Brutal Tony Award 2026 nominations kick Adrien Brody and Lea Michele…
It was a big morning for blood-sucking monsters.
No, not the teen vampires from “The Lost Boys” — The Tony Awards nominating committee.
Oh, what a pack of ruthless killers they’re.
Tuesday’s nominations for the best of the Broadway season made it plainly clear what the group of 55 voting theater professionals completely loathed.
Lea Michele didn’t handle a best actress nomination for “Chess.” Bruce Glikas/WireImage
The flop $22.5 million musical “The Queen of Versailles,” “Wicked” composer Stephen Schwartz’s burning pile of rubble, scored nada. Not even for designer Dane Laffrey’s attractive, mammoth set, or beloved diva Kristin Chenoweth. Meet the latest New York Times Critic’s Pick to goose egg.
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And — did you ever know that you bought ze-ro?! — “Beaches” was beached. Expect a swift closing discover for the bellyflopping “Wind Beneath My Wings” present at the Majestic.
In fact, the committee hated those two a lot, they shoved a few performs in the best score class instead: Those previous toe-tappers “Death of a Salesman” and “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.”
“Proof” — the math play revival co-produced by the Obamas and starring acclaimed actors Ayo Edebiri and Don Cheadle — also succumbed to that lowliest of integers: 0.
Adrien Brody wasn’t acknowledged for his performance in “The Fear of 13” Oliver Rodriguez/Shutterstock
Were the nominators received over by the $tar energy of Lea Michele in “Chess”? Nope. Instead they acknowledged her less-famous co-stars Nicholas Christopher (nice), Hannah Cruz (good) and Bryce Pinkham (baffling).
“Brutalist” Oscar winner Adrien Brody also had a brutal day — he didn’t snag a best actor nod for the badly-written criminal-justice play “The Fear of 13.” Timothée Chalamet must be grinning from ear to ear.
And status TV stars Jon Berthal, Ebon Moss-Bachrach (each of “Dog Day Afternoon”) and Jean Smart (“Call Me Izzy”) didn’t make the minimize both.
“The Lost Boys” scored 12 nods — tying with “Schmigadoon.” AP
Plenty of exhibits carried out very nicely — on the play facet because of a wealth of extraordinary revivals, and on the musical end because a small variety of worthy-ish exhibits devoured up all the slots by default.
Two productions led the pack for best musical: “The Lost Boys” and “Schmigadoon,” with 12 nods apiece. Rounding out the class was the cute, little “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)” with 9 and the hilarious off-Broadway success story “Titanique” with 4.
The playing area is far more level than “Maybe Happy Ending”’s season-long streamroll was last yr, and there isn’t any clear frontrunner.
That said, conversations round city recommend the battle is between “Lost Boys” and “Schmig.”
The revival of “Ragtime” scored 11 nominations, including best musical revival. Evan Zimmerman
A few slights today lead me to imagine “Lost Boys” is a little bit ahead. “Schmigadoon” actors Max Clayton and McKenzie Kurtz had been each left off the featured actor classes, implying nominators didn’t really feel the urge to place the present that’s based on the canceled Apple TV present in all places they probably might.
Plenty in the trade like “Lost Boys” nicely sufficient — few outright love something — and the other three new musicals seem to many to be misplaced causes.
One Broadway source, sounding like a Democratic Party operative at major time, conceded, “Everybody should close ranks around ‘Lost Boys.’” Other voters have privately echoed that sentiment.
But one had doubts. “Wasn’t the story predictable?,” they said. “And all the power ballads!”
A revival of the musical “Ragtime,” starring Joshua Henry, Caissie Levy and Brandon Uranowitz, on Broadway. Matthew Murphy
Speaking of energy ballads, onto “Ragtime,” which is nominated for musical revival. There are three contenders: “Cats: The Jellicle Ball” (9 nods) “Ragtime” (11) and “The Rocky Horror Show” (9). But voters received’t do the Time Warp again — it’s all the way down to the first two.
“Ragtime” is superbly sung and shifting (though many voters whine about the concert-esque staging). And its stars Caissie Levy and Joshua Henry in all probability win best actress and actor. But euphoric “Jellicle Ball” completely reinvents “Cats” — a feat considered unimaginable — and the fab felines ought to hoist the big prize.
A deeper bench is the excellent play revivals. Even with a strong slate, that race boils all the way down to “Death of a Salesman” and “Oedipus.”
Both are glorious, however high-grossing “Salesman” is on all people’s lips proper now (it just received the New York Drama Critics Circle’s best ensemble prize) and British “Oedipus”’ February time limit is miles in the rearview. I anticipate consideration will likely be paid to “Salesman.”
“Cats: The Jellicle Ball” is the favourite to take house best revival. Matthew Murphy
Tighter still is the tussle between Willy Loman and Roald Dahl — a ok a Nathan Lane and John Lithgow.
The “Salesman” and “Giant” stars up for best actor in a play have loads going for them: veteran standing, past Tony wins and a widespread sense that they’re doing some of the most interesting work of their lengthy careers.
“Salesman” has more warmth behind it, which ought to assist Lane. But Lithgow is carrying “Giant” fully on his shoulders. He’s the motive people are seeing it. Flip a coin.
“Death of a Salesman,” starring Nathan Lane, earned 9 Tony nominations. Emilio Madrid
His “Giant” is duking it out with Women’s Lib dramedy “Liberation,” “The Balusters” and “Little Bear Ridge Road” for best play. Long-closed, Pulitzer-winning “Liberation” will take it.
Some fast stabs: Laurie Metcalf will get best supporting actress for “Salesman” and Lesley Manville takes best actress for “Oedipus.”
I’m particularly thrilled for Alden Ehrenreich, who was nominated for best featured actor for his brilliantly acidic flip in best revival nominee “Becky Shaw.” He’s the season’s best discover.
Ehrenreich is a part of a stellar class (Christopher Abbott, Danny Burstein, Brandon J. Dirden, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Richard Thomas). However, the “Solo: A Star Wars Story” star is a minimize above the relaxation.
Alden Ehrenreich is the favourite to win best featured actor in a play. Marc J. Franklin
The Tony Awards air June 7 on CBS. And quite in the spirit of this unusual, complicated, letdown of a season, they’ll be hosted by Pink.
So what?
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