It's a Valentine to Broadway, written for people who love musicals.
Each Broadway season arrives with its own temperament, and the 2025-26 year has offered Tony voters an unusual inversion: plays of rare emotional depth alongside a musical slate that feels, by comparison, modest. Two longtime anonymous voters, speaking to Vulture ahead of the June 7 ceremony hosted by P!nk, reveal ballots shaped less by certainty than by the particular weight of witnessing performances that seem to outlast the stage itself. In a year when rights and memory and grief have found their way into the theater, the act of voting becomes something more than preference — it becomes a kind of reckoning.
- Both voters agree the musical slate is unusually thin, with only six new musicals reaching Broadway and none that feel truly transformative — a quiet crisis for a form that defines the season's prestige.
- Schmigadoon! leads with twelve nominations alongside The Lost Boys, but voter enthusiasm is measured: one calls it a love letter to Broadway, while the other admits it is playful but not revelatory.
- The plays carry the season's real urgency — Liberation's moment when a character announces 'We got Roe' and the audience responds with collective grief has become the emotional center of the year for at least one voter.
- Nathan Lane and John Lithgow are locked in what voters describe as a genuinely great contest, while Laurie Metcalf's delivery of 'Attention must be paid' has already convinced one voter the race is over.
- Joshua Henry's performance in Ragtime — described as equal parts rage and hope — and Nichelle Lewis's vocal power in the same production suggest the revival may be the season's most complete achievement.
- With the ceremony days away, one voter still hasn't submitted their ballot, holding the tension of a season that refuses to resolve cleanly: 'It could really go in either direction.'
The 2025-26 Broadway season has placed Tony voters in an unfamiliar position — grateful for the plays, uncertain about the musicals, and in at least one case still undecided days before the June 7 ceremony. Two anonymous voters, each with more than a decade of ballots behind them, shared their picks with Vulture and agreed on almost nothing except this: the original musicals feel thin, while the plays contain performances so complete they would have been locks in any other year.
For Best Musical, both voters lean toward Schmigadoon!, though with different levels of conviction. One experienced it as an immediate decision — a valentine to people who love the form. The other found it playful and well-executed but not revelatory. The Lost Boys divided them sharply: one was surprised by how much they enjoyed a vampire musical; the other found the storytelling muddled. Titaníque made both laugh, though one found it paper-thin. Two Strangers charmed one and felt merely pleasant to the other.
The plays are where the season lives. Both voters choose Liberation for Best Play, a work about 1970s feminism that has taken on new resonance. One voter describes the moment a character announces 'We got Roe' and the audience responds with a shared gesture of despair — a recognition of something lost. The other praises its truthfulness and hopes young women will see it and be moved to act.
Best Revival of a Play splits the voters. One chooses Death of a Salesman without hesitation, calling it a production no one knew they needed until they saw it — a match for the Brian Dennehy benchmark. The other is genuinely conflicted, troubled by producer Scott Rudin's involvement despite acknowledging that Nathan Lane and Laurie Metcalf deliver extraordinary work. They remain torn between Salesman and Every Brilliant Thing, which left them feeling part of a community.
In the acting categories, Lane and John Lithgow represent what both voters call the two truly great male performances of the season. Metcalf's Linda Loman has already decided one voter's ballot — the moment she delivered 'Attention must be paid' quietly, in italics rather than all caps, moved a guest to tears. For leading actress, Lesley Manville and Carrie Coon are described as devastating, though one voter surprises by choosing Susannah Flood in Liberation, calling her the engine of the play.
Joshua Henry's performance in Ragtime may be the single most discussed achievement of the year. One voter calls it probably the performance of the season — a rendition of 'Make Them Hear You' that fills the theater with equal parts rage and hope. Nichelle Lewis, playing Sarah in the same production, brings a jaw-dropping vocal power that one voter says has matured beyond the long shadow of Audra McDonald into something entirely her own.
As the ceremony approaches, one small milestone has earned its own name: June Squibb, nominated at 96, has become the oldest Tony nominee in history — a distinction both voters and Vulture have agreed to call the Squibb Line. The season may be thinner than the one before it, but it has delivered performances that will be remembered long after the ballots are counted.
The 2025-26 Broadway season has left Tony voters in an unusual position: underwhelmed by the musicals, overwhelmed by the plays. Two anonymous ballots submitted to Vulture this week paint a picture of a year that feels thinner at the top than the one before it, a natural fluctuation in a business that cannot be scheduled or predicted. Only six new musicals and nine new plays made it to Broadway. The voters, both of whom have been casting Tony ballots for over a decade, agree on little except this: the original musicals are thin, while the plays contain performances so complete and devastating that in any other season they would have been locks.
One voter describes the season as "a letdown in a lot of ways," but frames it as Broadway's inevitable rhythm. The other remains so torn between categories that they haven't yet submitted their ballot. "When I sit down and actually do it," they say, "it could really go in either direction." The ceremony itself, hosted by P!nk and airing June 7, will feature The Lost Boys and Schmigadoon! as the most-nominated shows with twelve nominations each. Death of a Salesman and Oedipus follow with nine and seven. But nominations don't always predict winners, and this year feels particularly unpredictable.
For Best Musical, both voters lean toward Schmigadoon!, though for slightly different reasons. The first voter calls it "a Valentine to Broadway," a show written for people who love musicals, and describes the moment they saw it as an instant decision. The second voter finds it "playful" and thinks it "hits its mark," though they acknowledge it's "not revelatory." The Lost Boys, which surprised the first voter with how much they enjoyed a vampire musical, disappointed the second voter entirely—they found the storytelling muddled and the spectacle inconsistent. Titaníque made both voters laugh, though one found it ridiculous fun and the other found it paper-thin. Two Strangers charmed one voter and felt charming-but-not-special to the other.
The play categories reveal the real depth of the season. For Best Play, both voters choose Liberation, a work about 1970s feminism that reaches far beyond its premise. The first voter recalls a moment when a character says "We got Roe" and the entire audience responded with a collective gesture of despair—a shared recognition of rights now under threat again. The second voter praises the play's "truthfulness" and hopes young women across the country will see it and "roll up their sleeves." Giant won the Olivier Award and Little Bear Ridge Road won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, but neither quite lands for these voters. The Balusters, a comedy with substance, gets overlooked because heavier plays surround it.
In Best Revival of a Play, the voters diverge. The first votes for Death of a Salesman, saying no one thought we needed another production until we saw this one—and that it matches the Brian Dennehy production, their high-water mark. The second voter struggles with the same show, admitting they "struggle with the Scott Rudin of it all," referring to the producer's controversial history. The production itself was stunning, with Laurie Metcalf and Nathan Lane delivering extraordinary work, but the voter remains conflicted. They're torn between Every Brilliant Thing, which left them feeling part of a community, and Salesman itself. All five nominees—Salesman, Becky Shaw, Every Brilliant Thing, Fallen Angels, and Oedipus—are described as outstanding.
For acting categories, Nathan Lane and John Lithgow emerge as the two truly great male performances of the season. The first voter initially thought Lithgow would sweep the category, then saw Lane and changed their mind. The second voter slightly favors Lithgow, calling his performance "fearless" and praising his willingness to be ugly on stage. For leading actress, Lesley Manville and Carrie Coon deliver what one voter calls "carry-your-guts-out performances," though the second voter surprises by voting for Susannah Flood in Liberation, describing her as someone who "hooks you" and serves as the engine of the play. Laurie Metcalf, playing Linda Loman in Death of a Salesman, is expected to win by both voters. When she delivers the "Attention must be paid" speech, one voter said immediately, "That's it. She won." The second voter notes she delivered the line in italics rather than all caps, a quiet revelation that moved their guest to tears.
Joshua Henry's performance in Ragtime emerges as perhaps the performance of the year. The second voter calls it "probably the performance of the year," describing how Henry sings "Make Them Hear You" to the entire audience, creating a feeling of "equal parts rage and hope." The first voter, who admired Brian Stokes Mitchell in the original, was surprised to find Henry equally stellar. For featured performances, the voters praise Ali Louis Bourzgui's vampire in The Lost Boys and Ben Levi Ross's Mother's Younger Brother in Ragtime. Nichelle Lewis, playing Sarah in Ragtime, brings what one voter calls an "effortlessness" and "jaw-dropping" power to her voice, particularly in "Wheels of a Dream." The second voter notes that while Audra McDonald's memory looms large in the role, Lewis has matured into something of her own.
As the ceremony approaches on June 7, one detail worth celebrating: June Squibb became the Tonys' oldest-ever nominee at 96, a milestone that both voters and the publication have agreed to call the Squibb Line going forward. The season may be thinner in musicals, but it has delivered performances that will be remembered, and voters who still haven't made their final decisions know that when they sit down to actually do it, the choice could go in any direction.
Citações Notáveis
When he sings 'Make Them Hear You,' he's singing to all of us. I feel equal parts rage and hope when he sings. It feels like a privilege to be in that theater when he's on stage.— Voter 2, on Joshua Henry in Ragtime
It's a Valentine to Broadway, written for people who love musicals. As soon as I saw it, I was like, Oh, I'm voting for it.— Voter 1, on Schmigadoon!
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does this season feel different to you than last year?
There's less to grab onto in the musicals. Only six new ones made it to Broadway. The plays, though—they're carrying the weight. You get performances that in any other year would be obvious winners, but now they're competing with each other.
Tell me about Liberation. Why are both of you voting for it?
It's about 1970s feminism, but it's so much more than that. There's a moment when a character says "We got Roe" and the whole audience just—they slump. They sigh. You see these women fighting for things we're fighting for again right now. It's a remarkable play.
What about Death of a Salesman? One of you seems conflicted.
The production is stunning. Metcalf and Lane are extraordinary. But I struggle with the Scott Rudin of it all. The work is there, the performances are there, but the producer's history weighs on me. It's complicated.
Joshua Henry in Ragtime—what makes him stand out?
When he sings "Make Them Hear You," he's singing to all of us. It feels like rage and hope at the same time. It feels like a privilege to be in that theater when he's on stage. That's not hyperbole. That's what's happening.
Schmigadoon! seems like the safe choice for Best Musical?
It's a Valentine to Broadway, written for people who love musicals. But it's not revelatory. It hits its mark. The Lost Boys disappointed me—muddled storytelling, spectacle that didn't land. Schmigadoon! is the one that works.
What surprised you most this season?
That we have two plays in the Original Score category. I never would've predicted that. And that Laurie Metcalf's "Attention must be paid" landed so differently this time—not in all caps, but in italics. A quiet revelation.