Tony nominees reveal the lengths they’ll go to be believable
Tony nominees from Ragtime to The Rocky Horror Show showed how much discipline it takes to look effortless, as P!NK prepares to host the June 7 ceremony.
Broadway’s biggest prizes this season have doubled as a look at the hidden work that makes live performance feel effortless. From the nominations announced on May 5 to the final sprint toward Sunday’s 79th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall, the conversation has centered on what actors must physically and mentally master to convince a packed house that every gesture, breath and beat is real.
The 2026 field was led by The Lost Boys and Schmigadoon! with 12 nominations apiece, followed by Ragtime with 11. Fallen Angels and The Rocky Horror Show were also among the nominated productions highlighted this season, underscoring how wide the race has become across musicals and revivals. The eligibility cut-off for the 2025-2026 season was Sunday, April 26, a date that closed one chapter of Broadway’s calendar and set the stage for the awards push that followed.
That push has been carefully choreographed. The Meet the Nominees press event took place on Thursday, May 14, and the Tony Nominee Luncheon was scheduled for Thursday, May 28 and closed to the media. Around those formal moments, Broadway.com’s annual Secrets of the Tony Nominees feature added a lighter counterpoint, with nominees including Sara Chase, Layton Williams, Kelli O’Hara, Danny Burstein, Whitney White, Brandon Uranowitz, Stephanie Hsu, Aya Cash, Rachel Dratch, Ana Gasteyer and Zhailon Levingston sharing backstage confessions and personal anecdotes that fit the season’s obsession with craft.
The awards itself will arrive with major commercial reach. The 79th Annual Tony Awards will broadcast live on CBS and stream on Paramount+ from Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Sunday, June 7, and CBS and Pluto TV will carry a pre-show, The Tony Awards: Act One. P!NK will host for the first time, while the companies of the seven Best Musical and Best Revival of a Musical nominees are set to perform, turning the telecast into a showcase not just for winning titles, but for the disciplined ensemble work that makes theater believable in the first place.
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