Major Wins and Historical Milestones

The 79th Tony Awards, held on June 7, 2026 at New York’s Radio City Music Hall, celebrated the best of Broadway with standout wins and historical milestones. Bess Wohl’s play ‘Liberation’ won best new play, marking the first time in nearly 40 years that an American woman received the honor. Wohl noted in her acceptance speech that the last female winner was Wendy Wasserstein in 1989 for ‘The Heidi Chronicles.’

John Lithgow won best actor in a play for his performance in ‘Giant,’ which explores the antisemitism of children’s author Roald Dahl. This was Lithgow’s third Tony win, the first coming 53 years prior. ‘Liberation’ also received the Tony for best new play, with Lithgow calling it ‘a play about cruelty in a cruel age.’

Revivals and Revivals of Revivals

Revivals dominated the night, with Arthur Miller’s ‘Death of a Salesman’ taking home six awards, including best revival of a play, best actor in a play for Nathan Lane, and best featured actress for Laurie Metcalf. Metcalf’s role as Linda Loman in the revival marked her third Tony win.

The musical ‘Ragtime,’ which originally premiered in 1998, won best revival of a musical. Director Lear deBessonet described the production as an emblem of ‘hope, empathy, and democracy.’ The production also won for scenic design, lighting design, and sound design.

In other revival categories, ‘Schmigadoon!’ won three awards: for book, original score, and orchestrations. The musical was also honored with the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Broadway Musical.

Firsts, Nods, and Notable Performances

Cats: The Jellicle Ball made history with a first-time trans Tony winner in costume designer Qween Jean. The production also won for direction and choreography.

Lesley Manville won best actress in a play for her role in ‘Oedipus,’ while Alden Ehrenreich took best featured actor in a play for ‘Becky Shaw.’ The Lost Boys, which entered the night with 12 nominations, won for scenic design and lighting design.

John Lithgow, 80, reflected on his long Broadway career in his acceptance speech. ‘I’m such a lucky actor,’ he said. ‘My first one was 53 years ago, as my Broadway debut.’ The tone of the evening was one of celebration and recognition of both established and emerging talent.

Among the most decorated productions were ‘Schmigadoon!’ and ‘Ragtime,’ which both received multiple awards. The Outer Critics Circle Awards, held earlier in May, had already recognized ‘Schmigadoon!’ as Outstanding New Broadway Musical, while ‘Ragtime’ won in several design categories.