The 79th Annual Tony Awards took place on Sunday, June 7, 2026, at the iconic Radio City Music Hall in New York City, broadcast live on CBS and Paramount+. Hosted by pop superstar Pink — a surprising but ultimately triumphant choice — the ceremony celebrated the best of Broadway with trophies, show-stopping performances, nostalgic anniversary celebrations, and a few genuinely memorable speeches. Death of a Salesman led all productions with six wins, while Schmigadoon! took home the night's biggest prize — Best Musical. It was a night of the fabulous, the flat, and everything in between. Here are the best and worst moments from the 2026 Tony Awards.
For a complete winners list and full coverage of the ceremony, Playbill has comprehensive reporting on all award results, performances, and highlights from the evening.
THE BEST MOMENTS
Pink's Showstopping Aerial Opening Number
Pink silenced any skeptics the moment she appeared above the Radio City Music Hall stage — literally. Dressed as Peter Pan and performing one of her signature aerial acrobatic tricks to kick off the show, she immediately established that this would be no ordinary Tony Awards opening. Her specially written rendition of "Lady Marmalade" featured special guest Megan Thee Stallion and a parade of Broadway stars from the current season, drawing an instant standing ovation. The stunt ended with Neil Patrick Harris hilariously clutched between her thighs — setting a playful, high-energy tone for the entire evening. Pink delivered on every front: countless outfit changes, sharp comic timing, and even slipping into Velma Kelly's shoes for a Chicago anniversary moment. She was, by universal acclaim, a revelation as host.
Ali Louis Bourzgui's Fearless Acceptance Speech
When Ali Louis Bourzgui took the stage to accept his Tony for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his role in The Lost Boys, he delivered one of the most talked-about speeches of the night. Coming out with full conviction, he declared that billionaires, colonizers, and fascists would never find true fulfillment — before pivoting to a genuinely moving tribute to immigrant families, saying they should not have to audition for the empathy this country owes them. The speech was bold, passionate, politically charged, and — somehow — he managed to tie it all back to vampires. It had genuine bite, and Broadway loved every word of it.
Death of a Salesman Dominates With Six Wins
The revival of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, directed by Joe Mantello and starring Nathan Lane, Laurie Metcalf, and Christopher Abbott, was the undisputed champion of the evening — taking home six Tony Awards, the most of any production this season. Mantello won for Best Direction of a Play, while Laurie Metcalf claimed her third career Tony for Featured Actress in a Play — a remarkable achievement that earned a thunderous reception from the audience. The production also swept scenic design, lighting design, and sound design, a clean technical sweep that confirmed its status as the season's most complete theatrical achievement.
Schmigadoon! Wins Best Musical
Based on the beloved Apple TV+ series, Schmigadoon! claimed the night's most coveted prize — Best Musical — capping a remarkable journey from streaming screen to Broadway stage. The show tied with The Lost Boys going into the ceremony with 12 nominations each, and both left with four wins apiece. The win was warmly received by the Broadway community as a celebration of the enduring joy and craft of the classic American musical form.
Shoshana Bean and the Lost Boys' Musical Firepower
Shoshana Bean — a Broadway fan favorite whose powerful voice has long been celebrated off-Broadway and in concert — finally claimed her Tony, winning Best Featured Actress in a Musical for The Lost Boys. Her win was met with one of the most genuinely emotional receptions of the night, a long-overdue recognition for one of musical theatre's most beloved performers.
Ragtime's Revival Triumph and Caissie Levy's Win
The revival of Ragtime — which began its life as part of New York City Center's 2024-2025 season before transferring to Broadway — claimed Best Revival of a Musical and four total Tonys, with Caissie Levy winning Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for her powerhouse performance. The win was a triumph for a production that had been widely praised as one of the most emotionally resonant and beautifully staged revivals in recent memory.
Anniversary Celebrations: Chicago and Book of Mormon
Two beloved Broadway institutions received joyful anniversary tributes during the telecast. Chicago's 30th anniversary and The Book of Mormon's 15th anniversary were both celebrated with original cast members returning to reprise their iconic roles — delivering some of the evening's most purely joyful and nostalgic moments for longtime Broadway fans.
THE WORST MOMENTS
Uninspiring Musical Medleys
While the individual show performances from all four Best Musical nominees — The Lost Boys, Schmigadoon!, Titanique, and Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) — were generally well received, the evening was not without its flat stretches. Several of the medley performances intended to showcase nominated productions felt rushed, underpowered, and poorly served by the television format — a recurring frustration at Tony telecasts where the constraints of broadcast time inevitably compress and flatten what are, in their full theatrical context, far more powerful and complete theatrical experiences.
Pacing Issues During the Middle Hour
Despite Pink's best efforts to keep energy levels high throughout the three-plus hour telecast, the middle portion of the ceremony suffered from the familiar Tony Awards pacing problem — a string of technical awards, lengthy acceptance speeches, and transitional segments that caused the momentum built by the spectacular opening to noticeably sag before the final hour's major awards revived the atmosphere in the room and at home.
Liberation's Single Win Despite Best Play Honor
While winning Best Play is unquestionably a significant achievement, Bess Wohl's Liberation — a Pulitzer Prize-winning drama that many critics considered one of the season's most important and powerful works — left the evening with just that single award despite its 11 nominations. For fans and advocates of the play, which had already ended its limited engagement on Broadway, the night felt like a missed opportunity to fully honor a work of genuine literary and theatrical distinction.
The Bottom Line
The 2026 Tony Awards will be remembered, above all, as the night Pink proved her Broadway credentials with one of the most entertaining hosting performances the ceremony has seen in years, and as the season when Death of a Salesman, Schmigadoon!, Ragtime, and a string of exceptional individual performers reminded the world why Broadway remains one of the most powerful and irreplaceable cultural institutions in American life. The 79th Annual Tony Awards was far from perfect — but at its best, it was exactly the kind of joyful, moving, and spectacular celebration of live theatre that the form richly deserves.