the Lexington, Massachusetts native who rose to fame as a cast member on \u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d<\/a> \u2014\u00a0was nominated for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as the Narrator in the revival of \u201cThe Rocky Horror Show.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cThe Lost Boys,\u201d an adaptation of a 1987 teen movie vampire thriller, and \u201cSchmigadoon!,\u201d an adaptation of an Apple TV series that gently mocks Broadway musicals, were followed by a revival of \u201cRagtime,\u201d a big, soaring musical celebrating early 20th-century America, with 11 nominations, and \u201cDeath of a Salesman,\u201d Arthur Miller\u2019s masterpiece that looks at the unraveling of the American Dream, starring Nathan Lane, which nabbed nine nods.<\/p>\n
Twenty-four shows got at least one nomination across the 26 Tony categories, including a revival of \u201cChess,\u201d the Cold War-set love triangle between two chess grand masters and the woman who loved both, and \u201cCats: The Jellicle Ball,\u201d which reimagines the 1980s classic feline musical into a celebration of queer ballroom culture.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m over the Jellicle moon about this!\u201d said Bill Rauch, who secured his first Tony nomination for co-directing the reimagined \u201cCats.\u201d \u201cI\u2019ve spent my whole career trying to connect the dots between classics and the place and time we\u2019re living in, and so to have \u2018Cats\u2019 have this life on Broadway right now just really feels like an affirmation of everything I\u2019ve been trying to do for decades.\u201d<\/p>\n
The best new musical crown will be between \u201cThe Lost Boys,\u201d \u201cSchmigadoon!,\u201d \u201cTitanique,\u201d a camp musical comedy that reimagines the 1997 megahit movie \u201cTitanic,\u201d and \u201cTwo Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York),\u201d an opposites-attract rom-com set during a New York City weekend.<\/p>\n
Ali Louis Bourzgui, nominated for best featured role in a musical playing a seductive vampire in \u201cThe Lost Boys,\u201d took a bite on why his show was so well received: \u201cI think that people, including myself, love a villain that they can care for,\u201d he said. \u201cSome of my favorite performances are technically villains on paper, but the person who\u2019s playing them actively makes them a full 3D person that you can root for. I think that\u2019s the most interesting kind of character.\u201d<\/p>\n
The best new play nominees are the John Lithgow-led \u201cGiant,\u201d which explores accusations of antisemitism against children\u2019s author Roald Dahl; \u201cLiberation,\u201d about a consciousness-raising women\u2019s group in 1970s Ohio that won the Pulitzer Prize for drama on Monday; \u201cThe Balusters,\u201d a wry comedy about a small-town neighborhood association that descends into chaos over whether to install a stop sign; and \u201cLittle Bear Ridge Road,\u201d about a struggling writer who returns to his rural hometown to settle his dead father\u2019s estate.<\/p>\n
Playwright Mark Rosenblatt conceived of \u201cGiant\u201d in 2018 and started writing it in 2020, and it seems remarkably relevant in 2026, following the fallout from the war in Gaza and the spotlight on antisemitism in America.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ideas in the play, the concerns in the plays, the pain in the play, is perennial,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I could never have imagined that it would, when it finally was produced, would be playing against the backdrop of what\u2019s happening now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Fear of 13,\u201d the true story of a man who spent more than two decades on death row, didn\u2019t get any acting nods, despite starring Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson in their Broadway debuts. Former \u201cGlee\u201d star Lea Michele will still be seeking her first Tony nomination after having missed out for her work on \u201cChess.\u201d<\/p>\n
Squibb is now the oldest Tony-nominated actor in history, besting the record set by Lois Smith, who was 89 when she was nominated in 2020 for \u201cThe Inheritance.\u201d Squibb\u2019s Broadway resume reaches back to a stint in the original production of \u201cGypsy\u201d in 1960 with Ethel Merman.<\/p>\n
Burstein becomes the most-nominated male actor in Tony history with nine nods after his work in \u201cMarjorie Prime,\u201d beating the record set by Jason Robards. Kelli O\u2019Hara got her ninth career nomination for a revival of the comedy \u201cFallen Angels,\u201d tying her with Rosemary Harris for third on the all-time acting nominations list.<\/p>\n
A trio of actors from the hit TV series \u201cThe Bear\u201d struck out in their Broadway debuts this season \u2014 Boston native Ayo Edebiri<\/a> in a revival of \u201cProof\u201d and Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach who both appeared in \u201cDog Day Afternoon,\u201d an adaptation of Sidney Lumet\u2019s 1975 bank robbing drama. Daniel Radcliffe secured a nomination for \u201cEvery Brilliant Thing,\u201d a one-person show that explores the antidotes to depression.<\/p>\nThe best play revival category is stacked with well-received work: \u201cEvery Brilliant Thing\u201d; \u201cDeath of a Salesman\u201d; \u201cOedipus,\u201d a modern retelling of Sophocles\u2019 classic tragedy set on election night in a modern campaign office; \u201cBecky Shaw,\u201d Gina Gionfriddo\u2019s dark comedy about a newlywed couple who decide to play matchmaker; and \u201cFallen Angels,\u201d No\u00ebl Coward\u2019s alcohol-fueled competition between two upper-crust ladies over the attention of a former lover.<\/p>\n
Rose Byrne, the \u201cIf I Had Legs I\u2019d Kick You\u201d star who plays one of those upper-crust ladies in \u201cFallen Angels,\u201d secured a nomination for best actress in a play, becoming the 22nd actor in history to be Oscar- and Tony-nominated in the same year. Her co-star, Kelli O\u2019Hara, also secured a nod, as did Lesley Manville for \u201cOedipus,\u201d Susannah Flood for \u201cLiberation\u201d and Carrie Coon for her work in her husband Tracy Letts\u2019 play \u201cBug.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lithgow, who has two Tonys already, will get his third if he beats leading actor in a play nominees Lane, Radcliffe, Mark Strong in \u201cOedipus\u201d and Will Harrison from \u201cPunch,\u201d which looks at restorative justice following the death of a man from a physical punch.<\/p>\n
Best actor in a musical nominees include Joshua Henry and Brandon Uranowitz, both from \u201cRagtime,\u201d Sam Tutty in \u201cTwo Strangers,\u201d Nicholas Christopher in \u201cChess\u201d and Luke Evans from \u201cThe Rocky Horror Show.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the women\u2019s side, the nominees are: Caissie Levy from \u201cRagtime,\u201d Marla Mindelle for \u201cTitanique,\u201d Christiani Pitts from \u201cTwo Strangers,\u201d Sara Chase from \u201cSchmigadoon!\u201d and Stephanie Hsu in \u201cThe Rocky Horror Show.\u201d<\/p>\n
Others who missed out this year include Bobby Cannavale, Byrne\u2019s partner, who starred in a revival of \u201cArt\u201d with Neil Patrick Harris and James Corden that was snubbed by the nominators. \u201cBill & Ted\u201d stars Keanu Reeves and Alex Winters reuniting for a revival of \u201cWaiting for Godot,\u201d were also left off, although Brandon J. Dirden was nominated for a featured role.<\/p>\n
The Tony Awards will be handed out June 7 at Radio City Music Hall during a telecast hosted by Pink. The awards will air live on CBS and stream on Paramount+<\/a>.<\/p>\nLast year\u2019s show \u2014 hosted by \u201cWicked\u201d star Cynthia Erivo \u2014 drew 4.85 million viewers to CBS, its largest broadcast audience in six years, according to Nielsen.<\/p>\n