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Tony Awards 2026: 'Schmigadoon!' wins best musical, 'Death of a Salesman' leads with six
Schmigadoon! won best musical at the 79th Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York on Sunday, June 7, while Liberation won best play. Playbill and Newsweek both report that Death of a Salesman was the most-awarded production, with six wins including best revival of a play. Ragtime took best musical revival.
Pink hosted the ceremony, broadcast live on CBS and streamed on Paramount+. Newsweek says Schmigadoon! also won best original score, best orchestrations and best book of a musical.
The biggest individual story, in Newsweek's account, was John Lithgow. He won best actor in a play for Giant at 80, becoming the oldest man to win a competitive acting Tony, 53 years after his first win for The Changing Room. Lesley Manville won best actress in a play for Oedipus, and Ragtime's Joshua Henry and Caissie Levy won the lead musical acting prizes.
The AP list, carried by the Amsterdam News, credits Liberation to Bess Wohl; Playbill notes the play has also won the Pulitzer Prize, and that Ragtime began as part of New York City Center's 2024–2025 season.
How each outlet framed it
- Playbill — a theatre-insider live blog that called it one of the best telecasts in recent memory.
- Newsweek — records and personal milestones, led by Lithgow's 53-year gap.
- AP — a short list of the main winners.
- Gulf News — the full winners list, headlined by Lithgow, Manville and Henry.
- London Theatre — the full list for West End readers, noting the six wins for Death of a Salesman.
What we don't know yet: none of the reports quotes acceptance speeches, and none gives viewing figures for the broadcast.