 years, I think every single cell in your body has changed over at least once. I think that I changed more than the play did,” says Francis Jue in reference to the play Yellow Face. The actor first performed the role of Henry, a stage version of playwright David Henry Hwang’s father, off-Broadway in 2007. Nearly two decades later, Jue returned to the role in the Broadway revival to great acclaim. He recently joined Gold Derby to discuss the script’s continued relevance.

Henry is an immigrant from China and is obsessed with American ideals and culture. Yellow Face dives into the tricky world of identity politics and asks who has the right to the American dream. “When we first did it in 2007, people were wondering why he was still writing about identity? Weren't we past issues of racism? Obama was about to be president and isn't theater wonderful,” notes Jue. American culture has caught up with the discussions in the play, just in time for this revival. “Identity still is an issue. America still is wrestling with the question of what it means to be American.”

LA Opera presents ‘Ainadamar’ / April 25, 2025 by David Hwang

Deborah Colker’s “Ainadamar” was staged by the Scottish Opera in 2022. (photo by James Glossop, Scottish Opera)

From April 26-May 18, LA Opera will present the company premiere of “Ainadamar,” led by resident conductor Lina González-Granados. With a dramatic, flamenco-inspired score by Argentinian composer Osvaldo Golijov and a poignant libretto by David Henry Hwang, the opera recounts the fateful final days of poet and playwright Federico García Lorca, a man whose pen became his downfall during the Spanish Civil War. The opera is staged by director Deborah Colker in a production that has recently won acclaim at the Metropolitan Opera, Scottish Opera, Welsh National Opera and Detroit Opera.

“‘Ainadamar’ is an astonishing work that reminds us of the critical role that artists play in defining and defending our humanity,” LA Opera president Christopher Koelsch said. “The opera’s atmospheric sound world melds the classical operatic tradition with Spanish music and folk styling, an utterly beguiling combination that works brilliantly. I am so eager for our audiences to experience this modern-day masterpiece, especially with the truly brilliant cast we have assembled under the baton of resident conductor Lina González-Granados.”

Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang's AN AMERICAN SOLDIER Opera Recording Debuts in May / April 18, 2025 by David Hwang

The American Composers Orchestra (ACO) is set to release the world premiere recording of composer Huang Ruo and librettist David Henry Hwang’s moving and timely opera An American Soldier digitally via Platoon on Friday, May 23, 2025. This world premiere recording lands just before Memorial Day in the United States, May 26, which is also Danny Chen’s birthday. Chen would have been thirty-three years old this year.

The first single, “I’m Sorry Ama,” and an accompanying music video will be available on all streaming platforms May 9, and the second single, “Moon Duet,” will be out May 16. This release marks the first of a series of albums planned by the American Composers Orchestra via a new partnership with Platoon.

Described as "taut and haunting" by The Wall Street Journal and "clearheaded" and "touching" by The New York Times, the opera is based on the true story of Chinese-American Army Pvt. Danny Chen, who was found dead in a guard tower at his base in Afghanistan in 2011, and the ensuing courts-martial of Chen’s fellow soldiers. The New York premiere of An American Soldier in May 2024 was co-produced by Perelman Performing Arts Center | PAC NYC, Boston Lyric Opera, and American Composers Orchestra, and co-commissioned by PAC NYC and Boston Lyric Opera.

Theater Preview: Spring is budding with musicals, revivals across Los Angeles / April 18, 2025 by David Hwang

Shown are cast members of LA Opera’s “Ainadamar.” The show will see its debut performance at the opera house starting April 26 until its last showing May 18. (Courtesy of Marty Sohl)

A fresh lineup of theater productions is budding this spring.

With the new season, theaters will be blossoming with lively revivals, revamped adaptations and new storylines across Los Angeles. From Tony-award winning musicals to emerging directors, this vibrant bundle of productions offers an experience for everyone to enjoy.

“Ainadamar” (LA Opera)

The LA Opera’s stage is set for flamenco, poetry and a look into history.

“Ainadamar” will see its debut performance at the historic opera house starting April 26 until its final showing May 18. With tickets starting around $75, the performance will combine Grammy Award-winning composer Osvaldo Golijov’s vibrant flamenco score with a libretto by playwright David Henry Hwang. LA Opera resident conductor Lina González-Granados will lead the production. A story of art in the face of dictatorship, “Ainadamar” traces the life of poet Federico García Lorca during the budding Spanish Civil War, delivered to the audience in retrospect by his actress muse Margarita Xirgu.

Just as in the opera’s world premiere at the 2003 Tanglewood Music Festival in Massachusetts, “Ainadamar” will be sung entirely in Spanish which the LA Opera production will provide subtitles for in both English and Spanish. In addition, the production will maintain the opera’s unique feature of having a woman perform the male role of Lorca, with Daniela Mack and Ana María Martínez starring as Lorca and Xirgu, respectively. The opera’s title derives from the Arabic word meaning “fountain of tears,” while also referring to a natural spring in Granada – where Lorca, unable to escape fascist Spain, was ultimately executed in 1936.

Despite shedding a tear or many, audiences are sure to enjoy the poignant tale of “Ainadamar.”

David Henry Hwang to receive 2025 Dramatists Guild award for lifetime achievement / April 4, 2025 by David Hwang

The playwright of “Yellow Face” and “M. Butterfly” will be honored on April 28.

The Dramatists Guild of America has named playwright David Henry Hwang as the recipient of its 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award. The Dramatists Guild, the professional association for playwrights, librettists, lyricists and composers, will honor the Tony Award winner at the organization’s annual award ceremony on April 28.

Hwang’s theatrical oeuvre comprises plays, as well as both musical and operatic libretti. Hwang won the 1988 Best Play Tony Award for his Broadway debut, the drama “M. Butterfly.” Hwang received subsequent nominations for Best Play in 1998 for “Golden Boy” and Best Book of a Musical for his contributions to the 2002 revival of “Flower Drum Song.” Hwang’s other works include the book and lyrics for the musical “Soft Power,” books of the musicals “Aida” and “Tarzan,” the libretti for the operas “The Monkey King,” “Ainadamar,” “An American Soldier” and “Circus Days and Nights,” as well as the plays “Chinglish” and “Yellow Face,” the latter which received a Roundabout Theatre Company-produced Broadway premiere in fall 2024. Hwang is a three-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

David Henry Hwang Named Recipient of Dramatists Guild's 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award / April 4, 2025 by David Hwang

The award is presented in recognition of distinguished lifetime achievement in theatrical writing.

Tony winner David Henry Hwang has been named the recipient of The Dramatists Guild of America's 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award. The award will be presented to Hwang at the Guild’s annual awards ceremony April 28.

"Over the last four-and-a-half decades, David's ever-increasing body of work endures as one of the great contributions to the American theatre canon,” says Samuel D. Hunter, co-chair of the awards committee, in a statement. “I couldn't be more thrilled that we are celebrating David with the Guild's highest honor. His generosity, grace, humor, craft, and deep intelligence has profoundly influenced entire generations of theatre artists, myself included. I'm thrilled to see what lies ahead for him."

Yellow Face on Great Performances / April 4, 2025 by David Hwang

Yellow Face

Premiere: 5/16/2025
PBS • PBS App

Enjoy Tony winner David Henry Hwang’s comedy starring Daniel Dae Kim as an Asian American playwright who protests “yellowface” casting in the musical “Miss Saigon” only to mistakenly cast a white actor as the Asian lead in his own play.

Exclusive: Daniel Dae Kim to appear at 43rd CAAMFest / April 4, 2025 by David Hwang

Daniel Dae Kim stars in “Yellow Face,” a filmed performance of a Broadway play by David Henry Hwang.

“Lost” and “Hawaii Five-0” actor Daniel Dae Kim is scheduled to appear in person as part of the closing night festivities at CAAMFest, the nation’s oldest celebration of Asian American and Asian-themed films.

Director of Programs Don Young also told the Chronicle that this year’s festival — cut down to four days, running May 8-11 — is returning to the AMC Kabuki, which had long been featured in the festival’s identity, for the first time in seven years.

Despite the abbreviated festival length, Young noted roughly 40 programs on the schedule amount to about the same as last year when the festival was spread out over 11 days. The difference is films will start earlier and the festival will last later into the night.

What’s Happening: San Francisco Playhouse unveils 2025-26 Season / April 4, 2025 by David Hwang

M. Butterfly, February 5-March 14

Come February, the tone shifted. David Henry Hwang’s M. Butterfly took center stage, exploring cultural perception and personal identity through a decades-long relationship built on illusion. The story is deeply personal and unsettling—and remains, as The New York Times put it, “urgently relevant.”