Kamal Ghorui
This year’s Tony nominations are out, and the theatre world is buzzing. From a vampire musical to a cancelled comedy series finding new life on Broadway, the lineup is full of surprises. Hollywood names are crossing over to the stage, historic records are being broken, and some major snubs have left fans speechless. Here is everything you need to know about this year’s nominations.On Tuesday, the curtain rose on the nominees for the Tony Awards, with nearly 30 shows competing for the attention of America’s theatre elite. The announcements set off a wave of reactions across the theatre community, with celebrated names from stage and screen all in the running for Broadway’s biggest night.
The leaders
The Lost Boys and Schmigadoon! are leading this year’s Tony nominations with 12 nods each. Both original musicals—one based on the ’80s vampire film The Lost Boys and the other on the cancelled comedy series Schmigadoon!—will compete in the Best Original Musical category against Titanique and Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York). Musical revival Ragtime follows with 11 nominations.
Daniel Radcliffe’s return
Daniel Radcliffe, who won a Tony for Merrily We Roll Along, is nominated again this year for his one-man show Every Brilliant Thing in the Lead Actor in a Play category. He will compete against Nathan Lane (Death of a Salesman), Will Harrison (Punch), Mark Strong (Oedipus), and John Lithgow (Giant). Lithgow won the Olivier Award for his performance in 2025.
Rose Byrne and Kelli O’Hara
Rose Byrne, who recently received her first Oscar nomination for the dark comedy If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, has now earned her first Tony nomination for Best Actress in a Play for her role in Noel Coward’s comedy Fallen Angels. Co-star Kelli O’Hara is also nominated, marking her ninth nomination.They will face off against Carrie Coon (Bug), Susannah Flood (Liberation), and Lesley Manville (Oedipus). Manville previously won the Olivier Award for the same role in its West End run.
Best play and Best Revival of a Play
Best Play is led by feminist drama Liberation, which won the Pulitzer Prize this week, and will compete against Giant, The Balusters, and Little Bear Ridge Road.Best Revival of a Play includes Death of a Salesman, Becky Shaw, Every Brilliant Thing, Fallen Angels, and Oedipus.
Musical categories
Luke Evans received a Lead Actor in a Musical nomination for his Broadway debut in The Rocky Horror Show. He will compete against Nicholas Christopher (Chess), Sam Tutty (Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)), and Brandon Uranowitz and Joshua Henry (Ragtime).In Lead Actress in a Musical, the nominees are Sara Chase (Schmigadoon!), Stephanie Hsu (The Rocky Horror Show), Caissie Levy (Ragtime), Marla Mindelle (Titanique), and Christiani Pitts (Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)).Best Revival of a Musical features Ragtime, Cats: The Jellicle Ball, and The Rocky Horror Show.
Featured category nominees
Other nominees in the featured categories include Laurie Metcalf and Christopher Abbott (Death of a Salesman), Alden Ehrenreich (Becky Shaw), Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Joe Turner’s Come and Gone), and June Squibb (Marjorie Prime).At 96, Squibb is now the oldest acting nominee in Tony Awards history.
The snubs
Notable snubs include Lea Michele (Chess), the musical adaptation of Beaches, Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson (The Fear of 13), The Queen of Versailles and its star Kristin Chenoweth, the cast of Dog Day Afternoon, Taraji P. Henson (Joe Turner’s Come and Gone), Keanu Reeves (Waiting for Godot), and Proof stars Ayo Edebiri and Don Cheadle.
Last year and what’s next
Last year’s ceremony saw Maybe Happy Ending win six awards, with Nicole Scherzinger, Cole Escola, and Kara Young also taking home trophies.This year’s ceremony will take place on June 7 and will be hosted by Pink.
