Tony Awards 2026: ‘Death of a Salesman’ Leads With Six Wins, as ‘Ragtime,’ ‘Schmigadoon!’ and ‘Liberation’ Also Take Top Honors

Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, Schmigadoon!, The Lost Boys and Ragtime were the big winners at the 2026 Tony Awards.

via: Variety

“Death of a Salesman,” a reimagining of Arthur Miller’s critique of the American Dream starring Nathan Lane and Laurie Metcalf, triumphed at the 79th annual Tonys with six awards – more than any other show. “Death of a Salesman” won for best revival of a play, as well as best featured actress for Metcalf and best direction for Joe Mantello.

Its recognition is significant as the first Tony Award for controversial producer Scott Rudin since he retreated from Broadway in 2021 following numerous allegations of bullying and abusive behavior with employees. Rudin’s reputation clearly didn’t hobble the production, though he went unmentioned throughout the night.

“We all wouldn’t be standing here without the genius of Joe Mantello, who created this revelatory production,” Lane said while accepting the prize for revival of a play. “Most importantly, the genius of Arthur Miller, who created this monumental masterpiece, which is still sadly as relevant as it was in 1949 — and still continues to teach us who we are as humans and Americans.”

“Death of a Salesman” was the evening’s big winner, but Tony voters managed to spread the wealth throughout the evening. No single show dominated as a lauded “Ragtime” revival, “Schmigadoon!” and “The Lost Boys” each scored four awards and “Cats: The Jellicle Ball” followed behind with three trophies. Sunday’s telecast capped off an unusual season for Broadway, which was the highest-grossing in history with $1.9 billion — even though only included six new musicals opened on the Great White Way.

“Ragtime,” a sweeping historical epic, was honored for best musical revival as well as lead actress for Caissie Levy and lead actor for Joshua Henry. This victory was especially meaningful because, although the original 1998 production won two Tonys (for book and score), “Ragtime” never won the top prize until now.

“Schmigadoon!,” a fizzy sendup of Golden Age theater, won for best musical, original score, book and orchestrations. Producer Christine Schwarzman jokingly thanked Apple TV+ (the production is based on the streaming series of the same name) for canceling the show’s third season. “Without that,” she cracked, “we couldn’t have brought it to Broadway.”

Although “Schmigadoon!” prevailed in the top category over “The Lost Boys,” the punk-rock, vampire-infused adaptation of the 1987 cult horror film, was a big winner with recognition in the categories of best featured actress for Shoshana Bean, featured actor for Ali Louis Bourzgui, scenic design and lighting design.

Those wins meant the other new musicals, the off-Broadway transfer “Titaníque” and West End export “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York),” went home empty handed. They were in good company. Popular tickets, such as “Every Brilliant Thing,” a one-man show starring Daniel Radcliffe, and “The Rocky Horror Show,” a new take on Richard O’Brien’s cult favorite, also left without any hardware.

To kick off Broadway’s biggest night, John Lithgow was named best lead actor in a play, for “Giant,” a blistering look of controversial children’s book author Roald Dahl. In his acceptance speech, he called the show “a play about cruelty in a cruel age.” “Giant” revolves around a 1983 scandal that forces Dahl to choose between risking his reputation or making a public apology after writing a book review that garnered backlash for being antisemitic.

This was Lithgow’s third Tony win following “The Changing Room” in 1973 and “Sweet Smell of Success” in 2002. “I’ve had many ecstatic moments in my career,” Lithgow said from the stage, “But this moment has got to be one of the best.”

Metcalf also landed the third Tony of her career, this time for featured actress in a play for “Death of a Salesman,” in which she portrays a shrewd and steely Linda Loman. She’s been lauded in the past for “Three Tall Women” in 2018 and “A Doll’s House, Part 2” in 2017. She thanked a laundry list of names, including her co-stars Lane, Christopher Abbott and Ben Ahlers, as well as director Mantello. She did not, however, mention Rudin, who produced two shows that she starred in this season, the other being the play “Little Bear Ridge Road.”

Lesley Manville, meanwhile, won the first Tony of her career, for lead actress in a play for “Oedipus.” After a long career on the West End, the British acting titan made her Broadway debut at age 69 as Jocasta in a modern retelling of the Greek tragedy. Manville shouted out her fellow nominees — Rose Byrne (“Fallen Angels”), Carrie Coon (“Bug”), Susannah Flood (“Liberation”) and Kelli O’Hara (“Fallen Angels”) — and cracked, “Would someone like to write a play for five women? We are quite bankable.”

Alden Ehrenreich also won a Tony for his Broadway debut. The actor, best known for “Weapons and “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” played a sharp-tongued money manager in the relationship comedy “Becky Shaw.”

In a history-making moment, costume designer Qween Jean became the first openly transgender person to win a Tony, for “Cats: The Jellicle Ball.” Qween Jean was a double nominee, for “Liberation,” but lost the costume design in a play prize to Jeff Mahshie (“Fallen Angels.”)

“We are here for the legacy of queer people, trans people,” Qween Jean said. “We have to take up space. We have to shift the paradigm.”

“Liberation,” the story of a feminist reading group in the ’70s, was awarded best play — and playwright Bess Wohl mentioned she was the first American woman in nearly four decades to win that prize. The last was 37 years ago when Wendy Wasserstein took home the statue for “The Heidi Chronicles” in 1989.

Wohl thanked her producers for “believing that an ensemble play about women’s lives belongs on Broadway.” “I want to honor women everywhere who have the courage to use their voice,” she concluded. “And to all the girls out there, may you speak your truth — and may the world be wise enough to listen you.”

This year’s Tony Awards were emceed by Pink. (“For some reason, I’m your host,” joked the pop star, who has never been on Broadway.) She played to a crowd at Radio City Music Hall that included nominees such as Radcliffe, Danny Burstein (“Marjorie Prime”) and André De Shields (“Cats: The Jellicle Ball”), Broadway favorites like Lea Michele (“Chess”), Rachel Zegler and Cole Escola and Hollywood stars like Queen Latifah, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Billy Crystal.

Pink shook the rafters with an opening number set to “Lady Marmalade” and continued to liven up the evening with several energetic musical numbers. She was joined by Queen Latifah, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Alex Newell and Whitney Leavitt for a rousing tribute to “Chicago,” which is celebrating its 30th anniversary on Broadway. Later in the show, Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad reunited for a comedic medley from “Book of Mormon,” which turns 15 this year. Leslie Odom Jr. sang a heartfelt rendition of “Without You” from “Rent” during the In Memoriam segment. Jonathan Larson’s groundbreaking rock opera also debuted on Broadway 30 years ago. And Rachel Zegler honored the 50th anniversary of “A Chorus Line” with a show-stopping performance of “What I Did for Love.”

In between the throwback numbers, Pink noted this year’s current lineup of musicals and plays were reflective of today’s state of the world.

“This year, the worst parts of history began repeating itself, and we were given ‘Ragtime’ and ‘Liberation,’” she said during her opening monologue. “This year our country grew more divided than ever, and we were given ‘Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York).’ This year, our trans siblings started to lose even more rights, and we were given ‘Cats: The Jellicle Ball.’”

Pink, at one point, prodded the audience to speak up for free speech, warning that “the powers that be are closing in on the First Amendment and soon you may not be able to say what you believe.” In a scripted comedic bit, she encouraged stars to make sure their voices were heard. But nobody was willing to bite. Danielle Brooks suggested that “sloths only move that slow to get attention” while Byrne offered that people “should be allowed to text during a movie’s slow and boring parts.”

That is until Byrne’s husband Bobby Cannavale, who was on Broadway earlier this season in the revival of “Art,” a satire about the art world. He sighed, “Um, I think I’m scared of how free speech is slowly eroding before our eyes. But I’m encouraged, because I think Broadway is actually succeeding at the task of speaking truth to power, and I’m proud to be part of this community. Also, I think Bigfoot is real.”

Yet few winners actually took the opportunity to address the darkness plaguing the world. In one of the most political moments of the night, Bourzgui, 26, used his acceptance speech to call out the billionaires who will “never find happiness from their money” and the colonizers who will “never find fulfillment from the land and lives they steal.”

He dedicated his award to “the beautiful tapestry of immigrant families who make this country really special.” After loud applause from the crowd, he continued: “May you one day not have to audition for the empathy that should be freely given by this country that benefits from your beauty. For the queer and trans communities that have and always will exist no matter what people in power try to take away from them.”

“Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” a ballroom-set reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic, also won for Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch’s direction. The energetic take on the competition to get to the Heaviside Layer is told through the lens of underground ballroom and voguing culture — and the two directors paid tribute to the queer predecessors who inspired these portrayals of fierce felines.

“We honor the Black and Brown trans women and gay men who are ballroom pioneers as well as icons,” said Levingston. Added Rauch, “Ballroom welcomes everyone. To the 12-year-old kid who doesn’t fit in who may be watching this on the television in their bedroom with the volume turned down low — Come find your home at the Jellicle Ball.”

After a packed, three-hour ceremony — plus the hour and a half pre-show that aired only on Pluto TV — “Schmigadoon!” producer Lorne Michaels was one of the last to grace the stage. He offered some levity in his parting words.

“It’s been a long night, so I just want to say, we’re really grateful for this. It means everything,” Michaels said. “Sometimes, singing, dancing, a lot of jokes and a happy ending is really all you need.”

Here are this year’s winners:

Best Musical

“The Lost Boys”

“Schmigadoon!” (WINNER)

“Titaníque”

“Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)”

Best Play

“The Balusters”

“Giant”

“Liberation” (WINNER)

“Little Bear Ridge Road”

Revival of a Musical

“Cats: The Jellicle Ball”

“Ragtime” (WINNER)

“Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show”

Revival of a Play

“Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman” (WINNER)

“Becky Shaw”

“Every Brilliant Thing”

“Fallen Angels”

“Oedipus”

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” (WINNER)

Sam Tutty, “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)”

Brandon Uranowitz, “Ragtime”

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” (WINNER)

Daniel Radcliffe, “Every Brilliant Thing”

Mark Strong, “Oedipus”

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” (WINNER)

Marla Mindelle, “Titaníque”

Christiani Pitts, “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)”

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play

Rose Byrne, “Fallen Angels”

Carrie Coon, “Bug”

Susannah Flood, “Liberation”

Lesley Manville, “Oedipus” (WINNER)

Kelli O’Hara, “Fallen Angels”

Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical

Ali Louis Bourzgui, “The Lost Boys” (WINNER)

André De Shields, “Cats: The Jellicle Ball”

Bryce Pinkham, “Chess”

Ben Levi Ross, “Ragtime”

Layton Williams, “Titaníque”

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” (WINNER)

Ruben Santiago-Hudson, “August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”

Richard Thomas, “The Balusters”

Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical

Shoshana Bean, “The Lost Boys” (WINNER)

Hannah Cruz, “Chess”

Rachel Dratch, “Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show”

Ana Gasteyer, “Schmigadoon!”

Nichelle Lewis, “Ragtime”

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” (WINNER)

June Squibb, “Marjorie Prime”

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” (WINNER)

Direction of a Play

Nicholas Hytner, “Giant”

Robert Icke, “Oedipus”

Kenny Leon, “The Balusters”

Joe Mantello, “Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman” (WINNER)

Whitney White, “Liberation”

Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

“Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman” — Music by Caroline Shaw

“August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” — Music by Steve Bargonetti

“The Lost Boys” — Music & Lyrics by The Rescues

“Schmigadoon!” — Music & Lyrics by Cinco Paul (WINNER)

“Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)” — Music & Lyrics by Jim Barne and Kit Buchan

Book of a Musical

“The Lost Boys” — David Hornsby and Chris Hoch

“Schmigadoon!” — Cinco Paul (WINNER)

“Titaníque” — Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousouli and Tye Blue

“Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)” — Jim Barne and Kit Buchan

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” (WINNER)

Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant, “The Lost Boys”

Orchestrations

Doug Besterman and Mike Morris, “Schmigadoon!” (WINNER)

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”

Scenic Design in 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” (WINNER)

Scott Pask, “Schmigadoon!”

Scenic Design in a Play

Hildegard Bechtler, “Oedipus”

Takeshi Kata, “Bug”

Chloe Lamford, “Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman” (WINNER)

David Korins, “Dog Day Afternoon”

David Rockwell, “Fallen Angels”

Costume Design in a Musical

Linda Cho, “Ragtime”

Linda Cho, “Schmigadoon!”

Qween Jean, “Cats: The Jellicle Ball” (WINNER)

Ryan Park, “The Lost Boys”

David I. Reynoso, “Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show”

Costume Design in a Play

Brenda Abbandandolo, “Dog Day Afternoon”

Qween Jean, “Liberation”

Jeff Mahshie, “Fallen Angels” (WINNER)

Emilio Sosa, “The Balusters”

Paul Tazewell, “August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”

Lighting Design in 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, “Ragtime”

Jen Schriever and Michael Arden, “The Lost Boys” (WINNER)

Lighting Design in 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” (WINNER)

Sound Design of a Musical

Kai Harada, “Cats: The Jellicle Ball”

Kai Harada, “Ragtime” (WINNER)

Adam Fisher, “The Lost Boys”

Brian Ronan, “Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show”

Walter Trarbach, “Schmigadoon!”

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” (WINNER)