New musicals The Lost Boys and Schmigadoon! lead the nominations for the American Theatre Wing’s 79th Tony Awards, announced today by stage and screen stars Uzo Aduba and Darren Criss. Both shows were recognised in 12 categories.
The productions were closely followed by three revivals: Ragtime (11 nominations), Cats: The Jellicle Ball and Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show (both nine).
However, British theatre fans will be most excited by the eight nominations for Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York). Jim Barne and Kit Buchan’s two-hander musical, directed by Tim Jackson and designed by Soutra Gilmour, had a West End run in 2024, following a record-breaking season at the Kiln Theatre.
Now a Tony nominee as well as an Olivier Award winner for Dear Evan Hansen (2020), Sam Tutty originated the role of Dougal at the Kiln. His co-star Christiani Pitts, plus writers Barne and Buchan, director Jackson and designer Gilmour, have also all been recognised, along with Lux Pyramid (for orchestrations). It’s interesting that the popular musical, which still has a substantial following in the UK, received no Olivier Award nominations at all in 2024.
Also celebrating today will be Layton Williams, who won an Olivier Award for playing the Iceberg in Titaníque last year, and has now received a Tony nomination for the same role.
The 2026 Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. This year’s Tony Awards will return to the Radio City Music Hall in New York on 7 June and will be hosted by music superstar P!NK.
A full list of nominations follows:
Best Book of a Musical
The Lost Boys
David Hornsby and Chris Hoch
Schmigadoon!
Cinco Paul
Titaníque
Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousouli and Tye Blue
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Jim Barne and Kit Buchan
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Music: Caroline Shaw
August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Music: Steve Bargonetti
The Lost Boys
Music and lyrics: The Rescues
Schmigadoon!
Music and lyrics: Cinco Paul
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Music and lyrics: Jim Barne and Kit Buchan
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Will Harrison, Punch
Nathan Lane, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
John Lithgow, Giant
Daniel Radcliffe, Every Brilliant Thing
Mark Strong, Oedipus
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Rose Byrne, Fallen Angels
Carrie Coon, Bug
Susannah Flood, Liberation
Lesley Manville, Oedipus
Kelli O’Hara, Fallen Angels
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Nicholas Christopher, Chess
Luke Evans, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show
Joshua Henry, Ragtime
Sam Tutty, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Brandon Uranowitz, Ragtime
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Sara Chase, Schmigadoon!
Stephanie Hsu, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show
Caissie Levy, Ragtime
Marla Mindelle, Titaníque
Christiani Pitts, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Christopher Abbott, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Danny Burstein, Marjorie Prime
Brandon J. Dirden, Waiting for Godot
Alden Ehrenreich, Becky Shaw
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Richard Thomas, The Balusters
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Betsy Aidem, Liberation
Marylouise Burke, The Balusters
Aya Cash, Giant
Laurie Metcalf, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
June Squibb, Marjorie Prime
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Ali Louis Bourzgui, The Lost Boys
André De Shields, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Bryce Pinkham, Chess
Ben Levi Ross, Ragtime
Layton Williams, Titaníque
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Shoshana Bean, The Lost Boys
Hannah Cruz, Chess
Rachel Dratch, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show
Ana Gasteyer, Schmigadoon!
Nichelle Lewis, Ragtime
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Hildegard Bechtler, Oedipus
Takeshi Kata, Bug
Chloe Lamford, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
David Korins, Dog Day Afternoon
David Rockwell, Fallen Angels
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
dots, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show
Soutra Gilmour, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Rachel Hauck, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Dane Laffrey, The Lost Boys
Scott Pask, Schmigadoon!
Best Costume Design of a Play
Brenda Abbandandolo, Dog Day Afternoon
Qween Jean, Liberation
Jeff Mahshie, Fallen Angels
Emilio Sosa, The Balusters
Paul Tazewell, August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Linda Cho, Ragtime
Linda Cho, Schmigadoon!
Qween Jean, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Ryan Park, The Lost Boys
David I. Reynoso, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Isabella Byrd, Dog Day Afternoon
Natasha Chivers, Oedipus
Stacey Derosier, August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Heather Gilbert, Bug
Heather Gilbert, The Fear of 13
Jack Knowles, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Kevin Adams, Chess
Jane Cox, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show
Donald Holder, Schmigadoon!
Adam Honoré, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Adam Honoré and Donald Holder (Lighting Design) and 59 Studio (Projection Design), Ragtime
Jen Schriever and Michael Arden, The Lost Boys
Best Sound Design of a Play
Justin Ellington, August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Tom Gibbons, Oedipus
Lee Kinney, The Fear of 13
Josh Schmidt, Bug
Mikaal Sulaiman, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Kai Harada, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Kai Harada, Ragtime
Adam Fisher, The Lost Boys
Brian Ronan, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show
Walter Trarbach, Schmigadoon!
Best Direction of a Play
Nicholas Hytner, Giant
Robert Icke, Oedipus
Kenny Leon, The Balusters
Joe Mantello, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Whitney White, Liberation
Best Direction of a Musical
Michael Arden, The Lost Boys
Lear deBessonet, Ragtime
Christopher Gattelli, Schmigadoon!
Tim Jackson, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Best Choreography
Christopher Gattelli, Schmigadoon!
Ellenore Scott, Ragtime
Ani Taj, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show
Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant, The Lost Boys
Best Orchestrations
Doug Besterman and Mike Morris, Schmigadoon!
Ethan Popp, Kyler England, Adrianne “AG” Gonzalez and Gabriel Mann, The Lost Boys
Lux Pyramid, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Brian Usifer, Chess
Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Wilson, Trevor Holder and Doug Schadt, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Best Play
The Balusters
Author: David Lindsay-Abaire
Giant
Author: Mark Rosenblatt
Liberation
Author: Bess Wohl
Little Bear Ridge Road
Author: Samuel D. Hunter
Best Musical
The Lost Boys
Schmigadoon!
Titaníque
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Best Revival of a Play
Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Becky Shaw
Every Brilliant Thing
Fallen Angels
Oedipus
Best Revival of a Musical
Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Ragtime
Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show
Tony nominations by musical theatre production
The Lost Boys – 12
Schmigadoon! – 12
Ragtime – 11
Cats: The Jellicle Ball – 9
Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show – 9
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) – 8
Chess – 5
Titaníque – 4
Special Tony Awards will be presented to The League of Resident Theatres (LORT), the largest professional theatre association of its kind in the United States, with 82 member theatres located in every major market in the US, including 30 states and the District of Columbia.
As previously announced, the 2026 Tony Honours for Excellence in the Theatre will be presented to 1/52 Project, Jake Bell, Kenn Lubin and Loren Plotkin. The Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award will be presented to Mary-Mitchell Campbell. André Bishop, Jules Fisher and James Lapine will each receive the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.
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