It's been two weeks since the 79th Tony Awards! And so I thought I would share some of my thoughts as well as reveal how well I did in my predictions.
I thought P!nk did a great job hosting the Tony Awards. The main requirement in my mind is love and respect for theater and she definitely had it in spades. She was also game for anything and willing to embrace the camp, another thing a good host (no matter the award show) needs to do. Bravo to her and while there were a few hiccups here or there, I think she'll only get better as a host.
The performances were great, in my opinion. I enjoyed them all but the real standouts to me were Cats: The Jellicle Ball, Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show, and The Lost Boys. I had expected Titanique to really blow the roof off Radio City but it seems like some technical difficulties prevented that.
(The sound was weird throughout the show. For whatever reason, there was an echo whenever the presenters were talking into the microphones. It just wasn't as good as it was in the past and hopefully the producers will fix that for the future).
I did enjoy the tribute to Chicago, which is celebrating 30 years on Broadway, but I feel it could've been a little bigger. P!nk sounded amazing but I guess the producers couldn't pay for former Velmas or Roxies to join her.
I also expected more for the tribute to A Chorus Line. I knew Rachel Zegler was going to perform and she sounded amazing. I look forward to her performing next year with Evita. But it does feel wrong to not have any dancers during a tribute to a show about dancers. Zegler still could've sang "What I Did For Love" but I think they should've at least had dancers performing the opening combination at least before we transitioned into it.
My only other complaint is about the introduction for the performance from Ragtime. The other shows either had substantial introductions or video packages telling us a little more about the show. For Ragtime, Oscar winner Adrien Brody came out and just stated something along the lines of "The company of Ragtime."
That was it? They couldn't get Audra McDonald or Brian Stokes Mitchell to talk about Ragtime a bit more? Just...that?
Justice for Ragtime.
Anyway...congratulations to all the winners! I had a feeling Liberation would win Best Play as it's very rare for a show to win the Pulitzer and lose the Tony. Congrats to Bess Wohl as well as the producers, cast and other creatives of Liberation.
Now, let's check out how I did with my predictions for the top musical categories.
BEST MUSICAL
The Lost Boys
Schmigadoon!
Titanique
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
My predicted winner: Schmigadoon!
Actual winner: Schmigadoon!
No real surprise here. As I said, there was a lot of buzz and this musical that serves as both a tribute to and send up of classical musicals just brought a lot of joy to this season. Tony voters clearly noted that along with the nostalgia.
BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Ragtime
Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show
My predicted winner: Ragtime
Actual winner: Ragtime
I did worry that Cats: The Jellicle Ball would prove my prediction wrong as it won a few categories during the ceremony. But Ragtime walked away with the Tony, finally winning after losing Best Musical to The Lion King in 1998. This production has received widespread acclaim and has met the moment we are experiencing in our country now.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Nicholas Christopher (Anatoly Sergievsky, Chess)
Luke Evans (Frank-N-Further, Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show)
Joshua Henry (Coalhouse Walker Jr., Ragtime)
Sam Tutty (Dougal Todd, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York))
Brandon Uranowitz (Tateh, Ragtime)
My predicted winner: Joshua Henry
Actual winner: Joshua Henry
I knew this was Joshua Henry's year. He's been steadily building a great career on the stage and this has been a long time coming. Congratulations to him and I look forward to seeing what he does next!
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Sara Chase (Melissa Gimble, Schmigadoon!)
Stephanie Hsu (Janet Weiss, Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show)
Caissie Levy (Mother, Ragtime)
Marla Mindelle (Celine Dion, Titanique)
Christiani Pitts (Robin Rainey, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York))
My predicted winner: Caissie Levy
Actual winner: Caissie Levy
Again, this one wasn't much of a surprise. Just like Joshua Henry, Caissie Levy has built an amazing career in theater and this has been a long time coming, even if this was her first nomination.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Ali Louis Bourzgui (David, The Lost Boys)
Andre De Shields (Old Deuteronomy, Cats: The Jellicle Ball)
Bryce Pinkham (The Arbiter, Chess)
Ben Levi Ross (Mother's Younger Brother, Ragtime)
Layton Williams (Iceberg/The Seaman, Titanique)
My predicted winner: Andre De Shields
Actual winner: Ali Louis Bourzgui
This is the only category where I was wrong. And I don't mind that I was wrong. I hadn't really heard much about Bourzgui but after hearing his acceptance speech and seeing The Lost Boys' performance, I can see why he won. He's another performer I look forward to seeing more from in the future.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Shoshana Bean (Lucy Emerson, The Lost Boys)
Hannah Cruz (Svetlana, Chess)
Rachel Dratch (The Narrator, Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show)
Ana Gasteyer (Mildred Layton, Schmigadoon!)
Nichelle Lewis (Sarah, Ragtime)
My predicted winner: Shoshana Bean
Actual winner: Shoshana Bean
Fun fact: Caissie Levy was supposed to be in The Lost Boys but dropped out after Ragtime extended, opting to stay in that show so she could spend more time with her family. Shoshana Bean was then cast and now they both have Tony Awards! Way to go!
So those were my thoughts about this year's Tony Awards. What about yours? What was your favorite performance? Were you surprised by any of the winners?
Let me know in the comments below!
Now, let's bring on the 2026- 2027 theater season!
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