Tony Awards 2026!

In this article, Be talks about the 2026 Tony awards.

the 2026 Tony awards!

By: Be Bretko

Tony season is fast approaching, and nominations just got released. The Tonys are an annual event held to honor the greatness of Broadway during a calendar year. The 2026 Tonys will be hosted this year by P!NK on June 7 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. WT and will take place at Radio City Music Hall in NYC. The event will also be streamed on most platforms.

Best play

The Tony nomination list for Best Play includes: The Balusters by David Lindsay-Abaire, Giant by Mark Rosenblatt, Liberation by Bess Wohl, and Little Bear Ridge Road by Samuel D. Hunter. To be eligible for Best Play, a production must be a new, non-musical show that has been playing in one of the approved 41 theatres. The Balusters is a comedy play about dysfunctional neighborhoods, focusing on a chaotic battle over a stop sign. Giant is a play about Roald Dahl, focusing on an afternoon when he decides to apologize for antisemitic comments he made. Liberation is a play that follows six women in 1970s Ohio who form a group to navigate the struggles of equality. Little Bear Ridge Road is a play about a nurse connecting with her estranged nephew. With four deserving plays nominated, it is up to the Tony voters to decide which one will win.

Image from Playbill

Best musical

The Tony nominations for Best Musical include: The Lost Boys, Schmigadoon!, Titaníque, and Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York). To be eligible for Best Musical, a production must be new and predominantly made of song, and must be playing in the approved 41 theatres. The Lost Boys is a musical based on the 1987 movie of the same name. It follows a family who moves to California only to discover that vampires are real. Schmigadoon! is a musical based on the TV series of the same name. It follows a couple who get trapped in a town straight from the 1940s golden age of Broadway. Titaníque is a jukebox musical parody of the film by the same name, reimagined as if Céline Dion were on the ship. Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) is a musical comedy about a British man and a New Yorker who are forced to pick up a wedding cake together.

Best REVIVIAL of a play

Image from Playbill

The Tony nominations for Best Revival of a Play include: Becky Shaw by Gina Gionfriddo, Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan Macmillian, Fallen Angels by Noël Coward, and Oedipus by Robert Icke. To be eligible for Best Revival of a Play, it must be a play that has previously appeared on Broadway and has opened in the eligible time. Becky Shaw is a dark comedy about a blind date and financial chaos. Death of a Salesman is a play about a disillusioned salesman grappling with the American Dream. If you choose to take Advanced American Literature with Mr. Wilson during your junior year, then this is one of the plays you will read and analyze. Every Brilliant Thing is a one-person show about creating a list of what makes life worth living. Fallen Angels is a comedy about upper-class friends who have affairs and work through high-class society. Oedipus is a play that reimagines Greek tragedies in a more modern lens, under the umbrella of a political race.

Best revival of a musical

The Tony nominations for Best Revival of a Musical include: Cats: The Jellicle Ball, Ragtime, and The Rocky Horror Show. To be eligible for Best Revival of a Musical, the production must be a musical previously seen on Broadway and have a different artistic vision than the original or previous revivals. Cats: The Jellicle Ball reimagines the story of Cats in a high-stakes ballroom competition. Ragtime is based on a 1975 novel of the same name about multiple communities in turn-of-the-century America. The Rocky Horror Show is the musical story of a young couple getting trapped in a storm and staying at a very odd house.

Best original score written for the theatre

The Tony nominations for Best Original Score (music and/or lyrics) Written for the Theatre include: Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, music by Caroline Shaw; Come and Gone by August Wilson and Jo Turner, music by Steve Bargonetti; The Lost Boys, music and lyrics by The Rescues; Schmigadoon!, music and lyrics by Cinco Paul; and Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), music and lyrics by Jim Barne and Kit Buchan. To be eligible for Best Original Score, the score must be written specifically for a Broadway production, with at least half of the score not performed elsewhere.

Image from Playbill

other categories

Other nomination categories include: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical, Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play, Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical, Best Scenic Design of a Play, Best Scenic Design of a Musical, Best Costume Design of a Play, Best Costume Design of a Musical, Best Lighting Design of a Play, Best Lighting Design of a Musical, Best Sound Design of a Play, Best Sound Design of a Musical, Best Direction of a Play, Best Direction of a Musical, Best Choreography, and Best Orchestrations.

With so many categories, Tony award winners are chosen by a vote of 830 theatre professionals. At the beginning of Tony selections, the voters are chosen and they are required to see every single show nominated so that they can make valid decisions. The voters cast their votes online a week before the ceremony. The results remain fully confidential until they are opened live at the ceremony.

Tune in on CBS or Paramount+ to watch the Tonys this year; it is the biggest theatre event of the year, with live performances and winner announcements!

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