The 2026 Tony Awards: What You Need to Know

Anyone who knows me or reads this blog should be aware that I am a huge Broadway fan, and I am a huge red carpet fan. So the Tony Awards are one of my favorite ceremonies! This year's awards are happening this coming Sunday, June 7th, so if you are less of a fan than I am, here is everything you need to know to fully appreciate Sunday's festivities. I apologize that there's not enough time to cover all the categories, so I will limit myself to the Best Musical/Play/Revival and acting award categories, plus a few miscellaneous nominees.

Best Musical Nominees:

The Lost Boys: Based on the classic 1987 film of the same name, this vampire-themed show features a score by the indie band The Rescues; direction by Michael Arden, Best Director of a Musical Tony Award winner last year for Maybe Happy Ending; and stars Shoshana Bean, Tony nominee for Hell's Kitchen. Reviews comment on the shows' spectacular stagecraft and faithfulness to the source material in its "mix of gore, teenage angst, and humor, with an Act II dip into comic book silliness." 

Other nominations include Best Book for David Hornsby and Chris Hoch, Best Original Score for The Rescues, Best Featured Actor for Ali Louis Bourzgui, Best Featured Actress for Shoshana Bean, Best Scenic Design for Dana Laffrey, Best Costume Design for Ryan Park, Best Lighting Design for Jen Schriever and Michael Arden, Best Sound Design for Adam Fisher, Best Direction for Michael Arden, Best Choreography for Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant, and Best Orchestrations for Ethan Popp, Adrianne "AG" Gonzalez, Gabriel Mann, Kyler England. 

Schmigadoon!: Based on the television series of the same name, this show satirizes classic musicals and their tropes in the framework of a couple who finds themselves on a magical island that feels like the 1950s where everyone regularly and randomly breaks into song. Produced by Lorne Michaels of SNL fame; directed by Christopher Gattelli, who was nominated last year for the dark comedy Death Becomes Her; written and scored by Cinco Paul, who has won both an Emmy and a Grammy for his work on the Schmigadoon! television series; and featuring SNL alum Ana Gasteyer. Reviews refer to it as a charming, affectionate spoof and a giddy love letter to musical theatre. 

Other nominations include Best Book and Best Original Score for Cinco Paul, Best Leading Actress for Sara Chase, Best Featured Actress for Ana Gasteyer, Best Scenic Design for Scott Pask, Best Costume Design for Lindo Cho, Best Lighting Design for Donald Holder, Best Sound Design for Walter Trarbach, Best Direction and Best Choreography for Christopher Gattelli, and Best Orchestrations for Doug Besterman and Mike Morris. 

Titanique: A spoof of the 1997 hit film Titanic, this jukebox musical tells the story from Celine Dion's perspective, as she narrates her own version of the story while belting out her signature songs. The show ran off-Broadway for three years before moving to Broadway, largely unchanged. The show was co-authored by Marla Mindelle, who also plays Dion, Constantin Rousouli, who also plays Jack, and Tye Blue, who also directs; and the cast includes a deadpan Jim Parsons in drag. Reviews emphasize the powerhouse vocals of the whole cast, and admit that the humor is something of a mixed bag that may not appeal to all tastes. 

Other nominations include Best Book for Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousouli and Tye Blue; Best Leading Actor for Marla Mindelle; and Best Featured Actor for Layton Williams. 

Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York): This original two-person show tells the story of a British man fulfilling his life-long dream of visiting New York City when he comes to his estranged father's wedding and spends the day with the sister of the bride, a jaded New York native, running errands including picking up and delivering the wedding cake. Reviews describe the show as low-key, simple, and slightly formulaic yet incredibly appealing due to the charisma and energy of the performers.  

Other nominations include Best Book and Best Original Score for Jim Barne and Kit Buchan, Best Leading Actor for Sam Tutty, Best Leading Actress for Christani Pitts, Best Scenic Design for Soutra Gilmour, Best Direction for Tim Jackson, and Best Orchestration for Lux Pyramid. 

Best Play Nominees: 

The Balusters (Author David Lindsay-Abaire): The story of a passionate and petty HOA in a small, affluent neighborhood, the play was written by David Lindsay-Abaire, who also penned Kimberly Akimbo, Rabbit Hole, and Good People; directed by Kenny Leon, who has 5 directing Tony Award nominations and one win, for A Raisin in the Sun; and a cast that includes Tony Award winner Anika Noni Rose (Caroline, Or Change) and Emmy Award winner Richard Thomas (The Waltons). Reviews praise the well-orchestrated ensemble, fully developed and believable characters, and the brilliantly funny and sometimes raucous dialogue. 

Other nominations include Best Featured Actor for Richard Thomas, Best Featured Actress for Marylouise Burke, Best Costume Design for Emilio Sosa, and Best Direction for Kenny Leon. 

Giant (Author Mark Rosenblatt): The story of world-famous but notoriously anti-Semitic children's author Roald Dahl (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda), portrayed by Tony Award winner John Lithgow (The Changing Room and The Sweet Smell of Success), much of the production's dialogue is taken from Dahl's letters and other writings. Lithgow's performance has been universally praised, citing his intimidating, "titanic" presence, but also noting that the skill of the other performers and that of the director do not allow his towering performance to overshadow the production. 

Other nominations include Best Leading Actor for John Lithgow, Best Featured Actress for Aya Cash, and Best Direction for Nicholas Hytner. 

Liberation (Author Bess Wohl): A look at the women's rights movement, this Pulitzer Prize-winning "memory play" is set in both the 1970s and the present, following how women's rights have changed during that span - or not. Written by Bess Wohl, Tony nominee for Grand Horizons; directed by Whitney White, Tony nominee for Jaja's African Hair Braiding; and featuring a cast of experienced but not especially well-known performers. Reviews describe the production as funny, emotional, and timely; brilliant and well-acted, although occasionally leaning toward melodrama.   

Other nominations include Best Leading Actress for Susannah Flood, Best Featured Actress for Betsy Aidem, Best Costume Design for Qween Jean, and Best Direction for Whitney White. 

Little Bear Ridge Road (Author Samuel D. Hunter): Set in a remote Idaho town, the play tells the story of two estranged relatives forced to work together. Directed by Joe Mantello, Tony winner for Take Me Out and Assassins, and starring Laurie Metcalf, Tony Award winner for A Doll's House, Part 2 and Three Tall Women, the play was specifically commissioned by Mantello and Metcalf. Reviews describe the show as bitingly funny, quietly explosive, and revealing the universal human need for connections. 

Although this production received no other Tony nominations, it won the Drama League Award for Best Director (Mantello) and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play. 

Best Revival of a Musical Nominees:

CATS: The Jellicle Ball: Originally based on T.S. Eliot's Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, the 1981 phenom Cats (which ran for 18 years) was made into a universally-panned film in 2019. This revival reimagines the cats as drag queens walking the runway, and has been described as an extravaganza that is true to its roots and authentic to the once-underground Ballroom subculture, while also being magnificently entertaining.  

Other Tony nominations include Best Featured Actor for André De Shields, Best Scenic Design for Rachel Hauck, Best Costume Design for Qween Jean, Best Lighting Design for Adam Honoré, Best Sound Design for Kai Harada, Best Direction for Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, Best Choreography for Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons, and Best Orchestrations for Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Wilson, Trevor Holder and Doug Schadt. 

Ragtime: Based on the 1975 novel by E.L. Doctorow and the 1981 film of the same name, this show tells the interlaced stories of three groups of people at the turn of the 20th century: a wealthy white suburban family, a talented Black jazz musician, and an immigrant Jewish father seeking the American Dream. This revival, which began as a 12-day Encores series concert run at New York City Center before moving to the larger stage of the Vivian Beaumont Theater, although keeping the cast and production team largely intact, is billed as grander and more sumptuous than the Encores series, the original 1998 production, or the 2009 revival. This version features the cast ascending through a trap door, characters plummeting from the heights, and elaborate scenic projections. The cast is led by three Broadway powerhouses: Caissie Levy, Tony Award winner for Les Misérables; Brandon Uranowitz, Tony Award winner for Leopoldstadt; and Joshua Henry, four-time Tony Award nominee (The Scottsboro Boys, Violet, and Carousel, in addition to his current nomination for Ragtime). It also features a Tony Award-winning score by Broadway legends Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Once on This Island, Seussical, Anastasia, A Man of No Importance, just to name a few). Reviews describe the production as swirling and impassioned, with lush orchestrations and stunning choral work by the ensemble, imperfect yet glorious.

Other nominations include Best Leading Actor for both Joshua Henry and Brandon Uranowitz, Best Leading Actress for Caissie Levy, Best Featured Actor for Ben Levi Ross, Best Featured Actress for Nichelle Lewis, Best Costume Design for Lindo Cho, Best Lighting Design for Adam Honoré and Donald Holder (Lighting Design) and 59 Studio (Projection Design), Best Sound Design for Kai Harada, Best Direction for Lear deBessonet, and Best Choreography for Ellenore Scott. 

Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show: Originally produced in London in 1973, this campy spoof of 1950s B-movies had a short Broadway run in 1975, the same year it was turned into a film that became a cult favorite, as well as a 2000 revival, and was turned into a TV movie in 2016. This revival features an impressive lineup of Broadway, film, and television stars, including Luke Evans (Beauty and the Beast), Rachel Dratch (SNL), Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once), and Juliette Lewis (Cape Fear, Yellowjackets). Critics have given the production mixed reviews, calling it full of glittering debauchery but also "effortful" and lacking in both fun and shock value. Lewis is hailed as quirky and spellbinding and Dratch as peculiarly comic, but other aspects of the show are called out as a bit "off": Evans works hard but doesn't quite find the balance of playfulness and wickedness; John Rivera as Rocky looks more like an MMA fighter than the epitome of male perfection; and the overall look is a bit too hodge-podge and disconnected despite creative staging.  

Other nominations include Best Leading Actor for Luke Evans, Best Leading Actress for Stephanie Hsu, Best Featured Actress for Rachel Dratch, Best Scenic Design for dots, Best Costume Design for David I. Reynoso, Best Lighting Design for Jane Cox, Best Sound Design for Brian Ronan, and Best Choreography for Ani Taj. 

Best Revival of a Play Nominees:

Becky Shaw (Author Gina Gionfriddo): The story of a disastrous blind date, the play opened off-Broadway in 2008, eventually becoming a staple for regional and community theatre companies, thus qualifying this Broadway run as a revival for Tony consideration.  Described as a "fierce and funny" show, the cast includes a show-stealing Alden Ehrenreich (Solo: A Star Wars Story) in his Broadway debut, and is directed by Trip Cullman, who previously directed Six Degrees of Separation and The Rose Tattoo on Broadway, among others. 

The production also received a nomination for Best Featured Actor for Alden Ehrenreich. 

Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman: One of Miller's best-known works, this two-act tragedy premiered on Broadway in 1949 and has previously been revived five times, as well as being adapted for film ten times. It tells the story of the aging, world-weary father of two sons who kills himself to benefit his family. Helmed by director Joe Mantello (who also directed Best Play nominee Little Bear Ridge Road), the cast is led by three-time Tony Award-winner Nathan Lane (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way tot he Forum, The Producers, and Angels in America) and Laurie Metcalf (also nominated for Little Bear Ridge Road). Although some reviewers complained that Lane lacks the deep, commanding voice of previous Willy Lomans, such as Lee J. Cobb and Brian Dennehy, whose performances Miller cited as his favorite portrayals, and that Metcalf's performance is not as moving as it could be, they admit that the production contains breathtaking moments and proves that the "sharp thorns have not dulled over time". 

Other nominations include Best Original Score for Caroline Shaw, Best Leading Actor for Nathan Lane, Best Featured Actor for Christopher Abbott, Best Featured Actress for Laurie Metcalf, Best Scenic Design for Chloe Lamford, Best Lighting Design for Jack Knowles, Best Sound Design for Mikaal Sulaiman, and Best Direction for Joe Mantello. 

Every Brilliant Thing (Authors Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe): The actor in this one-person show works with the audience - visiting and chatting with them prior to the figurative curtain rise to glean material and suss out potential on-stage collaborators - to create a list of small things worth living for. Starring Daniel Radcliffe, who may have made his name playing Harry Potter but who has found his fame on Broadway in shows like Equus, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and Merrily We Roll Along, the improvisational nature of the show relies on quick-thinking, humor, charisma, and the ability of the actor to connect with the audience to make it work. According to critics, Radcliffe absolutely makes it work, charming the audience and effortlessly carrying the 70-minute, one-act production, giving the audience a sense of intimacy despite the large size of the theater, which is no small feat.

Not surprisingly, given the nature of the show and the reviews for Radcliffe's performance, the only other nomination is Best Actor for Daniel Radcliffe. 

Fallen Angels: An early Noel Coward play intended to be in the style of a French farce, its 1925 London debut was described as "vulgar, disgusting, shocking…degenerate." It tells the story of two upper-crust English housewives awaiting the arrival of their former, mutual, French lover. Coward's sharp wit was not yet developed into what it would be, but leading ladies Rose Byrne, Academy Award Nominee for If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, and Kelli O'Hara, Tony Award winner for The King and I, revel in the slapstick comedy and make it work delightfully. 

Other nominations include Best Leading Actress for both Rose Byrne and Kelli O'Hara, Best Scenic Design for David Rockwell, and Best Costume Design for Jeff Mahshie. 

Oedipus (Author Robert Icke): This revival of the classic Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex, adapted and directed by Robert Icke - who has previously modernized other classics including Oresteia, Romeo and Juliet, and Uncle Vanya - is set during a modern election, as the candidate and his team await the results of the voting. The solid cast includes Mark Strong (A View from the Bridge) in the title role with Lesley Manville (The Crown) as his wife, Jocasta. Reviews rave that the production brings a fresh, modern feel to the ancient tragedy, creating an emotional rollercoaster and an exceptional audience experience. 

Other nominations include Best Leading Actor for Mark Strong, Best Leading Actress for Lesley Manville, Best Scenic Design for Hildegard Bechtler, Best Lighting Design for Natasha Chivers, Best Sound Design for Tom Gibbons, and Best Direction for Robert Icke. 

Additional Acting Nominees:

Nicholas Christopher, Best Leading Actor in a Musical, for Chess: As Russian former chess child prodigy Anatoly, Christopher holds his own against the powerful Lea Michelle as Florence, the second to Anatoly's American opponent. According to Variety, the pair "...help provide insight into the magic of “Chess” and make this sometimes uneven game still feel entirely worth watching." 

Will Harrison, Best Leading Actor in a Play, for Punch: This is Harrison's Broadway debut, in a play based on the true story of a young man who accidentally kills another with a single punch. Harrison more than holds his own against theatre veterans like Victoria Clark and Sam Robards, who play the dead man's parents.

Carrie Coon, Best Leading Actress in a Play, for Bug: This psychological thriller by American playwright Tracy Letts (Coon's husband) premiered in London in 1996 and was adapted into a film in 2006. Coon (The Gilded Age) plays a cocktail waitress who is hiding from her violent ex-husband in a seedy hotel room, and who slowly descends into insanity under the influence of a paranoid conspiracy theorist and war veteran. The production is described as intimate and intense, with Coon's performance a broken and devastating portrayal of mental illness as she trades one horror for another. 

Bryce Pinkham, Best Featured Actor in a Musical, for Chess: Pinkham portrays the Arbiter, a character who acts as a kind of narrator, breaking the fourth wall to address the audience. His charisma and comic timing bring a freshness to the role that rises above the sometimes heavy-handed or clunky dialogue. 

Hannah Cruz, Best Featured Actress in a Musical, for Chess: Cruz plays Svetlana, the oft-abandoned wife of Russian chess master Anatoly. Some reviewers described her performance as "show-stealing" and electrifying, although others found her inconsistent Russian accent (present when speaking but not when singing) distracting. 

Danny Burstein, Best Featured Actor in a Play, for Marjorie Prime: The play tells the story of an 85-year-old widow whose family buys her a holographic projection who looks and acts just like a youthful version of her dead husband. Burstein, a Tony Award winner for Moulin Rouge!, as Marjorie's son-in-law, balances his wife's acerbic, cynical attitude with tender authenticity and an emotionally wrenching performance. 

Brandon J. Dirden, Best Featured Actor in a Play, for Waiting for Godot: With all the buzz around Bill and Ted's Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter starring in this production, it is often forgotten that the play actually has three other characters in addition to the two "tramps". Dirden plays Pozzo, a wealthy man sometimes described as an "overcompensating hypomaniac," who passes by leading a silent slave carrying his heavy baggage, and whom he intends to sell for a profit.  One reviewer described Dirden's performance as "a bursting sun repelling everything in its orbit;" another as "superb" and "dominating." 

Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Best Featured Actor in a Play, for Joe Turner’s Come And Gone: The second installment of playwright August Wilson's The Pittsburgh Cycle, this play chronicles the lives of several formerly enslaved African-Americans in the North and explores the themes of racism and discrimination. Santiago-Hudson, considered an expert on Wilson and his plays, portrays Bynum Walker, an elderly, eccentric folk healer. His performance is described as mesmerizing, the "anchor of the narrative," played with confidence and ease. 

June Squibb, Best Featured Actress in a Play, for Marjorie Prime: Squibb (WHO IS 96 YEARS OLD and an Academy Award nominee, for Nebraska) plays the titular character in a performance that was described by one reviewer as "alternately confused, indignant, embarrassed, clever, whimsical, flirtatious, wise, steely — a full-fledged human being, rare for a character who is elderly." 

Miscellaneous Nominees

David Korins, Best Scenic Design of a Play, for Dog Day Afternoon: Set in New York City in 1972, this true crime story is about an attempted bank heist. Korins' The 27,000-pound set turns on a massive rotating pivot that turns from the nondescript brick exterior of the bank to a hyper-realistic, period-accurate interior set intended to intensify the tension of the plot and draw in the audience. 

Brenda Abbandandolo, Best Costume Design of a Play, and Isabella Byrd, Best Lighting Design of a Play, for Dog Day Afternoon: Previous Tony nominee Abbandandolo (Good Night and Good Luck) used "confectionery tones" of pinks and greens for the female bank employees, contrasted with typical 1970s earth tones for the would-be bank robbers. She worked in conjunction with previous Tony nominee Byrd (Cabaret, An Enemy of the People) to make sure the colors "popped." They also collaborated to portray the titular sweltering heat that is such an "important touchstone of the story," creating swaths of bright sunlight pouring in from high windows and making clothing appear rumpled and damp. 

Heather Gilbert, Best Lighting Design of a Play, for The Fear of 13: The play is the story of a man convicted and imprisoned for kidnapping, rape, and murder, then exonerated more than 20 years later based on DNA evidence. Gilbert (also nominated for her work on Bug) uses the stark contrast of light and dark to create the bleakness of both the prison and the main character's years-long battle to prove his innocence. 

Lee Kinney, Best Sound Design of a Play, for The Fear of 13: Kinney's sound design works to create the sense of being in a prison, with sounds and voices echoing off harsh concrete, emphasizing the sense of being enclosed and imprisoned. Kinney used ambient noise and silence to contrast the larger scenes with the small, intimate moments. 

And with that, all the nominees for competitive Tonys have been acknowledged! See you on Sunday for the red carpet!