Broadway’s Biggest Night: A Preview of the 2026 Tony Awards

 

The 2025-2026 Broadway season has been defined by a unique collision of Hollywood star power and a notable shift in the types of stories reaching the stage. The 79th Annual Tony Awards will return to New York City’s legendary Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 7, 2026, broadcasting live on CBS and streaming on Paramount+ at 8:00 PM ET. This article provides an essential guide to the season’s most compelling storylines and a comprehensive breakdown of the nominations for the year’s most prestigious honors.

The Season’s Defining Storylines

P!NK Takes the Stage

Leading the festivities this year is global icon P!NK, who will host the ceremony for the first time. Her appointment is a natural fit for the current Broadway lineup; the superstar already has a significant footprint in the Theater District, with her hits “Raise Your Glass” and “F**kin’ Perfect” serving as nightly showstoppers in the high-energy productions of Moulin Rouge! The Musical and & Juliet.

The Rise of the Play

In a departure from typical years where massive musical spectacles dominate the conversation, the 2025-2026 season saw a significant surge in non-musical theater. With a high volume of new plays and play revivals opening this season – including heavy hitters like Oedipus and The Balusters – the “Play” categories are widely viewed as among the season’s most competitive.

A Season of Revivals

The 2026 nominations highlight a Broadway that is looking back to move forward. Revival productions played an outsized role in this year’s nominations across both plays and musicals. This trend has sparked industry-wide discussion regarding the balance between reimagining established classics – like the star-studded Death of a Salesman – and the development of entirely new intellectual property. Several of this season’s most celebrated productions – including Cats: The Jellicle Ball and Titaníque – also reflect Broadway’s growing embrace of unconventional and queer-forward storytelling.

Celebrity Co-Producers

Another notable trend this season is the involvement of major celebrities behind the scenes rather than just on the marquee. Beyond Alicia Keys – whose musical Hell’s Kitchen remains a Broadway powerhouse – high-profile athletes, musicians, and film stars have increasingly joined producing teams this season, bringing additional visibility and commercial momentum to new productions.

The Absence of A-List Nominees

Despite a season packed with household names, the Tony nominating committee made headlines for several high-profile omissions. Notable names absent from the acting categories include Lea Michele (Chess), Aaron Tveit (Chess), Adrien Brody (The Fear of 13), Jon Bernthal (Dog Day Afternoon), and Keanu Reeves (Waiting for Godot). These omissions became some of the most-discussed surprises of the nominations announcement.

One notable exception was Daniel Radcliffe, whose nomination for Every Brilliant Thing became one of nomination morning’s biggest highlights. His nomination demonstrated that recognizable film and television stars could still break through even in an exceptionally strong field of stage veterans.

2026 Tony Award Nominees: Major Categories

Leading this year’s nominations are Schmigadoon! and The Lost Boys, which earned 12 nominations each and quickly emerged as the season’s dominant contenders. Their strong showings reflect two very different corners of modern Broadway: one a satirical musical comedy built on nostalgia for the Golden Age, the other a dark, stylized adaptation of the cult-classic vampire film.

Below is a breakdown of the nominees in the ceremony’s major categories, highlighting the productions and performers that defined this Broadway season.

Best Musical

• The Lost Boys
• Schmigadoon!
• Titaníque
• Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

Best Play

• The Balusters
• Giant
• Liberation
• Little Bear Ridge Road

Best Revival of a Musical

• Cats: The Jellicle Ball
• Ragtime
• Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show

Best Revival of a Play

• Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
• Becky Shaw
• Every Brilliant Thing
• Fallen Angels
• Oedipus

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical

• Nicholas Christopher, Chess
• Luke Evans, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show
• Joshua Henry, Ragtime
• Sam Tutty, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
• Brandon Uranowitz, Ragtime

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical

• Sara Chase, Schmigadoon!
• Stephanie Hsu, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show
• Caissie Levy, Ragtime
• Marla Mindelle, Titaníque
• Christiani Pitts, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play

• Will Harrison, Punch
• Nathan Lane, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
• John Lithgow, Giant
• Daniel Radcliffe, Every Brilliant Thing
• Mark Strong, Oedipus

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play

• Rose Byrne, Fallen Angels
• Carrie Coon, Bug
• Susannah Flood, Liberation
• Lesley Manville, Oedipus
• Kelli O’Hara, Fallen Angels

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical

• Ali Louis Bourzgui, The Lost Boys
• André De Shields, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
• Bryce Pinkham, Chess
• Ben Levi Ross, Ragtime
• Layton Williams, Titaníque

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical

• Shoshana Bean, The Lost Boys
• Hannah Cruz, Chess
• Rachel Dratch, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show
• Ana Gasteyer, Schmigadoon!
• Nichelle Lewis, Ragtime

Click here for the full list of 2026 Tony Award Nominations.

The Insider View: Looking Toward the Winners

As we approach the ceremony, theater critics and industry insiders are beginning to narrow down the likely winners in several key categories. While the race for Best Musical is currently a toss-up – with Schmigadoon! and The Lost Boys emerging as the two clear frontrunners for the top prize – the Revival categories have much clearer leaders. Currently, Ragtime and Death of a Salesman are considered the heavy favorites to sweep their respective fields.

These expert outlooks are also being mirrored by community sentiment among theater fans and awards watchers, which currently favor Ragtime as the clear frontrunner while flagging the Best Play race as the night’s biggest wildcard. Whether the Tony voters align with these expectations or deliver a surprise, the June 7 ceremony is shaping up to be one of the most suspenseful nights in recent memory.

As the curtain rises on the 2026 Tony Awards, the results will likely serve as a referendum on the current state of Broadway. Whether the night favors the commercial might of celebrity-backed spectacles or the critical depth of a resurgent play scene, the ceremony promises to be a celebratory capstone to a year of immense creative ambition. Be sure to tune in on June 7 to see which of these incredible productions and performers take home Broadway’s top honors.