Here Are Your 2026 Tony Award Winners!

Here are the winners of the 2026 Tony Awards:

Best Musical: Schmigadoon! Best Play: Liberation Best Revival of a Musical: Ragtime Best Revival of a Play: Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical: Joshua Henry, Ragtime Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical: Caissie Levy, Ragtime Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play: John Lithgow, Giant Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play: Lesley Manville, Oedipus Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical: Ali Louis Bourzgui, The Lost Boys Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical: Shoshana Bean, The Lost Boys Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play: Alden Ehrenreich, Becky Shaw Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play: Laurie Metcalf, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman Best Direction of a Musical: Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, Cats: The Jellicle Ball Best Direction of a Play: Joe Mantello, Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman Technical categories continued here.

Tony Telecast:Trashy; Tony Awards: Tremendous!

Sunday night's Tony Awards telecast will stand as probably the trashiest Tony show in the history -- and that's a very long time.

The raunchiest parts revolved around the segments dedicated to The Rocky Horror Picture show and The Jellicle Ball. When you throw in the barely-clothed performer known as "Pink" as the host, well -- salacious can only begin  describe it all. In fact, even some of the commercials were questionable and loaded with double entendres. 

But, having said that, the awards themselves were conveyed upon the most traditional, wide audience nominees. The grand and glorious American saga musical Ragtime defeated the smutty Jellicle Ball and The Rocky Horror Picture Show for best revival of a musical -- an upset that most experts weren't expecting. The classic Death of a Salesman won best revival of a play. Let's face it: you can't find a more certified,  blue-chip American drama than Salesman. Best musical honors were bestowed upon Schmigadoon,  a unabashed, tongue-in-cheek homage to the big old-fashioned American musical. And while the best drama winner Liberation delves into the socio-political aspects of the women's movement, it uses the traditional format of a memory play and even incorporates an Our Town style narrator. 

So, as much as Broadway attempted to shock last night, the evening's real winners played to Broadway's well-known strengths: serious, thought-provoking drama; sweeping, epic themes and sheer entertainment with talented casts, amazing vocalists and dazzling choreography. 

Ragtime provides us with the best example of Broadway's return to what Broadway does best. The show succeeds because it's blessed with a very strong storyline -- one that everyone in the audience can grasp, incorporating characters that people can identify with. What's more, the music and lyrics are soaring and melodic. It's clearly the most robust, full-throated show on Broadway right now. And, to top it all off, Ragtime is a genuine heart-tugger. It's right up there with Carousel and Show Boat for its emotional impact.

We saw the original production of Ragtime in 1996. It's sheer grandeur blew us away then and, if anything, age has only made the show more meaningful and seemingly more magnificent. 

Yes, the Tony Awards telecast left a lot to be desired. But the awards themselves gave us new hope for a Broadway that is journeying back to its roots and doing so with pride and penache!

Avanti!

Our Predictions For Tonight's TONY AWARDS!

Here's who will win Broadway's Tony Awards tonight:

Best musical: SCHMIGADOON

Best musical revival: THE JELLICLE BALL

Best actress, musical:  Caissie Levy, Ragtime

Best actor, musical: Joshua Henry, Ragtime 

Best featured actress, musical: Shoshana Bean, The Lost Boys

Best director, musical: Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, The Jellicle Ball 

Best play: LIBERATION

Best play revival: DEATH OF A SALESMAN

Best actress, play: Lesley Manville, Oedipus 

Best actor, play: John Lithgow, Giant

Best featured actress, play: Laurie Metcalf, Death of a Salesman

Best featured actor, play:  Christopher Abbott, Death of a Salesman

Best director, play: Joe Mantello, Death of a Salesman

Looks Like A 'Not-To-Be-Missed' Event!

One of Broadway's Biggest Stars!

Jeremy Jordan sings Sondheim's Losing My Mind from Follies.

One Of Broadway's Most Famous Stunts!

David Merrick’s classic ad for the 1961 Broadway musical SUBWAYS ARE FOR SLEEPING, shown above.

Faced with lukewarm reviews, Merrick devised an elaborate stunt to bring it publicity. He found seven people who happened to have the same names as seven well-known theater critics. 

He then invited these seven people to a free performance of the play and afterwards wined and dined them until they agreed to let him use their names in the ad. It was entirely truthful. Richard Watts really did say that the play was "a knockout from start to finish." However, the theater critic Richard Watts had never said those words.

Merrick later confessed that he had wanted to pull off this stunt for many years. But he couldn't find a person with the same name as the famous critic Brooks Atkinson of the Times. When Atkinson retired in 1961, Merrick seized his opportunity

H/T: Casey Childs

Who's Coming To B'way, From Where, And Why?

Here is the breakdown summarizing 2025 from The Broadway League:

• Broadway welcomed 14.7 million attendees, the second-highest total ever recorded.
• One-quarter of all admissions came from New York City residents.
• Under 13% of tickets were purchased by people from NYC suburbs, a 30-year low. This is cause for concern, and Broadway must address it!
• 42% of audience members were visitors from other parts of the United States
• 20% came from international travelers.
• Gender identity breakdown: 63% female, 32% male, 5% non-binary/gender-fluid/other.
• The average attendee age was 41.  This is good news as the age is lowering, meaning B'way is attracting younger audiences.
• 34% of audiences identified as BIPOC, the highest in three decades. BIPOC is Black, indigenous and people of color.
• Among those 25 years and older, 83% had a college degree and 43% held a graduate degree.
• Theatregoers reported an average household income of $276,465.
• The average person saw 5.4 shows, up from 4.7 last season.
• “Super-attendees” who saw 15+ shows made up 8% of the audience but bought 40%of all tickets.
• 53% said they’re attending more shows than five years ago; 27% are attending the same amount.
• 94% plan to see another Broadway show in the future. This is an impressive figure and shows that B'way has staying power.
• The average ticket price paid was $145.70, down from $154.70. Once again, this is good news -- lower ticket prices make B'way more accessible to more people.
• Personal recommendations remained the top factor for choosing a show.
• Instagram was the most commonly cited source of Broadway information. Note the dramatic shift here to social media -- and a social media platform that reaches a younger audience.
• Tickets were typically purchased 33 days before the performance.
• 22% of attendees work in New York City.