Broadway’s biggest names this season turned out to be ones the screen industry had largely never heard of. The 79th Tony Award nominations, announced Tuesday by Uzo Aduba and Darren Criss in New York, delivered a striking mass shutout of Hollywood’s recent Broadway invasion — leaving Lea Michele, Keanu Reeves, Adrien Brody, Ayo Edebiri, Jon Bernthal, Jean Smart, Taraji P. Henson, and Cedric the Entertainer, among others, entirely without nominations.
The Lost Boys and Schmigadoon! dominated the day with 12 nominations each, followed closely by Ragtime with 11. Death of a Salesman, a radical reimagining of Arthur Miller’s American classic, led the play field with nine nominations — including nods for Nathan Lane, Laurie Metcalf, Christopher Abbott, and director Joe Mantello.
Performers with genuine stage pedigrees made the cut even when they also carry screen credentials — Luke Evans (significant West End credits), Nathan Lane, Daniel Radcliffe, Carrie Coon, and Lesley Manville all earned nominations. The pattern suggests Tony nominators weren’t reflexively anti-Hollywood, but rather distinguished between actors who arrived on Broadway as working theater artists versus those parachuting in for awards exposure.
The most prominently projected snub belonged to Lea Michele, whose leading role in the Chess revival was widely expected to yield her first Tony nomination. Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, currently starring together on Broadway in Dog Day Afternoon, were also passed over for acting nominations — though the production received three technical nominations including scenic design.
Death of a Salesman also marks the return of Scott Rudin, the superstar producer who stepped back from Broadway following allegations of bullying and abuse in 2021. Rudin produced both Salesman and Little Bear Ridge Road, the latter earning a Best Play nomination.
Titaníque co-creator Marla Mindelle received nominations for both Best Actress in a Musical and Best Book — the second consecutive year a performer-writer achieved this dual recognition, following Cole Escola’s Oh, Mary! sweep in 2025.
The 79th Tony Awards ceremony takes place June 7 at Radio City Music Hall, hosted by Pink, airing live on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
