“The Lost Boys” and “Schmmegadon!” Each received 12 Tony Award nominations on Tuesday, and the nominees also made John Squibb the oldest Tony Award-nominated actor in history at 96 years old.
Danny Burstyn is now the most nominated actor in Tony history.“The Lost Boys,” an adaptation of the 1987 teen vampire film, and “Schmigadoon!”, an adaptation of a TV series that gently parodies Broadway musicals, were followed by a revival of “Ragtime,” a major musical celebrating early 20th-century America, with 11 nominations, and “Death of a Salesman,” Arthur Miller’s masterpiece that looks at the disintegration of the American Dream, starring. Nathan Lane, who received nine nods.Twenty-four shows received at least one nomination across the 26 Tony categories, a revival of “Chess,” a love triangle set during the Cold War between two chess grandmasters and the woman who loved them both, and “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” which reimagines Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic Cats musical in a celebration of eccentric dancehall culture.“I’m over the moon Jellicle about this!” said Bill Rauch, who received his first Tony Award nomination for co-directing the reimagined “Cats.”
“I’ve spent my entire career trying to connect the dots between the classics and the place and time we live in, so to have ‘Cats’ come to life on Broadway now feels like a validation of everything I’ve been trying to do for decades.”
Best New Musical and Play Nominees
The best new music crown will be between “The Lost Boys” and “Schmigadoon!” “Titanique,” a musical comedy that reimagines the 1997 hit “Titanic,” and “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York),” a romantic comedy set during a weekend in New York City.Ali Louis Porzeghi, who was nominated for best featured role in a musical playing a seductive vampire in “The Lost Boys,” commented on why his show was so well received: “I think people, myself included, like a villain they can take care of.” “Some of my favorite shows are technically villains on paper, but the person who plays them effectively makes them a full three-dimensional person that you can draw in. I think that’s the most interesting type of character.
“The best new play nominated is “Giant,” led by John Lithgow, which explores accusations of anti-Semitism against children’s author Roald Dahl. “Liberation,” about a women’s consciousness-raising group in Ohio in the 1970s, won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama on Monday; “The Balusters,” a satirical comedy about a small-town neighborhood association that descends into chaos over the installation of a stop sign; and “Little Bear Ridge Road,” about a struggling writer who returns to his rural hometown to settle his deceased father’s estate.Playwright Mark Rosenblatt conceived “Giant” in 2018 and began writing it in 2020, and it seems remarkably relevant in 2026, following the fallout of the war in Gaza and the spotlight on anti-Semitism in America.He said: “The ideas in the play, the fears in the plays, the pain in the play, are permanent things.” “But I never imagined that, when it was finally produced, it would be shown against the backdrop of what’s happening now.”“Fear of 13,” the true story of a man who spent more than two decades on death row, received no acting nod, despite starring Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson in their Broadway debut. Former “Glee” star Lea Michele will still be seeking her first Tony Award nomination after missing out on her work on “Chess.”Squibb is now the oldest actress in history to be nominated for a Tony Award, beating the record held by Lois Smith, who was 89 when she was nominated in 2020 for The Inheritance.
Squibb’s Broadway career dates back to his time in the original 1960 production of “Gypsy” with Ethel Merman, and she remembers rehearsing for a musical by dancing on a concrete floor. It is her first Tony nomination.In Jordan Harrison’s play “Marjorie Prime,” the widow played by Squibb is shown an artificial companion who looks exactly like her dead husband. Premiering in 2014, the work in 2026 will benefit from the recent frenzy over technological advances like ChatGPT.
Squibb said she had seen the original, but only now fully understood the implications of things like artificial intelligence.As for her age, she said she doesn’t really think about it: “I can’t ignore that my body is different than it was when I was little. And when I read a script now, I have to think can I physically do what they’re asking me to do. And that’s it.” “As long as she’s not dancing on concrete floors.”Burstyn became the most nominated actor in Tony history with nine nominations after his work in “Marjorie Prime,” beating Jason Robards’ record.
Kelli O’Hara received the ninth nomination of her career for the revival of the comedy “Fallen Angels,” tying Rosemary Harris for third place on the all-time acting nominations list.
Who lost?
Three actors from the hit TV series “The Bear” made their Broadway debut this season – Ayo Edebiri in a revival of “Proof” and Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who appeared in “Dog Day Afternoon,” an adaptation of Sidney Lumet’s 1975 bank robbery drama.Others missing out on the award this year include Bobby Cannavale, who starred in the revival of “The Art” with Neil Patrick Harris and James Corden, which was snubbed by the nominees. “Bill & Ted” stars Keanu Reeves and Alex Winters have also been ruled out for the “Waiting for Godot” revival, though Brandon J. Dearden has been nominated for a featured role. Laurie Metcalfe was in a position to earn two, but she’ll have to settle for a featured role nod for “Death of a Salesman.”
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Nominations include return
The Best Theater Revival category is full of well-received works: “Everything Is Awesome”; “Death of a Salesman”; “Oedipus,” a modern retelling of Sophocles’ classic tragedy set on election night in a modern campaign office; “Becky Shaw,” Gina Gionfriddo’s black comedy about a newlywed couple who decide to play matchmaker; and “Fallen Angels,” Noël Coward’s alcohol-fueled competition between two upper-class women for the attention of a former lover.Daniel Radcliffe received an award nomination for “Every Brilliant Thing,” a one-man show exploring treatments for depression.Rose Byrne, the star of “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” who played one of those upper-class ladies in “Fallen Angels,” received a nomination for best actress in a play, becoming the 22nd actor in history to be nominated for an Oscar and a Tony in the same year. In addition to Byrne and O’Hara, Lesley Manville received nods for “Oedipus,” Susannah Flood for “Liberation,” and Carrie Coon for her work in her husband Tracy Letts’ play “Bug.”O’Hara – the winner of the 2015 revival of “The King and I” – said there would be no cold between her and her co-star: “I move with great courage because of a brave person next to me. And if I get this award, that means we win.”Lithgow, who already has two Tonys, will take third place if he beats lead actor in the play nominees Lane, Radcliffe, Mark Strong in “Oedipus” and Will Harrison of “Punch,” which examines restorative justice after a man dies from a physical punch.Nominees for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical include Joshua Henry and Brandon Uranowitz, both of “Ragtime,” Sam Totti of “Two Strangers,” Nicholas Christopher of “Chess” and Luke Evans of “The Rocky Horror Show.”On the women’s front, the nominees are: Casey Levy for “Ragtime,” Marla Mindell for “Titanique,” Christiane Bates for “Two Strangers,” and Sarah Chase for “Schmigadoon.” and Stephanie Hsu on “The Rocky Horror Show.”The nominations also appeared to officially welcome back producer Scott Rudin, who was nominated for “Death of a Salesman” and “Little Bear Ridge Road.” In 2021, Rudin said he would step down after Balten’s allegations bitter.The Tony Awards will be presented June 7 at Radio City Music Hall during a television broadcast hosted by Pink. The awards will be broadcast live on CBS and streamed on Paramount+.Last year’s show — hosted by “Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo — attracted 4.85 million viewers for CBS, its largest broadcast audience in six years, according to Nielsen.
