Broadway’s biggest stars kind of swarmed Radio City Music Hall in New York City on June 7 for the 79th Tony Awards, yeah. It was hosted by Grammy-winning singer Pink, and the whole thing basically marked the strongest productions and performances from that Broadway season. Before the statuettes started, The Lost Boys and Schmigadoon! were out front on nominations with 12 each, and somehow both shows matched the hype too, snagging a bunch of major wins all night long. That steady showing really pointed to how more and more people are warming up to fresh, imaginative tales on Broadway.
‘Liberation’ Wins Best Play; John Lithgow and Lesley Manville Take Top Acting Honors
In the play categories, Liberation seemed to be the big winner, snatching the prestigious Best Play award after it beat strong competition. The acting honors also landed on some of theater’s most celebrated performers, you know. John Lithgow won Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play for an acclaimed performance in Giant, while Lesley Manville grabbed Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Play for her powerful portrayal in Oedipus.
Broadway’s Biggest Winners: Complete List of Major Tony Award Recipients
The night was marred by some of the greatest celebrations for the acting category. The Lost Boys were pretty good, and Ali Louis Bourzgui received a nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical, while Shoshana Bean received a nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Cats: The Jellicle Ball was also a huge success, with Best Direction of a Musical awards to Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch and Qeen Jean winning Best Costume Design of a Musical. Jen Schriever and Michael Arden received technical awards for lighting in The Lost Boys, and Kai Harada won the Best Sound Design of a Musical award in Ragtime.
‘Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman’ Scores Multiple Victories Across Key Categories
The comeback of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman was one of the biggest winners in the play categories, picking up a bunch of major awards through the night, sort of. Joe Mantello got Best Direction of a Play, and Laurie Metcalf earned Best Featured Actress in a Play for a praised performance. The show also really shined in the technical areas, with wins for Scenic Design Chloe Lamford, Lighting Design Jack Knowles, and Sound Design Mikaal Sulaiman. And while that was happening, Fallen Angels still managed to take a good amount of spotlight, with Jeff Mahshie grabbing Best Costume Design of a Play.
Musical Excellence Celebrated as ‘Schmigadoon!’ Shines in Score, Book and Orchestrations
Schmigadoon! kind of popped out as one of the biggest winners of the night, snagging several major musical theater categories. Creator Cinco Paul seemed to have a really memorable evening, walking away with awards for Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical too. The show’s bright, classic Broadway inspired sound got attention again as well, because it also won Best Orchestrations. That one went to Doug Besterman and Mike Morris. All together these wins kind of stitched the whole thing up into a wildly successful night for the celebrated musical and its creative crew.
Also Read: Tony Awards 2026 Nomination List: The Lost Boys And Schmigadoon! Lead Nominations With 12 Nods Each
