5 Thoughts About This Year’s Tony Nominations

by Chris Peterson

The 2026 Tony Award nominations were announced this morning, which means it is officially time for theatre people to do what we do best: overanalyze, celebrate, complain, contradict ourselves, and pretend we are not already emotionally invested in categories we claimed we did not care about five minutes ago.

This year’s nominations offer plenty to chew on, from the expected frontrunners to the pleasant surprises to the inevitable “wait, how did that happen?” moments that make awards season both thrilling and deeply annoying.

So rather than pretending there is one clean narrative coming out of this morning, here are five thoughts on this year’s Tony nominees, because frankly, one reaction was never going to be enough.

Some genuinely cool history was made.

Before we get to the snubs and inevitable online yelling, it is worth taking a second to appreciate that this year’s nominations gave us some actual Tony history. Danny Burstein picked up his ninth career nomination for his performance in Marjorie Prime, making him the most-nominated male actor in Tony Awards history. That is an extraordinary achievement for one of most beloved human beings on Broadway.

And then there is June Squibb, who at 96 became the oldest acting nominee in Tony history for her performance in the title role of Marjorie Prime. That is one of those reminders that theatre, at its best, still has room for artists at every stage of life. In an industry that spends a lot of time chasing youth, trends, influencers, and whatever might make someone under 30 buy a mezzanine ticket, seeing Squibb recognized at 96 feels quietly wonderful.

Beaches and The Queen of Versailles getting shut out.

While not really at all surprising given reviews and box office performance, neither getting a single nod is still glaring to see. The Queen of Versailles had already closed early after a short Broadway run, despite Kristin Chenoweth leading the production and Stephen Schwartz writing the score. It was a major Broadway swing, with major names attached, and the Tonys essentially looked at the whole thing and said, “We’re good.”

Beaches may sting in a different way. This is the kind of title that comes pre-loaded with audience affection. But affection only gets you so far. The Tony nominations seem to suggest that voters were not moved enough by the nostalgia, or a strong turn from Jessica Vosk to make room for it in a very crowded musical season. Given the show’s sales, I don’t think this will be open much longer.

A very good morning for women in lighting design.

Across the 12 lighting design nominations for plays and musicals, seven went to women. That is not a small thing, especially in a field that, for a very long time, has been treated like one of those technical spaces where women were either underrepresented, overlooked, or somehow expected to be grateful just to be in the room.

This one hit me a little personally. About 10 years ago, I hosted a panel at BroadwayCon about lighting design and the need for more women in that space. At the time, it was one of those conversations that felt necessary because the imbalance was so obvious, but also frustrating because the talent was already there. The problem was never that women were not capable of doing this work. The problem was access, hiring patterns, visibility, and the same old industry habits that tend to protect the same old names.

So seeing seven women recognized across those categories this year feels worth celebrating. It is visible progress. And in design categories, visibility matters because nominations can change who gets hired, who gets trusted with bigger shows, and who younger designers can look at and say, “Oh, there is room for me here.”

Scott Rudin’s comeback is officially in the room, unfortunately.

And then there is Scott Rudin.

To my chagrin, this morning made his Broadway comeback feel pretty official. Rudin received two Tony nominations this year, one as a producer of Little Bear Ridge Road, which was nominated for Best Play, and another for Death of a Salesman, which was nominated for Best Revival of a Play. That would be notable under any circumstances, but it lands very differently when you remember that it was just over five years ago that members of the Broadway community marched in protest of him after years of allegations about abusive workplace behavior.

That is what makes this feel so frustrating. Not surprising, exactly.

I am not naive about how this industry works. Producing is complicated. Money is complicated. But that is also usually where accountability goes to die, somewhere in the fog of complicated. The question was never whether Scott Rudin would eventually try to come back. Of course, he would. The question was always whether Broadway’s powers-that-be would make that comeback easy.

This morning gave us at least part of the answer.

The omissions that actually made me pause.

I hate the word “snub,” mostly because awards season has turned it into a catch-all for “a thing I personally did not like.” Not every missed nomination is a snub. Sometimes a category is just crowded. Sometimes the math is cruel. Sometimes, five-six slots simply are not enough.

That said, two omissions this morning really did make me pause: “Tempress” Chasity Moore and McKenzie Kurtz.

As Grizabella in Cats: The Jellicle Ball, Moore has the kind of role, moment, and vocal showcase that usually fits very neatly into a Tony acting conversation. “Memory” is not exactly a small assignment. It is one of those songs where the audience basically sits back and says, “Alright, let’s see what you’ve got.” And by most accounts, Moore had plenty.

McKenzie Kurtz missing for Schmigadoon! also stings because she has been doing such sharp musical comedy work, and that is the kind of performance the Tonys do not always reward as generously as they should. Comedy can look effortless when it is done well, which is probably why awards bodies sometimes forget that it is actually hard. Kurtz was expected by several awards watchers to be in the mix, which makes her absence feel like one of the morning’s more noticeable surprises.

Lea Michele missing for Chess was also a surprise, especially given how much attention her performance received going into nominations morning. Am I crying into my pillow over that one? No. I will somehow bravely continue. But it was still a surprise, especially because this seemed like the year the industry might finally give Michele that first nomination.

So yes, I am trying not to scream “snub” every five minutes like a theatre Twitter account with low blood sugar. But if we are talking about the omissions that actually stood out, Moore and Kurtz are the two I keep coming back to. Michele was surprising. Moore and Kurtz felt disappointing.

So those are my five thoughts, at least for now, because Tony nomination morning is always a moving target. But this year’s nominations really do give us a lot to sit with. There is history worth celebrating, progress worth noting, omissions worth questioning, and at least one comeback that should make the industry deeply uncomfortable.

This morning gave us plenty to celebrate. It also gave us a few reminders that the work is not finished.