Press Coberage


THE NEW YORK TIMES
June 9, 2025
Arts & Theater | Broadway

‘Baxter Wiff a B’ Sweeps the Tonys, Winning Hearts and History

By Clara Hastings
Broadway Correspondent

In a night brimming with emotion, charm, and an unexpected rodent-shaped twist, Baxter Wiff a B made Tony Awards history Sunday by sweeping nearly every major category, including Best Musical, Best Direction, Best Choreography, Best Original Score, and the coveted Best Actor in a Musical — awarded to none other than Baxter himself.

The musical, which follows the story of a determined little rat named Baxter and his journey from underground tunnels to Broadway stardom, has captured the imaginations of audiences across the world. With its blend of whimsical storytelling, sharp humor, and moments of heartbreaking sincerity, Baxter Wiff a B has become more than a show — it’s a phenomenon.

The evening reached an emotional peak when Baxter, not wearing his signature crown (it was, after all, not fa Thursday), took the stage to accept Best Actor. Standing atop a velvet-cushioned podium built specially for his stature, he addressed the crowd with quiet dignity.

“Wiffout Waffles,” he began, his voice trembling just slightly, “none ob this would hab been possible.”

The audience, already tearful, erupted in applause. Waffles, Baxter’s beloved brother and the musical’s original director, passed away just weeks ago. His vision guided the production from its earliest workshop to its Broadway debut.

“He saw magic in ebery moment, and he knew how to pull it out ob us — ebery single day,” Baxter continued. “And to all ob my brothers, we did this together… including Fish’s choreogphy, Barry’s stage managering, and Reuben’s ticket sales and public relations.”

The show’s creative team includes an eclectic group — Waffles, known for his sharp eye and signature bowtie, built the original blocking and character arcs; Fish choreographed the complex ensemble numbers that critics have called “a scurry of brilliance”; Barry, ever shy but precise, managed backstage chaos with surprising grace; and Reuben handled both the business end and fan engagement, often seen passing out handmade flyers outside the stage door.

The night also included a surprise live performance of “Baxter Wiff a B (Finale Remix)”, which brought the entire house to its feet. Confetti rained down. Even seasoned Broadway producers were spotted wiping away tears.

Tony voters cited the musical’s fresh originality and emotional resonance. “It reminds you why you fell in love wiff theater in the first place,” said one judge, “and why rats — surprisingly — might be our most relatable heroes.”

As of this morning, ticket demand for Baxter Wiff a B has surged though the show closed a few weeks ago, however a national tour is already in the works. A Broadway cast album is climbing the charts, and streaming services are reportedly in a bidding war for the rights to a filmed version of the show.

But for now, as the lights of Broadway glow a little brighter, one thing is certain: this year belongs to Baxter — wiff a B.

The Winner is….

(That’s right, we were in New Jersey yesterday because we all had to be in New York last night for the Tony awards!)

The Tony’s became something more than a celebration—it became a moment etched in Broadway history, as Baxter took the stage again and again to accept a sweep of honors: Best Actor in a Musical, Best Original Score, and the coveted Best Musical for Baxter Wiff a B.

The audience leapt to its feet as the little star in his custom tux—with a sparkling “B” stitched over the heart—climbed up to the podium, visibly moved, whiskers trembling.

When accepting Best Actor, Baxter beamed:

“I came to this city wiff a song in my heart, crumbs in my pocket, and four brothers beside me. But this—this moment—isn’t mine alone. I share it wiff ebery dreamer who’s eber snuck into a rehearsal room fru a vent and dared to beliebe.”

But it was his final acceptance, for Best Musical, that brought the entire room to a hush.

“This show began wiff a whisper in the back of a café, and the steady hand ob someone who always beliebed in me and my dream.

Waffles… my brother, my director, my heart—is not here in the seat I wish he was tonight. But he is here. In ebery spotlight. Ebery note. Ebery scene. Wiffout his bision, his elegance, his endless encouragement—there is no show. His words ob wisdom will resinate wiff me foreber – to always lead wiff love.

And to all ob my brothers—we did this together. Fish’s choreogaphy made the whole show come alibe, Barry kept everyfing on track as our stage manager (eben wiffout coffee), and Reuben—Reuben handled ticket sales and public relations kept ebery seat filled for ebery last performance. We each had a part in this. This is our story.”

The camera cut to the front row, where Barry dabbed his eyes behind his playbill, Reuben held Fish close, and the three sat together in quiet pride. Backstage, a table of tiny fruit tarts and cheese platters waited, untouched.

It was more than a victory. It was a tribute—a shining, heartfelt curtain call shared between stars: one standing tall in the spotlight, and one forever watching from the wings.

 

New Jersey Bizness

We took a quick Internashunal bizness trip to New Jersey—our berry last state so we are now licensed in all 50 states, but we also wanted to see some sights and soak in some local culture.

Baxter made his way to the beach, but quickly found himself slightly surprised and embarrassed by the warnings. Still, a little sand and sun neber hurt.

Fish was upset about not being home for the usual Sunday pamcake breakfast, so he went looking for a venue to hold an impromptu Secret Order ob the Nocturnal Water Buffalo meeting and ended up in a neighborhood filled wiff signs pointing in every direction—he did find a local Elks club that was willing to make way for the Water Buffalo chapter Elebenty, and Fish was relieved and enjoyed the new surroundings and friends as he ate his pamcakes.

Barry found a more serene moment at Liberty State Park, gazing at the Manhattan skyline and soaking in some inspiration for the next calendar layout. It was a quiet moment, but he still looked proud holding his NJ plate, representing with poise and a touch ob wistfulness.

We’re not quite sure what it is Reuben found, but he enjoyed it.

Dedicashun

Barry is still hard at work, paws tapping steadily on his tiny keyboard as the hours slip by. He’s been at it since early morning, and though most would’ve taken a snack break (or three) by now, he’s powering through like the true professional he is. At least he is remembering to hydrate.

Wiff his serious little face lit by the glow of his laptop screen and the calemdar draft open behind him, Barry is deep in design mode—adjusting fonts, organizing special events, and making sure each month has the perfect photo.

He’s making so much progress! January and February are locked in, March has the important warning of “Chocolate Cobered Raisin Day” and he just finished double-checking all the Cheese Days. The 2026 calemdars are shaping up to be a masterpiece of both scheduling and charm.

Barry may be small, but his dedication is enormous—and he’s not calling it a night until he gets at least one more month done.

Doing Bizness

This morning, Barry got up bright and early—before the sun eben touched the edge of his windowsill. With a determined yawn and a quick fluff ob his fur, he climbed up to his little desk, opened his tiny laptop, and got straight to work on next year’s calemdars.

While most of the house was still sleeping, Barry was already rebiewing holidays, adding in cheese festival dates, and double-checking eberyone’s birthdays. The February layout needed adjusting, someone left off “Ice Cream for Breakfast Day”, and he remedied that. Focused and fueled by a nibble of apple slice, he clicked away quietly until the others started to stir.

Ratty Box – Duck Edition

We hab been a little down, but this morning we got to play wiff our new ducky stuff from the Ratty Box and it was a lot ob fun! The big duck is super comfy, and the little duck sack was perfect for Fish to snuggle in. I ate some ob the quack snacks before they eben got put in the forage wheel, I know it was cheating, but just a little bit. I fink it’s ok. In the spirit ob the box, mom told us some jokes that really quacked us up. Mom finks her jokes are berry funny, but not all ob them make us laugh, but we laughed anyway. Fank you Ratty Box for lifting our spirits dis morning!

Waffles

It is with the heaviest heart that I have to share the news, that my beautiful Waffles is no longer with us. We did everything we could to help him get better—and he tried just as hard, with all the strength in his little body. He was brave and strong, full ob fight and love. But in the end, his tiny body just couldn’t keep up, even though his spirit never gave up – neither did his beautiful spleen.

Waffles was more than just a brother— we will miss every single bit of him. Baxter, Barry, Reuben, Fish, their dad, and I feel his absence in every corner of our home. But our love for him will go on forever.

We are finding comfort in the thought that Waffles is now in Heaben with all his brothers and all of your rats too, they all have SO much company and new friends to meet. Wimbley is likely showing him around the liberry, giving him the grand tour and pointing out the best napping nooks. King Bean is fluffing his pillows and making sure his room is just right. And Waffles? He’s probably sipping a perfectly chilled starberry shake, surrounded by light, warmth, and all the love he brought into this world.

With this news, we also need to share something else. The Broadway run of Baxter Wiff a B will be coming to a close. The magic of that show was always in the bond between the brothers—their joy, their chaos, their love. And without Waffles, the stage just wouldn’t be the same. We want to honor him properly, and for now, that means letting the curtain fall.

Thank you for loving him alongside us. Thank you for all the prayers, love and thoughts of healing. He truly felt it. We all did.

Forever Waffles. Forever love.

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Maine Bizness

Today we trabeled to Maine for Internashunal Bizness—because if you’re going to run a global operation, you need the proper paperwork in all the states, obbiously. We only need one more for the US operashuns to be complete!

Waffles came wiff us, but he wasn’t feeling his best, so he stayed back at the hotel to rest. He made a cozy little nest out of extra towels and rated the room service soup a 3.7 out of 5. “Good broth, but no garnish,” he mumbled before drifting off to nap again. Reuben tucked a tiny note under his pillow that said, “Get well soon. We saved you a rock.”

After our bizness at the licensing office was done, we took a detour to enjoy the Maine coast. The beaches were soft and breezy, and the lighthouses stood tall and serious, like they knew they were on postcards. Baxter tried to climb one before realizing it was “not climbable wiffout consequences.”

Reuben was thrilled to bisit the giant scale model of the Solar System. He took notes, did a few calculations for fun, and kept saying things like, “This is important context for time trabels.” No one qwestioned it.

Fish, naturally, made a beeline for the Fish Market. He wore a note that said “NOT A SNACK”—just in case. A vendor did ask him if he was a rare imported species, to which Fish replied, “I am limited edition.” He left wiff a wedge of smoked cheese and a story to tell.

We’ll bring Waffles back a lighthouse magnet and maybe a small asteroid if Reuben has his way.

Fank you Carol Littlefield!

Science wiff Reuben

Waffles Update

Wow, what a journey this has been! We saw a different vet today and did an x-ray — thankfully, she couldn’t see a tumor, AND she couldn’t feel one. We’re taking that as good news, even though we still don’t have all the answers about what’s going on in that little body. We’re doing everything we can to give the best care and all the love for as long as possible.

P.S. The vet said he has a beautiful spleen. Are you jealous??