“Schmigadoon!,” a musical comedy that lovingly spoofs the genre by imagining a bickering couple trapped in a fantastical village whose residents keep bursting into song, won the coveted Tony Award for best new musical on Sunday night.

The win by “Schmigadoon” came on a night when Tony voters spread their love around.

A chilling and operatic Broadway revival of Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman,” starring Nathan Lane and Laurie Metcalf, won the Tony for best play revival, a testament to the enduring power of the classic play and a milestone in the comeback of the producer Scott Rudin.

“Liberation,” a Pulitzer-winning drama by Bess Wohl about a 1970s women’s consciousness-raising group, won best new play, the first time an American woman has won that prize in 37 years. And a stately and sumptuous revival of “Ragtime,” the epic musical exploring America’s promise and perils through the experiences of three intersecting communities in early 20th-century New York, won best musical revival in one of the night’s most closely watched contests, besting a radically reconceived production of “Cats.”

Here Are Some Key Takeaways From the 79th Annual Tony Awards:

— Pink is a potent host: Pink, the Grammy-winning, arena-filling pop singer, was a surprise selection to host the ceremony — unlike many of her predecessors, she has never appeared in a Broadway show. But with her self-deprecating humor and her obvious affection for theater, she won over the audience at Radio City Music Hall right from the start, kicking off the ceremony with a nine-minute-long, 170-person opening number, set to the tune of “Lady Marmalade” and packed with inside jokes, celebrity shoutouts and loving nods to musicals past, present and even future. The opening number was written by Benj Pasek, Justin Paul and Mark Sonnenblick.

— A famous newbie and a movie star veteran win trophies: Lesley Manville won her first Tony Award for her Broadway debut, as the incestuous Jocasta in “Oedipus.” And John Lithgow won his third Tony Award for starring as Roald Dahl in “Giant,” 53 years after he won for the first time in “The Changing Room.” “I’ve had dozens and dozens of ecstatic moments onstage,” he said, “but I have to tell you, right now, this moment has got to be one of the best.”

— A history-making trophy: Qween Jean, who won for best costume design of a musical (“Cats: The Jellicle Ball”), became the first openly transgender person to win a Tony Award, according to a “Cats” publicist. “We are here for the legacy of queer people, trans people,” Qween Jean said in her acceptance speech, adding, “We have to take up space, we have to shift the paradigm.”

— ‘Salesman’ soars: The “Death of a Salesman” revival won six prizes, more than any other show, including one for Metcalf and one for its director, Joe Mantello. But Rudin’s role as lead producer was also notable. He had stepped away from producing for four years over bullying accusations, and the “Salesman” win demonstrated that voters are still willing to honor his work.

— ‘Schmigadoon!’ gets a much needed shot: The best musical prize matters because it often provides a box-office boost to its winner, and with new musicals struggling on Broadway, every show could use that boost. “Schmigadoon!,” adapted from an Apple TV+ show, was the brainchild of Cinco Paul, directed and choreographed by Christopher Gattelli, and features as one of its lead producers Lorne Michaels, the “Saturday Night Live” impresario. “Sometimes singing, dancing, a lot of jokes and a happy ending is really all you need,” a delighted Michaels told the cheering crowd.

— ‘The Lost Boys’ draws blood: “The Lost Boys,” about teen vampires menacing a small family, was the toughest competitor to “Schmigadoon!” Although it didn’t win the big prize, it did win four awards, including for its high-spectacle scenic design, as well as for two leading members of its cast, Shoshana Bean and Ali Louis Bourzgui. Bourzgui gave the most directly political speech of the night, shouting out immigrants, queer and trans rights, and the people of Palestine while denouncing billionaires, colonizers and fascists. “We ask how we can see ourselves in a stranger’s story, and then carry that sentiment out into the world that needs us to ask that more than ever,” he said.

— ‘Ragtime’ wins for performances, but ‘Cats’ wins for direction: “Ragtime,” led by a cast of stellar singers, won two major acting awards — best leading actor in a musical went to Joshua Henry, and best leading actress in a musical to Caissie Levy. But “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” as the new production is called, won for its two directors, Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, who oversaw the musical’s wholesale transformation from a show set in a junkyard overrun by felines to one about the queer Ballroom dance scene.

— Gender was a recurring topic: Wohl, upon winning the Tony for “Liberation,” declared, “I want to honor women everywhere who have the courage to use their voice, and to all the girls out there, may you speak your truth, and may the world be wise enough to listen.” She was one of several winners who talked about gender during their acceptance speeches. After winning for “Lost Boys,” Bean said: “This is for every woman who ever felt like she was too much or not enough. I beg you not to wait for permission to be all of who you are.”

— Anniversaries galore: Pink joined a variety of “Chicago” alumni, including Queen Latifah, in celebrating the half-century since that show’s original production. Leslie Odom Jr. sang “Without You” from “Rent” as part of the ceremony’s In Memoriam segment, and Rachel Zegler performed a song from “A Chorus Line” in recognition of that show’s 50th anniversary. The original cast of “The Book of Mormon” reunited to perform in honor of that show’s 15th anniversary.

Here is a full list of winners.

Best New Musical

“Schmigadoon!”

Nominees in this category: “The Lost Boys”; “Titaníque”; “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)”

Best New Play

“Liberation”

Nominees in this category: “The Balusters”; “Giant”; “Little Bear Ridge Road”

Best Musical Revival

“Ragtime”

Nominees in this category: “Cats: The Jellicle Ball”; “The Rocky Horror Show”

Best Play Revival

“Death of a Salesman”

Nominees in this category: “Becky Shaw”; “Every Brilliant Thing”; “Fallen Angels”; “Oedipus”

Best Leading Actor in a Musical

Joshua Henry, “Ragtime”

Nominees in this category: Nicholas Christopher, “Chess”; Luke Evans, “The Rocky Horror Show”; Sam Tutty, “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)”; Brandon Uranowitz, “Ragtime”

Best Leading Actress in a Musical

Caissie Levy, “Ragtime”

Nominees in this category: Sara Chase, “Schmigadoon!”; Stephanie Hsu, “The Rocky Horror Show”; Marla Mindelle, “Titaníque”; Christiani Pitts, “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)”

Best Leading Actor in a Play

John Lithgow, “Giant”

Nominees in this category: Will Harrison, “Punch”; Nathan Lane, “Death of a Salesman”; Daniel Radcliffe, “Every Brilliant Thing”; Mark Strong, “Oedipus”

Best Leading Actress in a Play

Lesley Manville, “Oedipus”

Nominees in this category: Rose Byrne, “Fallen Angels”; Carrie Coon, “Bug”; Susannah Flood, “Liberation”; Kelli O’Hara, “Fallen Angels”

Best Direction of a Musical

Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, “Cats: The Jellicle Ball”

Nominees in this category: Michael Arden, “The Lost Boys”; Lear deBessonet, “Ragtime”; Christopher Gattelli, “Schmigadoon!”; Tim Jackson, “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)”

Best Direction of a Play

Joe Mantello, “Death of a Salesman”

Nominees in this category: Nicholas Hytner, “Giant”; Robert Icke, “Oedipus”; Kenny Leon, “The Balusters”; Whitney White, “Liberation”

Best Featured Actor in a Play

Alden Ehrenreich, “Becky Shaw”

Nominees in this category: Christopher Abbott, “Death of a Salesman”; Danny Burstein, “Marjorie Prime”; Brandon J. Dirden, “Waiting for Godot”; Ruben Santiago-Hudson, “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”; Richard Thomas, “The Balusters”

Best Featured Actress in a Play

Laurie Metcalf, “Death of a Salesman”

Nominees in this category: Betsy Aidem, “Liberation”; Marylouise Burke, “The Balusters”; Aya Cash, “Giant”; June Squibb, “Marjorie Prime”

Best Featured Actor in a Musical

Ali Louis Bourzgui, “The Lost Boys”

Nominees in this category: André De Shields, “Cats: The Jellicle Ball”; Bryce Pinkham, “Chess”; Ben Levi Ross, “Ragtime”; Layton Williams, “Titaníque”

Best Featured Actress in a Musical

Shoshana Bean, “The Lost Boys”

Nominees in this category: Hannah Cruz, “Chess”; Rachel Dratch, “The Rocky Horror Show”; Ana Gasteyer, “Schmigadoon!”; Nichelle Lewis, “Ragtime”

Best Book of a Musical

“Schmigadoon!,” Cinco Paul

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

Best Scenic Design of a Play

Chloe Lamford, “Death of a Salesman”

Nominees in this category: Hildegard Bechtler, “Oedipus”; Takeshi Kata, “Bug”; David Korins, “Dog Day Afternoon”; David Rockwell, “Fallen Angels”

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Dane Laffrey, “The Lost Boys”

Nominees in this category: dots, “The Rocky Horror Show”; Soutra Gilmour, “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)”; Rachel Hauck, “Cats: The Jellicle Ball”; Scott Pask, “Schmigadoon!”

Best Costume Design of a Play

Jeff Mahshie, “Fallen Angels”

Nominees in this category: Brenda Abbandandolo, “Dog Day Afternoon”; Qween Jean, “Liberation”; Emilio Sosa, “The Balusters”; Paul Tazewell, “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”

Best Costume Design of a Musical

Qween Jean, “Cats: The Jellicle Ball”

Nominees in this category: Linda Cho, “Ragtime”; Linda Cho, “Schmigadoon!”; Ryan Park, “The Lost Boys”; David I. Reynoso, “The Rocky Horror Show”

Best Original Score

“Schmigadoon!,” Cinco Paul

Nominees in this category: “Death of a Salesman,” Caroline Shaw; “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” Steve Bargonetti; “The Lost Boys,” the Rescues; “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York),” Jim Barne and Kit Buchan

Best Lighting Design of a Play

Jack Knowles, “Death of a Salesman”

Nominees in this category: 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”

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Jen Schriever and Michael Arden, “The Lost Boys”

Nominees in this category: Kevin Adams, “Chess”; Jane Cox, “The Rocky Horror Show”; Donald Holder, “Schmigadoon!”; Adam Honoré, “Cats: The Jellicle Ball”; Adam Honoré and Donald Holder (lighting design) and 59 Studio (projection design),“Ragtime”

Best Sound Design of a Play

Mikaal Sulaiman, “Death of a Salesman”

Nominees in this category: Justin Ellington, “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”; Tom Gibbons, “Oedipus”; Lee Kinney, “The Fear of 13”; Josh Schmidt, “Bug”

Best Sound Design of a Musical

Kai Harada, “Ragtime”

Nominees in this category: Kai Harada, “Cats: The Jellicle Ball”; Adam Fisher, “The Lost Boys”; Brian Ronan, “The Rocky Horror Show”; Walter Trarbach, “Schmigadoon!”

Best Choreography

Arturo Lyons and Omari Wiles, “Cats: The Jellicle Ball”

Nominees in this category: Christopher Gattelli, “Schmigadoon!”; Ellenore Scott, “Ragtime”; Ani Taj, “The Rocky Horror Show”; Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant, “The Lost Boys”

Best Orchestrations

Doug Besterman and Mike Morris, “Schmigadoon!”

Nominees in this category: 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”

Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award

Mary-Mitchell Campbell

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement

André Bishop, Jules Fisher and James Lapine

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Michael Paulson/Sara Krulwich
c. 2026 The New York Times Company