Broadway Quiz: The 2026 Tony Award Nominations

With Tuesday's announcement of the 79th Tony Awards Nominees, the Broadway games began in earnest. Who got what they deserved? Who got snubbed? The biggest surprises and disappointments will be the fodder of gossip and social media. And, of course, all eyes will be on the campaigns each production creates as they lobby for the big prize. Will this year be another Avenue Q vs. Wicked situation? Time will tell, and all will be revealed in June.

In the meantime, here's a quiz all about those nods. Good luck!

Broadway Quiz:

The 2026 Tony Award Nominations

DIRECTIONS: Base your answers on this year's Tony Award nominees.

1. All of the following are true about Tony nominee June Squibb EXCEPT:

    A. She made her Broadway debut as a replacement Electra in the original production of Gypsy.

    B. She is the first actress to be nominated for a role playing a dementia sufferer.

    C. She is the oldest Tony nominee in history.

    D. This is her first Tony nomination.

2. TRUE or FALSE: Of all the Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical nominees, only one was born in the United States.

3. All of the following are true about Tony nominee Michael Arden EXCEPT:

    A. He is nominated for 3 2026 Tony Awards.

    B. He has 5 Tony Awards already.

    C. He is never been nominated for an acting Tony Award.

    D. So far, he has directed 4 shows that have won either Best Musical or Best Musical Revival.

4. TRUE or FALSE: With 12 nominations, Schmigadoon! has the most nominations ever for a musical based on a TV show.

5. Which category has two nominees that have been regulars on Saturday Night Live?

    A. Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical

    B. Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical

    C. Best Scenic Design of a Play

    D. Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical

6. TRUE or FALSE: John Lithgow, Tony nominee for Giant, is this year's oldest nominee.

7. Which Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical nominee has the most Broadway credits?

    A. Sara Chase

    B. Stephanie Hsu

    C. Caissie Levy

    D. Marla Mindelle

    E. Christiani Pitts

8. TRUE or FALSE: With 9 nominations (and 1 win!), Danny Burstein now holds the record for most nominations for an actor.

9. Of all the nominees in the 8 acting categories, how many have won Tony Awards before?

    A. 5

    B. 6

    C. 8

    D. 9

10. TRUE or FALSE: With 9 nominations (and 1 win!), Kelli O'Hara now holds the record for most consecutive nominations for an actress.

From Where We Sat: The Nederlander Theatre

 Today, we have the next in our series of seating articles based on many of your emails requests and questions, namely "how were your seats?" Sure, I'm aware of another website that provides a similar service that covers New York theaters, national theaters and concert and sporting venues. I hope to provide a bit more information and insight. That said, if there's anything more you'd like to know or want to share your own experiences please feel free to contact us on social media at JKsTheatreScene.

From Where We Sat:

The Nederlander Theatre

The Theatre: 

• 208 W. 41st Street
• Current capacity: 1161 seats
• Orchestra, Front & Rear Mezzanine

What We Saw There:

• Schmigadoon! (review HERE)

Where We Sat: 

• We sat in Orchestra Row L, Seats 9 & 11. The seating in this theater has average leg room. The seats themselves are very comfortable and in great condition.

What We Paid: 

• $97.25 (TDF Discount) These seats at the Box Office are $135.50 each. 

The Location: 

• The furthest downtown Broadway house, you are just out of the craziness of 42nd Street. The line up to enter stretches down 41st Street from the Port Authority/8th Avenue end.
• Upon entering the theater, we were directed to the left aisle.
• Row L is the fourteenth row from the stage.

Seat Amenities and Exiting the Theatre:

• The seats themselves are quite comfortable, with a comfortable amount of legroom.
• The rows of this part of the orchestra are at a decent rake, and seeing over the people in front is not a problem. The seats are far enough back that the stage is fully visible.  
• Restrooms are upstairs on the mezzanine level.
• Exiting the theatre is easy, if a little congested given the relatively small lobby area.  
• We were out of the theater and on our way in about 5 minutes post curtain call.

Pre-Show

Start of Act Two

So how was the view*?

• The height of the deck is a non-issue from this point. 
• These seats were an excellent view, top to bottom. We were far enough back to get the full stage picture at all times, including the sides and all the way upstage.
• Note: The pictures above are a little deceptive, especially the pre-show image. The view is much closer than the picture indicates.

The bottom line:

• I would definitely get these seats again. We have sat in the mid to rear orchestra several times and the view from there is very good.

* - Your seating preferences may vary, of course. And these seats may not be as ideal for a different production.

Other seating at The Nederlander Theatre

• We have seen several productions at this theater and we've sat in various locations in the orchestra and mezzanine areas. 
• The front mezzanine offers a full view that doesn't feel very far away, but the legroom is actually painful.  The rear mezzanine, though budget friendly, offers the same pain and what feels like a far away view.

The 2026 Tony Awards: If We Were Nominators

 

The 2026 Tony Awards:

If We Were Nominators

For us, theater awards season is what it must be like for football fans around Super Bowl time. We get super excited by every announcement, every eligibility notice. If it's a detail, we are interested! Tomorrow is the day we look forward to after every season: The Tony Awards Nominations announcement. 

I'll bet we aren't the only ones who try to predict which shows will make the cut, which of our favorite performers will get a flurry of texts and calls when their name is called. which of our favorite designers will be honored with a nod. This year, Mike and I only made it to each of the 10 major musical openings (6 new musicals, 4 revivals). We didn't see the return engagements of either Mamma Mia! or Beetlejuice. Given that, we are only sharing our thoughts on the musical categories this season.

We are not predicting who the nominating committee with choose; we are simply naming those shows and artists that we would nominate if we were nominators. Mike and I made our lists separately, so it is interesting to see how much we matched. It was often!

JEFF WOULD NOMINATE	MIKE WOULD NOMINATE
Best Musical	Best Musical
Schmigadoon!	Schmigadoon!
The Lost Boys	The Lost Boys
Titanique	Titanique
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)	Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Best Revival of a Musical	Best Revival of a Musical
Cats: The Jellicle Ball	Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Chess	Chess
Ragtime	Ragtime
*The Rocky Horror Show	* The Rocky Horror Show
Best Original Score (Music &/or Lyrics)	Best Original Score (Music &/or Lyrics)
Cinco Paul - Schmigadoon!	Cinco Paul - Schmigadoon!
The Rescues - The Lost Boys	The Rescues - The Lost Boys
Stephen Schwartz - The Queen of Versailles	Stephen Schwartz - The Queen of Versailles
Jim Barne & Kit Buchan - Two Strangers	Jim Barne & Kit Buchan - Two Strangers
Best Orchestrations	Best Orchestrations
Andrew Lloyd Webber, et al - Cats: The Jellicle Ball	Andrew Lloyd Webber, et al - Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Brian Usifer - Chess	Brian Usifer - Chess
Doug Besterman & Mike Morris - Schmigadoon!	Doug Besterman & Mike Morris - Schmigadoon!
The Rescues & Ethan Popp - The Lost Boys	The Rescues & Ethan Popp - The Lost Boys
Best Book	Best Book
Cinco Paul - Schmigadoon!	Cinco Paul - Schmigadoon!
David Hornsby & Chris Hoch - The Lost Boys	David Hornsby & Chris Hoch - The Lost Boys
Tye Blue, Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousouli - Titanique	Tye Blue, Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousouli - Titanique
Jim Barne & Kit Buchan - Two Strangers	Jim Barne & Kit Buchan - Two Strangers
Best Direction of a Musical	Best Direction of a Musical
Zhailon Levingston & Bill Rauch - Cats: The Jellicle Ball	Zhailon Levingston & Bill Rauch - Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Lear deBessonet - Ragtime	Lear deBessonet - Ragtime
Christopher Gattelli - Schmigadoon!	Christopher Gattelli - Schmigadoon!
Michael Arden - The Lost Boys	Michael Arden - The Lost Boys
Tye Blue - Titanique	Tye Blue - Titanique
Best Choreography	Best Choreography
Omari Wiles & Arturo Lyons - Cats: The Jellicle Ball	Omari Wiles & Arturo Lyons - Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Lorin Latarro - Chess	Lorin Latarro - Chess
Christopher Gattelli - Schmigadoon!	Christopher Gattelli - Schmigadoon!
Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant - The Lost Boys	Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant - The Lost Boys
Ellenore Scott - Titanique	Ellenore Scott - Titanique
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical	Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
LJ Benet - The Lost Boys	LJ Benet - The Lost Boys
Nicholas Christopher - Chess	Nicholas Christopher - Chess
Joshua Henry - Ragtime	Joshua Henry - Ragtime
Sam Tutty - Two Strangers	Sam Tutty - Two Strangers
Brandon Uranowitz - Ragtime	Brandon Uranowitz - Ragtime
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical	Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Sara Chase - Schmigadoon!	Sara Chase - Schmigadoon!
Caissie Levy - Ragtime	Caissie Levy - Ragtime
Lea Michele - Chess	Lea Michele - Chess
Marla Mindelle - Titanique	Marla Mindelle - Titanique
Christiani Pitts - Two Strangers	Christiani Pitts - Two Strangers
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical	Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Ali Louis Bourzgui - The Lost Boys	Ali Louis Bourzgui - The Lost Boys
Max Clayton - Schmigadoon!	Andre deShields - Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Sydney James Harcourt - Cats: The Jellicle Ball	Sydney James Harcourt - Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Benjamin Pajak - The Lost Boys	Benjamin Pajak - The Lost Boys
Layton Williams - Titanique	Jim Parsons - Titanique
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical	Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Melissa Barrera - Titanique	Shoshana Bean - The Lost Boys
Shoshana Bean - The Lost Boys	Hannah Cruz - Chess
Ana Gasteyer - Schmigadoon!	Nichelle Lewis - Ragtime
McKenzie Kurtz - Schmigadoon!	Isabelle McCalla - Schmigadoon!
"Tempress" Chastity Moore - Cats: The Jellicle Ball	"Tempress" Chastity Moore - Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Best Scenic Design of a Musical	Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Rachel Hauck - Cats: The Jellicle Ball	Rachel Hauck - Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Scott Pask - Schmigadoon!	Scott Pask - Schmigadoon!
Dane Laffery - The Lost Boys	Dane Laffery - The Lost Boys
Gabriel Hanier Evansohn, Grace Laubacher, Iron Bloom - Titanique	Dane Laffery - The Queen of Versailles
Soutra Gilmour - Two Strangers	Soutra Gilmour - Two Strangers
Best Costume Design of a Musical	Best Costume Design of a Musical
Qween Jean - Cats: The Jellicle Ball	Qween Jean - Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Linda Cho - Ragtime	Linda Cho - Ragtime
Linda Cho - Schmigadoon!	Linda Cho - Schmigadoon!
Ryan Park - The Lost Boys	Ryan Park - The Lost Boys
David I. Reynoso - The Rocky Horror Show	Alejo Vietti - Titanique
Best Lighting Design of a Musical	Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Adam Honoré - Cats: The Jellicle Ball	Adam Honoré - Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Kevin Adams - Chess	Kevin Adams - Chess
Jen Schriever & Michael Arden - The Lost Boys	Donald Holder - Schmigadoon!
Jane Cox - The Rocky Horror Show	Jen Schriever & Michael Arden - The Lost Boys
Paige Seber - Titanique	Paige Seber - Titanique
Best Sound Design of a Musical	Best Sound Design of a Musical
Kai Harada - Cats: The Jellicle Ball	Kai Harada - Cats: The Jellicle Ball
John Shivers - Chess	Kai Harada - Ragtime
Adam Fisher - The Lost Boys	Walter Trarbach - Schmigadoon!
Lawrence Schober - Titanique	Adam Fisher - The Lost Boys
Tony Gayle - Two Strangers	Tony Gayle - Two Strangers

* - If the Tony committee opts not to nominate a 4th musical revival, The Rocky Horror Show would be our 4th choice, leaving the other three,

Jeff's Nomination Totals: 74% matched the actual nominations!

The Lost Boys - 14

Schmigadoon! - 12

Cats: The Jellicle Ball - 10

Titanique - 10

Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) - 7

Chess - 7

Ragtime - 6

The Rocky Horror Show - 2

The Queen of Versailles - 1

Beaches - 0

Mike's Nomination Totals: 77% matched the actual nominations!

The Lost Boys - 14

Schmigadoon! - 12

Cats: The Jellicle Ball - 11

Titanique - 8

Ragtime - 8

Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) - 7

Chess - 7

The Queen of Versailles - 2

The Rocky Horror Show - 0

Beaches - 0

Friday 5: The Bands of Broadway

 

The Bands of Broadway

Throughout its history, Broadway has seen many bands on the boards. Probably the most famous is the River City marching band, led by Harold Hill in The Music Man. Bands of all shapes and sizes have been seen on the stages of the theater district. This week we celebrate some of the most recent, including one from the current season.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Hedwig's back up band, The Angry Inch, doesn't say much of anything, but it would be difficult to imagine this show without them! Hard rocking and super supportive, Hedwig needs them as much as we do.

School of Rock

Child prodigies as part of the story, played by child prodigies are the perfect Broadway storm! It was exciting to watch and even better to listen to. Led by their teacher to rock and roll glory, these kids stole the show/

Stereophonic

With this band, we got to see how they made a record and much more. A lot more. Like a Behind the Music documentary, but much darker, we got to see what made these rock geniuses tick, warts and all. We were captivated for the entire time. Plus, we got some pretty good tunes to play over and over, too!

The Band's Visit

A story about how music brings strangers together, the lessons learned from this beautiful musical resonate as much today as ever. Getting to know these men and how they became community almost instantly was heart-warming and inspiring. And the music? Sublime!

The Lost Boys

Broadway's newest rockers, this boy band is dark, hard-edge and brooding. They sound great...just the kind of music your parents warned you was dangerous. The perfect way to gather a fan base...and victims. One might even say their music is...biting.