‘The Lost Boys’ and ‘Schmigadoon!’ lead Tony nominations with 12 apiece
QWER
The Lost Boys and Schmigadoon! each earned a leading 12 Tony Award nominations Tuesday, as nominators also made June Squibb the oldest Tony-nominated actor in history at 96. Danny Burstein is now the most-nominated male actor in Tony history.
The Lost Boys, an adaptation of a 1987 teen movie vampire thriller, and Schmigadoon!, an adaptation of an Apple TV series that gently mocks Broadway musicals, were followed by a revival of Ragtime, a big, soaring musical celebrating early 20th-century America, with 11 nominations, and Death of a Salesman, Arthur Millers masterpiece that looks at the unraveling of the American Dream, starring Nathan Lane, which nabbed nine nods.
RELATED STORY | Trump hosts the Kennedy Center Honors recognizing Stallone, Kiss, Gaynor and others
Twenty-four shows got at least one nomination across the 26 Tony categories, a revival of Chess, the Cold War-set love triangle between two chess grand masters and the woman who loved both, and Cats: The Jellicle Ball, which reimagines Andrew Lloyd Webber's classic feline musical into a celebration of queer ballroom culture.
I'm over the Jellicle moon about this! said Bill Rauch, who secured his first Tony nomination for co-directing the reimagined Cats. Ive spent my whole career trying to connect the dots between classics and the place and time were living in, and so to have Cats have this life on Broadway right now just really feels like an affirmation of everything Ive been trying to do for decades.
Best new musical and play nominees
The best new musical crown will be between The Lost Boys, Schmigadoon!, Titanique, a camp musical comedy that reimagines the 1997 megahit movie Titanic, and Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), an opposites-attract rom-com set during a New York City weekend.
Ali Louis Bourzgui, nominated for best featured role in a musical playing a seductive vampire in The Lost Boys, took a bite on why his show was so well received: I think that people, including myself, love a villain that they can care for, he said. Some of my favorite performances are technically villains on paper, but the person whos playing them actively makes them a full 3D person that you can root for. I think thats the most interesting kind of character.
The best new play nominees are the John Lithgow-led Giant, which explores accusations of antisemitism against childrens author Roald Dahl; Liberation, about a consciousness-raising womens group in 1970s Ohio that won the Pulitzer Prize for drama on Monday; The Balusters, a wry comedy about a small-town neighborhood association that descends into chaos over whether to install a stop sign; and Little Bear Ridge Road, about a struggling writer who returns to his rural hometown to settle his dead fathers estate.
RELATED STORY | 'The Outsiders' wins best musical as women make strides at Tony Awards
Playwright Mark Rosenblatt conceived of Giant in 2018 and started writing it in 2020, and it seems remarkably relevant in 2026, following the fallout from the war in Gaza and the spotlight on antisemitism in America.
The ideas in the play, the concerns in the plays, the pain in the play, is perennial, he said. But I could never have imagined that it would, when it finally was produced, would be playing against the backdrop of whats happening now.
The Fear of 13, the true story of a man who spent more than two decades on death row, didn't get any acting nods, despite starring Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson in their Broadway debuts. Former Glee star Lea Michele will still be seeking her first Tony nomination after having missed out for her work on Chess.
Squibb is now the oldest Tony-nominated actor in history, besting the record set by Lois Smith, who was 89 when she was nominated in 2020 for The Inheritance. Squibb's Broadway resume reaches back to a stint in the original production of Gypsy in 1960 with Ethel Merman, and she recalls rehearsing a musical by dancing on a concrete floor. It is her first Tony nomination.
In Jordan Harrisons play Marjorie Prime, a widow played by Squibb is brought an artificial companion who looks precisely like her dead husband. Premiering in 2014, the work in 2026 capitalizes on the recent frenzy over technological advancements like ChatGPT. Squibb said she saw the original, but only now fully comprehends the implications of things like AI.
As for her age, she said she doesn't really think about it: I cant ignore my body is different than it was when I was young. And when I read a script now, I have to think can I physically do what theyre asking me to do. And thats about it, she said. As long as its not dancing on concrete floors.
Burstein becomes the most-nominated male actor in Tony history with nine nods after his work in Marjorie Prime, beating the record set by Jason Robards. Kelli OHara got her ninth career nomination for a revival of the comedy Fallen Angels, tying her with Rosemary Harris for third on the all-time acting nominations list.
Who lost out?
A trio of actors from the hit TV series The Bear struck out in their Broadway debuts this season Ayo Edebiri in a revival of Proof and Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach who both appeared in Dog Day Afternoon, an adaptation of Sidney Lumets 1975 bank robbing drama.
Others who missed out this year include Bobby Cannavale, Byrnes partner, who starred in a revival of Art with Neil Patrick Harris and James Corden that was snubbed by the nominators. Bill & Ted stars Keanu Reeves and Alex Winters reuniting for a revival of Waiting for Godot, were also left off, although Brandon J. Dirden was nominated for a featured role. Laurie Metcalf was in a position to earn two but will have to settle with a featured role nod for Death of a Salesman.
Nominations include a return
The best play revival category is stacked with well-received work: Every Brilliant Thing; Death of a Salesman; Oedipus, a modern retelling of Sophocles classic tragedy set on election night in a modern campaign office; Becky Shaw, Gina Gionfriddos dark comedy about a newlywed couple who decide to play matchmaker; and Fallen Angels, Nol Cowards alcohol-fueled competition between two upper-crust ladies over the attention of a former lover.
Daniel Radcliffe secured a nomination for Every Brilliant Thing, a one-person show that explores the antidotes to depression.
Rose Byrne, the If I Had Legs Id Kick You star who plays one of those upper-crust ladies in Fallen Angels, secured a nomination for best actress in a play, becoming the 22nd actor in history to be Oscar- and Tony-nominated in the same year. In addition to Byrne and OHara, Lesley Manville secured a nod for Oedipus, Susannah Flood for Liberation and Carrie Coon for her work in her husband Tracy Letts' play Bug.
OHara winner for the 2015 The King and I revival said there will be no chill descending between her and her co-star: Im moving with great bravery because of someone whos brave right next to me. And if she takes home that prize, it would mean we both win.
Lithgow, who has two Tonys already, will get his third if he beats leading actor in a play nominees Lane, Radcliffe, Mark Strong in Oedipus and Will Harrison from Punch, which looks at restorative justice following the death of a man from a physical punch.
Best actor in a musical nominees include Joshua Henry and Brandon Uranowitz, both from Ragtime, Sam Tutty in Two Strangers, Nicholas Christopher in Chess and Luke Evans from The Rocky Horror Show.
On the womens side, the nominees are: Caissie Levy from Ragtime, Marla Mindelle for Titanique, Christiani Pitts from Two Strangers, Sara Chase from Schmigadoon! and Stephanie Hsu in The Rocky Horror Show.
The nominations also seemed to be an official welcome back to producer Scott Rudin, who scored nods for Death of a Salesman and Little Bear Ridge Road. In 2021, Rudin said he was stepping back after allegations of bullying.
The Tony Awards will be handed out June 7 at Radio City Music Hall during a telecast hosted by Pink. The awards will air live on CBS and stream on Paramount+.
Last years show hosted by Wicked star Cynthia Erivo drew 4.85 million viewers to CBS, its largest broadcast audience in six years, according to Nielsen.
