79th Tony Nominations: ‘The Lost Boys,’ ‘Schmigadoon!’ Lead, June Squibb Makes History
The Lost Boys and Schmigadoon! dominated the nominations for the 79th Tony Awards on Tuesday, earning 12 nods each, followed closely by the musical revival of Ragtime with 11.
The Lost Boys director Michael Arden, already a two-time Tony winner for directing in just the last three years with Parade (2023) and Maybe Happy Ending (2025), is nominated for both best direction of a musical and best lighting design of a musical, the latter shared with Jen Schriever.
Not to be outdone, Titaníque co-creator Marla Mindelle earned nominations for both Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical and Best Book of a Musical.
Stalwart revivals Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman and Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show both earned nine nominations apiece. Nathan Lane’s nod as the venerable Willy Loman now spans 50 years Tony nominations with George C. Scott (1976), Brian Dennehy (1999), Philip Seymour Hoffman (2012), Wendell Pierce (2023) and now Lane (Lee J. Cobb originated the role in 1949 but did not receive a Tony nomination). Surprisingly, the role has only produced one winner, Dennehy.
June Squibb and Danny Burstein both broke Tony records today for the same production, Jordan Harrison’s Marjorie Prime. At 96, Squibb is now the oldest acting nominee in Tony history with her Featured Actress in a Play nod, besting Lois Smith’s previous record. The nomination is also Squibb’s first ever, 67 years after her 1959 Broadway debut as Electra in the original Gypsy opposite Ethel Merman. The Oscar nominee (Nebraska) will compete against Betsy Aidem (Liberation), Marylouise Burke (The Balusters), Aya Cash (Giant) and two-time winner Laurie Metcalf (Death of a Salesman).
Burstein’s nod for the same play makes him the most-nominated male performer in Tony history, with nine career nominations, breaking a 47-year-old record set by Jason Robards (1957-1978.) Burstein won a Tony in 2020 for Moulin Rouge! The Musical. His category of Featured Actor in a Play was expanded to six nominees this year, where he joins Christopher Abbott (Death of a Salesman), Brandon J. Dirden (Waiting for Godot), Alden Ehrenreich (Becky Shaw), Ruben Santiago-Hudson (August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone) and Richard Thomas (The Balusters). Stage legend Kelli O’Hara joins Burstein with her ninth nomination, this year as Actress in a Leading Role in a Play for Fallen Angels. Six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald still leads all living nominees with 11.
Hot off her Best Actress Oscar nomination earlier this year for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, Rose Byrne landed her first Tony nomination for Actress in a Leading Role in a Play, joining O’Hara in the revival of Noël Coward’s Fallen Angels. The Australian actress becomes the 17th woman (and 33rd performer overall) in history to score Tony and Oscar acting nominations in the same calendar year. The last performer to do it was Adam Driver in 2019, for BlacKkKlansman and Burn This.
This season saw several double nominees in the design categories; Kai Harada is nominated Sound Design of a Musical for both Cats: The Jellicle Ball and Ragtime, Heather Gilbert in Lighting Design in a Play for Bug and The Fear of 13, Linda Cho (Ragtime, Schmigadoon!) in Costume Design in a Musical and Adam Honoré for Lighting Design in a Musical for Cats: The Jellicle Ball and Ragtime, the latter he shares with Donald Holder.
The most surprising snubs of the morning went to Lea Michele, whose leading role in Michael Mayer’s revival of Chess was widely expected to earn her first Tony nomination, after her taking over for Beanie Feldstein in 2022’s Funny Girl didn’t qualify her for a Tony run. Laurie Metcalf had the chance to become only the seventh performer to score acting nominations in two different categories the same year, and while she earned a nod for Featured Actress in a Play for the revival of Death of a Salesman, her lead role in Best Play nominee Little Bear Ridge Road went by unnoticed.
The Tony Awards are presented by the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. The 79th annual ceremony will be held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City and hosted by Grammy‑winning artist Pink. Raj Kapoor, Sarah Levine Hall and Jack Sussman will serve as executive producers for the theater’s biggest night. The show will air live on the CBS Television Network and stream on Paramount+ on Sunday, June 7.
Here is the complete list of nominations.
Best Musical
The Lost Boys
Schmigadoon!
Titaníque
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Best Play
The Balusters
Giant
Liberation
Little Bear Ridge Road
Revival of a Musical
Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Ragtime
Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show
Revival of a Play
Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Becky Shaw
Every Brilliant Thing
Fallen Angels
Oedipus
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Nicholas Christopher, “hess
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
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
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)
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
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
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
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
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
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)
Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
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
Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman — Music by Caroline Shaw
August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone — Music by Steve Bargonetti
The Lost Boys — Music & Lyrics by The Rescues
Schmigadoon! — Music & Lyrics by Cinco Paul
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) — Music & Lyrics by Jim Barne and Kit Buchan
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
Choreography
Christopher Gattelli, Schmigadoon!
Ellenore Scott, Ragtime
Ani Taj, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show
Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant, The Lost Boys
Orchestrations
Doug Besterman and Mike Morris, Schmigadoon!
Ethan Popp, Kyler England, Adrianne “AG” Gonzalez and Gabriel Mann, The Lost Boys
Lux Pyramid, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Brian Usifer, Chess
Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Wilson, Trevor Holder and Doug Schadt, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Scenic Design in 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!
Scenic Design in 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
Costume Design in 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
Costume Design in 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
Lighting Design in 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, Ragtime
Jen Schriever and Michael Arden, The Lost Boys
Lighting Design in 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
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!”
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
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