‘The Lost Boys’ and ‘Schmigadoon!’ Lead Tony Nominations With 12 Each; Rose Byrne Scores Rare Double

Key facts

• The Lost Boys and Schmigadoon! each received 12 Tony nominations, the most of any production.
• Ragtime earned 11 nominations, followed by Death of a Salesman, Cats: The Jellicle Ball, and The Rocky Horror Show with nine each.
• Rose Byrne received both an Oscar nomination (for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You) and a Tony nomination (for Fallen Angels) in the same year.
• June Squibb, at 96, became the oldest actor nominee in Tony history for her role in Marjorie Prime.
• Liberation, nominated for Best Play, won the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
• The ceremony will be broadcast live on CBS and stream on Paramount+ from 8-11 p.m. ET on June 7.
• Special Tony Awards will honor André Bishop, Jules Fisher, James Lapine, and Mary-Mitchell Campbell.

A Tie at the Top: Nostalgia Drives Broadway’s Biggest Night

The 79th annual Tony Awards nominations, announced on May 5 by Tony nominee Uzo Aduba and Tony winner Darren Criss, set the stage for a June 7 ceremony that will celebrate a season defined by imaginative revivals and original works. Topping the list with 12 nominations each are The Lost Boys, a musical adaptation of the 1980s vampire film, and Schmigadoon!, a stage version of the canceled Apple TV+ comedy that satirizes Golden Age musicals. The tie underscores a Broadway season that leaned heavily on nostalgia, with both productions drawing from beloved pop-culture touchstones. Ragtime, the musical revival, followed closely with 11 nominations, while Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, Cats: The Jellicle Ball, and Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show each earned nine. The strong showing for revivals—particularly the reimagined Cats and Rocky Horror—reflects a season in which producers bet on familiar titles with fresh twists.

Rose Byrne’s Rare Double and a Historic Nominee at 96

Rose Byrne, already an Oscar nominee this year for her role in the dark comedy If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, secured her first Tony nomination for Best Actress in a Play for her performance in Noël Coward’s Fallen Angels. She shares the category with her co-star Kelli O’Hara, who earned her ninth Tony nomination. The Guardian’s Juan A Ramirez called the duo “compulsively watchable” in a five-star review. They will compete against Carrie Coon (Bug), Susannah Flood (Liberation), and Lesley Manville (Oedipus), who previously won an Olivier for the same role in London. In the acting categories, June Squibb made history at age 96 as the oldest actor ever nominated for a Tony, recognized for her featured role in Marjorie Prime. Daniel Radcliffe, who won a Tony last year for Merrily We Roll Along, received another nomination for his one-man show Every Brilliant Thing, competing in Best Actor in a Play against Nathan Lane (Death of a Salesman), John Lithgow (Giant), Mark Strong (Oedipus), and Will Harrison (Punch). Lithgow won the Olivier for Giant in 2025.

Snubs and Surprises: Screen Stars Shut Out

Despite high expectations, several Hollywood names were notably absent from the nominations list. Lea Michele, who starred in the musical Chess, received no nomination, nor did Adrien Brody for his role in Fear of 13—which earned only two nods, both for technical categories. Other snubbed screen actors included Ayo Edebiri, Jon Bernthal, and Taraji P. Henson. The shutout of major film and television stars highlights a season in which Broadway’s own stage veterans dominated the acting races. Luke Evans, however, broke through with a Best Actor in a Musical nomination for his Broadway debut in The Rocky Horror Show. He will face Nicholas Christopher (Chess), Sam Tutty (Two Strangers), and Ragtime’s Brandon Uranowitz and Joshua Henry—the latter having opened the 2026 Met Gala with a musical performance the night before nominations were announced.

Pulitzer Winner Leads Best Play Race

The Best Play category features four original works: The Balusters by David Lindsay-Abaire, Giant by Mark Rosenblatt, Liberation by Bess Wohl, and Little Bear Ridge Road by Samuel D. Hunter. Liberation, which won the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Drama just days before the nominations, is the front-runner. The play, produced by a consortium including Daryl Roth and Roundabout Theatre Company, explores feminist themes that resonated with critics and audiences alike. Two plays—Joe Turner’s Come and Gone and Death of a Salesman—received nominations for Best Original Score, both using bluesy music to evoke a nostalgic mood. The category of Best Revival of a Play includes Death of a Salesman, Becky Shaw, Every Brilliant Thing, Fallen Angels, and Oedipus.

Special Honors and Ceremony Details

Beyond the competitive categories, the Tony Awards will present Special Tony Awards for Lifetime Achievement to director André Bishop, lighting designer Jules Fisher, and playwright James Lapine. Mary-Mitchell Campbell will receive the Isabelle Stevenson Award, while Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre will go to 1/52 Project, Jake Bell, Kenn Lubin, and Loren Plotkin. The League of Resident Theatres (LORT), the largest professional theater association in the U.S., will also be recognized with a Special Tony Award. The ceremony, hosted by Pink, will return to Radio City Music Hall in New York City on June 7. It will air live on CBS and stream on Paramount+ from 8 to 11 p.m. ET, with a simultaneous broadcast to the West Coast.

What the Nominations Reveal About Broadway’s Season

With 30 eligible productions opening during the 2025-26 season, the nominations paint a picture of a Broadway that balanced risk and comfort. The dominance of The Lost Boys and Schmigadoon!—both original musicals based on existing intellectual property—suggests that producers are leaning into brand recognition while still investing in new scores and books. The strong showing for Ragtime and Death of a Salesman indicates that classic revivals remain a reliable draw. Yet the snubs of major film stars may signal a shift: audiences and Tony voters alike appear to prioritize stagecraft over star power. As the industry looks toward the June 7 ceremony, the question remains whether the nostalgia-heavy slate will translate into a ratings boost for the telecast, or whether Broadway’s reliance on familiar titles will narrow its creative horizons.

The bottom line

• The Lost Boys and Schmigadoon! lead with 12 nominations each, reflecting a season heavy on nostalgia-driven original musicals.
• Rose Byrne achieved a rare Oscar and Tony nomination in the same year; June Squibb became the oldest Tony nominee ever at 96.
• Lea Michele, Adrien Brody, and other screen stars were snubbed, highlighting a preference for stage veterans.
• Liberation, winner of the 2026 Pulitzer for Drama, is a top contender for Best Play.
• The ceremony on June 7 at Radio City Music Hall will be hosted by Pink and broadcast live on CBS and Paramount+.
• Special Tony Awards will honor André Bishop, Jules Fisher, James Lapine, Mary-Mitchell Campbell, and LORT.