This is Paul Tazewell’s year for sure. If grace could be pictured… Tazewell would be in that photo. He’s tall. Elegant. And naturally, always, well dressed. In short: hard to miss. I watched the Oscar-winning costume designer on the red carpet at the 2025 Tony Awards—and what struck me, besides his effortless grace, was the sincere appreciation and affection he showed for one of the youngest reporters on the carpet, Joel Crump. He made a beeline straight to him, echoing what so many African American Broadway nominees, presenters, and past winners have said—with their full chest—“He is the future, and we pay attention.”
Tazewell had every reason to walk tall. Earlier this year, he made Oscar history as the first African American man to win Best Costume Design for his work on Wicked: Part One. And on Tony night, he added another milestone—his second Tony Award, this time for the Broadway musical Death Becomes Her. His first came in 2016, when he won Best Costume Design of a Musical for “Hamilton.”
During his Tony acceptance speech on Sunday, Tazewell said:
“I have dressed so many of you, and I have worked with the rest of you out there in creating amazing worlds and telling wonderful stories, and it’s a huge privilege to be a meaningful part of this Broadway community.”
He now joins Bob Fosse in the rare category of artists who’ve won both a Tony and an Oscar in the same year.
When asked about adapting the iconic costumes from the 1992 film “Death Becomes Her,” Tazewell told Variety:
“I knew that it was going to be a huge challenge, because if the rest of the audience loved it in the way that I did, there were going to be a lot of expectations.”
But that pressure didn’t shrink him. It sharpened him.
“Musical theater and live performance open up a different way of telling the story,” he added. “It allows me to broaden my inspiration for how we want to tell the story.”
Some might say that this is Paul Tazewell’s moment—and I wouldn’t disagree, entirely. But I’d offer this: he’s just getting started. So, buckle up. There’s more queer, African American excellence to come from this dynamic talent. Keep watching.
