took home monumental wins at the 78th Tony Awards, making the Filipino community proud on the global stage.
Photo: Tony Awards and Marco Paguia/Instagram
Nicole won the “Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical” award for her impeccable performance as Norma Desmond in the acclaimed revival of “Sunset Boulevard.” She bested theater actresses Megan Hilty, Audra McDonald, Jasmine Amy Rogers, and Jennifer Simard.
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The former Pussycat Dolls member, who couldn’t hold back her tears, said: “First of all, I just have to thank God for carrying me every step of the way. I give you all the glory.”
She also acknowledged her Filipino roots in her emotional acceptance speech: “I wanna thank all of you so much for making this little Hawaiian-Ukrainian-Filipino girl’s dream come true. I’m so proud to represent.”
“Growing up, I always felt like I didn’t belong, but you all made me feel like I belonged, and I have come home. At last. So, if there’s anyone out there who feels like they don’t belong or that their time hasn’t come up yet, don’t give up. Just keep giving and giving because the world needs your love and your light now more than ever,” she shared.
This is also her first nomination at the prestigious award-giving body.
Meanwhile, Darren won “Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical” for his role in “Maybe Happy Ending.” This critically acclaimed South Korean musical received ten nominations and won the most awards for this year’s Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Book.
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In his acceptance speech, the Glee actor expressed his deep gratitude to his wife, Mia: “But the real hero about this for this remarkable journey is my wife, Mia, who took a massive swing on allowing me to do this and to allow this crazy upheaval in our life to make this logistically possible, and for bearing the brunt of raising two tiny friends under three so that I could raise a singing robot at the Belasco Theatre eight times a week.”
He also paid tribute to his late father and brother, William Criss and Chuck Criss.
“I would like to dedicate this in loving memory to one of the greatest role models I ever had, one of the best friends I ever had,” he said.
The 38-year-old actor was up against fellow nominees Andrew Durand, Tom Francis, Jonathan Groff, James Monroe Iglehart, and Jeremy Jordan. He also won on his first-ever nomination, becoming the first Asian American actor to receive this accolade in the category.
Finally, Marco Paguia won the “Best Orchestrations” award for “Buena Vista Social Club,” a 2023 stage musical which revolves around the lives of four musicians during the 1950s until the 1990s.
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Moreover, the musicians who made up the band of “Buena Vista Social Club”—where Marco served as the show’s music director, conductor, and onstage pianist—also received a Special Tony Award.
Congratulations!
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