{"id":775102,"date":"2026-05-05T14:47:29","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T14:47:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/775102\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T14:47:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T14:47:29","slug":"tony-awards-2026-10-standout-performances-and-shows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/775102\/","title":{"rendered":"Tony Awards 2026: 10 standout performances and shows"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The 2025-26 Broadway season was characterized by long fallow periods interrupted by an onslaught of eagerly awaited openings. The overall impression was one of a theater industry treading water \u2014 the goal being to stay afloat until the culture, the state of national politics and the economics of producing improve.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t hold your breath. The struggle, compounded by technological shifts turbo-charged by AI, won\u2019t be letting up any time soon. But more than ever, the theater seems to be answering the need for collective, in-person experience. If only ticket prices weren\u2019t such a barrier to true democratic access. <\/p>\n

The season\u2019s strength was in revivals, a couple of which were so innovative they stretch our understanding of the term. Robert Icke\u2019s \u201cOedipus\u201d was hardly a retread of an ancient Greek classic and \u201cCats: The Jellicle Ball\u201d may have hewed faithfully to Andrew Lloyd Webber\u2019s score, but everything else about this production seemed completely reborn.<\/p>\n

The frenzy of the new attention economy has only inflated the importance of the Tony Awards \u2014 to the detriment of the Broadway calendar. During a trip to New York in early March to serve on an award jury, I was frustrated by the dearth of new Broadway productions. April is always an avalanche, but this year the early parts of the fall and spring season were deserts.<\/p>\n

Celebrities no longer guarantee a stampede at the virtual box office, but one encouraging development is the range of big-named actors delivering powerhouse performances in plays that were anything but vanity showcases. Highlights of the starry season not listed here include Daniel Radcliffe in \u201cEvery Brilliant Thing,\u201d<\/a> nominated for performance by an actor in a leading role in a play, and Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson in \u201cThe Fear of 13.\u201d<\/a> <\/p>\n

Progress may be down, but it\u2019s not out. My Broadway theatergoing had to be selective this year for logistical reasons, but these are the performers and productions that sustained me through the fitful season. <\/p>\n

\"Laurie <\/p>\n

Laurie Metcalf in \u201cLittle Bear Ridge Road,\u201d left, and with Nathan Lane in \u201cDeath of a Salesman.\u201d <\/p>\n

(Emilio Madrid; Julieta Cervantes)<\/p>\n

Laurie Metcalf<\/p>\n

Metcalf has inherited, by broad consensus, Helen Hayes\u2019 mantle of First Lady of the American Theater. She brought her Everywoman luminosity to two of the highlights of the 2025-26 Broadway season: Samuel D. Hunter\u2019s \u201cLittle Bear Ridge Road\u201d in the fall and a revival of \u201cDeath of a Salesman\u201d that opened in the spring, both productions directed by Joe Mantello. A two-time Tony winner, she is likely to win a third for her nominated featured performance in \u201cSalesman\u201d as Willy Loman\u2019s bracingly unbending wife, Linda. But her lead performance in \u201cLittle Bear Ridge Road\u201d is just as deserving of recognition even if it wasn\u2019t nominated. In Hunter\u2019s drama, which is in contention for the best play award, Metcalf portrayed a character with no time for sentimental niceties. Hitting her prime at 70, she has become the great theatrical interpreter of feelings too profound for facile talk. <\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

Kristolyn Lloyd, Irene Sofia Lucio, Betsy Aidem and Audrey Corsa in the Broadway production of \u201cLiberation\u201d by Bess Wohl, directed by Whitney White.<\/p>\n

(Little Fang)<\/p>\n

\u2018Liberation\u2019<\/p>\n

The recently-named winner of the Pulitzer Prize for drama and the best I saw this year on Broadway \u2014 or anywhere, for that matter \u2014 this \u201cmemory play about things I don\u2019t remember\u201d by Bess Wohl explores second wave feminism through a daughter\u2019s tentative re-creation of her late mother\u2019s consciousness-raising group in 1970s Ohio. This playfully theatrical work, which is nominated for best play, routinely breaks the fourth wall to raise questions about the ethics of the dramatic project underway. The playwright recognizes the speculative and incomplete nature of history, which is always born out of the needs and assumptions of the moment it\u2019s written. \u201cLiberation,\u201d which is coming to the Geffen Playhouse next year, received five Tony nominations. But having closed on Broadway in February, it may find itself at a disadvantage as the awards race heats up. Not that it matters from an artistic standpoint. Both the play and the production, directed by Whitney White and featuring a superbly attuned cast that included Susannah Flood and Betsy Aidem, all three of whom were nominated, provided audiences with an unforgettable group session on the ever-fraught politics of equality.<\/p>\n

\"Mark <\/p>\n

Mark Strong and Lesley Manville in \u201cOedipus.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Julieta Cervantes)<\/p>\n

Lesley Manville in \u2018Oedipus\u2019<\/p>\n

Director-writer Robert Icke\u2019s \u201cOedipus, which received seven nominations, including two for its magnificent leads, is strangely classified as a revival. The underlying myth is ancient, but Sophocles has little to do with this modern reworking of a tale of political expediency and human shortsightedness. Manville\u2019s hypnotic performance as Jocasta \u2014 a perfect complement to Mark Strong\u2019s urbane, cocksure Oedipus \u2014 built to a harrowing monologue about her character\u2019s past that doubles the tragedy. When her stately voice and crisp hauteur finally gave way, the result was shattering in Icke\u2019s unremittingly intense production. Manville\u2019s Jocasta commanded tremendous sympathy without ever mitigating the character\u2019s complicity with power. Shrewder than her husband, she discouraged him from asking \u201chow sick we are,\u201d because she already knew the answer.<\/p>\n

\"John <\/p>\n

John Lithgow as Roald Dahl in \u201cGiant.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Joan Marcus)<\/p>\n

John Lithgow in \u2018Giant\u2019<\/p>\n

A towering performance that is also impressively contoured, Lithgow\u2019s Tony-nominated portrayal of dyspeptic British author Roald Dahl infuses Mark Rosenblatt\u2019s drama with chilling mystery. The play, which was nominated along with director Nicholas Hytner, revolves around a crisis of Dahl\u2019s own making. A book review criticizing Israel for its invasion of Lebanon steps over the line into antisemitism, and the fallout in book sales is expected to be tremendous, especially in America. A representative from his U.S. publisher (played by Aya Cash, who was nominated for her featured performance) has been sent to convince Dahl to issue a public apology, something his more conciliatory British publisher reluctantly agrees is necessary. The ensuing debate leaves the parties bitterly deadlocked. But a transformation worthy of one of Dahl\u2019s twisted tales unfolds as the writer perversely makes a bad situation worse. Lithgow, reprising his Olivier-winning performance, is at once terrifying and never anything less than human in one of the bravest performances of the Broadway season.<\/p>\n

\"Joshua <\/p>\n

Joshua Henry and the cast of \u201cRagtime.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Matthew Murphy)<\/p>\n

Joshua Henry in \u2018Ragtime\u2019<\/p>\n

Words can\u2019t really do justice to the profound musical depths Henry plumbs in this searing revival of \u201cRagtime,\u201d directed by Lear deBessonet for Lincoln Center Theatre. Playing Coalhouse Walker Jr., the tragic protagonist of this musical based on E.L. Doctorow\u2019s novel, Henry suffuses the story of a wunderkind Black pianist rebuffed by racism with a rich baritone lament for America\u2019s original sin. His sublimely moving, Tony-nominated performance lends operatic heft to a musical that surveys the forces undermining our democratic promise. When Henry sings \u201cMake Them Hear You\u201d at the end of his journey, there\u2019s no one with a functioning heart he doesn\u2019t reach in a production that more than deserves its 11 nominations.<\/p>\n

\"Lea <\/p>\n

Lea Michele and Nicholas Christopher in the musical \u201cChess.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Matthew Murphy)<\/p>\n

Lea Michele, Aaron Tveit and Nicholas Christopher in \u2018Chess\u2019<\/p>\n

Even with a spryly playful new book, \u201cChess\u201d is a complicated musical to figure out. But the triumvirate at the helm of Michael Mayer\u2019s electrifying revival makes a strong case for the show. Michele, demonstrating that her bravura turn in \u201cFunny Girl\u201d<\/a> was no fluke, delivers a scalding rendition of \u201cNobody\u2019s Side.\u201d Christopher<\/a>, in a star-making performance that landed him his first Tony nomination, brings the house down in \u201cAnthem\u201d through both the force of his singing and the scale of his emotion. And Tveit sets \u201cOne Night in Bangkok\u201d aflame with Dionysian ecstasy. But the showmanship only works as well as it does because the actors are so adept at tracking the chess moves of characters who are always trying to stay one step ahead of danger. The show picked up five Tony nominations, including those for the featured performances of Bryce Pinkham and Hannah Cruz, but missed out on best musical revival. Michele ought to have been nominated, too, but it\u2019s heartening to see Christopher receive his due. <\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The cast of \u201cCats: The Jellicle Ball.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)<\/p>\n

\u2018Cats: The Jellicle Ball\u2019<\/p>\n

Andrew Lloyd Webber\u2019s musical juggernaut is re-conceived as a Harlem ball showcase for LGBTQ+ glory. The production, co-directed by Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, ditches the feline masquerade for a parade of costumes designed with unflagging inspiration by Qween Jean, who was Tony nominated both for her work here and in \u201cLiberation.\u201d The characters are kitted out for runway battles worthy of \u201cParis Is Burning\u201d and the TV series \u201cPose.\u201d Presiding over the competition is the emperor of theatrical fabulosity, Andr\u00e9 De Shields, justly nominated for his performance in the featured role of Old Deuteronomy, leader of the Jellicle colony. \u201cCats\u201d is still \u201cCats\u201d \u2014 now and forever, as the musical\u2019s iconic slogan warned \u2014 but this production infuses the old lion with new vitality. The show grabbed nine nominations in all, including musical revival and one for its conceptually-inspired direction. <\/p>\n

\"Jake <\/p>\n

Jake Silbermann, left, and Nathan Lane in \u201cDeath of a Salesman.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Emilio Madrid)<\/p>\n

\u2018Death of a Salesman\u2019<\/p>\n

Mantello\u2019s barnacle-stripping revival of Arthur Miller\u2019s masterwork \u2014 elevated by the stalwart brilliance of Metcalf\u2019s Linda \u2014 reaches its full cathartic force in the final scene between Nathan Lane\u2019s Willy Loman and Christopher Abbott\u2019s Biff. The father-son reckoning, long postponed, can\u2019t deter the play\u2019s tragic course. But it does momentarily expose the willful illusions and defensive guilt that have prevented Willy from seeing Biff as he really is \u2014 not a god who sabotaged himself, but a muddling man, who is exceptional only in his acceptance of his own lowly character. He is a mirror, in other words, for Willy. And in a brief explosive moment of recognition between their characters, Lane and Abbott incite the Winter Garden Theatre audience into a paroxysm of grief. Lane, Metcalf, Abbott and Mantello were among the show\u2019s nine Tony nominations. <\/p>\n

\"Maria <\/p>\n

Maria Wirries and LJ Benet in \u201cThe Lost Boys.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Matthew Murphy)<\/p>\n

\u2018The Lost Boys\u2019<\/p>\n

New musicals have been eclipsed by revivals this season, but \u201cThe Lost Boys\u201d has managed to elude the curse that has doomed previous vampire musicals, included \u201cDance of the Vampires\u201d and \u201cLestat\u201d through soaring singing, high-flying spectacle and, most important of all, a story that isn\u2019t trampled by special effects. Director Michael Arden<\/a>, last year\u2019s Tony winner for \u201cMaybe Happy Ending,\u201d has rediscovered his magic touch after \u201cThe Queen of Versailles\u201d<\/a> shuttered on Broadway in the fall. He earned another nomination here and the show tied with \u201cSchmigadoon!\u201d for the most nominations overall with 12. \u201cThe Lost Boys,\u201d featuring a vibrant cast of rising stars and accomplished veterans, is hardly perfect. But for a musical about the undead, it\u2019s startlingly human.<\/p>\n

\"June <\/p>\n

June Squibb in \u201cMarjorie Prime.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Joan Marcus)<\/p>\n

June Squibb<\/b><\/p>\n

Starring in a Broadway production at 96, Squibb<\/a> deserves a medal, not just for longevity but for discernment and daring as well. She didn\u2019t come back to the stage in a warhorse or a vanity project. Instead, she chose a play that is still ahead of its time, Jordan Harrison\u2019s \u201cMarjorie Prime,\u201d which had its premiere<\/a> at the Mark Taper Forum in 2014. This drama about grief, family secrets and the strange new world of AI, poses age-old existential questions for a dizzying technological era. In this true ensemble production, sharply directed by Anne Kauffman, Squibb was supported by a first-rate cast that included Cynthia Nixon, who should have been nominated for her heartbreaking turn, and Danny Burstein, who rightfully was for his grounded excellence. Nearly 66 years after making her Broadway debut, Squibb earned her first Tony nomination, breaking Lois Smith\u2019s record as the oldest performer so honored.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2025-26 Broadway season was characterized by long fallow periods interrupted by an onslaught of eagerly awaited openings.…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":775103,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5123],"tags":[317648,317647,1582,276,19919,317651,2882,2961,224,5337,317652,317649,18281,5039,18904,74515,4370,91945,317650,1628],"class_list":{"0":"post-775102","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-broadway-calendar","9":"tag-broadway-season","10":"tag-ca","11":"tag-california","12":"tag-character","13":"tag-dahl","14":"tag-drama","15":"tag-la","16":"tag-los-angeles","17":"tag-losangeles","18":"tag-manville","19":"tag-metcalf","20":"tag-performance","21":"tag-play","22":"tag-production","23":"tag-revival","24":"tag-show","25":"tag-tony-awards","26":"tag-willy-loman","27":"tag-year"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116522521294562224","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/775102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=775102"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/775102\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/775103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=775102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=775102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=775102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}