WANT, SHOULD & WILL: My 2026 Tony Award Predictions

With just one week until the 79th Annual Tony Award ceremony, I'm laying it all on the table. I break down every one of the 26 Tony Award categories using the Want / Should / Will framework: who do I WANT to win, who SHOULD win, and who do I think WILL win? Featuring in-depth predictions for Best Musical, Best Play, Best Revival, all the acting categories, and every technical award — plus a breakdown of who the 857 Tony voters actually are and how they tend to vote. Shows covered: Death of a Salesman, Ragtime, Cats the Jellicoe Ball, Lost Boys, Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York, Schmigadoon, Titanic, Liberation, Oedipus, Giant, Bug, Fallen Angels, Dog Day Afternoon, Joe Turner's Come and Gone, and more. Performers discussed: Nathan Lane, John Lithgow, Joshua Henry, Lesley Manville, Susannah Flood, Laurie Metcalf, June Squibb, Alden Ehrenreich, Christopher Abbott, Shoshana Bean, Marla Mendel, Casey Levy, Andre DeShields, Joe Mantello, Whitney White, and more. 🏆 JUMP TO ANY CATEGORY: 0:00 — Introduction & How Tony Voting Actually Works 2:13 — Best Sound Design of a Play 3:57 — Best Sound Design of a Musical 4:53 — Best Lighting Design of a Play 5:22 — Best Lighting Design of a Musical 5:35 — Best Costume Design of a Play 7:06 — Best Costume Design of a Musical 7:43 — Best Scenic Design of a Play 8:32 — Best Scenic Design of a Musical 8:58 — Best Orchestrations 10:37 — Best Choreography 11:06 — Best Featured Actress in a Play 11:47 — Best Featured Actor in a Play 13:07 — Best Featured Actress in a Musical 13:32 — Best Featured Actor in a Musical 14:51 — Best Direction of a Play 15:34 — Best Direction of a Musical 16:19 — Best Actress in a Play 17:57 — Best Actor in a Play 19:21 — Best Actress in a Musical 20:19 — Best Actor in a Musical 21:43 — Best Original Score 23:14 — Best Book of a Musical 25:07 — Best Revival of a Play 26:08 — Best Revival of a Musical 28:00 — Best Play 29:16 — Best Musical Where do you think I'm off base? Drop your own Want / Should / Will picks in the comments — and tell me where you're mad at me. I'll be entering Tony pools this year so let's see how many of these I get right. 📺 Subscribe for more Broadway reviews, rankings, and hot takes:    / @matthewhardymusical