By Kathryn Lurie
NEW YORK, June 7 (Reuters) – “Schmigadoon!” won the Tony Award for best musical on Sunday, while more socially driven works dominated other top categories, with “Liberation” taking best play, “Ragtime” best musical revival and John Lithgow best leading actor for “Giant.”
Based on a television series, “Schmigadoon!” is a send-up of Golden Age Broadway shows, following a modern couple drawn into a musical theater fantasy world.
“Liberation,” a drama examining the legacy of the 1970s women’s liberation movement, added to its 2026 Pulitzer Prize for drama, as author Bess Wohl became the fourth woman to win the Tony Award for best play and the first since 2009.
“Ragtime” prevailed over “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” reviving a sweeping story that intertwines Black, immigrant and upper-class white lives, exploring race, class and the promise of the American Dream at the dawn of the 20th century. Caissie Levy and Joshua Henry won best lead actress and actor for their roles in the show.
In “Giant,” the 80-year-old Lithgow portrayed author Roald Dahl in the 1980s as he faces fallout for remarks deemed antisemitic and weighs apologizing against risking his reputation. It was his third Tony, having won his first 53 years ago for his Broadway debut in “The Changing Room.”
“At every point we had to figure out, ‘Why is this man doing this?’” he told reporters later. “Antisemitism, cruelty of all kinds … these are things that we’re dealing with these days up front and personal … that’s what makes ‘Giant’ so important and such a success.”
Lesley Manville won best lead actress in a play for her role as Jocasta in Robert Icke’s reimagining of the Sophocles classic “Oedipus” as a political thriller.
“Death of a Salesman,” Joe Mantello’s staging of Arthur Miller’s American classic, won best revival of a play, with Mantello taking best direction of a play and Laurie Metcalf winning featured actress in a play for her role as Linda Loman — her third Tony. The play also stars veteran Nathan Lane.
A RECORD YEAR FOR BROADWAY
This year’s awards cap a record Broadway season, having generated $1.91 billion in grosses as audiences turned out for both established hits and new productions.
Pop singer Pink, hosting the ceremony at Radio City Music Hall, led a huge opening number with a Broadway-updated rendition of “Lady Marmalade” and featuring the cast of every single nominated musical.
There were plenty of Easter eggs in the number, including veteran actress Lea Michele singing, “We don’t do it for the awards” and trans actor Dylan Mulvaney singing, “Protect the dolls.” Michele herself, the leading lady in the revival “Chess,” was passed over for a nomination this year.
Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch won best direction of a musical for “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” a bold reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical that places the story within New York’s ballroom culture.
Shoshana Bean won best featured actress in a musical for “The Lost Boys,” a stage adaptation of the 1987 vampire cult classic film that follows two brothers who move to a California beach town and discover it is inhabited by vampires. This was Bean’s third nomination and first win.
Ali Louis Bourzgui won best featured actor in a musical for his role as lead vampire in the show. Alden Ehrenreich won best featured actor in a play for “Becky Shaw.”
The ceremony featured anniversary tributes including “Chicago,” “The Book of Mormon,” “A Chorus Line” and “Rent.”
Queen Latifah, who was in the 2002 movie version of “Chicago,” presented a performance led by Pink celebrating the 30th anniversary of the show’s long-running revival.
The original cast of “The Book of Mormon” performed for its 15th anniversary, and Rachel Zegler sang “What I Did for Love” from “A Chorus Line,” celebrating its 50th anniversary. Leslie Odom Jr. performed “Without You” from “Rent,” which also celebrated 30 years this year, for the In Memoriam segment.
In a preshow, Qween Jean won best costume design of a musical and Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons won best choreography, both for “Cats: The Jellicle Ball.” Qween Jean became the first openly transgender person to win a Tony Award according to the show’s publicist.
See the list of winners here.
(Reporting by Kathryn Lurie; Editing by Howard Goller)
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