Hooray for Filipinos on Broadway

Many Filipino fans cheered when Filipino-American stars Nicole Scherzinger and Darren Criss received acting honors at the 2025 Tony Awards held in New York recently.

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Nicole, a former member of the all-girl pop group The Pussycat Dolls, won Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for her role in "Sunset Boulevard."

In her acceptance speech, Nicole stated that she is Filipino, with roots in Hawaii and Ukraine. She is the second Asian actress to win Best Actress in a Musical in the 78-year history of the Tonys. The first was Lea Salonga in 1991 for her role in "Miss Saigon."

On the other hand, Darren was awarded Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical for his role in "Maybe Happy Ending." That night, the same play also won Best Musical, which Darren co-produced.

Darren did not mention his nationality during his acceptance speech, but he shared a Philippine flag emoji on Instagram. He now holds the distinction of being the first Asian male to win the award for Best Actor in a Musical at the prestigious Tony Awards.

I recall the moment when it was announced that Lea had finally secured the role of Kim in 1988, following a series of auditions for the musical. Miss Saigon tells the tragic story of a doomed romance between an Asian woman and her American lover, who abandons her.