All articles tagged with #tony awards
The musical comedy 'Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)' will close its Broadway run on November 29, 2026, after 428 performances. The production, which earned eight Tony nominations, will launch a national tour next year starting in Providence, Rhode Island.
Andrew Lloyd Webber warned that Broadway is in danger after Cats: The Jellicle Ball closed early, citing skyrocketing production costs and a lack of opportunities for daring new work. He urged theatre owners, unions and producers to unite to save Broadway, noting the industry’s reliance on aging hits and the four‑month run of his Cats revival—opened in April, won three Tony Awards, and concludes August 8.
The article highlights 26 notable Tony Awards moments from 2026, including historic firsts (Qween Jean as the first openly trans winner in Best Costume Design and Mikaal Sulaiman as the first Black winner in Best Sound Design of a Play), long-awaited wins (Scott Ellis after 16 nominations; Cinco Paul winning book and score in the same year), Schmigadoon!’s TV-to-Broadway win as Best Musical and Apple TV’s EGOT status, plus notable milestones across categories—along with mentions of nominees who were nominated but did not win.
P!nk hosts a star-studded Tony Awards night, opening with a show-stopping number as Broadway celebrates; Death of a Salesman leads with six trophies while The Lost Boys, Ragtime, and Schmigadoon! each win four, with Schmigadoon! taking Best Musical. Cats: The Jellicle Ball earns Best Director of a Musical in a high-energy revival, John Lithgow and June Squibb deliver standout moments, Megan Thee Stallion makes onstage cameos, Alden Ehrenreich wins Best Featured Actor in a Play for Becky Shaw, and talk of Scott Rudin’s absence colors the ceremony amid Lorne Michaels’s understated finale—an undeniably glittering night that honors Broadway’s past and its ongoing reinvention.
Tony winner Alden Ehrenreich urged making the Lincoln Center Theater Archive public and backed a streaming model to lower ticket prices, arguing theatre must be accessible to all and that recorded performances can still offer a meaningful experience beyond live shows.
Laurie Metcalf reflects on a blockbuster year after winning a Gotham TV Award for Big Mistakes and a Tony for Death of a Salesman, while continuing two Broadway shows and eyeing Season 2 of Big Mistakes. She discusses her love of originating new plays, the challenges of live theater during Tony season, and her goal to avoid being boring by pushing her craft across stage and screen (Hacks, Getting On, Monster). She’s enjoying the collaborative, improvisational pace of TV and looks forward to deeper work with colleagues like Dan Levy and Taylor Ortega in the next season.
Ragtime's Lincoln Center Theater revival, fresh off winning the Tony Award for Best Musical Revival, will extend its Broadway run for two final weeks, closing August 16 at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre after a 14-week run that began last September. The production stars Tony winners Joshua Henry and Caissie Levy, with cast changes including Ben Levi Ross departing July 12, Colin Donnell leaving June 14, and Shaina Taub departing August 2, while Julie Benko will play Emma Goldman from August 4–16. A North American tour launches fall 2027 at Shea’s Buffalo Theatre with more stops to be announced.
Laurie Metcalf won her third Tony Award for Death of a Salesman at the 2026 ceremony, while turning heads in a multicolor sequined gown and a fully gray pixie cut. Her gray transformation began in 2020 and culminated in May 2026 with the help of hairstylist David Benjamin.
Caissie Levy exits The Lost Boys to focus on family, allowing Shoshana Bean to step in as Lucy and win a Tony, while Levy wins for Ragtime’s Mother; the season underscores how motherhood can shape Broadway's outcomes.
At the 2026 Tony Awards, The Book of Mormon reunited its original stars—Josh Gad, Andrew Rannells and Rory O’Malley—to celebrate the show’s 15th anniversary with a performance of “Man Up,” and Gad, Rannells, O’Malley, Parker, Lopez, Stone and Nikki M. James will return for eight performances June 9–14; the production previously resumed after a May theatre fire forced a brief closure.
Variety’s coverage shows the Tony Awards Night wasn’t limited to what aired on TV: backstage networking during commercial breaks, spontaneous celebrity selfies, wild afterparty moments (including Daniel Radcliffe balancing the train of a gown with a Diet Coke), candid exchanges, a profane yet memorable moment from Shoshana Bean, and a heartwarming welcome for June Squibb, illustrating that the evening’s energy carried on well beyond the CBS telecast.
Pink anchors a show-stopping Tony Awards night filled with risqué performances, cake-toting moments, and memorable cameos—from Luke Evans’s jaw-dropping onstage look during a transvestite-into-Time Warp mash-up to Megan Thee Stallion and Lea Michele joining the opening number. Schmigadoon! takes Best Musical, Liberation wins Best Play, and Qween Jean becomes the first openly trans Tony winner for Cats: Jellicle Ball. The ceremony also features political and heartfelt speeches, nods to past and upcoming Broadway, and playful bits like Billy Crystal’s wink at a future show and a Cats marketing gag with clacking fans.
Rosie O'Donnell criticized Donald Trump in a candid Variety interview, calling him a 'con man', 'narcissist' and 'psychopath' after previously labeling him an 'asshole' and a 'liar'; she recalled Trump’s New York roots, predicted boos at Madison Square Garden for the Knicks–Spurs game, noted his online taunts, and mentioned she will be back in the U.S. this summer for a New York one-woman show.
Rosie O’Donnell, back in the U.S. for the Tony Awards, used the red carpet to deliver a blistering critique of Donald Trump, calling him a con man, a narcissist and a psychopath, and tying him to Epstein; she also commented on the expected reception for Trump at an upcoming Knicks–Spurs game and announced plans to resume her New York one-woman show this summer.
Costume designer Qween Jean became the first openly transgender performer to win a Tony, taking Best Costume Design of a Musical for Cats: The Jellicle Ball. She designed her own Tony gown and Whitney White’s, and is also nominated for Best Costume Design of a Play for Liberation. Beyond the win, she advocates for queer and trans rights and founded Black Trans Liberation, using the moment to push for lasting change in the theater community and society at large.