Sam Eckmann: The fall season on Broadway is officially underway thanks to the opening of the starry revival of Art by Yazmina Reza. Bobby Cannavale, James Corden, and Neil Patrick Harris play three longtime friends who find themselves in stark disagreement over the merits of an expensive piece of art: a canvas painted entirely in white. The original 1998 production won the Tony for Best Play. Reza and her translator Christopher Hampton won that category again with God of Carnage in 2009. Originally penned in French, they are the only two foreign-language scripts to ever win Best Play. Will that winning streak continue this spring in the Best Play Revival category?
David Buchanan: Not only has Art just opened, but Jamie Lloyd’s revival Waiting for Godot has also started previews, kicking the season off with two incredibly starry productions. This category is so exciting to talk about now because so many of the buzziest shows this season are play revivals, including Oedipus, Proof, and Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. There are plays that may be deemed “classics,” including Tracy Letts’ Bug and Jordan Harrison‘s Marjorie Prime. I’m wary of saying definitively that Art will go the distance against such a slate — but how about its performers? Do you think Corden will follow in the footsteps of Alfred Molina and land a Best Actor nom? That contest couldn’t be tougher with the likes of Mark Strong as well as John Lithgow in the just-announced London transfer of Giant.
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Eckmann: It’s hard to say whether or not the production will land in the revival category without having seen its competitors. But I will point out the the accessibility of the script is what helped propel Art to a Best Play win — its only Tony victory — 27 years ago over The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh, which had twice as many nominations. As for the trio of actors, Corden is the most primed for a nomination. Like Molina before him, he plays Yvan, the more subservient character of the friend group. Corden gives a highly physical performance and expertly plays the character’s lack of confidence for laughs. He also lands, arguably, the most memorable sequence of the play: an extended mile-a-minute monologue where Yvan recounts a stressful wedding planning fiasco with his fiancé and mother. The audience is in stitches the whole time.
Still, I walked away perhaps most impressed by what Cannavale was able to pull off with Marc. His role is not as bombastic as Corden’s, and most of the details of Marc’s life are saved until the end of the story. Yet, when Cannavale walked on stage, I instantly understood what type of man Marc is, all thanks to the actor’s carefully calculated affectations, no-nonsense line delivery, and the sheer glee in which he cackles at the pretentiousness of Serge, played by Harris. If nominators feel inclined to recognize nuanced work from a veteran of the local theater scene — Cannavale is a longtime member of LAByrinth Theater Company — I can see him stealing a nomination. But of course, Lead Actor in a Play is always one of the most competitive fields at the Tony Awards. With all three of these men likely competing as leads, will it hurt their odds?
Buchanan: I think what might be more problematic for Corden or even Cannavale is the production’s December closing date. While it’s not uncommon for Tony nominators to spotlight performers from the fall — you and I often praise them for their long memories — statistically, it means they’re less likely to get nominated. At the 2025 Tonys, 81% of the acting nominees were from running shows. A single nom for a standout performance is absolutely possible, but multiple from the same production in the same category gets trickier, though Tala Ashe and Marjan Neshat from English accomplished just that!
But speaking of spectacular Broadway talents returning to the boards this season, what other shows and performer are you most keen to see? For me, it’s the actresses in plays and play revivals, most notably Carrie Coon in Bug. She made her Broadway debut in the Tony-winning revival of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf back in 2012, and that production continues to be one of my most cherished theatre memories. I cannot wait to see her New York stage return, especially after her meteoric television rise on The Leftovers, Fargo, The White Lotus, and The Gilded Age.
I’ve also been anticipating Oedipus with Olivier winner Lesley Manville and Mark Strong for months now. I was pretty bowled over with the news that June Squibb would star in the Broadway debut of Pulitzer finalist Marjorie Prime, and she’ll be joined by the exceptional cast of Cynthia Nixon, Danny Burstein, and Christopher Lowell. Not to mention Ayo Edebiri taking the reins from Tony-winning Mary-Louise Parker in a remounting of Proof, or Taraji P. Henson making her Broadway acting debut in Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, which has piqued my interest as an August Wilson scholar. What makes your most-anticipated list, including from the roster of exciting musical revivals?
John Lithgow won an Olivier Award for his portrayal of Roald Dahl in Giant (Photo by Kate Green/Getty Images)
Eckmann: The roster of eligible women for Lead Actress in a Play is indeed already stacked beyond what we see in an average season. And there are undoubtedly more plays and roles yet to be announced! You named some of the anticipated performances from men above, but I’m also excited to see Bill and Ted costars Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter reunite in Waiting for Godot. Their pre-existing rapport suits the play well, and I’m curious to see how that element pairs with director Jamie Lloyd’s notoriously high-concept staging. Lithgow plays author Roald Dahl in Giant, and his performance won raves (and awards) in the West End. It feels like the type of transformative role that entices awards voters like catnip.
But you alluded to the right category in your question, because I admit I’m most excited about the musical revivals that will soon be storming the rialto. This fall’s Chess and Ragtime both have the makings of “event” theater and could, respectively, score Lea Michele and Caissie Levy their first career Tony nominations. These two shows are rarely performed — Chess has a Cold War-era story that feels a bit niche, Ragtime is too massive and expensive for most theaters to mount — so getting both of these rare offerings in the same season is a treat for theater aficionados.
Two decidedly queer revivals will bow later in the season: reigning Tony champ Sam Pinkleton (Oh, Mary!) will direct The Rocky Horror Show 50 years after its original Broadway run, and Cats: The Jellicle Ball will vogue its way up to midtown after a successful stint at PAC NYC. This Broadway season promises to be lighter on new musicals than the previous, so it’s wonderful to see such variety in the revivals on offer.
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