The Tony Awards nominations unveiled a roster that reflects both Broadway’s continuing reinvention and a clear embrace of queer storytelling. At the center of the list are two juggernauts — Schmigadoon! and The Lost Boys — each earning 12 nominations, while revivals and reinterpretations such as Cats: The Jellicle Ball and The Rocky Horror Show also landed major recognition. These selections reinforce how adaptation, reinvention and unabashed camp have become central to this season’s critical conversation. The ceremony will take place as scheduled on June 7 at Radio City Music Hall, with the broadcast hosted by Pink, and will air on CBS while streaming on Paramount+.
Beyond sheer nomination totals, the ballot features several noteworthy personal milestones and industry records. June Squibb, nominated at age 96, became the oldest actor ever up for a Tony, while Danny Burstein set a new benchmark as the most-nominated male actor in Tony history. At the same time, celebrated performers like Nathan Lane returned to the spotlight with a leading actor nod for a revival of Death of a Salesman. The crop of nominees mixes newcomers, TV stars crossing into theatre, and seasoned stage veterans — a reminder that Broadway continues to be both a proving ground and a stage for reinvention.
The headline shows: winners before the winners are chosen
Two productions top the list with 12 nominations each: the stage version of Schmigadoon!, a musical-comedy riff on classic stage tropes adapted from the Apple TV+ series, and The Lost Boys, a theatrical reinterpretation of the 1987 vampire-tinged teen film. Close behind is the revival of Ragtime with 11 nominations, and notable revivals like Death of a Salesman and reimagined classics such as Cats: The Jellicle Ball and The Rocky Horror Show each earned multiple nods. These tallies indicate both a hunger for fresh adaptations and respect for ambitious reworkings of familiar material.
What the numbers suggest about Broadway trends
The distribution of nominations reveals a season that privileges innovation and cultural resonance. Shows that update a known property — whether by satirical inversion, queer reframing, or immersive redesign — have performed strongly with nominators. For example, Cats: The Jellicle Ball reimagines a classic through a lens of ballroom and queer performance culture, while Titaníque, with its camp retelling of the 1997 film filtered through a Céline Dion-obsessed narrator, captured attention and earned four nominations. Together, these projects emphasize that Broadway voters rewarded risk-taking and worldview-expanding reinterpretations this season.
Standout performances and creative team recognition
Individual nominations underscored both star power and breakout turns. Nathan Lane secured a leading actor nomination for his role in the revival of Death of a Salesman, marking his seventh Tony nod and his first in a decade; his career includes multiple wins for roles in theater staples. On the musical side, performers such as Sara Chase (from Schmigadoon!), Stephanie Hsu (The Rocky Horror Show), and Marla Mindelle (Titaníque) were recognized among nominees for leading and featured categories. Creative contributors also received acclaim: directors, choreographers, costume and scenic designers for productions like Cats and Schmigadoon! were acknowledged for reimagining visual and performative languages onstage.
Notable creative nominations and design honors
Costume and production designers came away with prominent nods, signaling that the season’s visual inventiveness mattered to voters. For instance, designer Qween Jean earned attention for her work on both Cats: The Jellicle Ball and the play Liberation. Choreographers and directors from shows that blend spectacle and intimacy also featured among nominees, reflecting a season where movement, staging and design were integral to storytelling as much as text and score.
Context and what to watch during the telecast
The nominations set the stage for an awards show that balances industry milestones, queer-forward programming and the return of heavyweight talents. Keep an eye on categories such as Best Musical, where Schmigadoon!, The Lost Boys, Titaníque and others compete, and Best Revival, which includes daring reinterpretations like Cats and Rocky Horror. Historic notes like June Squibb becoming the oldest nominee and Danny Burstein breaking nomination records add narrative threads that will likely be highlighted during the June 7 broadcast hosted by Pink.
Ultimately, the nominations reveal a season in which queer voices and inventive adaptations are central to Broadway’s most acclaimed work. Whether those shows translate nominations into wins will be decided on the Radio City stage, but the ballot itself already signals a marked shift toward reimagination and inclusivity in the theater community.