Rank the 2026 Tony Performances
Rank the 2026 Tony Performances
Rank the 2026 Tony Performances#1
Posted: 6/8/26 at 12:00am
If you feel inclined, rank the 2026 Tony performances!
Here are mine (I left off In Memoriam because I missed some of it and always feel weird including it in this sort of ranking)
1. Pink's Opening Number
Best opening since NPH in 2013 and fun to have NPH with a nod to that
2. Two Strangers
I haven't seen Two Strangers yet and hope it hangs on for me to see it this summer. I thought it was super charming and showcased the chemistry between the leads.
3. The Rocky Horror Show
I'm not a fan of Rocky Horror in any form but I thought this was an energetic and fun performance. It left me with less complaints than performances from shows I enjoy much more.
4. Chicago Anniversary
Pink definitely continued to prove her Broadway-level vocal prowess here and Alex Newell sounded great as always. It was sleek and strong.
5. The Book of Mormon Anniversary
Fun to have the original cast back. I don't love the song they did but they stepped right back in. Andrew Rannells has not aged a day.
6. Ragtime
Vocally it was exceptionally strong, by far the best of the night. But to do the same song and not quite as well as the iconic 1998 Tony performance left me a bit cold.
7. Cats: The Jellicle Ball
I thought they staged this well for the space but the cameras did not always keep up. I also wish there had been a bit more singing in it, the extended dance sequence went on a long time.
8. Schmigadoon!
The setup was fun but I thought the performance itself felt a little underwhelming. Maybe it was an audio thing but it sounded awfully empty to me.
9. A Chorus Line Tribute
Rachel sounded great but what in the world was the point of this? I kept expecting there to be SOMETHING and it was just her singing the song. Felt very unnecessary.
10. The Lost Boys
I get the disadvantage of not being able to do some of their tricks (surely why they insisted on a video before) but this whole performance left me feeling a whole lot of nothing.
11. Titanique
This just didn't work at all. Marla sounded off and I feel like it didn't really capture the vibe of the show at all.
Rank the 2026 Tony Performances#2
Posted: 6/8/26 at 12:45am
1. Pink's opening number
2. Chicago Tribute
3. Ragtime...I never get tired of that number, so shoot me.
4. Two Strangers, probably because I enjoyed their performances so much. That said, I don't think sold any tickets.
5. Rocky Horror. Made me want to see the show.
6. A Chorus Line Tribute...not exactly an appropriate 'tribute' to a musical famous for its dance, but Zegler was terrific
7. -- 10: they all sucked...just were not as bad as 11 and 12
11. Cats. I remain mystified. To me, it sucked. Andre's participation was a joke. At least he did not win!
12. Titanique. I wanted to put a bag over Mindelle's head...the over-reacting was annoying. It just did not work.
The only show that I think may have benefited from the performance was Ragtime...of course, most people watching the Tony's have already seen that number somewhere. I confirmed that the probability of my ever purchasing tix for Schmiggadoon is about zero, if that was a good representation of the show.
Rank the 2026 Tony Performances#3
Posted: 6/8/26 at 12:54am
I knew what I was ranking #1 since earlier this week. Still, nothing could’ve prepared me for that opener after getting my hands on the P&P demo.
CHICAGO and MORMON with great tributes. They’re probably the only ones that sold any tickets.
RAGTIME was good. Hits more live.
ROCKY HORROR and TWO STRANGERS were middle of the pack. SCHMIGADOON, meh.
LOJ with a beautiful In Memoriam, but guitar guy stole the show for me. :)
CATS wasn’t the worst perf of the night, but a big missed opportunity with no ballroom “cat-egories” to be found. All the fan clacking in the audience prob made for a good picture.
TITANÍQUE and the CHORUS LINE tribute, two thumbs down.
And LOST BOYS did a solid job setting up its universe. Again, middle of the pack.
- 1. Opening Number
- 2. Chicago
- 3. BOM
- 4. Ragtime
- 5. In Memoriam
- 6. Rocky Horror
- 7. Two Strangers
- 8. Lost Boys
- 9. Schmig
- 10. Cats
- 11. Chorus Line
- 12. Titaníque
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/2/13
Rank the 2026 Tony Performances#4
Posted: 6/8/26 at 1:07am
Mr. Wormwood said: "
9. A Chorus Line Tribute
Rachel sounded great but what in the world was the point of this? I kept expecting there to be SOMETHING and it was just her singing the song. Felt very unnecessary.
This was advertising for Evita. Getting her on TV in order to help get her known to a wider audience.
Rank the 2026 Tony Performances#5
Posted: 6/8/26 at 2:16am
I don’t really think any show sold many tickets with their performances. The winners will get short-term pops, although Ragtime doesn’t really need theirs - aside from price increases.
1. Pink’s opening number. It took me a second viewing to get more of the jokes, and I suspect I missed a few. But Pink, with a little help from Neil Patrick Harris and a cast of many, sold it wonderfully. A little inside baseball for outsiders, but it was a lot of fun - and Pink has a terrific voice!
2. Chicago. I would say this might sell tickets, but Pink and Alex Newell aren’t headed into the show. Still, it was very good, and Pink again got to showcase her vocals.
3. Ragtime. One of my unpopular opinions is that I don’t think Ragtime is a very good musical, but it does have some very good songs - and this is one that features the entire cast and establishes its themes from the outset. It’s a safe choice but a smart one.
4. In memoriam. I am always looking for names during this segment so am always a little distracted but Odom’s performance was lovely.
After that, I am into a mixed bag that weren’t standouts or problems.
Schmigadoon! I have not seen the live production but have seen the TV series so I know all the characters. But I wasn’t sure how this would grab viewers at home. It’s a parody. Is that obvious? Does it look intriguing or dumb? No idea. My problem, having seen the series, is it felt like seeing a revival of something I just saw. Why would I want to see it again, even if it’s well performed?
Two Strangers. That opening, with the British guy confusing NYC landmarks, made it sound painfully dumb. But the stars have charm so the song was likeable enough. Did the performance make me regret skipping it on my March trip? Not really.
Book of Mormon. It wasn’t my favorite song choice.
Rocky Horror. Luke Evans was great and they just should have stuck with ‘Sweet Transvestite.’ The rest of it was kind of a mess.
Problems or lost opportunities…
A Chorus Line tribute. Can you imagine Michael Bennett approving a tribute to that show that included no dancing at all? I already have bought Evita tickets, but Rachel Zegler didn’t do all that much for me on a familiar song. My comp is Nicole Scherzinger’s In Memoriam segment when she was starting to promote Sunset Blvd. She sounded fantastic. Zegler was OK. It was a wasted promotional opportunity and a poor tribute to A Chorus Line.
The Lost Boys. I haven’t seen the show but the critiques I have heard concern the score and second act. This performance focused on set-up but it was mostly pretty dull. I gather they used the one rocker in the score, which is probably smart (though the song didn’t do much for me), but what was lost is the vampire part. Or any flying.
Cats: The Jellicle Ball. My bias here stems from having seen the revival, which I thought was exciting and fun - but also surprisingly easy to track (at least for me). I was worried that the Tony performance would turn into a mess that couldn’t translate the show. And that’s exactly what happened. The cameras were all over the place and there wasn’t enough of a focus. I thought the show needed a knockout Tony Awards performance and it didn’t happen.
Titanique. Not much to add that hasn’t been said. I have never seen it but that performance made me think, ‘Not for me.’
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