2026 Tony Award Nominations Announced – front mezz junkies, Theater News

Frontmezzjunkies reports: Familiar titles, surprise omissions, and a wide-open race take center stage

By Ross

This kind of morning always arrives with an extra dose of electric anticipation, the sort that hums just beneath the surface before a single name is read. For a few fleeting minutes, the entire Broadway community, myself included, seems to lean in at once, waiting to hear who made the cut and who was left just outside the spotlight. This year’s Tony nominations carry that same charged energy, a mix of celebration, surprise, and the inevitable reshuffling of expectations.

Leading the pack are The Lost Boys and Schmigadoon!, each earning an impressive twelve nominations and firmly establishing themselves as the season’s dominant forces. Close behind, Ragtime follows with eleven nominations, while a trio of high-profile revivals, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, Cats: The Jellicle Ball, and The Rocky Horror Show, each secured nine. It is a lineup that reflects both the enduring pull of recognizable titles and the appetite for bold reinterpretation on Broadway stages this season.

The Best Musical race shapes up as one of the most closely watched contests of the year, with The Lost Boys, Schmigadoon!, Titaníque, and Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) all vying for the top prize. On the play side, The Balusters, Giant, Liberation, and Little Bear Ridge Road step forward as this year’s contenders, offering a range of voices and storytelling approaches that have defined the season’s dramatic landscape.

As always, the nominations bring their share of raised eyebrows. Notable absences in key acting categories quickly became part of the morning conversation. There is no nod going to Lea Michele for Chess, Laurie Metcalf for Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman or Little Bear Ridge Road, or Adrien Brody for Fear of 13, only two noms for lighting and sound design. At the same time, standout moments emerged, including a rare dual recognition for Rose Byrne, who adds a Tony nomination for Fallen Angels to her recent Oscar recognition, marking an impressive cross-medium achievement in a single year.

The announcements, delivered by Uzo Aduba and Darren Criss, set the stage for what promises to be a lively awards season leading into the June 7 ceremony at Radio City Music Hall. With Pink slated to host and a broadcast set to air live across CBS and Paramount+, the evening is already shaping up as a major moment on the theatrical calendar.

For now, the nominations offer a snapshot of a Broadway season filled with ambition, nostalgia, reinvention, and risk. They capture not only what resonated with voters, but also the ongoing conversation about what theatre is, what it can be, and which stories rise to the surface in a given year. And with that conversation now fully underway, the countdown to Broadway’s biggest night begins in earnest.

The full list of nominees follows below:

Best Play

The Balusters, David Lindsay-Abaire
Giant, Mark Rosenblatt
Liberation, Bess Wohl
Little Bear Ridge Road, Samuel D. Hunter

Best Musical

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

Best Revival of a Play

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

Best Revival of a Musical

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

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 Book of a Musical

The Lost Boys , David Hornsby and Chris Hoch
Schmigadoon!, Cinco Paul
Titaníque; Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousouli, and Tye Blue
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), Jim Barne and Kit Buchan

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, Caroline Shaw
August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Steve Bargonetti
The Lost Boys , The Rescues
Schmigadoon!, Cinco Paul
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), Jim Barne and Kit Buchan

Best Scenic Design of a Play

Hildegard Bechtler, Oedipus
Takeshi Kata, Bug
Chloe Lamford, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
David Korins, Dog Day Afternoon
David Rockwell, Fallen Angels

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

dots, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show
Soutra Gilmour, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Rachel Hauck, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Dane Laffrey, The Lost Boys
Scott Pask, Schmigadoon!

Best Costume Design of a Play

Brenda Abbandandolo, Dog Day Afternoon
Qween Jean, Liberation
Jeff Mahshie, Fallen Angels
Emilio Sosa, The Balusters
Paul Tazewell, August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone

Best Costume Design of a Musical

Linda Cho, Ragtime
Linda Cho, Schmigadoon!
Qween Jean, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Ryan Park, The Lost Boys
David I. Reynoso, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show

Best Lighting Design of a Play

Isabella Byrd, Dog Day Afternoon
Natasha Chivers, Oedipus
Stacey Derosier, August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Heather Gilbert, Bug
Heather Gilbert, The Fear of 13
Jack Knowles, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Kevin Adams, Chess
Jane Cox, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show
Donald Holder, Schmigadoon!
Adam Honoré, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Adam Honoré and Donald Holder (Lighting Design) and 59 Studio (Projection Design), Ragtime
Jen Schriever and Michael Arden, The Lost Boys

Best Sound Design of a Play

Justin Ellington, August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Tom Gibbons, Oedipus
Lee Kinney, The Fear of 13
Josh Schmidt, Bug
Mikaal Sulaiman, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman

Best Sound Design of a Musical

Kai Harada, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Kai Harada, Ragtime
Adam Fisher, The Lost Boys
Brian Ronan, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show
Walter Trarbach, Schmigadoon!

Best Direction of a Play

Nicholas Hytner, Giant
Robert Icke, Oedipus
Kenny Leon, The Balusters
Joe Mantello, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Whitney White, Liberation

Best Direction of a Musical

Michael Arden, The Lost Boys
Lear deBessonet, Ragtime
Christopher Gattelli, Schmigadoon!
Tim Jackson, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, Cats: The Jellicle Ball

Best Choreography

Christopher Gattelli, Schmigadoon!
Ellenore Scott, Ragtime
Ani Taj, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show
Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant, The Lost Boys

Best Orchestrations

Doug Besterman and Mike Morris, Schmigadoon!
Ethan Popp, Kyler England, Adrianne “AG” Gonzalez, and Gabriel Mann; The Lost Boys
Lux Pyramid, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Brian Usifer, Chess
Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Wilson, Trevor Holder, and Doug Schadt; Cats: The Jellicle Ball

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

Betsy Aidem, Liberation
Marylouise Burke, The Balusters
Aya Cash, Giant
Laurie Metcalf, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
June Squibb, Marjorie Prime

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

Christopher Abbott, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Danny Burstein, Marjorie Prime
Brandon J. Dirden, Waiting for Godot
Alden Ehrenreich, Becky Shaw
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Richard Thomas, The Balusters

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

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

Total nominations by show:
The Lost Boys  – 12
Schmigadoon! – 12
Ragtime – 11
Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman – 9
Cats: The Jellicle Ball – 9
Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show – 9
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) – 8
Oedipus – 7
August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone – 5
The Balusters – 5
Chess – 5
Fallen Angels – 5
Liberation – 5
Bug – 4
Giant – 4
Titaníque – 4
Dog Day Afternoon – 3
Becky Shaw – 2
Every Brilliant Thing – 2
The Fear of 13 – 2
Marjorie Prime – 2
Little Bear Ridge Road – 1
Punch – 1
Waiting for Godot – 1

Up for nominations were all shows that opened this season as of April 26. The season’s new musicals are Beaches, The Lost Boys, The Queen of Versailles, Schmigadoon!, Titaníque, and Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), while new plays include The Balusters, Call Me Izzy, Dog Day Afternoon, The Fear of 13, Giant, Liberation, Little Bear Ridge Road, and Punch. Musical revivals are Cats: The Jellicle Ball, Chess, Mamma Mia!, Ragtime, and The Rocky Horror Show. The season’s play revivals were Art, Becky Shaw, Bug, Death of a Salesman, Every Brilliant Thing, Fallen Angels, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Marjorie Prime, Oedipus, Proof, and Waiting for Godot.