Broadway’s 79th annual Tony Awards unfolded Sunday night at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, honoring outstanding achievement in theater for the 2025-2026 season. The ceremony was hosted for the first time by Grammy-winning singer Pink, who opened with a dramatic aerial entrance and later joined nominees in a vibrant performance of “Lady Marmalade” from “Moulin Rouge! The Musical.”
The evening featured an array of high-profile presenters, including Oscar winners Ariana DeBose and Adrien Brody, Tony and Oscar nominee Annette Bening, Grammy winners Megan Thee Stallion and Sting, as well as “Saturday Night Live” alumni Maya Rudolph, Bowen Yang, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Lexington native Rachel Dratch, who received a nomination for best featured actress in a musical for “Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show.” The ceremony also welcomed numerous past Tony honorees, such as Billy Crystal, Ben Platt, Bernadette Peters, Darren Criss, Kristin Chenoweth, and Nicole Scherzinger.
The musical comedy “Schmigadoon!”, an affectionate parody of classic Golden Age musicals, emerged as one of the night’s biggest winners, securing the Tony for best musical alongside awards for best book and best original score, both credited to Cinco Paul. “Liberation,” a new play by Bess Wohl, who recently won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, was honored as best new play. During her acceptance speech, Wohl highlighted the rarity of an American woman receiving the award, the last being Wendy Wasserstein in 1989.
The revival of Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” led the ceremony with six Tonys, including best revival of a play, best featured actress in a play for Laurie Metcalf, and best direction for Joe Mantello. Nathan Lane, who played Willy Loman, lost the best actor in a play award to John Lithgow, recognized for his portrayal in “Giant.” Lithgow, a three-time Tony winner, described the play as a crucial examination of cruelty in modern times. Metcalf, also a three-time recipient, praised Mantello for their collaborative work during rehearsals.
In the musical categories, “Ragtime” won best revival of a musical, with Joshua Henry earning best lead actor in a musical for his role as Coalhouse Walker Jr., a Black musician confronting social injustice in early 20th-century America. Caissie Levy took home best leading actress in a musical for her performance portraying a mother shaped by societal change. Director Lear DeBessonet framed “Ragtime” as a powerful symbol of hope, empathy, and democracy.
The Tony for best direction of a musical went to Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch for “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” a reimagined production that infused ballroom culture into Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic. The show also garnered awards for choreography and costume design, the latter marking a historic win for Qween Jean, the first openly transgender person to receive a Tony.
Among other notable winners, Shoshana Bean was honored as best featured actress in a musical for “The Lost Boys,” a $25 million vampire-themed show adapted from the 1987 cult film. Ali Louis Bourzgui of Massachusetts earned the Tony for best featured actor in a musical for his role in the same production, using his acceptance speech to celebrate immigrant communities, LGBTQ+ rights, and solidarity with Palestine. Lesley Manville won best leading actress in a play for her Broadway debut in “Oedipus,” while Alden Ehrenreich took best featured actor in a play for “Becky Shaw.”
Tributes during the ceremony included performances by Leslie Odom Jr., who sang “Without You” from “Rent” in honor of the musical’s 30th anniversary, and Rachel Zegler, who participated in a special homage to “A Chorus Line” on its 50th anniversary.
The 79th Tony Awards highlighted the diversity and vitality of Broadway’s current season, reflecting both the art form’s storied past and its evolving present.