Two musicals adapted from existing screen properties claimed the highest nomination tallies at this year's Tony Awards, signalling a broader shift in how Broadway sources its material. Schmigadoon! and The Lost Boys: A New Musical each earned 12 nominations for the 79th annual Tony Awards, covering the 2025-2026 Broadway season - a striking result that places adaptations at the very centre of the industry's most prestigious recognition.
Adaptations Lead, but Revivals Hold Their Ground
The dominance of Schmigadoon! - drawn from the Apple TV+ musical comedy series - and The Lost Boys - reimagining the beloved 1987 vampire film - reflects a trend that has gathered momentum on Broadway for well over a decade. Audiences increasingly arrive with prior emotional investment in source material, and producers have found that recognition reduces some of the financial risk inherent in mounting large-scale productions. Yet critical reception for both shows suggests these are not merely brand extensions: reviewers have described The Lost Boys as genuinely frightening and theatrically ambitious in its own right.
Revivals, however, refused to cede the conversation. Ragtime accumulated 11 nominations, a powerful reaffirmation of the show's enduring stature as one of American musical theatre's most structurally ambitious works. Cats: The Jellicle Ball and Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show each received nine, the latter benefiting from a provocative reimagining that earned Stephanie Hsu a leading actress nomination. The revival category this season demonstrates that reconceived classics, rather than simple restaging exercises, are what earn critical attention.
Plays Assert Themselves Amid the Musical Spectacle
Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman stands as the most nominated play of the season with nine nominations - including Best Play Direction for Joe Mantello, Best Actor for Nathan Lane, and Best Featured Actress for Laurie Metcalf. The production's tally underscores that straight drama, when cast with precision and directed with clarity of vision, can still generate the kind of institutional recognition that sustains a limited run into a cultural event.
The acting categories for plays offer a particularly rich field. Daniel Radcliffe, nominated for Best Actor in a Play for Every Brilliant Thing, represents a generation of screen-recognised performers who have committed seriously to the stage - and been rewarded for it. He competes against Nathan Lane, Mark Strong, John Lithgow, and Will Harrison. In the leading actress category, Rose Byrne and Kelli O'Hara are both nominated for the same production, Fallen Angels - a rare and notable circumstance that speaks to an unusually strong ensemble performance from that show's cast.
Full List of Nominees Across All Categories
Best Book of a Musical
- The Lost Boys - David Hornsby and Chris Hoch
- Schmigadoon! - Cinco Paul
- Titaníque - Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousouli, and Tye Blue
- Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) - Jim Barne and Kit Buchan
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
- Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman - Music: Caroline Shaw
- August Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone - Music: Steve Bargonetti
- The Lost Boys - Music & Lyrics: The Rescues
- Schmigadoon! - Music & Lyrics: Cinco Paul
- Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) - Music & Lyrics: Jim Barne and Kit Buchan
Best 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
- Daniel Radcliffe, Every Brilliant Thing
- Mark Strong, Oedipus
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
- Rose Byrne, Fallen Angels
- Carrie Coon, Bug
- Susannah Flood, Liberation
- Lesley Manville, Oedipus
- Kelli O'Hara, Fallen Angels
Best 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
- Sam Tutty, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
- Brandon Uranowitz, Ragtime
Best 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
- Marla Mindelle, Titaníque
- Christiani Pitts, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Best 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
- Ruben Santiago-Hudson, August Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone
- Richard Thomas, The Balusters
Best 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
- June Squibb, Marjorie Prime
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
- Ali Louis Bourzgui, The Lost Boys
- André De Shields, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
- Bryce Pinkham, Chess
- Ben Levi Ross, Ragtime
- Layton Williams, Titaníque
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
- Shoshana Bean, The Lost Boys
- Hannah Cruz, Chess
- Rachel Dratch, Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show
- Ana Gasteyer, Schmigadoon!
- Nichelle Lewis, Ragtime
Best Scenic Design of a Play
- Hildegard Bechtler, Oedipus
- Takeshi Kata, Bug
- Chloe Lamford, Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman
- David Korins, Dog Day Afternoon
- David Rockwell, Fallen Angels
Best Scenic Design of 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
- Scott Pask, Schmigadoon!
Best Costume Design of a Play
- Brenda Abbandandolo, Dog Day Afternoon
- Qween Jean, Liberation
- Jeff Mahshie, Fallen Angels
- Emilio Sosa, The Balusters
- Paul Tazewell, August Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone
Best Costume Design of a Musical
- Linda Cho, Ragtime
- Linda Cho, Schmigadoon!
- Qween Jean, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
- Ryan Park, The Lost Boys
- David I. Reynoso, Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show
Best Lighting Design of 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
Best Lighting Design of 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 / 59 Studio (Projection Design), Ragtime
- Jen Schriever and Michael Arden, The Lost Boys
Best 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
Best Sound Design of a Musical
- Kai Harada, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
- Kai Harada, Ragtime
- Adam Fisher, The Lost Boys
- Brian Ronan, Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show
- Walter Trarbach, Schmigadoon!
Best Direction of a Play
- Nicholas Hytner, Giant
- Robert Icke, Oedipus
- Kenny Leon, The Balusters
- Joe Mantello, Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman
- Whitney White, Liberation
Best 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)
What This Season's Nominations Say About Broadway Right Now
The breadth and variety across this year's nominees reflect a Broadway ecosystem that is simultaneously leaning into audience familiarity - through adaptations and revivals - while maintaining space for original work. Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), an original musical that transferred from London's West End, appears across multiple categories including Best Book, Best Score, and both leading actor and actress categories, suggesting that wholly new material can still attract significant recognition when the craft is strong enough.
The design categories are notable for their ambition. Multiple nominees across lighting, sound, and scenic design are recognised for work on productions that appear in more than one technical category - a sign of seasons where production values have been treated as integral to storytelling rather than supplementary to it. Linda Cho's double nomination for costume design, covering both Ragtime and Schmigadoon!, is a rare distinction that speaks to an exceptionally productive season for individual artists.
The 79th Tony Awards ceremony will determine which of these productions and performances are ultimately recognised as the season's finest. What the nominations already confirm is that the 2025-2026 Broadway season delivered enough creative range and artistic seriousness to fill every category with genuinely competitive contenders.
