Tony Award Nominations Are In ~ The Musicals
Wednesday, May 6, 2026 at 6:22PM
NATHANIEL R in Broadway and Stage, Cats the Musical, Ragtime, Schmigadoon, The Lost Boys, Tony Awards

by Nathaniel R

While The Film Experience is about, well, the movies, longtime readers know that I like to throw in a little live theater whenever possible. And these days as with TV and Film, the line between mediums is ever blurry with stage shows making it to screen or TV and vice versa or both unconnected when they are inspired by the same novel. Though I’ve always tried to be a somewhat regular theatergoer, funding and time often refuse to comply. But during the 2025-2026 season I hit the boards a lot and managed to see 100% of the eligible New Musicals and 40% of the revivals (though I fully hope to make that 80% soon). I did less well with plays though I'll try to see something else before the big night.  In short, my opinions hold more weight (with myself) since I caught a lot more of the season. 

 

Today nominations were announced Tuesday for the 79th Annual Tony Awards which will be held June 9th in New York City, and broadcast on CBS Paramount+. This year's festivities will be hosted by Grammy winner P!nk so you can bet there will be aerial action given that one of the two nomination leaders is an adaptation of the 1987 vampire movie The Lost Boys (which, a full review later). So let's talk about the musical nominations...

Best Musical

Only “Titanique” would be a shock as a winner. Otherwise the win feels up for grabs. “Schmigadoon” has the Golden Age of Musicals homage appeal (though it might be hindered by its limited run and TV origins), “The Lost Boys” has real ambition and spectacle (though it might be hindered by mixed reviews... grumpy reviews if you ask me given what's on stage), and “Two Strangers…” has modest show that is masterfully executed and moving appeal (though it might be hindered by its box office and the fact that this type of show has held a grip on the wins for awhile and all trends eventually end.) All four of these are worth seeing but I hope the win goes to either “The Lost Boys” or “Two Strangers”. “Schmigadoon” is a lot of fun but little more than that and  “Titanique” was stronger when it was Off Broadway and had fewer “names” in the cast.

Eligible but missed the top category: This season was absolutely barren compared to recent seasons when good shows had to be left out due to simple math. With only six new musicals premiering on Broadway this season only “Queen of Versailles” and “Beaches”, both poorly reviewed, missed the category.

 

Best Revival of a Musical 

Eligible but missed: "Chess" the 1988 musical -- which I'd argue has the best song score of any of this seasons musicals -- has always been troubled by its book. Despite the 2025/2026's version's box office success, big stars, and a major reworking of the book by Emmy winner Danny Strong it lost out to "Rocky Horror" for the third Revival slot. Did recency bias come into play? (A limited revival of “Mamma Mia!” was also eligible.)

 

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical

They say this one is Joshua Henry's to lose after a fine but Tony-less Broadway career but I'm personally rooting for Nicholas Christopher who gave one of the most earth-shaking vocal performances I've ever experienced as Anatoly, the Russian  champion at the center of "Chess". Lea Michele was out the night I saw it but even with her gigantic voice, I can't imagine he isn't pulling focus every performance.

Shut Out: While this list was mostly expected, four men were left out, most of them former nominees: Alex Brightman ("Schmigadoon") Andrew Durand ("Rocky Horror Show") and Aaron Tveit ("Chess"). LJ Benet making his Broadway debut in the lead role in "The Lost Boys" (playing the Jason Patric character from the film version) was the other male lead singing his lungs out this season in a leading role.

 

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

New York journalists seem to believe that Caissie Levy has already won this but since I haven't seen her show yet I'm rooting for Marla Mindelle who is certifiably cuckoo and frequently laugh-out-loud funny as Celine Dion in "Titanique". Plus she also co-wrote the show and improvs one entire scene every single performance.

Unlike the Oscars, the Tony actually has a committee which determins Lead or "Featured" placement, and they did right by placing Stephanie Hsu as the lead for her take on "Janet" (the Susan Sarandon role). People seemed surprised and thought it would cost her a nomination, but as it turns out, the ruling had no effect on her chances. It did however displace one of these women... 

Shut Out: The major "snub" of the category was Lea Michele who produced and starred in "Chess" and missed both of the nominations she could have been up for since the show also missed in Revival. She's been good for box office but apparently voters were more into her co-stars since the show received three acting nominations. There were a few Broadway influencers or journalists who thought Jessica Vosk might sneak in with a kind of 'we love you and sorry about the show!' sympathy nod for "Beaches" (she's in the Bette Midler role) or Tony winner Kristin Chenoweth for the quickly closed "Queen of Versailles"  if voters wanted to make a point that they don't care about social media pile-ons... but neither of those things happened. Other eligible female leads were Kelli Barrett ("Beaches") and Christine Sherrill ("Mamma Mia!"). 

 

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

 

I suspect that this is a wide open race but I am not a professional Tony pundit! My favourite in the category is a surprise to me because in the past I haven't been that much of a Bryce Pinkham fan but he's great fun as The Arbiter in "Chess" a role that was heavily rewritten for this revival. But this is the first category we come to that I find quite unsatisfying despite all of the performances being good. It's because I was rooting for others! André de Shields is of course, a complete legend, but this is very much a Judi Dench in Chocolat or Shipping News nomination if you know what I mean. It's amazing that he's still such a presence in live theater at 80 years of age.  He brings the show iconic gravitas (which you need for Old Deuteronomy) but that's about it. If one of the Cats players was going to land in this category...

Shut Out: ...I was hoping it would be Junior LaBeija, a bonafide ball legend -- "Opulence -- You own everything!" -- who is surprising and funny and moving as "Gus the Theater Cat" in this reimagining  or Sydney James Harcourt who is constantly engaging the audience as "Rum Tum Tugger" even outside of his signature number. Bonus points for being absolutely delicious to look at from every angle ... and for giving us all the angles to look at, too. Two more supporting players I was hoping to see: Max Clayton is pitch perfect in Aaron Tveit's former role as the carny bad boy in "Schmigadoon" (and he has been building career momentum so a nomination would have been so sweet) and I was surprised at how strong Benjamin Pajak was in the Corey Haim role in "The Lost Boys".  Pajak has a bright future ahead and he already has two Broadway shows under his belt at 15.

 


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

Well, look at that TWO Saturday Night Live alums in a single Tony category... but surely Shoshana Bean is going to win this in Dianne Weist's movie mom role; sorry Ana & Rachel. Soshana has a devout fanbase and she's never won. The production goes out of its way to give her a big second act showstopper, too. I'm so happy for Ana Gasteyer, though, who is great in musicals (I once saw her in an Off Broadway production of "A New Brain" and I loved her in that). Ana is playing the Kristin Chenoweth role from the Apple TV series and slays her big number "Tribulation" which is an homage to "Trouble" from The Music Man. 

Shut Out: The big "snub" if you believe in that word was Tempress "Chasity" Moore who was unanimously predicted by pundits to land a nomination for the traditional awards role of Grizabelle the Glamour Cat in "Cats: The Jellicle Ball". The other most lauded female player from this version of the surreal musical (and I'd argue more deserving of a Tony nod than Moore) was Emma Sofia as "Skimbleshanks". But voters were relatively cool on the feline cast despite liking the show. Like Featured Actor this was a stacked category so there were still more worthy players left out. I was personally rooting hard for McKenzie Kurtz who gives the single funniest performance in Schmigadoon (in the Dove Cameron role). The cast is funny throughout but she's next level.

Best Direction of a Musical

It'll be interesting to see which way voters go in this category. It feels up in the air but Michael Arden certainly can pull off just about anything so he might win yet again. While I don't think Christopher Gattelli will win it's worth noting that he is already a Tony winner for choreography and he has now scored TWO double nominations in consecutive seasons in both Director and Choreography. Last season he was up for both prizes for "Death Becomes Her" (which is still on the boards and a ton of fun). 

Best Book of a Musical

"The Lost Boys"
"Schmigadoon"
"Titanique"
"Two Strangers"

There was little question that these would be the four.  I'm honestly not sure who I'd vote for here. Not that strong of a season for Books of musicals. 

 

Best Costume Design of a Musical

"Cats: The Jellicle Ball"
"The Lost Boys"
"Ragtime"
"The Rocky Horror Show"
"Schmigadoon"

"Cats" probably has this category on lock but it's quite a strong lineup. I was very impressed by "The Lost Boys" in this department and I am excited to see "Rocky Horror" based on stills.

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

 "Cats: The Jellicle Ball"
"The Lost Boys"
 "The Rocky Horror Show"
"Schmigadoon"
"Two Strangers"

I think "The Lost Boys" will easily win this and I can't imagine how much of the gargantuan budget went to the set alone. What a marvel of an impossibly multi-tasking set. But  I must note that Two Strangers is fairly ingenious with its wedding cake centerpiece  that is also multi-tasking like a swiss army knife.

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

"Cats the Jellicle Ball"
"Chess"
"The Lost Boys"
"Ragtime"
"The Rocky Horror Show"
"Schmigadoon"

Six nominees so that means there was a statistical tie. "The Lost Boys" all the way for this prize. 

Best Sound Design of a Musical

"Cats the Jellicle Ball"
"The Lost Boys"
"Ragtime"
"The Rocky Horror Show"
"Schmigadoon"

 

*******

Technically speaking plays are also eligible in these last three categories though they're rarely nominated...

Best Choreography

"Cats the Jellicle Ball"
"The Lost Boys"
"Ragtime"
"The Rocky Horror Show"
"Schmigadoon"

Another one that's Cats to lose...

Best Orchestrations

"Cats the Jellicle Ball"
"Chess"
"The Lost Boys"
"Schmigadoon"
"Two Strangers"

Good lineup. 

 

Best Original Score

“Death of a Salesman”
“Joe Turner's come and Gone”
“The Lost Boys”
“Schmigadoon”
“Two Strangers”

 

There were so few eligible musical scores that TWO plays are nominated. This is a rebuke of Stephen Schwartz given that "Queen of Versailles" was eligible. Just as I get angry with Oscar power players when they break their own rules, I am pissed that Schmigadoon was ruled eligible. It feels like shenanigans to me that the Tony committee realized that they'd have to nominate "Versailles" or "Beaches" and panicked. The songs are great fun but it is not an original song score, it was already composed for the Apple TV series of the same name and the songs are so familiar that my Schmigadoon obsessed friend who was visiting could have sung along (if she didn't have manners) from her seat. 

 

That's it for now. Have you seen any of the shows? If so do share your opinion of the nominations. 

 

 

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