Tony Awards 2026 - The Winners (and My Thoughts)

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). 

“& Juliet”: An Upbeat Retelling of a Tragedy

I got introduced to & Juliet back during the pandemic when Spotify placed some songs from the Original London recording on my Weekly Discover list. Intrigued by this jukebox musical, I looked into it and thought it was an interesting concept.

When the pandemic began to ease and theater returned, & Juliet stormed into North America, starting in Toronto. It then came to Broadway and still runs today.

Knowing how much I love Broadway, my aunt offered to get me tickets to a show for my birthday. Her only request was that it not be something sad. Since & Juliet was on my list of shows to see and I knew it wasn’t sad, I asked to see that one.

So we went to a matinee on the second Saturday of May and now I’m going to tell you what I thought!

I’ve the got the eye of the SPOILERS!

Suffs the Musical: Keep Marching

This review likely would’ve taken a different tone prior to the election but my opinion hasn’t changed.

So let’s do this.

Back in April, my mom, aunt and I went to go see Six the Musical for my birthday. (I also highly recommend that show). While we were eating lunch, I saw two women walking through the restaurant and they had sashes reading “Votes for Women” on them. I made a comment that they must be seeing Suffs and my mom asked what it was about. I told her it was about the fight for women’s right to vote and we all agreed we wanted to see it.

Fast forward six months and we made it a reality. We trekked into the city yet again, enjoyed a nice lunch and caught a Saturday matinee of this Tony-winning musical.

Even though this deals with historical events, I’m still going to warn for SPOILERS anyway.

Smash: Will It Be Your (Broadway) Star?

Smash lives!

You might remember the short-lived NBC show from over a decade ago that was about the creation of a Broadway show. I recapped every episode on this blog, if you want to read them.

After it ended its run on TV, there was talk of turning the fictional Marilyn Monroe musical the characters worked on (Bombshell) into a real life musical. There even was a benefit concert version featuring many actors from the show, including Megan Hilty (Ivy) and Katharine McPhee (Karen).

Then the pandemic hit and a lot of projects had to wait.

Well, it seems that while they were waiting, it was decided that instead of mounting Bombshell, they would turn Smash itself into a musical and mount that instead.

Welcome Back, Phantom!

Raise the chandelier once more on Broadway's longest running musical - welcome back, Phantom of the Opera! 

Let the music of the night live on! 

Happy Opening Night, Six!

 Best wishes to the Queens and crew of Six the Musical on their opening night! 

They were supposed to open on March 12, 2020 - the same day Broadway had to shut down due to COVID. But now they are back and ready to tell their stories! 

Can't wait to see the show! 

An'ther Op'ning, An'ther Show!

Four of the biggest shows on Broadway return to the Great White Way tonight! Wishing everyone at The Lion King, Hamilton, Wicked and Chicago a great show! 

And Lackawanna Blues opens tonight! Best wishes to the cast and crew! 

Curtains Up, Light the Lights

Hadestown and Waitress the Musical have returned to the Great White Way tonight. 

Break a leg to the casts and welcome back to Broadway!

Reopening Broadway (Now Slightly Earlier Than Expected!)

It seems the announcements of reopenings has slowed down as many musicals have set their return dates. I'll keep an eye out for any more announcements in the future but I think we're going to have the schedule set by the time summer officially begins at the end of June. 

But recently one Tony-award winning musical announced that it would return almost two weeks earlier than the others! So check below to see when the earliest date Broadway will return is and which musical that is! (Hint: It'll be the one in bold). 

Keep going to the bottom for news on the Tony Awards as well! 

Reopening Broadway (The List Goes On!)

More shows have announced their reopening dates! So take a look at the list below to see if your favorite musical has set its return date and if so, when it will come back! 

As I have been doing, new additions are in bold. Please note that Diana the Musical announced new return dates so it is in bold again as well. 

 Chicago - September 14th 

Hamilton - September 14th

The Lion King - September 14th

Wicked - September 14th

Six the Musical - previews resume September 17th, opening night is October 3rd

Come From Away - September 21st

Moulin Rouge! - September 24th

Aladdin - September 28th

Tina: The Tina Turner Musical - October 8th

Ain't Too Proud - October 16th 

Mrs. Doubtfire - previews resume October 21st, opening is December 5th

Jagged Little Pill - October 21st

The Phantom of the Opera - October 22nd

Diana the Musical - previews resume November 2nd, opening night is November 17th 

Dear Evan Hansen: December 11th

Company - previews resume December 20th, opening night is January 9, 2022

The Music Man - previews begin December 20th, opening night is February 10, 2022

Reopening Broadway (Another Update)

Another day, another round of reopening announcements! So it's time to update my timeline. Once again, new shows are in bold. 

Chicago - September 14th 

Hamilton - September 14th

The Lion King - September 14th

Wicked - September 14th

Six the Musical - previews resume September 17th, opening night is October 3rd

Come From Away - September 21st

Aladdin - September 28th

Tina: The Tina Turner Musical - October 8th

Ain't Too Proud - October 16th 

Mrs. Doubtfire - previews resume October 21st, opening is December 5th

Jagged Little Pill - October 21st

The Phantom of the Opera - October 22nd

Diana the Musical - previews resume December 1st, opening night is December 16th 

Company - previews resume December 20th, opening night is January 9, 2022

The Music Man - previews begin December 20th, opening night is February 10, 2022

Everything is starting to shape up! There's still several more musicals to announce - for example, past Best Musical Winners Dear Evan Hansen and Hadestown - as well as several plays, like Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. But I'm sure we'll keep getting more announcements as we head toward June and the summer. 

And hopefully we'll get a date for the Tony Awards as well! The American Theatre Wing said that they would have it as soon as theaters could reopen and I think it would be a great way to kick off the 2021-2022 Broadway season to finally honor the 2019-2020 season. 

I'll be back soon with more updates! 

Reopening Broadway (Timeline Update)

It seems Broadway producers were busy this weekend! Four more shows have announced re-opening dates today, Monday. Here's the updated list, new entries are bolded: 

 Chicago - September 14th 

Six the Musical - previews resume September 17th, opening night is October 3rd

Come From Away - September 21st

Ain't Too Proud - October 16th 

Mrs. Doubtfire - previews resume October 21st, opening is December 5th

The Phantom of the Opera - October 22nd

Diana the Musical - previews resume December 1st, opening night is December 16th 

Company - previews resume December 20th, opening night is January 9, 2022

The Music Man - previews begin December 20th, opening night is February 10, 2022

Tickets are on sale for these shows with the exception of Company and The Music Man. 

Stay tuned as I'm sure more shows will announce their returns soon! 

Broadway's Five Minute Call

With more Americans getting vaccinated and COVID positivity rates dropping, the thing we dreamed of all of last year is finally becoming a reality - the end of the pandemic is in sight and plans to return to what we consider "normal" are starting to get timelines. 

Including one for Broadway. 

Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that Broadway theaters can reopen at full capacity on September 14th - as long as they can guarantee social distancing and their plans are approved. So it's very unlikely all of Broadway will reopen in September. In fact, at least one show has already announced it will reopen in October - The Phantom of the Opera. 

I anticipate that shows will continue to announce their re-openings over the coming weeks and I'll try to keep a running timeline of when the shows will return. 

March Broadway Madness: The Final Matchup

We started with 36 musicals.

8 faced off in the wild rounds and 4 moved on to the main rounds.

32 musicals then faced off in 4 rounds of 8 matchups to determine the Sweet 16.

16 musicals then became the Elite Eight.

8 then became 4.

Now only 2 musicals remain from the original 36 and only 1 can be crowned the winner.

Will it be Wicked, the story of two very different who become friends but find themselves on opposite sides when one chooses to defy gravity and the other opts to follow the rules of a rather corrupt game?

Or will it be The Phantom of the Opera, the longest running show on Broadway that tells the story of a deformed genius who terrorizes the Paris Opera House and the young soprano caught between him and her childhood sweetheart?

Time to find out!

March Broadway Madness: Semifinals!

Here we are! Our Final Four – Wicked, Beauty and the Beast, The Pirate Queen and The Phantom of the Opera – will now battle it out to find out who will go head-to-head in the final round.

So without further ado, let the Semifinals begin!

Let’s start with the Nederlander Conference:

Wicked v. Beauty and the Beast

Two stories about outcasts who find friendship and love – what a pairing! Both are rich stories with beautiful music to supplement them. I love “I’m Not That Girl” as much as I love “If I Can’t Love Her.” While one does hold a very special place in my heart, the other is just stronger in how memorable it is and how much of a lasting impact it’s left one me.

And that one has one of my favorite love duets.

Winner: Wicked!

March Broadway Madness: Round 3 Shubert Conference

So Wicked and Beauty and the Beast will battle to see who will represent the Nederlander Conference in the finals. Let’s see who will fight to represent the Shubert Conference.

Here we go!

Spring Awakening v. The Pirate Queen

Oh, wow. This is an intriguing matchup. Both opened in the same season and I saw them within weeks of each other. I got to see one with my friend and that was a really special trip out while the other was with my mother, which was also a great experience. And both have different but impactful stories, so I guess this is also going to come down to my gut.

Winner: The Pirate Queen!

March Broadway Madness: Round 3 Nederlander Conference

Here we are at the Elite Eight! It’s amazing to me how I’ve narrowed down a field of 36 contenders and am now down to eight. I’m eager to see how these matches will play out. I thought I would rule one way when just eyeballing certain matches but then when I did deep dives, found myself changing my mind. I have a feeling it will happen a few more times before I crown a winner.

Like Round 2, this will focus more on comparing the two musicals rather than evaluating them individually.

Let’s get started!

Rent v. Wicked

Both of these musicals defined a generation, have songs that have lasted throughout the years, and made their marks on Broadway. And both count Idina Menzel in their original casts. But I feel one is more timeless in its appeal and story while the other is a nostalgic and maybe rose-colored look back at a slice of life during a certain time. It still has some timeless messages but I think it really appeals more to theater people than the other. And one has definitely stuck with me more than the other.

Winner: Wicked!

March Broadway Madness: Round 2 Shubert Conference

Half of my Elite Eight are now set! Time to determine which other 4 musicals will be joining the Elite Eight.

Let’s see how the eight musicals remaining in the Shubert Conference fare this time!

Spring Awakening v. Aladdin

This is an interesting match up. One is bright and extravagant, the other is dark and minimal. Each have their own messages, though one is more kid-friendly than the other. And both have some great songs, though I think one production and one album rises up a little bit higher than the other.

Winner: Spring Awakening!

March Broadway Madness: Round 2 Nederlander Conference

(I realized that I had forgotten to include two musicals I had seen and intended to include. I only realized it when I was wondering why I hadn’t seen Legally Blonde appear in the bracket yet. I went back to my list and realized that it and Lennon did not appear anywhere. Lennon probably wouldn’t have survived any bracket but Legally Blonde stood a good chance of progressing far and I’m sorry I forgot it).

So I’ve eliminated twelve musicals so far and I now face the Sweet 16! It’s time to whittle them down more until I have my Elite Eight. Who will survive Round 2?

I’ve already discussed each musical individually so going forward, my comments will focus more on the match up.

Let’s start with the Nederlander Conference!

Rent v. Jersey Boys

This is a bit more of an even matchup, both having made their own marks on Broadway and become something of legends. Each ran for a good amount of time and Jersey Boys still lives on off-Broadway (or did and will once theater came come back). There’s been talk of reviving Rent, though, so I’m sure that will be something to look forward to. But one production still stands out a bit more and has left such an impact on Broadway that one of its songs has become an anthem of sorts.

Winner: Rent!

March Broadway Madness: Round 1 Shubert Conference Group B

This is our last group of Round 1! Once I make these final four calls, our Sweet 16 will be set and I’m sure things are going to get tougher for me to decide.

But let’s get through Group B of the Shubert Conference and then I can worry about that!

Here we go!

Moving Out v. Spamalot

Moving Out: I saw this musical twice and I definitely needed to do so. It’s really a ballet set to the music of Billy Joel, telling the story of five friends as they graduate high school and go through the tumultuous 60s and 70s through his music and dance. It was very beautiful but during my first viewing I had to keep glancing at my Playbill to follow along with the story (they had the plot printed in the Playbill). So when I went back to see it, I was able to just sit back and enjoy everything else. So it loses points for being a bit hard to follow at first but it does have Billy Joel music. And Billy Joel’s music is awesome.

Spamalot: This seems to be almost the exact opposite of Moving Out. It’s more commercial than “artistic” (only in quotes because art is so subjective, who is to say Spamalot isn’t art?) and more silly than serious. But it’s definitely easier to understand, even if you aren’t a fan of Monty Python.

Winner: I went back and forth on this. As I’ve said earlier, the only criteria is really my own opinion so I’m going to go with my gut and give it to Moving Out.