Awards

There are more than 100 Emmy categories, and if you scroll through each and every one of them on the Television Academy’s website, you’re probably one of those people who read the terms and conditions on a document before signing your name.

This hasn’t been the greatest year for television, which has had the converse effect of prompting me to sample more shows than ever in a quest to unearth that one hidden gem that merits a place on my mock Emmy ballot. Truth be told, I’m still looking. I’m sure I’ve missed something. And I’m sure you’ll let me know.

In the meantime, here are my picks for the top 15 categories — five each for comedy, drama and limited series — along with a brief line of reasoning for each. And if it’s predictions you’re after, you can find our full BuzzMeter panel’s choices here. Emmy nominations will be announced July 8.

Comedy series

“Abbott Elementary”
“The Bear”
“The Comeback”
“Hacks”
“The Lowdown”
“Margo’s Got Money Troubles”
“The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins”
“Shrinking”

Sterlin Harjo’s “The Lowdown” feels like it’s on the same trajectory as his last series, “Reservation Dogs,” an under-the-radar charmer that grows in estimation as its audience builds. Noir crime stories don’t come more delightful.

Comedy actress

Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary”
Rose Byrne, “Platonic”
Ayo Edebiri, “The Bear”
Elle Fanning, “Margo’s Got Money Troubles”
Lisa Kudrow, “The Comeback”
Jean Smart, “Hacks”

“Platonic” heightened the chaos and conflict in its second season, affording the gifted Byrne additional room to flex her comic chops. How do you sleep on a show starring a newly minted Oscar nominee?

Comedy actor

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, “Wonder Man”
Ethan Hawke, “The Lowdown”
Tracy Morgan, “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins”
Jason Segel, “Shrinking”
Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building”
Jeremy Allen White, “The Bear”

Morgan acting oblivious is one of the funniest things ever.

Comedy supporting actress

Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks”
Janelle James, “Abbott Elementary”
Ashley Padilla, “Saturday Night Live”
Michelle Pfeiffer, “Margo’s Got Money Troubles”
Sheryl Lee Ralph, “Abbott Elementary”
Jeanne Tripplehorn, “The Lowdown”
Jessica Williams, “Shrinking”

The Padilla Pause is one reason I’m watching “Saturday Night Live” again.

Comedy supporting actor

Harrison Ford, “Shrinking”
Marcello Hernández, “Saturday Night Live”
Ben Kingsley, “Wonder Man”
Ebon Moss-Bachrach, “The Bear”
Nick Offerman, “Margo’s Got Money Troubles”
Stephen Root, “Widow’s Bay”
Tyler James Williams, “Abbott Elementary”

Hernández’s charisma and physical comedy is another.

Drama series

“Industry”
“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”
“The Night Manager”
“Paradise”
“The Pitt”
“Pluribus”
“Slow Horses”
“Task”

How many Emmy voters finally caught up on “Industry,” the fast-paced drama about a group of cutthroat Gen Zers? Four seasons in, it’s more addictive than ever.

Drama actress

Caitriona Balfe, “Outlander”
Myha’la, “Industry”
Chase Infiniti, “The Testaments”
Michelle Pfeiffer, “The Madison”
Rhea Seehorn, “Pluribus”
Zendaya, “Euphoria”

Now that “Outlander” is over, it’s time to pour one out for Balfe. Over the course of eight seasons, she hopscotched through time, enduring and overcoming numerous assaults and kidnappings, dealing with grief and trauma and enjoying lots of emotionally grounded sex. Balfe has earned a final reward.

Drama actor

Sterling K. Brown, “Paradise”
Peter Claffey, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”
Tom Hiddleston, “The Night Manager”
Gary Oldman, “Slow Horses”
Mark Ruffalo, “Task”
Noah Wyle, “The Pitt”

Claffey turned bumbling into art.

Drama supporting actress

Isa Briones, “The Pitt”
Taylor Dearden, “The Pitt”
Fiona Dourif, “The Pitt”
Supriya Ganesh, “The Pitt”
Katherine LaNasa, “The Pitt”
Sepideh Moafi, “The Pitt”
Karolina Wydra, “Pluribus”

LaNasa should have bumped herself up to lead. As Whitaker explains to Langdon in Season 2’s penultimate episode, Robby’s the Professor of the ER and LaNasa’s Dana is the Skipper. And the Skipper should be lead.

Drama supporting actor

Patrick Ball, “The Pitt”
Diego Calva, “The Night Manager”
Shawn Hatosy, “The Pitt”
Gerran Howell, “The Pitt”
Ken Leung, “Industry”
Tom Pelphrey, “Task”
Carlos-Manuel Vesga, “Pluribus”

Pelphrey has called his desperate single dad on “Task” the role of a lifetime. No argument here.

Limited series

“Bait”
“Beef”
“DTF St. Louis”
“Death by Lightning”
“Half Man”

I put off watching the finale of the punishing “Half Man” for weeks. Does that mean the show worked?

Limited series/TV movie actress

Sally Field, “Remarkably Bright Creatures”
Camila Morrone, “Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen”
Carey Mulligan, “Beef”
Sarah Pidgeon, “Love Story”
Robin Wright, “The Girlfriend”

I like her! Right now (and always), I like her!

Limited series/TV movie actor

Riz Ahmed, “Bait”
Charlie Hunnam, “Monster: The Ed Gein Story”
Matthew Macfadyen, “Death by Lightning”
Mitchell Robertson, “Half Man”
Michael Shannon, “Death by Lightning”

The young actors on “Half Man” — Robertson and Stuart Campbell — outshone their well-known counterparts.

Limited series/TV movie supporting actress

Linda Cardellini, “DTF St. Louis”
Grace Gummer, “Love Story”
Laurie Metcalf, “Monster: The Ed Gein Story”
Cailee Spaeny, “Beef”
Joy Sunday, “DTF St. Louis”
Constance Zimmer, “Love Story”

Both Cardellini and Sunday for “DTF St. Louis”? No way, José, you say? Yes way, I say. All the way!

Limited series/TV movie supporting actor

(Larry Horricks / Netflix)

Jason Bateman, “DTF St. Louis”
Stuart Campbell, “Half Man”
Richard Gadd, “Half Man”
David Harbour, “DTF St. Louis”
Charles Melton, “Beef”
Nick Offerman, “Death by Lightning”

The mutton-chopped Chester A. Arthur joins Ron Swanson’s ’stache in television’s facial hair hall of fame.

Shrek’s abs are more defined than some might expect. Or is it that the shade of his green skin makes them appear more chiseled under bright lights? Maybe it’s just disorienting because no one anticipated gawking at his torso inside the historic downtown Los Angeles venue founded by Hollywood legends Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith.

These are thoughts that swirl in one’s head while attending this year’s Las Culturistas Culture Awards ceremony, held on a recent Saturday night at the United Theater. An offshoot of the popular podcast that actor-comedians Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang have hosted since 2016, the award show aims to celebrate the year’s biggest pop culture moments and plays like a fever dream more dazzling and deliciously random than a late-night scroll session on TikTok.

After launching in 2022 as a live event outdoors at Lincoln Center, the guerrilla awards show reached TV screens for the first time last year. This year’s ceremony, which will air June 17 on Bravo and stream on Peacock, coincides with the podcast’s 10th anniversary and features a kaleidoscopic array of attendees, including screen veterans like Lisa Kudrow and Will Ferrell, reality TV favorites like “Summer House’s” Ciara Miller and “The Real Housewives of Dubai’s” Chanel Ayan, and anthropomorphic icons like Miss Piggy and a certain green ogre. And the prizes? It’s the only place you can find categories like “Real Housewives Award for Best Way to Start a Confrontation,” “Pornhub Category We Would Never Click On” and “Hilary Duff Award for Millennial Excellence.”

Over lunch at the NBCUniversal lot in Universal City, Rogers and Yang discussed the show’s evolution. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

Matt Rogers, left foreground, and Bowen Yang perform a musical number inspired by “Heated Rivalry” during this year’s Las Culturistas Culture Awards.

(Monty Brinton / Bravo)

I will probably regret starting our conversation this way, but we all have our blind spots and, to thoroughly prepare for this interview, I watched “Shrek” for the first time last night.

Yang: Oh great! The first one?

Rogers: How’d you feel?

I get it now.

Rogers: Get what, that he is attractive or …?

I’m not quite there yet. You guys reference the film a lot on your podcast and Shrek has also been a figure on the awards show, including this year. I was hoping you’d explain Shrek as a heartthrob to me as if we’re in a pop culture class. When did this idea really take shape?

Yang: Over at least a couple years, to my knowledge, there’s been this online meme culture around Shrek, where it’s like, “Oh my God, Shrek is like a sex king,” but now it’s even spilled over into like dating life. I don’t know if you’ve heard of this, but there’s a verb called Shreking in dating, where it has to do with women dating a guy that’s below their league because he will be nice to them; he will be a Shrek to their Fiona. That’s an interesting thing — you date someone slightly in another zone than you, so that you can be like, “Well, that’s my Shrek,” but meanwhile, there’s the tension between that and Shrek being someone that people are actually attracted to. This just speaks to the enduring power of Shrek as a pop culture icon.

Rogers: I think what it is, is he has an amazing accent. It’s a very powerful thing. He’s independent, he’s self-sufficient, he’s a movie star.

Yang: He said it at the awards. I mean, he’s a rich celebrity.

Rogers: We saw the real Shrek at the awards and he looks pretty f—ing good to me.

Yang: He looked good to me. I don’t know what these Gen Zers are talking about with this Shrek being below your league.

What are the calls with publicists like now to get their clients to participate?

Yang: Last year was a communication puzzle to solve. We were like, “OK, we have to really convey this the right way.” We thought, perhaps naively, now that we’ve done it, now that there’s a proof of concept, it’s going to be much clearer. I think it was clearer, but there was still that degree of, “oh, this is …” — not to like give ourselves too much credit, but this is a concentric circle outside of what is very established in the form of an award show. You’ve got publicists who are like, “Well, we would love for our client to win an award.” And you’re like, “No, that’s not really the point.”

Rogers: Presenting is just as good as winning, just as good as performing. But I think it’s weird that we have been so late to stumble on what the show really is, which is it’s a variety show. And, so, in wrapping your head around it that way, it’s actually pretty easy to get across. It just has the drag of an award show, and that’s our way in.

But I do understand the publicist hesitation because I will say, in a world where it’s your job to protect your client, you’re putting them in a situation that is like, “OK, they’re going to an award show — that’s something this town takes very seriously.” So, it’s an ask to be like, “Hey, can you come take the piss out of this concept that you’re then probably gonna spend eight months of the year trying to actually achieve?” I would be lying if I said that we didn’t want one day to win one of those awards. It’s an acknowledgment of your work, but in that, Bowen and I think the No. 1 thing that’s the funniest thing in the world is people who take themselves that seriously. It’s a healthy mix of appreciation for this thing that was actually a big element of the culture that made us say culture was for us, which was watching award shows when we were kids, and also the reality that we now know as people that are in the industry of what they really are, which is they’re just shows. We’re not condemning them, we’re having fun with it.

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1. Scenes from the 2025 Las Culturistas Culture Awards: Jeff Goldblum, left, accepting the award for Most Amazing Impact in Film for his appearance in “Jurassic Park,” alongside presenter Patti Harrison. (Griffin Nagel / Bravo) 2. Allison Janney was a guest of honor, receiving the Lifetime of Culture award. (Jordan Strauss / Bravo)

Have you been asked to tweak the name of a category or punch it up even more?

Yang: Last week was the window when our producers could be very honest with us and say if something may not be working. Back to the Shrek [bit in this year’s show], actually, that ended up being much dirtier and bluer than it was on stage.

Really? I already knew I wouldn’t be able to include the award category because of Times standards. So the actual bit was raunchier?

Yang: It was even raunchier. It went for it.

Rogers: But it’s also a testament to how much freedom they give us to make our show. If they were concerned at all about us desecrating the image of Shrek, we certainly did not feel that way. I am really shocked and grateful that we get to do something that it feels like we’re getting away with something.

Take me back in time with young Bowen and young Matt. What do you remember about your enthusiasm for award shows growing up?

Yang: It was watching Billy Crystal at the Oscars do song and dance numbers, zing these things in for a laugh that we’re referencing the year, being in these video packages where he was in the movies. That it was live television and just this pageantry of people congratulating themselves, congratulating each other. I would tune in live every single year to all the award shows and I would follow the host changes. I remember Whoopi’s first year [hosting the Oscars]; I remember Ellen’s first year. I was really obsessive. It opened the door for all these things that I currently love, and that I’ve somehow had a fortunate experience in, which is live television, song and dance numbers — everything that Billy Crystal was doing. It keyed me in on how show business works, down to production elements and how filmmaking comes together.

Rogers: I just remember, I looked at the screen and I was like, “Oh, that’s where I belong. I belong with them. I don’t belong out here.” I was one of those Gold Derby kids — I would be on the forums; I still sometimes look at the odds and rankings and stuff. It was like gay sports, particularly with the best actress and best supporting actress races. And then obviously the Grammys, and all of that. One year I was watching, I think it was the People’s Choice Awards or the American Music Awards or something, and Shania Twain lost to LeAnn Rimes, and I cried for a day. I took it so seriously and my mother turned to me and said, “You need to stop.” But you couldn’t tell me it didn’t matter at the time. [Reporter’s note: Twain lost the favorite country new artist award to Rimes at the 1997 American Music Awards.]

As the profile of Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers’ variety-style award show has risen, getting stars on board is an interesting puzzle: “You’ve got publicists who are like, ‘Well, we would love for our client to win an award,’” Yang says. “And you’re like, ‘No, that’s not really the point.’”

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

What do you remember about your first experience at a major awards show?

Rogers: He was nominated as writer for “SNL” and took me as his date. We were sitting there — the “Queer Eye” guys were sitting like three rows behind us.

Yang: We watched Phoebe Waller-Bridge sweep with “Fleabag.”

Rogers: We watched Michelle Williams win for “Fosse/Verdon.” It was funny because we had gone to the bar and were double-fisting drinks back to the seats and I said to Bowen, “Oh my God, I’m like the Busy Philipps to your Michelle Williams.”

Yang: And who shows up behind us?

Rogers: Busy Philipps taps on our shoulders and goes, “You guys are killing it with those drinks.” And I’m like, she doesn’t even know I’m her. Cut to minutes later, Michelle walking up and giving a banger of a speech.

Yang: That was like our first brush with it. Even now we go to these, and we’re like, this is really something; it’s incredible. We were at the Oscars last year, front row, witnessing all of it go down, witnessing the moment where upsets would happen, feeling the vibe in the room shift. The benefit of our show is that the vibe is pretty high throughout; it does not decline as soon as there are losers in the room.

Las Culturistas Culture Awards took place in late May and is being telecast roughly two weeks later. Do you see it ever going the live route?

Yang: We don’t know. That is my not so secret dream, is to do it live one day. There’s just something about doing it live — and it occurs to me now that I’ve been very lucky and fortunate to have have my reps in. There’s just something so wonderful about it being this event where everyone is tuning in, enjoying it the same time you are. That is really something special.

Rogers: If he’s down, I’m down.

I’m sure this changes each year, but who’s your dream person to snag for an appearance?

Rogers: I would say the people that make it very apparent that they have sketch comedy and impression skills, and maybe you wouldn’t necessarily know that they do until they show that.

Yang: Ariana Grande.

Rogers: Our dream was for Ariana to come do an original character. We actually floated to her the idea — there was going to be like a Banksy reveal of MsMojo, and it was going to be revealed that it was Ariana Grande was MsMojo. But she actually was in rehearsals for the Eternal Sunshine World Tour. Little did we know she also was recording “Petal.” She was a bit too busy to play MsMojo, I guess, this time.

Yang: These two are forever paired in my head, but it’s because she’s another sketch performer: Cher. And sometimes the dream guests are not big names, it’s the people that we came up with in comedy. And actually one of the consumer research reports that we got back before we started writing this year’s show was that the thing that people loved about the Culture Awards was this crossover of reality talent, A-listers and Oscar winners, and comedy people — that mix, those three [types of] people mingling together is what the viewers want.

Rogers: I’m just so proud in every single way of the diverse array of talent that we were able to bring together. I looked out in the audience and it was just a party of so many friends and people we’ve met in the business — people that I didn’t even get to meet that night, but I was just gagged they’re there, especially in the edit, which you’ll see. This is Bowen’s first year in the edit, he had to miss it last year, but that’s what’s so cool about going through the footage, is you’re like, “Oh my God, there’s someone I’ve loved my entire life next to my cousin.” We were saying to each other that it ended up being like a weird love letter to our younger selves, having Mandy Moore and singing “Only Hope” with her and doing the “Pokémon” theme song and getting to hang out with Pikachu.

Do you worry about it ever getting too big?

Rogers: If it ever gets to a point where it couldn’t be funny, that wouldn’t work. We want it to always stay true to what it is, which is it’s our comedy special together. As long as it doesn’t feel like it’s selling out — and I can understand people watching it and being like, “Oh, they obviously had to have Nintendo characters because it’s NBCUniversal or obviously they had to include “Summer House” — none of that is true.

Yang: There’s no mandate.

Rogers: This is genuinely what we would want the show to be, and so as long as it’s that, we’re good.

So what’s your “I don’t think so, honey” on awards shows?

Rogers: I don’t think so, honey — 10 nominees for best picture at the Oscars. Why?

Yang: Totally. Tea.

Rogers: I actually think it helps things that are weirder win because it’s too many. And the way that they ranked choices. I’m a popular-vote person anyway.

Yang: I need us to really get on the same page about play-off music. Sometimes people are encouraged to go on, sometimes we turn against that. Let’s stop innovating, let’s stop trying to break the mold on them. Let’s just respect that as much as we can, unless it’s egregious.

And it’s always a bit within the show.

Yang: This is what I was about to get to. The hosts now are always trying to bitify that; it’s more of a practical thing to keep the show moving. Don’t try to put a hat on top of a hat by making it a comedic moment too. We’ve never really played with that trope, even though we could, and maybe should. For now, my attitude towards play-off music is, these people might not ever be on this stage again.

How soon do you start planning the next one?

Rogers: Hopefully, they give us the green light.

Ana Gasteyer, left, Jamie Lee Curtis and Patti Harrison at the 2025 Las Culturistas Culture Awards.

(Jordan Strauss / Bravo)

How did you go about deciding which categories would return this year and which you invent along the way?

Yang: We did an audit this year of all the categories from the last few years of doing this.

Rogers: Less made it back last year.

Yang: I think maybe about 30 max previous categories [returned] — that’s a decent ratio, 70-30 is nice. From there, we just kind of molded the clay on the table a little bit. We have the benefit of making this a recursive reinvented show every year; the categories itself are the premise, it’s the micro-premise within the segment or the element. The jokes are the nominees. Why not create new opportunities at every turn.

“Las Culturistas” expanded into a video podcast last year. How do you feel about this evolution we’re seeing to the format?

Rogers: It’s not that when I’m on camera with Bowen doing the podcast, like, “Oh, I wish I could be more relaxed,” I just wish the whole industry hadn’t gone this way because I feel like when you’re on camera, you can’t help but be a little bit more self-conscious, and that is going to come through in the podcast product. If I had my druthers, none of them would be on film. I can understand that it helps a lot and I can note a marked difference in the amount of times I get recognized now that we are on social media. It absolutely “helped” our podcast get bigger. That being said, I don’t think it was a good thing for podcasting that they all became TV shows.

Yang: It changes the register and the tone by nature. You cannot help but be motivated by different things, by the appearance of it, by the presentation of it, beyond what it was, which is just radio, which is a really important American form.

As two people who grew up being connoisseurs of pop culture, what is it like to be on the other side of it, to feel the intensity of it — I’m talking about what happened with the Jasmine Crockett comments — to become part of the conversation? What lesson came from that?

Yang: We are experiencing something in an acute way that I think everyone is experiencing, which is we are seeing ourselves in the third person. Everyone is kind of modulating their behavior based on how they are appearing out of body. It’s the way we all move through the world now, which can be snapshot and projected very widely out into the world for whatever reason.

Rogers: When you’re talking candidly, you can never know what piece of what you’re saying is going to be the piece that gets scrutinized again and again and again and again by what feels like the entire internet. And if you did, you would, of course, be more specific, and you would be able to really clearly say why you are saying what you are saying. We have had learning experiences with that, and so what we can do going forward is be more clear about the things that we do believe and stand by. That is something that even 10 years in the game we are learning how to do.

Yang: And I think on a very large scale, what is going to happen is that we are all going to adjust for the fact that we have behaviorally changed because of this idea that we’re seeing ourselves in the third person constantly. For me, personally, I’ve had to wrestle with this idea after being on “SNL” for seven years and having to evaluate myself and having an audience evaluate me every week. I’ve changed behaviorally; I need to get over this fear of being seen. I need to get better about listening to my own voice.

Rogers: The internet is a very weird place and the thing is, it deliberately ignores nuance. It willfully tries to make something seem lowest common denominator, so that there can be a community based around that thing. And that is not good for the world. It’s not good for discourse. It’s not good for our politics. It’s really bad for our politics. Until we can all get on the same page about the ways in which we are willfully misunderstanding each other and calling it discourse, it won’t get better.

Yang: The misunderstandings are about people’s tones, and not necessarily about the things that people are pointing toward.

The 79th Tony Awards went off without a hitch at Radio City Music Hall, Sunday. The show, hosted by Pink, ran just over three hours and was relatively unsurprising when it came to the wins it delivered. Although each year it seems more marquee film and television stars appear in the audience as celebrities of a certain caliber continue to flock to the stage in search of a more authentic—and immediate—connection to their audience.

This year viewers could see Adrien Brody, John Lithgow, Laurie Metcalf, Rose Byrne, Daniel Radcliffe, Nathan Lane, Alden Ehrenreich and more. Despite, or perhaps because of the star power, the show stuck to its expected script with “Schmigadoon!” winning best musical, “Ragtime” best musical revival, “Liberation” best play and “Death of a Salesman” best revival.

Still, the night had enough laughs, groans and tender moments to keep things interesting. Here are seven of our favorites.

Vampires as metaphor for what ails America

Ali Louis Bourzgui used vampires as a metaphor for American folly in his acceptance speech for performance by an actor in a featured role in a musical at the 2026 Tony Awards.

(Theo Wargo / Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)

Who knew vampires made such a good metaphor for America’s worst excesses? When 26-year-old Ali Louis Bourzgui took to the stage at Radio City Music Hall after an upset win for performance by an actor in a featured role in a musical, he used the undead to poignantly describe the country’s biggest sociopolitical challenges.

“Vampires represent those who have shunned their own humanity in order to achieve a nonexistent sense of superiority. The billionaires will never find happiness from their money. The colonizers will never find fulfillment from the land and lives they steal. The fascists will never find meaning from their conformity, not in this lifetime or eternity,” said Bourzgui, who originated the role of David in the musical adaptation of the cult vampire horror film “The Lost Boys.”

—Jessica Gelt

A Tony trifecta for John Lithgow and Laurie Metcalf

John Lithgow won the third Tony Award of his career at the 2026 Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall.

(Theo Wargo / Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)

It’s always a good feeling when actors we have known and love get rewarded by a well-deserved win, and so it was on Sunday night when John Lithgow and Laurie Metcalf took back-to-back wins early in the show. The former for performance by an actor in a leading role in a play for his portrayal of the controversial, beloved British author Roald Dahl in Mark Rosenblatt’s drama “Giant.” The latter for featured actress for her portrayal of Willy Loman’s protective wife, Linda, in “Death of a Salesman.” The plays were quite different, but the winners shared a very specific honor: the night marked the third Tony win for each actor.

Lithgow won his previous trophies in 1972 and 2002, and Metcalf in 2017 and 2018.

—Jessica Gelt

Nathan Lane is an ‘American theatrical treasure’

Nathan Lane accepts the best revival of a play award for “Death of a Salesman” at the 2026 Tony Awards.

(Theo Wargo / Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)

Unless Nathan Lane gets a crack at playing King Lear, his Willy Loman in Joe Mantello’s production of Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” will go down as one of the peak challenges of his acting career. Not winning the Tony for his indefatigable performance must sting, but John Lithgow was favored to win for his brave turn as the baleful Roald Dahl of Mark Rosenblatt’s “Giant.” Lane had to have been prepared but a subtle wince of disappointment could be detected when the camera pryingly caught his immediate reaction.

So it was gratifying to see Lane receive his due from Mantello, who upon accepting his award for directing credited Lane with being the inspiration for the production. And when “Salesman” won for best revival, it was only fitting that Lane accepted the award on behalf of the company about a play that, ultimately, he pointed out, is about a family.

It was a point that Laurie Metcalf, who won for her featured performance as Linda Loman, also raised when she thanked Lane, Christopher Abbott (who played Biff) and Ben Ahlers (who played Happy) —her ferocious Loman family— for making her better.

A three-time Tony-winner already, Lane doesn’t need another trophy to assure him that he’s an American theatrical treasure. But this wasn’t just another Broadway outing for him. This was Miller’s masterwork in a production that will be remembered long after the tally of this year’s Tony Awards are long forgotten.

—Charles McNulty

Joshua Henry is a good person, a great actor and everybody loves him

Joshua Henry won a Tony Award for performance by an actor in a leading role in a musical at the 79th Annual Tony Awards, earning perhaps the most rousing standing ovation of the night.

(Theo Wargo / Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)

The biggest standing ovation of the night came when Joshua Henry won the award for performance by an actor in a leading role in a musical for his critically acclaimed portrayal of Coalhouse Walker Jr. in the revival of “Ragtime.” Wearing a show-stopping black suit with golden flowers, Henry rushed to the stage as the star-studded crowd leapt to its feet to deliver a rousing standing ovation.

Henry first came to the full attention of fans playing Aaron Burr in the 2017 national tour of “Hamilton,” and has since gone on to distinguish himself as one of Broadway’s most charming and relatable stars. His optimism and kindness shine through, as does his fierce love of his art form, which was apparent as he gave his acceptance speech, thanking — in particular — his first vocal coach for believing in him. He also gave a poignant shout-out to the show’s original cast members Brian Stokes Mitchell and Audra McDonald, and sent all the love to his three young sons.

—Jessica Gelt

Pink had fun, but didn’t seem to know why she was there

Neil Patrick Harris and Pink perform during The 79th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall.

(Jenny Anderson / Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)

Pop star Pink kicked off the show with a wink and a nod to her hit “Lady Marmalade,” and went on to wow the audience with an action-packed opener filled with more than 150 performers and riffs from every Broadway show imaginable, plus a spirited appearance by Megan Thee Stallion. But the line that resonated most came early on when she spun hopelessly on a rope above the stage dressed as Peter Pan and a worried Neil Patrick Harris appeared to ask why she was performing in such an old-fashioned show.

“I just want to show how much I love theater even though I’ve never been on Broadway,” Pink said, still dangling, but nailing a few tricks. “I’m just concerned people might be like, ‘Why’s Pink hosting the Tonys?’”

That wasn’t the first time she seemed to be apologizing to the audience for being there.

—Jessica Gelt

Darren Criss gives happy endings

Darren Criss and Nicole Scherzinger joked it up during the 79th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall.

(Theo Wargo / Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)

Darren Criss is a Broadway superstar who consistently delivers “Happy endings,” according to co-presenter Nicole Scherzinger.

In what might have been the show’s most racy and deliciously groan-worthy joke, Scherzinger, stood side-by-side with the “Maybe Happy Endings” star to deliver the penultimate awards of the night, and noted, “You gave the world happy endings.”

“I did?” asked Criss, feigning innocence.

“You’re a giver,” said Scherzinger.

The pair took a beat through bubbling titters from the audience before knowingly yelling, “Happy Pride everyone!”

—Jessica Gelt

Leslie Odom Jr. delivers a moving in memoriam

Leslie Odom Jr. performs the In Memorium tribute during The 79th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall.

(Theo Wargo / Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)

Tony Award winner Leslie Odom Jr. sang a soulful rendition of “Without You” from “Rent” during the ceremony’s In Memoriam segment, which honored artists who died in 2025 and 2026, including Diane Keaton and Robert Redford. These annual segments are mournful — and tricky — and the “Hamilton” star managed to create an understated atmosphere that set the perfect tone for the somber projection of recently lost greats such as Robert Duvall, Tom Stoppard and Carmen de Lavallade.

—Jessica Gelt

The 79th Tony Awards telecast kicked off with a bang by giving out two major awards in the first 30 minutes — and before viewers could blink both John Lithgow and Laurie Metcalf had each won the third Tony Award of their careers.

Lithgow won best performance by an actor in a leading role in a play for his portrayal of the controversial, beloved British author Roald Dahl in Mark Rosenblatt’s poignant drama “Giant,” directed by Nicholas Hytner. Times theater critic Charles McNulty called Lithgow’s performance “at once terrifying and never anything less than human,” and “one of the bravest” of the Broadway season.

Lithogow’s win, however, was far from assured. He was in the running against Nathan Lane in the season’s most talk-about show’s “Death of a Salesman,” and many bets were surely placed on the latter to sweep.

Lithogow is among a cadre of accomplished film and television actors who have a deep love of the stage. His first Tony win came for best featured actor in a play for his 1972 Broadway debut in “The Changing Room.” His second came 30 years later in 2002 when he he won for best actor in a musical for “Sweet Smell of Success.”

Metcalf won best featured actress for her portrayal of Willie Loman’s protective wife, Linda Loman, in “Death of a Salesman.” This is Metcalf’s third win in less than a decade, and was not a surprise as she has inherited “Helen Hayes’ mantle of First Lady of the American Theater,” according to McNulty.

Perhaps that explains her perfunctory, somewhat rote speech — which still didn’t detract from the joy of her win. Viewers know a towering talent when they see one.

Lithgow, to the contrary, was clearly stunned — and deeply honored.

“I’ve had dozens and dozens of static, ecstatic moments on stage, but I have to tell you right now, this moment has got to be one of the best,” he said as he held his award.

MEGAN Thee Stallion nearly blew the roof off Radio City Music Hall after gracing the 2026 Tony Awards stage in barely-there lingerie during the ceremony’s wild opening number.

The rapper bent over in a Moulin Rouge-inspired look and showed off her signature twerking skills before dropping an F-bomb during the live awards show that was televised on CBS and Paramount+ on Sunday night. 

Megan, 31, made a surprise appearance during host Pink’s massive Broadway-themed opener on Sunday night, instantly becoming one of the most talked-about moments of the 79th Annual Tony Awards.

The music superstar strutted onto the stage in a sparkling black corset bodysuit complete with fishnet tights, dramatic garters, sequined detailing and towering heels.

She channeled full Parisian cabaret energy inspired by her recent run in Moulin Rouge! The Musical on Broadway.

The Grammy winner joined Pink during a remixed performance of Lady Marmalade, the signature Moulin Rouge anthem, as dancers swarmed the stage in feathered costumes and red velvet-inspired looks.

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At several points during the performance, Megan dropped into twerk breaks – which resulted in roaring applause from the crowd.

At another point, the camera cut to stunned audience members cheering and laughing as the Houston-born rapper was bleeped after dropping an F-bomb.

The over-the-top opening number featured more than 170 Broadway performers and included tributes to Moulin Rouge!, Chicago, Rent, A Chorus Line and several of the night’s biggest nominated productions.

Pink, who is hosting the Tonys for the first time ever, kicked things off flying over the audience in a Peter Pan costume and harness before launching into a theatrical mashup packed with celebrity cameos.

Mormon Wives breakout Whitney Leavitt also popped up during the opening dressed in her Roxie Hart costume from Chicago, while Lea Michele belted out surprise vocals during the sprawling musical performance.

Fans immediately flooded social media praising the campy energy of the opener – and Megan quickly emerged as the breakout star of the night.

“One thing Megan Thee Stallion is gonna do is commit to the performance,” one fan wrote on X alongside fire emoji’s.

Another viewer posted: “Megan twerking at the Tony Awards was NOT on my bingo card but she ate.”

A third fan joked: “Broadway just became the Hot Girl Theater.”

Others praised Pink for embracing the over-the-top antics of the Tonys opener, with one viewer calling it “the most fun opening number in years.”

Megan’s appearance comes just weeks after wrapping her history-making stint in Moulin Rouge! The Musical, where she became the first female-identifying performer ever to play the role of Zidler in any production of the show worldwide.

The 2026 Tony Awards aired live on CBS and Paramount+ from New York City’s Radio City Music Hall.

The show that has had everyone clamoring for tickets this spring, Joe Mantello’s cobweb-clearing production of Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman,” won, as expected, for best revival.

Mantello, who received a Tony for his direction (his third such award), swept away the cliches that have accumulated around this American classic to reveal a “Salesman” like none we’ve experienced before. The Loman family home isn’t depicted in a literal fashion but instead fluidly suggested in a warehouse space that allows the actors to move unfetteredly between past and present. (The physical production was honored with awards for Mikaal Sulaiman’s sound design, Jack Knowles’ lighting and Chloe Lamford’s scenic design.)

Laurie Metcalf, confirming her standing as the First Lady of the American Theater, won for her portrayal of Linda Loman, a more formidable than usual interpretation of Willy’s stalwart wife. Metcalf, who endowed her characterization with a sharp-edged autonomy and transfixing gravitas, added another Tony to her two previous acting wins (“Three Tall Women,” “A Doll’s House, Part II”).

Joe Mantello wins the Tony for his direction of “Death of a Salesman.”

(Evelyn Freja / For The Times)

Nathan Lane was in a tight race with John Lithgow, who won for his ruthlessly uncompromising portrayal of a wrathful and dyspeptic Roald Dahl in Mark Rosenblatt’s “Giant.” Lane’s Willy leaves a lasting memory in “Salesman,” but it would be hard to imagine “Giant” having the same impact without Lithgow, who provides a terrifying human foundation to this explosive play about a writer’s political commitments tipping over into toxic antisemitism. (The performance slips into a sinkhole of animus in the uncanny way of one of Dahl’s recognizably terrifying, psychologically plausible stories.) In his almost but not quite valedictory acceptance speech, the 80-year-old Lithgow acknowledged that this Tony win, his third, comes 53 years after his first — and feels every bit as satisfying.

Aya Cash and John Lithgow in “Giant.”

(Joan Marcus)

Rather than a slight to Lane, Lithgow’s win is a sign of the dramatic depth that characterized this otherwise squirrely season. Indeed, Lithgow’s performance was as thrilling to experience as that of British powerhouse Lesley Manville, who won for her portrayal of Jocasta in Robert Icke’s modern reworking of “Oedipus.” The play was categorized by the Tony committee as a revival, but it’s really an original drama — one that gave rise to one of the most enthralling productions of the year.

In a season lifted up by Bess Wohl’s magnificent “Liberation” and capacious enough to include a first-rate “Salesman,” a searing “Oedipus” and a smartly contentious “Giant,” it should be no surprise that there were more great performances than statuettes to dole out.

It was a strange year on Broadway, but then it’s been strange everywhere. Our world at times seems downright unrecognizable, with politicians acting like mob bosses, AI transforming not just the internet but potentially the entire economy, the cost of living leaving only the super rich able to keep up, and I won’t even mention the climate crisis, but the forecast calls for more doom and gloom.

Good work, however, won’t be denied, even if Broadway producers have perhaps overlearned the lesson of last year’s sleeper, Cole Escola’s “Oh, Mary!” Parody with a heavy dose of camp has become all the rage in a theatrical season in which the best musical winner, “Schmigadoon!,” is an affectionate sendup of golden age classics by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Loewe and their inspired descendants.

If Broadway is changing faster than the old guard can keep pace, the same is true for the culture in general. The economics of producing have scrambled the old playbooks. Unusual risk has occasionally brought unexpected rewards. “Schmigadoon!” fended off the competition to take the night’s top prize along with awards for both its book and score by Cinco Paul.

Michael Arden’s spectacular production of “The Lost Boys” — the staging won awards for Dane Laffrey’s scenic design and Jen Schriever and Arden’s lighting — enriched the 1980s cult film on which the show is based with human substance and high-flying showmanship. Shoshana Bean’s win for her featured performance as a persevering single mom, is a testament to the musical’s capacious heart. Ali Louis Bourzgui’s somewhat unexpected yet eminently worthy triumph for his featured performance as the vampire with front-man magnetism, catalyzed the production’s thrilling virtuosity. But few would describe this year’s ragtag selection of new musicals as robust.

The only overriding lesson may be that there are no overriding lessons. Two-time Oscar winner Adrien Brody made his Broadway debut in “The Fear of 13,” reprising his acclaimed Olivier-nominated London performance. But he didn’t even receive a nomination for his work — a snub that I found unaccountable.

Spoofs like best musical nominee “Titanique,” a zany burlesque of James Cameron’s “Titanic” and all things Celine Dion, found new respectability on Broadway. And “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York”), the two-person British musical by Jim Barne and Kit Buchan, endeared itself to audiences (if not so much to Tony voters) with its rom-com appeal. But what does it say about a season in which musical revivals upstaged new work?

“Ragtime,” the Lincoln Center Theatre production directed by Lear deBessonet that originated at New York City Center, was not only the most operatic offering of the season but was all the most emotionally stirring and dramatically ambitious. The show, which justly received the Tony for best musical revival contained perhaps the season’s most seismic tour de force. Joshua Henry’s Tony-winning lead performance as Coalhouse Walker Jr., the path-breaking pianist tragically ahead of his time, was astonishing in both its theatrical might and its generosity, which allowed everyone around him to shine, especially Caissie Levy, who picked up a Tony for her lead performance as a white matriarch whose political consciousness courageously awakens.

“Cats: The Jellicle Ball” pulled off the seemingly impossible by making Andrew Lloyd Webber’s megamusical look cool on Broadway. The production’s radical concept brings the queer audacity of Harlem Ballroom culture to these feline proceedings. For their imaginative daring, co-directors Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch were justly honored as were costume designer Qween Jean and choreographers Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons, among the production’s notable awards.

“Chess,” which was strangely overlooked in the best musical revival category (“The Rocky Horror Show” strutted in instead), may not have managed to overcome the challenge of this over-elaborate geopolitical tale, even with a puckish new book. But the production made Nicholas Christopher a likely future Tony winner star.

What was old was new again on Broadway, but let’s hope that producers can still believe that the best is ahead of us.

LUKE Evans caused the Tony Awards audience to blush and sent social media spiraling after performing in a scandalously skimpy Frank-N-Furter costume live on CBS.

The Beauty and the Beast actor left little to the imagination, wearing just a tiny black jockstrap, a leather corset and sky-high heels for Sunday night’s Rocky Horror Show performance. 

During the 79th Tony Awards held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, the ceremony paid tribute to the hit Broadway revival of The Rocky Horror Show. 

Luke, 47, emerged through a cloud of smoke to perform his starring role as the iconic Dr. Frank-N-Furter with glam-rock chaos in full force.

He completed the sexy look with fishnet stockings, elbow-length gloves, dramatic stage makeup and the crystal-covered corset before launching into a raunchy rendition of the track Sweet Transvestite alongside the cast.

At one point during the performance, the Welsh actor spun around to flash the crowd in the barely-there costume while grinding across the stage and dramatically whipping off a velvet cape to reveal the jockstrap underneath.

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The raunchy performance instantly sent social media into a meltdown as viewers praised Luke for fully committing to the campy cult-classic character.

“Luke Evans shaking his d**k and a** on stage at the Tony Awards while wearing his slutty Rocky Horror Frank-N-Furter costume…this is what Pride Month is all about!” one fan wrote on X.

Another viewer joked: “I did NOT expect Luke Evans in six-inch heels and a corset at the Tonys but now I never want him to take it off.”

A third person posted: “Broadway Luke Evans might be his most powerful form yet.”

Luke has been starring as Frank-N-Furter in the Broadway revival of The Rocky Horror Show since previews began earlier this spring, with the production officially having its opening back in April at the Hudson Theatre.

The actor previously admitted he spent months preparing physically for the demanding role, which includes elaborate choreography, live vocals and multiple quick-change costume moments throughout the show.

Frank-N-Furter, the provocative alien scientist at the center of Rocky Horror, was originally made famous by Tim Curry in the 1975 cult-classic film adaptation.

Now, Luke has made it his own, putting a darker and more seductive spin on the iconic role.

While Luke may be stirring up conversation on Broadway these days, the actor has spent years building an impressive resume across film, television and theater.

Many fans recognize the star as the villainous Gaston in Disney’s 2017 live-action Beauty and the Beast opposite Emma Watson, where his booming musical vocals and cocky swagger made him a standout.

He also starred as Bard the Bowman in The Hobbit trilogy and played the sinister Owen Shaw in Fast & Furious 6 before later reprising the role in the franchise’s spinoff projects.

On television, Luke has taken on darker dramatic roles in projects including The Alienist, Nine Perfect Strangers and Hulu’s true-crime miniseries Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue.

Broadway audiences, meanwhile, have long known Luke for his powerhouse stage vocals. 

Before his Hollywood breakthrough, he starred in major London West End productions including Rent, Miss Saigon, Avenue Q and Piaf.

His turn as Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Show marks Luke’s splashiest return to the stage in years – and judging by the positive Tony Awards reaction, audiences are fully embracing his comeback.

The actor’s Tony Awards appearance quickly became one of the night’s most viral moments alongside Megan Thee Stallion’s Moulin Rouge-inspired twerking performance and host Pink’s over-the-top opening number.

The 79th Annual Tony Awards aired live Sunday night from Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

Ali Louis Bourzgui scored an upset win for performance by an actor in a featured role in a musical for originating the role of David in the musical adaptation of the cult vampire horror film, “The Lost Boys.”

As viewers scrambled to keep their score cards straight — André De Shields was favored to take the trophy for his work in “Cats: The Jellicle Ball” — the 26-year-old Bourzgui went on to deliver the night’s most impassioned, and pointedly political speech.

He began by noting that, “Vampires represent those who have shunned their own humanity in order to achieve a non-existent sense of superiority. The billionaires will never find happiness from their money. The colonizers will never find fulfillment from the land and lives they steal. The fascists will never find meaning from their conformity, not in this lifetime or eternity.”

Through the cheers of an invigorated audience, Bourzgui went on to talk about how “theater is one of the last places people can come to worship the power of true collective human presence.”

At its best, he said, theater helps us see ourselves in a stranger’s story.

“This is dedicated to the beautiful tapestry of immigrant families who make this country really special. May you one day not have to audition for the empathy that should be freely given by this country that benefits from your beauty, for the queer and trans communities who will exist, no matter what people in power try to take away from them.”

Bourzgui, whose father immigrated to America from Morocco, went on to pay tribute to Palestine and his own Arab heritage.

“For the people of Palestine, who deserve a free life, a full life without occupation, for Arabs and their makers and artists, may we continue to tell our stories and show our faces. Our humanity becomes undeniable, and our families can no longer be written off as merely collateral damage, may they know the beauty of our kisses upon his cheek and the romance of a language rooted in passion for love and life itself.”

He wrapped up this speech with a plea for love and empathy.

“If there’s one thing we can learn from vampires, it’s that life is short, but that’s it’s a gift. Find beauty in the ephemeral and gratitude in what is not promised, and always invest in the people that want to see you blossom into your truest self, and hold that space for them in return.”

BROADWAY’S biggest night turned into a full-blown fashion parade as Hollywood heavyweights, theater legends and music royalty stormed the 2026 Tony Awards red carpet in jaw-dropping style.

From Rose Byrne serving her signature sleek sophistication to Sarah Paulson embracing bolder glam, Sunday night’s carpet outside New York City’s iconic Radio City Music Hall was packed with headline-making looks.

The 79th Annual Tony Awards, hosted for the first time by pop superstar Pink, celebrated the best of Broadway while also doubling as one of the year’s flashiest celebrity fashion events.

Pink arrived ready to command the stage in a dramatic black gown featuring oversized petal-inspired ruffles and a blue floral hairpiece.

The host brought along husband Carey Hart and their children for her major Tony debut.

Meanwhile, Rose Byrne, who is nominated this year for her Broadway debut in Fallen Angels, stunned in a monochromatic coordinated look alongside longtime partner Bobby Cannavale.

The Bridesmaids star’s polished ensemble leaned classic Old Hollywood while still keeping things modern and sharp.

Sarah Paulson also turned heads with a colorful fashion-forward ensemble that instantly became one the favorites from fans. 

But one of the biggest buzz moments came courtesy of Aubrey Plaza, who officially debuted her pregnancy on the red carpet while attending with her partner, Christopher Abbott. 

The White Lotus alum showed off her baby bump in a black-and-white striped gown while Chris kept things classic in a velvet black suit.

Elsewhere on the carpet, stars including Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Queen Latifah, Leslie Odom Jr., Adrien Brody, Maya Rudolph and Bernadette Peters all brought Broadway-worthy glamour to the arrivals line.

Rachel Zegler also made a dramatic entrance ahead of her upcoming Broadway run in Evita, rocking a daring plunging brown gown that quickly lit up social media.

Julianne Hough floated onto the carpet in a draped white gown that hugged her frame before cascading into a Grecian-inspired silhouette.

The DWTS host completed the ethereal look with sleek black heels and a sharp bob.

Maya Rudolph embraced glamour in a flowing dark ensemble with dramatic tailoring following her record-breaking run as Mary Todd Lincoln in the critically acclaimed Oh, Mary! 

Drew Barrymore brought classic movie-star energy to Broadway’s biggest night, dazzling in a whimsical gown complete with soft waves and sparkling jewels. 

Cole Escola, who is never one to play it safe, once again stole the show in hot pink balloon-style jumpsuit that felt ripped straight from an avant-garde stage production.

Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Whitney Leavitt, who was also part of the night’s Chicago anniversary tribute lineup, sparkled in a shimmering silver look with sheer detailing. 

Live with Kelly and Mark hosts, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, stepped out for a date night as they were both dressed to the nines to support this years’ Tony nominees.

Broadway darling Lea Michele looked stunning in a multi-colored dress with a white top and sequin-black skirt.

This year’s ceremony honored the best productions from the 2025-26 Broadway season, with musicals The Lost Boys and Schmigadoon! leading the pack with 12 nominations each. 

The revival of Ragtime also emerged as a major contender, while Death of a Salesman dominated the play categories with nine nominations.

Big acting nominees this year included Rose Byrne for Fallen Angels, Daniel Radcliffe for Every Brilliant Thing, Carrie Coon for Bug and Christopher Abbott for Death of a Salesman.

The awards ceremony aired live on CBS and streamed on Paramount+, with Pink opening the show in an elaborate musical performance featuring more than 170 Broadway performers.

The 79th Tony Awards return to Radio City Music Hall on Sunday to celebrate the best of Broadway. Pop-star Pink hosts the show for the first time, and while she hasn’t been on Broadway yet herself, her songs have been featured in the musicals “Moulin Rouge!” and “& Juliet.”

The broadcast airs air live beginning at 5 p.m. on CBS and Paramount+, but don’t sleep on the annual pre-show, “The Tony Awards: Act One,” where the first round of Tonys will be presented. It will stream live on free service Pluto TV starting at 3:35 p.m. and be hosted by Tony Award nominee Laura Benanti and actor Tituss Burgess.

Times staff writer Eloise Rollins-Fife wrote a complete guide on how to watch and everything you need to know.

Play

“The Balusters”
“Giant”
“Liberation”
“Little Bear Ridge Road”

Musical

“The Lost Boys”
“Schmigadoon!”
“Titaníque”
“Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)”

Revival of a play

Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman”
Gina Gionfriddo, “Becky Shaw”
Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe, “Every Brilliant Thing”
“Fallen Angels”
Robert Icke, “Oedipus”

Revival of a musical

“Cats: The Jellicle Ball”
“Ragtime”
Richard O’Brien’s “The Rocky Horror Show”

Performance by an actress in a leading role in a musical

Sara Chase, “Schmigadoon!”
Stephanie Hsu, “The Rocky Horror Show”
Caissie Levy, “Ragtime”
Marla Mindelle, “Titaníque”
Christiani Pitts, “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)”

Performance by an actor in a leading role in a musical

Nicholas Christopher, “Chess”
Luke Evans, “The Rocky Horror Show”
Joshua Henry, “Ragtime”
Sam Tutty, “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)”
Brandon Uranowitz, “Ragtime”

Performance by an actress in a leading role in a play

Rose Byrne, “Fallen Angels”
Carrie Coon, “Bug”
Susannah Flood, “Liberation”
Lesley Manville, “Oedipus”
Kelli O’Hara, “Fallen Angels”

Performance by an actor in a leading role in a play

Will Harrison, “Punch”
Nathan Lane, “Death of a Salesman”
John Lithgow, “Giant”
Daniel Radcliffe, “Every Brilliant Thing”
Mark Strong, “Oedipus”

Book of a musical

David Hornsby and Chris Hoch, “The Lost Boys”
Cinco Paul, “Schmigadoon!”
Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousouli and Tye Blue, “Titaníque”
Jim Barne and Kit Buchan, “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)”

Original score

Music: Caroline Shaw, “Death of a Salesman”
Music: Steve Bargonetti, “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”
Music and lyrics: The Rescues, “The Lost Boys”
Music and lyrics: Cinco Paul, “Schmigadoon!”
Music and lyrics: Jim Barne and Kit Buchan, “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)”

Performance by an actor in a featured role in a play

Christopher Abbott, “Death of a Salesman”
Danny Burstein, “Marjorie Prime”
Brandon J. Dirden, “Waiting for Godot”
Alden Ehrenreich, “Becky Shaw”
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”
Richard Thomas, “The Balusters”

Performance by an actress in a featured role in a play

Betsy Aidem, “Liberation”
Marylouise Burke, “The Balusters”
Aya Cash, “Giant”
Laurie Metcalf, “Death of a Salesman”
June Squibb, “Marjorie Prime”

Performance by an actor in a featured role in a musical

Ali Louis Bourzgui, “The Lost Boys”
André De Shields, “Cats: The Jellicle Ball”
Bryce Pinkham, “Chess”
Ben Levi Ross, “Ragtime”
Layton Williams, “Titaníque”

Performance by an actress in a featured role in a musical

Shoshana Bean, “The Lost Boys”
Hannah Cruz, “Chess”
Rachel Dratch, “The Rocky Horror Show”
Ana Gasteyer, “Schmigadoon!”
Nichelle Lewis, “Ragtime”

Scenic design of a play

Hildegard Bechtler, “Oedipus”
Takeshi Kata, “Bug”
David Korins, “Dog Day Afternoon”
Chloe Lamford, “Death of a Salesman”
David Rockwell, “Fallen Angels”

Scenic design of a musical

dots, “The Rocky Horror Show”
Soutra Gilmour, “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)”
Rachel Hauck, “Cats: The Jellicle Ball”
Dane Laffrey, “The Lost Boys”
Scott Pask, “Schmigadoon!”

Costume design of a play

Brenda Abbandandolo, “Dog Day Afternoon”
Qween Jean, “Liberation”
Jeff Mahshie, “Fallen Angels”
Emilio Sosa, “The Balusters”
Paul Tazewell, “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”

Costume design of a musical

Linda Cho, “Ragtime”
Linda Cho, “Schmigadoon!”
Qween Jean, “Cats: The Jellicle Ball”
Ryan Park, “The Lost Boys”
David I. Reynoso, “The Rocky Horror Show”

Lighting design of a play

Isabella Byrd, “Dog Day Afternoon”
Natasha Chivers, “Oedipus”
Stacey Derosier, “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”
Heather Gilbert, “Bug”
Heather Gilbert, “The Fear of 13”
Jack Knowles, “Death of a Salesman”

Lighting design of a musical

Kevin Adams, “Chess”
Jane Cox, “The Rocky Horror Show”
Donald Holder, “Schmigadoon!”
Adam Honoré, “Cats: The Jellicle Ball”
Adam Honoré and Donald Holder with 59 Studio, “Ragtime”
Jen Schriever and Michael Arden, “The Lost Boys”

Sound design of a play

Justin Ellington, “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”
Tom Gibbons, “Oedipus”
Lee Kinney, “The Fear of 13”
Josh Schmidt, “Bug”
Mikaal Sulaiman, “Death of a Salesman”

Sound design of a musical

Kai Harada, “Cats: The Jellicle Ball”
Kai Harada, “Ragtime”
Adam Fisher, “The Lost Boys”
Brian Ronan, “The Rocky Horror Show”
Walter Trarbach, “Schmigadoon!”

Direction of a play

Nicholas Hytner, “Giant”
Robert Icke, “Oedipus”
Kenny Leon, “The Balusters”
Joe Mantello, “Death of A Salesman”
Whitney White, “Liberation”

Direction of a musical

Michael Arden, “The Lost Boys”
Lear deBessonet, “Ragtime”
Christopher Gattelli, “Schmigadoon!”
Tim Jackson, “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)”
Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, “Cats: The Jellicle Ball”

Choreography

Christopher Gattelli, “Schmigadoon!”
Ellenore Scott, “Ragtime”
Ani Taj, “The Rocky Horror Show”
Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons, “Cats: The Jellicle Ball”
Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant, “The Lost Boys”

Orchestrations

Doug Besterman and Mike Morris, “Schmigadoon!”
Ethan Popp, Kyler England, Adrianne “AG” Gonzalez and Gabriel Mann, “The Lost Boys”
Lux Pyramid, “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)”
Brian Usifer, “Chess”
Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Wilson, Trevor Holder and Doug Schadt, “Cats: The Jellicle Ball”

It’s Broadway’s time to shine Sunday when the 79th Tony Awards take New York City.

Broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall, the night promises plenty of onstage drama and hopefully some real-life intrigue. The number of new Broadway productions this year — 30 — shrunk from last year’s 42, but there are still some standout shows and performances to watch out for, from flashy revivals like “Cats: The Jellicle Ball” to Laurie Metcalf’s stunning turns in both “Death of a Salesman” and “Little Bear Ridge Road.”

Grammy Award winner Pink is hosting for the first time, and though the pop star lacks direct Broadway roots, her songs have been featured in the jukebox musicals “Moulin Rouge!” and “& Juliet.”

Here’s everything else you should know about this year’s ceremony, including how to tune in.

How can I watch?

The three-hour awards ceremony will air live on CBS on Sunday at 5 p.m. Paramount+ premium-level subscribers can also stream it on the app, while those with other membership tiers can watch the show on-demand after it airs.

The annual pre-show, “The Tony Awards: Act One,” will stream live on free service Pluto TV at 3:35 p.m. that same day. It is hosted by Tony Award nominee Laura Benanti and actor Tituss Burgess and includes the first round of Tony Award presentations.

Who is performing?

This year’s opening number, a show-stopping Tonys tradition, will feature more than 170 Broadway performers. It’s choreographed by Sarah O’Gleby and written by Benj Pasek, Justin Paul and Mark Sonnenblick.

As always, casts from the productions nominated for best musical — “The Lost Boys,” “Schmigadoon!,” “Titaníque” and “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)” — and for best revival of a musical — “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” “Ragtime” and Richard O’Brien’s “The Rocky Horror Show” — will perform during the ceremony.

Rachel Zegler will pay tribute to “A Chorus Line” and Tony Award winner Leslie Odom Jr. will perform “Without You” from “Rent” to honor the show’s 30th anniversary as well as those in the theater community who have died this year.

The “Chicago” revival will also celebrate its 30th anniversary on Broadway with a performance from stars including Queen Latifah, who was nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal of Matron Mama Morton in the show’s 2002 film adaptation, and Tony Awards host Pink. The entire original cast of “The Book of Mormon,” including Tony Award nominees Josh Gad, Andrew Rannells and Rory O’Malley and Tony winner Nikki M. James, will also perform in celebration of the show’s 15th anniversary on Broadway.

Who is presenting?

Notable stars of stage, screen and music presenting awards include Grammy Award winner Megan Thee Stallion, who made her Broadway debut this year in “Moulin Rouge!”; Nicole Scherzinger, who won a Tony last year for her performance in the revival of “Sunset Boulevard”; and Academy Award winner Adrien Brody.

You can find the star-studded presenter lineup here.

What is nominated?

“Schmigadoon!” and “The Lost Boys,” both nominated for best musical, lead the pack with 12 nominations each going into Sunday’s awards ceremony. The “Ragtime” revival trails with 11 nominations, and lauded revivals “Death of a Salesman,” “Cats: The Jellicle Ball” and “The Rocky Horror Show” are each nominated for nine awards.

Find a full list of nominees here.

PRINCESS Andre and Christine McGuinness lead the arrivals at this year’s British LGBT Awards.

The glam stars both stunned on the red carpet as they dazzled in strapless frocks at the annual star-studded event.

Reality TV star Princess looked a vision as she wowed the photographers in a gorgeous strapless white gown.

Her flawless outfit featured cut-out detailing around her hips as she flashed a smile on the carpet – just hours after making her This Morning presenting debut.

Princess’ long blonde locks flowed down to her hips as she mingled with stars including Christine McGuinness at the event.

Christine opted for a similar white outfit which also showed off her shoulders thanks to its strapless design.

Read More on Princess Andre

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PETE’S FAN CLUB

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The former wife of Paddy McGuinness has been open about her dating life in recent months and has affirmed her decision to concentrate on dating women following her 15-year marriage to the TV host.

Princess and Christine weren’t the only stars who flocked to Marriott Grosvenor Square for the event.

Coronation Street legend Helen Worth – who quit the soap as Gail Platt after 50 years in 2024 – made a very rare red carpet appearance at the event.

Helen – who often shuns showbiz events – looked immaculate in a long dress with floral detailing.

I’m A Celebrity star Tom Read Wilson also reunited with his jungle pal Ruby Wax at the event.

Ruby was in charge of keeping things in order as the host of the event which marks celebrations and achievements for LGBT individuals and organisations across music, business, celebrity other aspects of everyday life.

TV presenter Rylan also attended the bash alongside former BGT judge Bruno Tonioli and former WAG, Lizzie Cundy.

Ruby Wax will be with Tom Read Wilson as they host the British LGBT Awards together

Ruby Wax will be with Tom Read Wilson as they host the British LGBT Awards together. The comedienne, 73, competed alongside Celebs Go Dating star Tom, 39, on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! towards the end of last year.

Ahead of teaming up with her jungle campmate, Ruby teased that there is a lot to come from the “glamorous” evening, which all kicks off in London on Thursday night.

She said: “Glamour, chaos and emotion, as well as me trying not to say anything that gets me cancelled before dessert! But seriously, it’s going to be a celebration of brilliant people doing extraordinary things. There’ll be laughter, there’ll be tears, and there’ll probably be someone giving a speech that makes everybody rethink their life choices.”

The star, who has had a stellar career in stand up comedy and worked on Absolutely Fabulous with Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley, was then asked why “visibility” was still so important in this day and age.

She said :”Because visibility changes lives. When people see themselves represented, honestly and proudly, it gives them permission to exist fully. We’ve made progress, but progress can’t be something we assume is permanent. Events like the British LGBT Awards remind people that community matters, ally ship matters and joy matters too!”

Meanwhile, Tom, who has also appeared on This Morning, and presented a host of one-off documentaries, insisted that the whole thing meant “more” than a typical awards ceremony.

He said: “It feels profoundly special. I’ve always believed that visibility is a kind of kindness, and being here among so many extraordinary people who are actively shaping a more inclusive world is humbling.

“This isn’t just an awards ceremony – it is a celebration of courage and community. To play even a small role in that feels like a real privilege.”

Some of the biggest names leading this year’s awards, include Wicked star Jonathan Bailey, Loose Women panellist GK Barry and former X Factor host Dermot O’Leary. They are joined by an influential and diverse mix of nominees spanning entertainment, sport, media and activism, all recognised for their powerful contributions to advancing LGBTQ+ equality.

Additional standout nominees include Charlie xcx, Claudia Winkleman, and Jill Scott MBE, further cementing this year’s ceremony as a landmark moment for representation and recognition.

Rebecca Twomey, Head of Showbiz at the Mirror said: “We’re thrilled to put our support behind this incredible award ceremony which champions the LGBTQ+ community. The Mirror is all about bringing people together and championing all voices from the heart of Britain.”

The glittering ceremony will take place on 28 May 2026 in London, bringing together celebrities, business leaders, campaigners and community champions for an unforgettable evening celebrating progress, pride and possibility.

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It’s been a big year for Seth Rogen’s Point Grey Pictures.

The 15-year-old production company founded by Rogen, his childhood friend and longtime collaborator Evan Goldberg and producer James Weaver is coming off a huge awards season for its comedy, “The Studio.”

The Apple TV series, which simultaneously pokes fun at the institutions of Hollywood while also peeling back some of the industry’s mystery, is now the most-awarded new comedy in TV history.

“The Studio” has won 13 Emmys, a BAFTA TV award in the international category, two Golden Globes and three Critics Choice awards. It’s currently filming its second season, with most details still under wraps.

I spoke with Rogen, Goldberg and Weaver about the success of the show, which primarily films on the Warner Bros. lot, and what’s next for Point Grey.

On all those awards?

“We’ve never, literally, won any awards before this, so I by no means expected this,” Rogen said, with a chuckle. “I hoped people would creatively recognize that we were really swinging for the fences, but awards were not really something that I was thinking that much about.”

In the show, the Canadian actor and comedian plays beleaguered movie studio head Matt Remick, who must balance the art of filmmaking with the economics of the business. In a nod to Hollywood’s pull toward intellectual property, one storyline focuses on the studio embarking on a movie about the Kool-Aid Man, which Rogen’s character only reluctantly agrees to pursue.

It’s not all about the money

“To me, what is interesting, and what people don’t seem to think about Hollywood, is that the people involved in it actually care about movies, even the ones who make bad ones, even the ones who make choices that stop good ones from being made,” Rogen said. “If you really just wanted to make money, there are much easier ways to make money where you don’t have to deal with people like me.”

He also noted that there’s a role for movies such as the fictional Kool-Aid flick.

“You could argue it’s the Kool-Aids of the world that keep theaters open,” Rogen said. “It’s our fake Kool-Aid movie that allows smaller movies to exist and allows theaters to take risks on smaller movies.”

Remembering comedy

“The Studio” also stemmed from a desire to make a pure comedy, despite the tough time comedies have had recently in the marketplace.

“We just all agreed that we wanted to make something that was just funny,” Goldberg told me. “It just felt like the world stopped making those, and we just wanted to make something that when you tuned in, was just absolutely hilarious.”

A serious L.A. business

Los Angeles-based Point Grey, which has 15 employees, is named for the Canadian school where Rogen and Goldberg met (the first project they wrote together, which became 2007’s “Superbad,” was based on their experiences there). Despite their comedic reputations, the more serious-sounding company name was deliberate so it could be used with any kind of project.

In fact, the company got its start with the Joseph Gordon-Levitt-led dramedy “50/50” about a 20-something who learns he has cancer. Over the years, Point Grey’s projects have spanned genres, including supernatural series “Preacher,” 2016’s “Sausage Party,” the satirical superhero show “The Boys” and biographical mini-series “Pam and Tommy.”

A Point Grey project is “genuinely original” and “daring,” said Weaver, Rogen’s former assistant who now serves as president of the company, which has a first-look film deal with Universal Pictures and a first-look TV deal with Lionsgate. He declined to discuss financials but said the company is profitable.

“We’ve managed to be really productive in terms of the amount of things that we’ve made, and we try to be smart about how we run our financials,” Weaver said. “The company is doing quite well.”

Point Grey is in production on “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem”; just wrapped a romantic comedy for Amazon MGM Studios starring Cameron Diaz and Stephen Merchant; and recently screened an animated film at Cannes called “Tangles” that’s based on a graphic novel about Alzheimer’s.

The production company may eventually expand into video games (“We love video games,” Goldberg told me), and plan to continue to navigate the changes in Hollywood, which is reeling from a continued drought in local production that my colleague Stacy Perman and I wrote about recently.

“Personally, I feel like people are very fatalistic about the trajectory of the industry, but it’s not like the industry is going down, the industry is just changing,” Goldberg said. “We just are very flexible and embrace the change, and hopefully in doing so, we don’t get left behind.”

Stuff We Wrote

Number of the week

After 1,810 episodes as the host of “The Late Show,” Stephen Colbert signed off for the final time Thursday.

CBS has said it canceled Colbert because the show was losing $40 million a year as viewers have increasingly migrated away from late-night viewing in the streaming era.

But many in the TV business are skeptical of the claim and believe Skydance wanted to silence Colbert, a frequent Trump critic, to pave the way for its deal last year to acquire parent network Paramount. (The Federal Communications Commission’s approval of the transaction came days after the show’s cancellation was announced.)

My colleague, Stephen Battaglio, has written about what the future of late-night TV talk shows will now look like.

What I’m watching

I watched the “Survivor 50” finale Wednesday with some friends, despite only watching two episodes this season (or ever). It was fun seeing the drama unfold, though I was, like everyone else, shocked at that “last twist” of Jeff Probst accidentally spoiling who lost in the final fire-making challenge.

The nation’s financial advisor admitted there was a connection between the date he found himself writing his awards acceptance speech and the day his mum died when he was a young boy

Martin Lewis has reflected on his childhood as a “broken, scared boy” who “barely left the house” as he picked up a BAFTA special award for his work in the TV industry.

The financial journalist and broadcaster, 54, was acknowledged for his dedication to helping the nation change the way it thinks about money, and had previously been hailed by Bafta as “the most trusted man on television”.

The Money Saving Expert gave an emotional speech after being presented with the prize by Richard Osman, during the award show at Royal Festival Hall on Sunday night.

The Manchester-born broadcaster opened his speech by joking that his Martin Lewis Money Show on ITV, which he has hosted since 2012, is “basically a powerpoint presentation with a Q&A after”.

He added: “TV doesn’t have to be format-driven. People will embrace something actionable, something real, something that helps. They will even embrace complexity, if we make it worth it.”

Growing visibly emotional, Lewis admitted he wrote the speech on Thursday, 42 years after his mother’s sudden death days before his 12th birthday.

He said: “For six years, barring school, I barely left the house. Now I’m picking up a BAFTA. For all those of you out there struggling with your own demons, know this: life can be transformed, it can get better.

“If you had told that broken, scared boy that I’d proudly be a campaigning journalist, his jaw would have dropped. So I dedicate this to consumer journalism, where I found my fire.”

Lewis continued: “It’s not seen as sexy, sadly, but in recent years, it’s helped people navigate pandemic support, pushed governments to backtrack on energy hikes, legislate against scam ads – though far more is needed on that – and against aggressive, destructive council tax debt collection and far more.”

He also issued a plea to Rachel Reeves, criticising the “morally wrong” freezing of the repayment threshold for plan 2 student loans, which is due next year, saying: “Chancellor, please.”

He continued: “That power to hold power to account with trust and impartiality is needed more than ever in our fractured world.”

Lewis wrapped up the speech by thanking his viewers, who “don’t just watch, but act and save a shedload” and that his audience is “what keeps me doing this”.

He also thanked his wife of almost 20 years, Lara Lewington, and their daughter Sapphire. Through his decades-long career as a financial expert, Lewis has become known as a consumer champion who provides tips on issues such as debt and consumer rights through his broadcasting work and his website.

He was made an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2014 and a CBE in the New Year Honours in 2022, for his services to consumer rights and charitable services.

The BAFTA special award is one of the academy’s highest honours and previous recipients include historian and broadcaster David Olusoga, comedian Sir Lenny Henry, TV presenter Cilla Black and actor Idris Elba.

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TOP British telly talent turned out in force on the glam Red Carpet ahead of this year’s Baftas.

The annual The British Academy Film Awards ceremony, which celebrates the best British and international contributions to TV, will be held in London tonight.

Yet ahead of the prestigious gongs being dished out by host, comedian and actor Greg Davies, the cream of the on-screen crop dressed to impress.

We previously reported how Netflix show Adolescence is leading the way in the nominations.

Some of the other biggest shows and stars have also been nominated this year across the 29 categories.

This Morning‘s Ashley James, 39, led the way in a stunning pearl shimmer bandeau gown with corset detail.

STAYING AWAY

Stacey Solomon snubs BAFTA Awards after backlash over her reaction to losing

leading the charge

TV Bafta nominees – list in full as Adolescence leads the way

The Made In Chelsea alum and parenting influencer showcased her new copper-coloured locks which she brushed into an elegant up-do.

Love Island‘s Tasha Ghouri, 27, also favoured a pastel coloured strapless gown with a semi-sheer skirt.

She struck a sassy pose with her hands on her hips before flashing a smile for the waiting cameras.

The Strictly alum was then joined by boyfriend Cam Whitnall as the pair cut a cute display on the Red Carpet.

Childrens’ TV favourite Angellica Bell, 50, looked elegant in a black long-sleeve gown with semi sheer detailing and a polka dot print.

Celebrity Big Brother‘s Marisha Wallace, 40, couldn’t be missed as she hit the Red Carpet in her glam gold attire.

EastEnders alum Shona McGarty, 34, proved you can never go wrong with a classic LBD as she opted for a black ballgown.

She pulled her dark hair back into a fuss-free up-to to allow her outfit to command all the attention.

Strictly’s Lewis Cope, 31, opted for monochrome styling with a white blazer and black trousers.

Love Island continued to be well-represented on the Red Carpet, with Shakira Khan, 23, oozing summer vibes in a yellow dress adorned with sparkles.

New mum Georgia Harrison, 31, donned a form-fitting blue velvet dress with gold detailing, pulling her hair into a chic bun.

Gogglebox and I’m A Celeb alum Scarlett Moffatt, 35, opted for a long-sleeve outfit in an on-trend chocolate brown shade.

She was seen flashing a smile as she cradled her baby bump while posing for pictures.

Broadcaster and podcast anchor Laura Whitmore, 41, who is also pregnant, looked elegant in a floor length lemon dress which clung to her baby bump.

She posed for a few solo images before being joined by her Love Island narrator hubby Iain Stirling.

Hollyoaks actress Jorgie Porter, 38, was the undisputed sequin queen as she hit the Red Carpet in a shimmering semi-sheer frock.

Silver diamante detail covered her modesty while the hemline featured applique petals.

The Theresa McQueen star posed for a few solo snaps before she was joined by fiance Ollie Piotrowski.

Loose Women panelist Frankie Bridge, 37, chose a daring cut-out dress which flashed her abs, in a stylish magenta shade.

Meanwhile, magician and ITV host Stephen Mulhern, 49, looked smart in a classic tux.

Newlywed Emily Blackwell, 29 – who found fame on reality series Made In Chelsea – went for a classy burgundy bodycon.

Pregnant Vogue Williams, 40, chose a white lace gown and was all smiles as she arrived with husband Spencer Matthews, 37.

Strictly winner Rose Ayling-Ellis, 31, chose a bright yellow halterneck to bring a splash of colour to proceedings.

BBC Radio 2 anchor and former Coronation Street star Angela Griffin, 49, picked a pretty brown dress with lace panel detail for her special evening.

As previously mentioned, Adolescence leads the way in terms of nominations, with lead star Stephen Graham being put forward for Best Actor.

Steven Knight’s A Thousand Blows follows closely behind the Netflix drama, picking up an impressive seven nominations.

And in joint third are highly rated Star Wars spin off Andor and Channel 4 drama Trespasses, who both sit on six nominations.

The Television Awards will be broadcast at 7pm.

It will be available to watch live on BBC One and on the iPlayer.

The 61st Venice Biennale — the world’s most celebrated international exhibition of contemporary art — made headlines Thursday when its awards jury resigned amid a growing controversy over its April 23 decision to exclude countries charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court.

In the current moment, this specifically meant Israel and Russia, and an uproar ensued — particularly with regard to Israel. The Israel Foreign Ministry blasted the decision on social media, writing in an April 26 post that the boycott “is a contamination of the art world. The political jury has transformed the Biennale from an open artistic space of free, boundless ideas into a spectacle of false, anti-Israeli political indoctrination.”

The jury posted its brief statement of resignation online four days later “in acknowledgment” of its original decree, in which it wrote, “At this edition of the Biennale, we wish to set out our intention — to express our commitment to the defense of human rights,” before explaining it would not consider certain countries for awards.

The Biennale moved swiftly to reverse course after the jury’s resignation, issuing a news release that noted, “All National Participations included in the 61st Exhibition … are eligible … following the principle of inclusion and equal treatment among all participants. This is consistent with the founding spirit of La Biennale, based on openness, dialogue, and the rejection of any form of closure or censorship. La Biennale seeks to be — and must remain — a place of truce in the name of art, culture, and artistic freedom.”

To that end, the awards ceremony originally scheduled to take place on May 9 has been pushed to November 22 — the last day the exhibition is open to the public. There is precedent for “exceptional circumstances” delays, and the last one took place in 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Without precedent, however, are the newly established awards, created to replace the coveted Golden Lion awards that the jury traditionally hands out to two winners each year. This year, instead of the Golden Lion for best national participation at the Biennale; and the Golden Lion for best participant in the Biennale’s central exhibition, the Biennale has established two Visitors’ Lions to be awarded in the same categories.

Instead of a jury deciding the winners this year, the honor will be left — as the new award name specifies — to the exhibition visitors.

“Visitors eligible to vote for the Visitors’ Lions are ticket holders who have visited both Exhibition venues,” the release reads.

“Visits to both venues will be verified through the ticketing system’s tracking. Each ticket holder may cast one vote for each of the two awards, in one single session.”

Whether Visitors’ Lions will become a Biennale mainstay remains to be seen — but I can imagine the democratic idea might keep its place when the Golden Lions make their return next year.

I’m Arts editor Jessica Gelt doing my best to tread water in difficult times. This is your arts and culture news for the week.

The week ahead: A curated calendar

FRIDAY

Quentin Lee and Justin Lin on the set of their debut feature, “Shopping for Fangs.”

(Margin Films)

Celebrating 30 Years of Margin Films
Award-winning filmmaker Quentin Lee and his production company mark three decades in the business with a weeklong screening series. Lee’s breakout 1997 debut “Shopping for Fangs,” co-directed by Justin Lin, is the opening film. Also screening: “Ethan Mao,” Saturday; “The People I’ve Slept With,” Sunday; “The Unbidden,” Monday; “Rez Comedy,” Tuesday; “Last Summer of Nathan Lee,” Wednesday; and a sneak peak of three episodes of the Canadian TV series “Comedy InvAsian III,” Thursday. Selected screening includes a Q&A. Lee is also releasing a book, “Cinemasianamerica,” commemorating the occasion.
Each film screens one day, 1:30, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m., through Thursday. Laemmle Royal, 11523 Santa Monica Blvd., West L.A. laemmle.com

Dvořák and Korngold
Conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada and the Los Angeles Philharmonic pay tribute to Michael Tilson Thomas, who died April 22, with his composition “Agnegram,” and perform Korngold’s “Concerto in D major for Violin and Orchestra” with violinist María Dueñas. The evening concludes with “Symphony No. 7 in D minor” by Dvořák.
8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com

Anna Van Valin, from left, Elias Scoufaras and Bruce Nozick in “Warsaw” at International City Theatre.

(Jordan Gohara)

Warsaw
The world premiere of British playwright and “Selma” screenwriter Paul Webb’s drama about the fate of a woman whose life links two monumental historic moments, World War II and Sept. 11.
7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays, through May 17. International City Theatre, 330 E. Seaside Way, Long Beach. ictlongbeach.org

SATURDAY

• • The Kronos Quartet, from left: Gabriela Díaz, David Harrington, Ayane Kozasa and Paul Wiancko.

(Danica Taylor)

Kronos Quartet
The West Coast premiere of the group’s latest large-scale multimedia project, “Three Bones,” which combines live performance, video, visual art, recordings and environmental sound to explore the histories of Indigenous, Gullah Geechee and Chinese American communities in the United States.
6 p.m. UC Santa Barbara campus, Campbell Hall. artsandlectures.ucsb.edu

Michael Caine, from left, Scarlett Johansson and Hugh Jackman in the “The Prestige,” screening Saturday at the Aero.

(Francois Duhamel / Touchstone & Warner Bros. Pictures)

The Prestige
Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale square off as rival magicians in a 20th anniversary 35mm screening of Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi thriller.
7:30 p.m. Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica. americancinematheque.com

The cast of “Carlota: Alhajero de Secretos,” opening Saturday at LATC.

(Teatro Alebrijes)

Carlota: Alhajero de Secretos
Writer-directors Rodrigo García and Ugho Badú reimagine Federico García Lorca’s tragedy “The House of Bernarda Alba.” The co-production between San José-based LGBTQ+ ensemble Teatro Alebrijes and L.A.’s Latino Theater Company is in Spanish with English supertitles.
8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays, through May 24. Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring Street, downtown L.A. latinotheaterco.org

SUNDAY

Henri Lubatti in “Exit the King” at A Noise Within.

(Daniel Reichert)

Exit the King
Eugène Ionesco’s classic absurdist comedy about a desperate monarch who refuses to admit his time has come, translated by Donald Watson and directed by Michael Michetti.
Previews, 2 p.m. Sunday; 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and May 8; opening night, 7:30 p.m. May 9; runs through May 31. A Noise Within, 3352 E. Foothill Blvd., Pasadena. anoisewithin.org

Organist Anna Lapwood performs at Walt Disney Concert Hall on Sunday.

(Gerald Matzka / Getty Images)

Anna Lapwood
The popular organist performs work from “The Da Vinci Code,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “The Lord of the Rings,” “Star Wars Episode I – The Phantom Menace,” “Flight” and “Pirates of the Caribbean,” as well as Olivia Belli’s organ solo “Limina Luminis,” in this recital.
7:30 p.m. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com

TUESDAY

Willie Birch, “Uptown Memories (A Day in the Life of the Magnolia Project),” 1995. Painted papier-mâché and mixed media, 82 × 62 × 60 in. New Orleans Museum of Art.

(Roman Alokhin)

Willie Birch: Stories to Tell
This career retrospective details Birch’s exploration of the Black American experience since the 1960s, posing difficult questions along the way in his work as an artist, community organizer and “cultural provocateur.”
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays, through Oct. 21. California African American Museum, 600 State Drive, Exposition Park. caamuseum.org

Lucía performs Tuesday at the Carpenter Center in Long Beach.

(Shervin Lainez)

Jazz in Long Beach
Two jazz-influenced acts come to the Carpenter Center next week. Lucía brings her signature mix of traditional American jazz and Latin folk in a Spotlight Sessions concert on the Cabaret Stage. She’ll also be performing songs from her forthcoming album. “The Magic of Manhattan Starring Benny Benack III” is a tribute to the Big Apple and the songs and singers most associated with it, including Blossom Dearie, Frank Sinatra and Billy Joel.
Lucía, 8 p.m. Tuesday; Benny Benack III, 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. Carpenter Center, 6200 E. Atherton St., Long Beach. carpenterarts.org

Smith, Cabezas & Childs
Molly Turner conducts the LA Phil New Music Group, with multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Gabriella Smith, cellist Gabriel Cabezas and jazz pianist Billy Childs in a program of eco-friendly music curated by Smith, including compositions by Smith, Childs, Michael Gordon, John Cage and Esa-Pekka Salonen.
8 p.m. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com

WEDNESDAY
Andrés Jaramillo: A Journey of Immigrants, Part II
The Colombian American pianist follows up on his January 2025 program with a celebration of the global cultural exchange created by immigrants, placing Latin American composers within the Romantic tradition. Featuring works by Chopin, Calvo, Mejía, Barber, Lecuona, Friedhoff-Calvo and Pinzón-Arroyo. Presented by Piano Spheres.
8 p.m. Wednesday. Thayer Hall at Colburn School, 200 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. pianospheres.org

Morgan Freeman, left, and Brad Pitt star in David Fincher’s 1995 film “Seven.”

(Robert Isenberg / New Line Cinema)

Seven
A 4k screening of David Fincher’s 1995 thriller about two cops on the trail of a serial killer. Appearances by production designer Arthur Max and set decorator Clay Griffith.
7:30 p.m. Academy Museum, 6067 Wilshire Blvd. academymuseum.org

THURSDAY

“Dancing with Bob: Rauschenberg, Brown & Cunningham Onstage” at the Wallis, May 7 to 9.

(The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts)

Dancing With Bob: Rauschenberg, Brown & Cunningham Onstage
This kinetic retrospective captures the cross-disciplinary collaborations between vanguard artist Robert Rauschenberg and choreographers Trisha Brown (“Set and Reset,” with an electronic score by Laurie Anderson) and Merce Cunningham (“Travelogue,” created with John Cage).
7:30 p.m. Thursday and May 8; 2 p.m. May 9. The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. thewallis.org

The Physicists
Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton are residents of an insane asylum beset by murder, mayhem, espionage and questions about the morality and ethics of science in this 1962 German satire by Friedrich Dürrenmatt. Directed by Brent Hinkley.
8 p.m. Thursdays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays, through June 20. The Actors’ Gang Theater, 9070 Venice Blvd., Culver City. theactorsgang.com

Arts anywhere

New and recent releases of arts-related media.

The Adding Machine
Currently running at the Theater at St. Clement’s in Hell’s Kitchen, New York City, through May 17, this New Group production with a revised script by Thomas Bradshaw receives a one-time livestream next week. “[Elmer] Rice’s expressionist drama is known for being a tale of man vs. machine in an age of merciless efficiency, but inhumanity in a broader sense is its true core subject,” wrote Laura Collins-Hughes in a recent New York Times review. “The happy news about Scott Elliott’s handsome yet under-realized revival … is what a delight Daphne Rubin-Vega is to watch as Mr. Zero.” The cast also features Sarita Choudhury, Michael Cyril Creighton and Jennifer Tilly. The League of Live Stream Theater: 4 p.m. Tuesday. $40, includes 24-hour replay.

Art Work
Photographer and writer Sally Mann weighs in on the creative process with stories, advice and life lessons, all illustrated with photos, journal entries and letters, making for a compelling, often surprising journey. Abrams Books: 272 pages, $35

“Insomnia & Seven Steps to Grace” by Joy Harjo.

(Smithsonian Folkways Recordings)

Insomnia and Seven Steps to Grace
The new album by Joy Harjo, the first Native American to be named United States Poet Laureate, serving from 2019 to 2022, combines jazz, funk, rock and Native music sounds with her signature “vibration of love” as she boldly confronts injustice and draws inspiration from ancestral memory and the political turmoil of the moment. The double LP’s packaging features original art by Harjo and the poet’s extensive liner notes. Five-time Grammy winner Esperanza Spalding produced as well as contributed vocals and played bass on the project. Smithsonian Folkways: Double vinyl LP ($33), CD ($17), hi-res digital download ($13), digital download ($10).

— Kevin Crust

Culture news and the SoCal scene

Michael Tilson Thomas in 2018.

(Paul Marotta/Getty Images)

Times classical music critic Mark Swed wrote a lovely appreciation of conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, who died last week at the age of 81. Tilson Thomas, Swed wrote, “made music matter by making hope matter. He was, moreover, one of us. He achieved greatness though an epic amplification of a uniquely L.A. positivity in which grumpy became wistful.”

LA Opera music director James Conlon is preparing to step down after a record 20 seasons with the company, and in a recent story, Swed cataloged his impressive numbers: “More than 500 performances of 70 different operas at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and occasional neighboring venues, such as the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.” Swed attended a recent farewell gala and noted some highlights, including excerpts from “The Marriage of Figaro.”

Times theater critic Charles McNulty spent a recent trip to New York almost entirely in various Broadway theaters, catching up on what he says is a “strange season by all accounts.” McNulty notes that Broadway is still the place acting powerhouses like Adrien Brody, John Lithgow and Laurie Metcalf go in search of the kind of depthy material increasingly unavailable onscreen. He looks at four such shows — and their epic leading actors — including “Death of a Salesman,” “Giant,” “The Fear of 13” and “Dog Day Afternoon.”

David Henry Hwang (book adapter, “Flower Drum Song”) and Alexandra Silber (book adapter, “Brigadoon”) at the James Irvine Japanese Garden in Little Tokyo.

(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

Malia Mendez wrote a great piece about a trio of classic musicals running concurrently in L.A. She takes a closer look at “Flower Drum Song,” adapted for East West Players by David Henry Hwang; “Brigadoon,” adapted for Pasadena Playhouse by Alexandra Silber; and “The Sound of Music” at the Hollywood Pantages. All three were originally written by two of the 20th century’s most dynamic and celebrated writing duos: Rodgers and Hammerstein (“Flower Drum Song” and “The Sound of Music”) and Lerner and Loewe (“Brigadoon”). And all still resonate in modern times.

Mendez also wrote about a special event taking place this weekend called Night at the Library — held as part of the downtown Central Library’s centennial celebration. “The four-hour extravaganza Saturday will feature more than 200 artists and 25 to 30 activations peppered throughout the library campus, plus DJ sets and local food truck fare. Highlighted performers include Bob Baker Marionette Theater and Los Angeles Master Chorale,” Mendez writes.

Doug Chiang, Podrace Crash, production art for “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace,” 1995-99.

(Lucas Museum of Narrative Art)

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art unveiled its inaugural exhibitions this week — noting that all 20 were curated by George Lucas himself. The $1-billion museum will open to the public on the first day of fall and the exhibits will be shown in more than 30 galleries spread over 100,000 square feet of exhibition space. And, yes, “Star Wars” memorabilia will be part of the “cinema” exhibit with large-scale vehicle installations, production designs, props and costumes.

Lincoln Clauss, center, as the Emcee in Asolo Repertory Theatre’s “Cabaret,” at the Old Globe.

(Courtesy of Cliff Roles)

The board of directors of San Diego’s Old Globe named Trish Santini as the theater’s new managing director. Santini joins Artistic Director Barry Edelstein as a co-chief executive, and enters her new role on July 1. Among other arts leadership posts, Santini was the inaugural executive director of Little Island in New York City, and led the launch of the $250-million public park and performance venue.

— Jessica Gelt

And last but not least

The Times Food section calls to me yet again with this headline: “L.A.’s best rotisserie chicken may be at this former gas station in Pasadena.”

Riverside County has been ordered to pay $2.25 million to a former sergeant who said he was pressured into early retirement in retaliation for reporting workplace harassment by a superior.

Sgt. Frank Lodes was forced to leave the job he loved in 2022 — penning a resignation letter in a Del Taco parking lot — while a high-ranking department official threatened him with mounting investigations, according to the complaint. On Tuesday a civil jury concluded that Lodes resigned involuntarily due to his reporting of a hostile workplace and was awarded the multimillion-dollar payment as compensation for his emotional damages.

Lodes’ attorney Bijan Darvish said the award was a “significant number” that adequately represents the harm inflicted on Lodes, noting that the period since his forced retirement has been the “darkest four years” of Lodes’ life.

He said that his client did not wish to comment on the verdict as discussing the events remained painful. The Sheriff’s Department and the county did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“Being a cop was his life; he lived and breathed it 24/7,” Darvish said. “It was his entire identity, and that’s why it was so difficult for him when it was taken away.”

The jury award comes amid a rare wide-open governor’s race that includes the head of the Sheriff’s Department, Chad Bianco, who is a leading GOP candidate for the seat. Bianco has staked his campaign on his lengthy career in law enforcement, which spans more than three decades, including serving as the elected sheriff of Riverside County since 2019.

Although high-ranking Sheriff’s Department officials were involved in Lodes’ case, Darvish said there was no evidence presented at trial that Bianco had direct knowledge of his client’s mistreatment. Bianco was not a defendant in the lawsuit. His campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Darvish argues that the case points to a departmental culture of covering up allegations of misconduct.

“When there’s a harassment complaint made against the captain and they never investigated, and they pressure someone to resign and withdraw the complaint,” he said, “then that’s a systemic issue.”

The retaliation began after Lodes, a 25-year veteran of the department, formally reported workplace harassment with human resources in March 2022, according to the complaint.

Lodes had been called mentally ill in front of his peers by a captain during a promotability meeting around October 2021. A few months later, he found degrading posters of his head on a child’s body shoved inside his uniform pockets and gun holster and plastered over the station walls, according to the complaint.

The department responded to his harassment report by launching an investigation into Lodes unlawfully using informants and threatening him with possible criminal prosecution, according to Darvish.

The jury agreed that these allegations were a manufactured excuse to cover up unlawful retaliation.

Within days of filing the workplace harassment complaint, a Internal Affairs sergeant packed Lodes’ personal belongings in a box and drove them to his house, according to the complaint. The sergeant spent hours pressuring Lodes, then 47, to accept early retirement.

The following day, Lodes was told to meet with a high-ranking official in the Sheriff’s Department in a Del Taco parking lot who instructed him to resign immediately and withdraw his harassment complaint.

The $2.25-million award in the civil case will come from the county’s coffers.

The award casts renewed scrutiny on Bianco’s Sheriff’s Department two weeks before primary election ballots land in Californians’ mailboxes.

He was also in the spotlight in March after seizing more than 650,000 ballots from the November election as part of an investigation to determine if they were fraudulently counted. He put the investigation on hold shortly before the California Supreme Court halted it pending further review.

Times staff writer James Queally contributed to this report.

Norris held his nerve in a tense battle with McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri and four-time champion Max Verstappen to win the 2025 championship.

The 26-year-old held off some strong competition to scoop the award, with fellow Britain Luke Littler, the darts world champion, among the nominees.

“Winning the world championship is something I dreamed about since I was young, so to win my first in 2025 is pretty special,” Norris said.

“It’s far from being an individual achievement. Without my team, who were also nominated for a Laureus Team of the Year award, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

Carlos Alcaraz was named Sportsman of the Year, with fellow tennis player Aryna Sabalenka earning the sportswoman award.

Alcaraz, 22, won eight ATP Tour titles, including two Grand Slam events, and ended 2025 ranked as the world number one as he beat rival Jannik Sinner to the award.

Sabalenka, 27, added a second US Open crown to her collection as she collected four WTA titles last year.

England’s women were in the running for Team of the Year after winning Euro 2025 but the award went to men’s Champions League winners Paris St-Germain.

British cyclist Tom Pidcock missed out on the Action Sportsperson of the Year award, with American snowboarder Chloe Kim taking the honour.

Lakers guard Luka Doncic will be eligible for postseason awards after the NBA and NBA Players Association announced Thursday they ruled in his favor on his extraordinary circumstances appeal of the 65-game rule.

Doncic, a leading candidate for most valuable player and a lock for his sixth All-NBA team, played in only 64 games before he suffered a regular-season ending left hamstring injury on April 2. The league’s latest collective bargaining agreement requires players to appear in at least 65 games to be eligible for postseason awards, but Doncic and Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham both won appeals under the CBA’s extraordinary circumstances provision.

Doncic missed two games in December to attend the birth of his daughter in Slovenia and Cunningham, whose career season led the Pistons to the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, missed 12 games because of a collapsed lung suffered on March 17.

Doncic earned his second league scoring title this season with 33.5 points per game. He surged back into the most valuable player race with a magical March when he was just the second player to score 600 points in March, joining Michael Jordan. He had four consecutive games of 40 or more points and 12 of 30 or more before injuring his hamstring on April 2. He and guard Austin Reaves (oblique) are out indefinitely as the Lakers begin the playoffs Saturday against the Houston Rockets.