2026 Tony Awards: 10 Things You Didn’t See on TV

John Lithgow won his first Tony in 1973 (The Changing Room), second in 2002 (Sweet Smell of Success) and third this year for portraying the dark side of children’s author Roald Dahl in Giant. In the press room, Lithgow was thoughtful and articulate when talking about Dahl as “a man who swung so wildly between kindness and cruelty.” He was also, unsurprisingly, naturally and effortlessly funny. Holding his Tony aloft, he quipped, “These have gotten heavier over the years or I’ve gotten older, I’m not sure which.”

After winning the best scenic design of a musical Tony for The Lost Boys, Dane Laffrey told Billboard what it was like to do his job while working with actors who were not only singing and dancing but flying through the air, among other feats of technical wizardry. “The how of it is not unknown,” he said. “The thing we did [where the characters] jump off a bridge is new territory in live performance. [The cast] approached that with such excitement and grace and we were able to find something that just looks wild. It’s only because those guys were willing to [try it]. It is what it looks like: it’s a bunch of guys jumping off a bridge. We’re excited to be able to bring that kind of experience.”

When Cinco Paul hit the press room, two Tony Awards in his hands (of an eventual three) from Schmigadoon!, Playbill asked him if fans might potentially see a stage production of Schmicago based on the Apple TV+ series’ second season (Broadway’s Schmigadoon! by and large follows the show’s first season). “I mean, I wouldn’t say no if someone offered it to me!” he laughed. “We’ll have to see. I’m focused on this right now but that would be a dream too.”

When co-directors Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch entered the press room, they were asked about what it meant to win directorial Tonys for Cats: The Jellicle Ball during Pride Month. “I don’t think we’ve seen what’s going to happen in that theater once Pride Month really begins,” Levingston chuckled, before taking a moment to get serious. “There are literally cities and states in this country right now trying to erase Pride Month. More than anything I hope that it’s the refuge. If you can’t find this kind of queer, Black joy that’s accessible to all of us, no matter where you come from, then this is your invitation to come to Broadway and get a dose of it for two and a half hours and bring it back to where you came from.”

While nonbinary actors (Alex Newell, J. Harrison Ghee and Cole Escola) have won Tony Awards in recent years, Qween Jean made history on Sunday night as the first openly trans person to win a Tony. She won for best costume design of a musical for Cats: The Jellicle Ball and spoke to Billboard about how NYC ball culture – where queer creatives craft trailblazing art despite limited resources – informed her work on the musical. “This question speaks to spontaneity and the joy that I wanted to achieve with each of the designs,” Qween Jean said. “More specifically that the details feel as if we’re seeing each person craft and create something to beautify themselves. For me that is an element of each of the characters in Cats; in each of the numbers, the [ballroom] categories where we’re seeing different people with the same assignment or the same prompt, and seeing the creativity in how they’ve approached it. That to me is something that is authentic in ballroom culture: to see the resilience of when people really want to achieve something, they can. Jellicles can and Jellicles do. And tonight, Jellicles did.”

During Ragtime’s acceptance speech for best revival of a musical, Lynn Ahrens – who wrote the musical’s lyrics – was played off before she got to say her piece. In the press room, she was invited to give the speech she would have made. Which she did… mostly. “What I was going to say in brief was that first of all Terrence McNally in particular always wanted this show to be at Lincoln Center,” she said of the late book writer of Ragtime. “It fits it so beautifully. And the times we’re in fit this show so beautifully. We set out basically to make a great American musical all about the beauty of America and the contradictions of America.” At that point, while Ahrens was still speaking, the press room began bubbling with cheers: Caissie Levy had just won the Tony for her role as Mother in Ragtime. “That’s….” Ahrens began, cracking up while feigning annoyance. “I was played off yet again!”

Alden Ehrenreich, who nabbed a Tony for Becky Shaw, debuted some compelling ideas about Broadway’s future in the digital era backstage in the press room. “The Lincoln Center Theater archives should be made public to the whole country,” he said, making the case that the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive housed in Lincoln Center (part of the New York Public Library for Performing Arts) should be more readily available to Americans by digital means. While spinning around the medallion on his Tony with his thumb, he also suggested selling digital tickets to onstage productions — not only to expand audiences, but to offset rising ticket costs. “The filming of plays can create other ways to make money on these shows so the actual ticket prices can go down in the house,” he argued.

Shortly after winning her first Tony for The Lost Boys, Shoshana Bean stopped by the press room – but only for a moment, as she was due back on the Tonys stage to perform alongside The Lost Boys cast within the hour. When asked about what it was like to win a Tony for a role that Caissie Levy was attached to but stepped away from, Bean said, “I’ve marveled that my dear friend who is like a sister would make a decision that on a soul level was handing me a gift like this. Nothing on paper made it seem like this was the right move and something in my spirit moved me to say yes,” she said. “I’m so glad I said yes.”

After winning his first Tony (following three previous noms) for Ragtime, Joshua Henry told the press room what was on his to-do list after his big night. “I can’t wait to go home and spend time with my boys. Get a good wrestling session in with my little boys. And go for a walk in Central Park. Just reflect on the last two years: it’s been quite a journey with this piece, I’m feeling incredible and I want to spend some time in silence and in gratitude.”

Ballroom veterans Omari Wiles (founder of the House of Nina Oricci) and Arturo Lyons (of the House of Miyake-Mugler) snatched Tonys for their indelible choreography in Cats: The Jellicle Ball. When asked what existing theatrical properties they might want to tackle next, Wiles floated the idea of bringing Fame to Broadway. And no, it wouldn’t be a revival—Fame has actually never been on Broadway. Originating as a 1980 musical film, it was adapted for the stage before the decade was out and ran as an off-Broadway production from 2003-2024. After seeing how these two helped breathe new life into Cats, one can only hope that an enterprising producer gives them the chance to supercharge the body electric with their choreo and finally bring Fame to Broadway.