“Schmigadoon!” and “The Lost Boys,” two Broadway musicals that opened just a few weeks ago, picked up more nods than any other shows as this year’s Tony nominations were announced on Tuesday morning.
“Schmigadoon!” is adapted from the Apple TV series, and “The Lost Boys” is based on the 1987 teen vampire film; they will face “Titaníque,” a Celine Dion-inflected spoof of the “Titanic” movie, and “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York),” an original romantic comedy, in the financially important race for best new musical. At a time when the economics of new musicals have become increasingly challenging, all four shows could use the boost that nominations, and particularly a win, could bring.
For Cinco Paul, a creator of “Schmigadoon!” onscreen and onstage, the nominations came at an auspicious time: his 62nd birthday. (He was named for Cinco de Mayo.) He planned to mark the occasion by returning to the show to celebrate with the cast and crew.
“It may end up being the best birthday ever,” he said. “Twenty-five years ago, in close proximity, I watched ‘Brigadoon’ and ‘An American Werewolf in London’ and thought, ‘What if two modern people ended up stuck in a musical?’ I set it aside for decades, and for it now to be on Broadway and recognized like this is beyond my wildest dreams, truly.”
The awards ceremony will take place on June 7 at Radio City Music Hall, hosted by the musician Pink and broadcast on CBS.
As musicals on Broadway struggle, starry plays are faring better, and the list of nominations reflects a rush of celebrities to the stage: Among the nominees are the film stars John Lithgow, Daniel Radcliffe, Rose Byrne and Lesley Manville.
“I couldn’t be more surprised and delighted and it’s genuinely unexpected,” said Radcliffe, who is starring in an unusual show, “Every Brilliant Thing,” in which he is the only actor, telling a story about depression and hope, with a high level of audience participation. The show has been selling extremely well, and is shaping up to be one of the season’s handful of successes.
“For it to have gone like this is truly beyond my wildest dreams for it,” Radcliffe said.
This year’s nominations suggest a notable comeback for the producer Scott Rudin, who returned to Broadway after a four-year hiatus prompted by news reports about his propensity for bullying behavior. He produced two shows this season, a revival of “Death of a Salesman” and a new play called “Little Bear Ridge Road,” and both were nominated as the best in their categories.
A few records were set during the nominations.
Danny Burstein, a beloved Broadway actor, was nominated in the featured actor category for his performance in the artificial intelligence play “Marjorie Prime.” This is his ninth Tony nomination (he won for “Moulin Rouge!”), making him the most-nominated male performer in history, breaking a tie with Jason Robards Jr.
Burstein’s “Marjorie Prime” co-star June Squibb was also nominated for a Tony Award; at 96 years old, she is the oldest nominee ever in her category, featured actress in a play.
“I just keep working, and I don’t think that much about it — I have to deal with my body now, which I didn’t used to have to do, but I read a script and if I think I can do it physically, then I’m interested,” Squibb said in a phone interview from Vancouver, where she is filming the TV show “Yellowjackets.” “Why not? I love acting. I love everything about it.”
Among the other nominees for performances in leading roles are two longtime Broadway favorites: Nathan Lane (a three-time Tony winner now starring in “Death of a Salesman”) and Kelli O’Hara. O’Hara has been nominated for each of her last nine Broadway appearances, including her current show — a revival of “Fallen Angels.” (She has won once, for “The King and I.”)
“The Lost Boys” and “Schmigadoon!” picked up 12 nominations each. Close behind, with 11 nominations, is an acclaimed revival of the musical “Ragtime,” which is a production of the nonprofit Lincoln Center Theater.
Among the lead producers of “The Lost Boys” is the actor Patrick Wilson, who has been working on the show with two of his college buddies. “This is a 25-year dream of us putting a show together,” he said. “I don’t think I had any idea what theater producing was, and it’s been an all-out effort in between every acting gig I’ve had, just trying to keep the ball moving, and this is incredibly exciting.”
A half-dozen shows got zero nominations, including the new musicals “The Queen of Versailles,” which closed after a brief run last fall, and “Beaches,” which is struggling at the box office after opening to poor reviews last month. Starry revivals of “Proof” and “Art” also went home empty-handed.
The contenders for best leading actress in a musical are all first-time nominees: Sara Chase (“Schmigadoon!”), Stephanie Hsu (“The Rocky Horror Show”), Caissie Levy (“Ragtime”), Marla Mindelle (“Titaníque”) and Christiani Pitts (“Two Strangers”). The race for best leading actor in a musical, dominated throughout the season by Joshua Henry of “Ragtime,” also features Nicholas Christopher (“Chess”), Luke Evans (“The Rocky Horror Show”), Sam Tutty (“Two Strangers”) and Brandon Uranowitz (“Ragtime”).
Lane, Radcliffe and Lithgow (“Giant”) were all nominated as best actor in a play, alongside Will Harrison (“Punch”) and Mark Strong (“Oedipus”). Byrne and O’Hara, co-starring in “Fallen Angels,” will face Carrie Coon (“Bug”), Susannah Flood (“Liberation”) and Manville (“Oedipus”) in the race for best leading actress in a play.
“It’s my first time on Broadway, and for it to have culminated in a Tony nomination is thrilling,” Manville said in a phone interview from London, where she is starring in a revival of “Les Liaisons Dangereuses.” “There’s just something about Broadway where just the word even conjures up all sorts of images and impressions and history and nostalgia.”
The nominations were announced in New York by the actors Uzo Aduba and Darren Criss, beginning a monthlong award period. The 857 Tony voters — mostly people who work in theater or who help finance Broadway shows — must finish seeing the latest productions, while the productions, constrained by newly restrictive rules limiting campaigning and promotion, look for ways to remind voters about the strengths of their nominees.
The season has been a mixed bag for Broadway. Overall attendance and grosses are up over last season, but profitability rates are low because of skyrocketing production costs, and there is rising consumer concern about ticket prices. Only six new musicals opened this season, down from 14 last season.
The Tony Awards, which honor plays and musicals performed in the 41 Manhattan theaters that make up Broadway, are presented by the Broadway League and the American Theater Wing. This year, 19 plays and 11 musicals are eligible for awards because they opened on Broadway between April 28, 2025, and April 26, 2026.
The nominees were chosen by a committee of 55 people with theater expertise or experience, but who do not work on, or have a financial interest in, the season’s shows.