Best of Broadway: What shows were rooting for on Tony Awards night
The 79th Annual Tony Awards are coming this Sunday, and we’re absolutely giddy in anticipation.
As big fans of Broadway, Mashable’s Entertainment team has been hitting the Great White Way to see the best (and worst) of Broadway. Last winter, we celebrated eventual Tony nominees like Oedipus, Liberation, and Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York City) as the best theater experiences of 2025.
Since then, we’ve reviewed new Broadway productions, like the Daniel Radcliffe-led revival of Every Brilliant Thing, the Jon Bernthal-led stage adaptation of Dog Day Afternoon, the disastrous musical — not based on the movie — Beaches, the joyous Céline Dion jukebox musical Titaníque, the ballroom-influenced Cats: The Jellicle Ball, and the astounding musical re-imagination of The Lost Boys. Yet there are even more shows we saw that we haven’t had a chance to sing the praises of yet, including the biting revival of Becky Shaw and 12-time Tony nominee Schmigadoon!
So, before the 79th Annual Tony Awards announces its winners on June 7, we’re sharing which shows we loved and why. Be sure to check out our critics’ notes before you commit to your Tony predictions.
The Lost Boys: A New Musical
What’s it about: Inspired by Joel Schumacher’s 1987 horror movie about teen vampires menacing the beach city of Santa Carla, The Lost Boys: A New Musical reimagines the fanged biker gang as a local rock band, whose allure is sexual and supernatural. The Emerson family — Lucy (Shoshana Bean) and her two teen sons, Michael (LJ Benet) and Sam (Benjamin Pajak) — are new in town, but quick to find its dark and bloody underbelly. Specifically, Michael’s attraction to a mysterious girl called Star (Maria Wirries) draws him into her circle, led by a charismatic and mulleted bad boy known as David (Ali Louis Bourzgui). Meanwhile, Lucy’s flirting with the video shop owner, Max (Paul Alexander Nolan), and Sam has made new friends, self-proclaimed vampire slayers the Frog Brothers (Jennifer Duka and Miguel Gil). As one of the original songs by The Rescues goes, together, can they “make it through the night”?
Why we love it: Look, real talk, Schumacher’s movie is loved most for being beautiful and bonkers, not particularly good. Director Michael Arden smartly pulls the best bits from the movie — its dramatic lighting, blend of comedy and horror, intoxicatingly cool vampires, and, yes, the oiled up, muscle-bound saxophone player — and brought them to the stage with remarkable showmanship. The masterful use of blocking and light to draw the eye makes seeing The Lost Boys feel like a horror movie you get to experience, and when his vampires take flight — well, as I raved in my review, it’s “breathtaking.”
But Lost Boys is marvelous for far more than its effects, which you can see from its 12 Tony nominations. The original songs by The Rescues are moving, while ranging from charmingly silly but sweet (“Superpower”) to wistful (“Wild”) to heart-wrenching (“Belong to Someone”) to sexy as hell (“Have to Have You”). While the cast is full of terrific performances, Tony nominee Ali Louis Bourzgui is absolutely outstanding as David. Far from imitating Kiefer Sutherland’s snarling vamp, he seems to draw on the surly sultriness of Rocky Horror-era Tim Curry, with a side of Catholic idolatry in his gestures and rituals. Altogether, The Lost Boys is a marvel, making moody magic on Broadway. — Kristy Puchko, Entertainment Editor
Tony nominations: Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score Written for the Theater, Best Scenic Design of a Musical, Best Costume Design of a Musical, Best Lighting Design of a Musical, Best Sound Design of a Musical, Best Direction of a Musical — Michael Arden, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical — Shoshana Bean, Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical — Ali Louis Bourzgui
How to watch: The Lost Boys: A New Musical is now on Broadway.
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
What it’s about: Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) is just what it sounds like: a tale of two strangers, a wedding cake, and an odyssey across New York City. Our strangers? Polar opposites Robin (Christiani Pitts) and Dougal (Sam Tutty). She’s a world-weary Brooklynite, and he’s an Englishman overjoyed to be in New York for the first time. Robin’s also on cake duty for her sister’s wedding to Dougal’s father, and he’s all too happy to help her bring the dessert from Brooklyn to Manhattan. But what starts as a simple task soon morphs into something deeper: an unlikely friendship, and an examination of Robin and Dougal’s strained relationships with their own family members.
Why we love it: Take a look down Broadway, and what do you see? Waves and waves of musicals based on pre-existing IP. Case in point: this year’s Best Musical field, which features a film adaptation (The Lost Boys), a TV adaptation (Schmigadoon!), and an inspired riff on both Céline Dion and Titanic (Titaníque). While they’re all heavy hitters, Two Strangers stands alone as the only original work among them, and that deserves to be celebrated. It’s a charming two-hander that tempers its fizzy joy with a disarming darkness. Nowhere is this clearer than in its two leading performances: Tutty lights up the stage with his enthusiasm, while Pitts’ cool façade hides a wounded interior. The pair are electric, and the show, like its titular cake, is one sweet treat. — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter
Tony nominations: Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score Written for the Theatre, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical — Sam Tutty, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical — Christiani Pitts, Best Scenic Design of a Musical, Best Direction of a Musical — Tim Jackson, Best Orchestrations
How to watch: Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) is now on Broadway.
Schmigadoon!
What it’s about: Based on Apple TV’s comedy of the same name, Schmigadoon! is here to lovingly send up your favorite Golden Age musicals, from Oklahoma! to The Music Man. The show centers on couple Melissa (Sara Chase) and Josh (Alex Brightman), who find themselves in the magical town of Schmigadoon. Here, everything is a musical, and the only way to leave is by crossing the bridge out of town with your true love. Given that Melissa and Josh are going through a rough patch, that last bit might be tricky. Can they find love with any member of the town’s chorus of musical archetypes, or even rekindle their own affection?
Why we love it: Schmigadoon! already works great on TV, but, man, it really high-kicks into a new gear on stage. Immaculate sets, costumes, and capital-D Dancing bring Golden Age Broadway roaring into 2026, with the show nicely balancing reverence and satire for its influences. Look no further than Cinco Paul’s fiendishly clever songs for proof. Ported straight over from the show, they’re a dense whirlwind of references, in-jokes, and pure, catchy fun. (Good luck getting “Corn Puddin'” out of your head.) Plus, they’re performed by a killer cast whose delight is downright infectious. Now, is it too early to ask for a stage adaptation of Schmicago? Or of Schmigadoon!‘s canceled third season, Into the Schmoods? Musical gods, if you’re listening, I need them.
Tony nominations: Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score Written for the Theatre, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical — Sara Chase, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical — Ana Gasteyer, Best Scenic Design of a Musical, Best Costume Design of a Musical, Best Sound Design of a Musical, Best Lighting Design of a Musical, Best Direction of a Musical — Christopher Gattelli, Best Choreography, Best Orchestrations
How to watch: Schmigadoon! is now on Broadway.
Cats: The Jellicle Ball
What it’s about: As Andrew Lloyd Webber once said, “Hal, it’s about cats.” But in Cats: The Jellicle Ball, Cats becomes so much more. Directors Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch transpose the musical’s Jellicle Ball — a parade of cats competing to be reborn through the Heaviside Layer — onto the ballroom scene, an underground haven of queer expression. It’s still the music and storyline of Cats, just in a different context, and that context is what makes Cats: The Jellicle Ball truly great.
‘Cats: The Jellicle Ball’ review: Ballroom and ‘Cats’ are a match made in the Heaviside Layer
Why we love it: Cats: The Jellicle Ball is exactly what you’d want from a Broadway revival. Its ballroom focus breathes new, extraordinary life into an oft-maligned musical, lending it deeper meaning. At times, it’s a raucous celebration of ballroom, full of clacking fans, gravity-defying vogueing, and showers of glitter. At others, it’s a moving reflection on the history of the art form, complete with a tear-jerking ode to the Founding Mothers to kick off Act 2. Overall, it’s a triumphant reinvention that, as I wrote in my review, “is the only way I’ll accept Cats from now on.” — B.E.
Tony nominations: Best Revival of a Musical, Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical — André De Shields, Best Scenic Design of a Musical, Best Costume Design of a Musical, Best Lighting Design of a Musical, Best Sound Design of a Musical, Best Direction of a Musical — Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, Best Choreography, Best Orchestrations
How to watch: Cats: The Jellicle Ball is now on Broadway.
Chess
What it’s about: Like most stagings of Chess before it, Broadway’s 2025 revival examines the interplay between three chess players: American grandmaster Freddie (Aaron Tveit), Soviet grandmaster Anatoly (Nicholas Christopher), and Florence (Lea Michele), the brilliant woman caught between them. Unlike prior stagings, this revival turns up the Cold War allegory to DEFCON 1 levels, with Danny Strong’s new book looping in real-life Cold War events. (Along with fourth wall-breaking Donald Trump and Joe Biden jokes, for some reason.)
Why we love it: It’s understandable that Chess missed out on a Best Revival nomination. It is, frankly, a bit of a mess. (Again, those fourth-wall jokes are a lot, and not in a good way.) But what isn’t a mess are the performances, especially the three that picked up Tony nominations. Bryce Pinkham’s Arbiter is a coy agent of chaos, so captivating he can make even the current-day political jokes seem funny and relevant. Hannah Cruz storms the stage as Svetlana, turning her 23 minutes of stage time into an emotional tour de force. And leading it all is Nicholas Christopher’s spectacular turn as Anatoly. His lung-bursting “Endgame” makes even the hokiest of Chess‘s new jokes worth it. — B.E.
Tony nominations: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical — Nicholas Christopher, Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical — Bryce Pinkham, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical — Hannah Cruz, Best Lighting Design of a Musical, Best Orchestrations
How to watch: Chess is on Broadway until June 21.
Every Brilliant Thing
What it’s about: Ice cream. Things with stripes. People falling over. These are just three of the entries on the million-long list of things worth living for at the heart of Every Brilliant Thing. The one-man-play’s unnamed narrator (Daniel Radcliffe) began the list at the age of seven, after his mother attempted to die by suicide. He continues it well into his adulthood, a story he recounts to us with copious amounts of audience participation.
Why we love it: Every Brilliant Thing is a euphoric, life-affirming play bolstered by Radcliffe’s ability to invite us in. Here, he must play two roles: that of the narrator, and that of facilitator, inviting audience members onstage to serve as key members of the story. Radcliffe’s pure openness helps let participants’ guards down, turning Every Brilliant Thing into the most communal theater experience I’ve ever been a part of. It’s captivating, sob-worthy, and yes, brilliant. — B.E.
Tony nominations: Best Revival of a Play, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play — Daniel Radcliffe
Liberation
What it’s about: Feminism’s past and present collide in Bess Wohl’s Pulitzer Prize–winning play Liberation. Tony nominee Susannah Flood stars as Lizzie, the founder of a ’70s women’s group. She also plays Lizzie’s daughter, who connects with the group’s remaining members in the present day to understand what happened to the promise of the feminist movement, as well as her own mother’s role in it.
Why we love it: Part reflection on second-wave feminism, part mother-daughter story, Liberation is a towering play that acknowledges that there are no easy answers to the questions it’s posing. It doesn’t try to wrap up its own conversations in a neat bow, nor is it afraid to acknowledge its own blind spots. Take, for example, its examination of how second-wave feminism failed to include Black women. In these moments, Wohl reckons with whether she, as a white playwright, even gets to tell this story. It’s these moments of reflection, as well Liberation‘s many cathartic women’s group discussions, that made it such a vital watch during its run. — B.E.
Tony Nominations: Best Play, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play — Susannah Flood, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play — Betsy Aidem, Best Costume Design of a Play, Best Direction of a Play — Whitney White
How to watch: Liberation has closed.
Titaníque
What’s it about? Created by Tye Blue, Marla Mindelle, and Constantine Rousouli, Titaníque is a jukebox musical that uses Céline Dion’s songs to retell the story of the Titanic. Sorry, I mean the story of Titanic. See, in this gleefully queer parody, Céline Dion (played by a pitch-perfect and wildly funny Mindelle) crashes a tour of the Titanic museum to recount the story of James Cameron’s blockbuster movie as only she remembers it. Between songs and thumping her chest with her fist, Céline introduces her audience to the impoverished artist Jack (Rousouli) and poor little not-so-rich girl Rose (Melissa Barrera), as these star-crossed lovers swoon while avoiding her wretched mother (Jim Parsons in light drag), her cruel fiancé (John Riddle), an unforgiving iceberg (Layton Williams), and Victor Garber (Frankie Grande).
Why we love it: We first fell for Titaníque during its Off-Broadway run, which began in 2024. There, a rotating cast — often peppered with celebrity guest stars — would weave in wacky bits specific to their fame. Like, when I saw RuPaul’s Drag Race’s Willam in the role of Victor Garber, he playfully recreated his messy exit from the runway.
More fun still, this show had a light immersive element, with Céline going into the audience and getting them to interact with props and engage in silliness. We worried this inclusivity and irreverence of that production might get lost on a prestigious Broadway stage. But props to director/co-author Blue, Titaníque leveled up without losing its low-brow edge.
As I cheered in my rave review, “This energy has been successfully transferred to Broadway, where the Heart of the Ocean shimmers high as a club mix welcomes the audience. The seats are cushier, but the vibes are still party.” The bigger stage and flashier staging, “allows Mindelle to bloom, and her co-stars too. Together, they create a musical, magical epic, sure to please, but likely to make you want to shout, ‘I’m alive!'” — K.P.
Tony nominations: Best Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical — Marla Mindelle, Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical — Layton Williams, Best Book of a Musical
How to watch: Titaníque is now playing on Broadway until Sept. 20.
Becky Shaw
What’s it about? Simply put, this is a darkly funny play about a date so bad it has ripple effects across a deeply dysfunctional American family. When the patriarch of the Slater clan dies, his wife Susan (Linda Emond), daughter Suzanna (Lauren Patten), and adopted son Max (Alden Ehrenreich) are all desperate to fill the hole in their hearts, be it with sex, work, or an impulsive wedding to a guileless indie dude (Patrick Ball). But when Max goes on a blind date with the nervous Becky Shaw (Madeline Brewer), the family’s wicked wit is not enough to extract them from her tangle of need and manipulation.
Why we love it: Playwright Gina Gionfriddo’s Becky Shaw may have debuted Off-Broadway in 2009, but all these years later, her brand of politically incorrect humor is sharper and less apologetic than the barbs lobbed in rival Broadway shows like Giant, which is about Roald Dahl’s antisemitism, and The Balusters, which explores the prejudice and hypocrisy in suburban HOAs. At the 2026 Tonys, Becky Shaw is not competing with these plays, however, as they’re both new. Instead, it faces off against fellow revivals Every Brilliant Thing, Death of a Salesman, Fallen Angels, and Oedipus.
Being the funniest of these shows won’t guarantee it a win. But regardless of how Tony night goes, we urge you to see Becky Shaw while you still can, because Alden Ehrenreich is on fire as the morally gray Max.
The wide-eyed actor who starred in Solo and stole scenes in Hail, Caesar! is ruthlessly intense as the Slater family’s fixer. He says the tough thing without blinking. He makes the move others fear to. He’s an absolute bastard, but mesmerizing as he drops devastating witticisms and hard truths. Incredibly, even as his actions urge us to loathe Max, Ehrenreich’s flickering vulnerability won’t let us. See him do this emotional tightrope walk before Becky Shaw closes. — K.P.
Tony nominations: Best Revival of a Play, Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play — Alden Ehrenreich
How to watch: Becky Shaw is now playing on Broadway until June 14.
Oedipus
What’s it about? Playwright and director Robert Icke re-contextualizes Sophocles’ Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex as a contemporary political thriller. Mark Strong stars as the eponymous tragic hero, who, in this version, is an idealistic politician under great strain on election night. One of his campaign promises is that he’d release his birth certificate and uncover the truth of how the old ruler, King Laius, died. However, his adviser Creon (John Carroll Lynch) and wife Jocasta (Lesley Manville) urge him to let sleeping dogs lie. After all, Jocasta was married to Laius back then. Revelations could get messy. Of course, a modern audience likely knows what the truth is going in. So watching Oedipus determinedly stomp toward his own destruction is a nerve-shredding experience, sharpened by a countdown clock that emphasizes the incoming moment that will change everything.
Why we love it: Staged in a simple office setting, Oedipus created a claustrophobic feel, where we’re trapped with this family in the reality they’ve built. Strong and Manville are phenomenal together, sharing an electric sexual chemistry that is on full display as husband and wife find pleasure in each other’s flesh. Of course, as the truth begins to come out, their world shatters. And Manville was, in particular, riveting. As I cheered in our Best of 2025 Theater experiences round-up, “She delivers monologues that radiate with rage and pain, and still rattle in my head days later. When she declares, ‘Cowardice is sometimes the cost of survival,’ I felt my heart crumble for her. And I could see by the counter, we still had a ways to go before the terrible, tragic end. A nail-biter, indeed.” — K.P.
Tony nominations: Best Revival of a Play, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play — Mark Strong, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play — Lesley Manville, Best Direction of a Play, Best Scenic Design of a Play, Best Lighting Design of a Play, Best Sound Design of a Play
How to watch: Oedipus has closed.
The Tony Awards will air live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Sunday, June 7, 2026 (8-11 p.m. ET/5-8 p.m. PT) on CBS. The Tonys will be streaming on Paramount+ in the U.S., preceded by The Tony Awards: Act One on Pluto TV.
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