The first openly transgender woman to win a Tony in any category
Each year, the theater world pauses to ask which stories moved us most — and on Sunday, the 79th Tony Awards began answering that question before the main curtain even rose. In a pre-show ceremony on Pluto TV, the new musical Schmigadoon! and a revival of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman each claimed three early awards, while Qween Jean made history as the first openly transgender woman to win a Tony, recognized for her costume design on Cats: The Jellicle Ball. The evening's larger prizes awaited at Radio City Music Hall, but the pre-show had already told a story about craft, representation, and the quiet labor that holds theater together.
- Two productions — Schmigadoon! and Death of a Salesman — surged ahead of the field before the main ceremony began, each winning three pre-show awards.
- Qween Jean's Tony win for costume design became an immediate historic milestone, marking the first openly transgender woman to claim the award in any category.
- The spread of winners across The Lost Boys, Cats: The Jellicle Ball, and Ragtime signaled a competitive season without a single dominant juggernaut.
- Major acting, directing, and top-category awards remained unresolved, keeping the night's ultimate narrative open as the CBS broadcast at Radio City Music Hall approached.
- P!nk's hosting and the CBS and Paramount+ platform raised the ceremony's cultural visibility, framing Broadway's biggest night as a mainstream event with genuine stakes.
The 79th Tony Awards announced itself early on Sunday, when a pre-show ceremony on Pluto TV began distributing honors before the main event at Radio City Music Hall. Two productions claimed the spotlight: the new musical Schmigadoon!, which won best book, best original score, and best orchestrations, and a revival of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, which swept scenic, lighting, and sound design. Together they signaled which shows had captured the theater community's imagination — not just on stage, but in the technical disciplines that shape a production from the inside out.
The evening's most resonant moment came when Qween Jean accepted the award for best costume design of a musical for her work on Cats: The Jellicle Ball. In doing so, she became the first openly transgender woman to win a Tony in any category — a milestone that landed with particular weight in an industry still working toward fuller representation at every level.
Early acting honors added texture to the emerging picture: Laurie Metcalf won best featured actress in a play for Death of a Salesman, and John Lithgow took best actor in a leading role for Giant. The pre-show's variety of winners — including The Lost Boys for scenic and lighting design of a musical, and Ragtime for sound design — suggested a season of genuine depth rather than one show running away with the night.
With the design categories settled, the major prizes — best play, best musical, best revival, and the leading acting and directing awards — remained for the CBS broadcast hosted by P!nk. Schmigadoon! and Death of a Salesman had built early momentum, but the night was far from decided.
The 79th Tony Awards began its journey toward the evening's main event on Sunday with a clear signal about which shows would dominate the night. In the pre-show ceremony broadcast on Pluto TV, two productions emerged as early frontrunners: the new musical Schmigadoon! and a revival of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, each collecting three awards before the main broadcast even began.
The Tony Awards, theater's most prestigious honor, were set to unfold at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with singer-songwriter P!nk hosting the live ceremony on CBS and Paramount+. But the real story had already started taking shape hours earlier, as the design categories—costume, scenic, lighting, sound, and orchestrations—were handed out during the pre-show. These technical awards, often overlooked by casual viewers, revealed which productions had captured the attention of the theater community's craftspeople.
Schmigadoon! claimed victories for best book of a musical, best original score, and best orchestrations, the latter won by Doug Besterman and Mike Morris. The show's music and lyrics, created by Cinco Paul, earned recognition in two separate categories. Death of a Salesman, meanwhile, won for scenic design (Chloe Lamford), lighting design (Jack Knowles), and sound design (Mikaal Sulaiman). The revival's design sweep suggested a production that had impressed voters across multiple technical disciplines.
One moment stood out as historically significant. Qween Jean won the award for best costume design of a musical for her work on Cats: The Jellicle Ball, becoming the first openly transgender woman to win a Tony Award in any category. The victory marked a milestone for representation in an industry that has long struggled with diversity across all levels of production.
The pre-show results left the major acting categories, directing awards, and the races for best play, best musical, and best revival to be announced during the CBS broadcast. Laurie Metcalf had already secured best featured actress in a play for Death of a Salesman, while John Lithgow won best actor in a leading role in a play for Giant. These early acting wins suggested the evening would feature victories spread across multiple productions rather than a single show sweeping the night.
The design awards revealed the breadth of competition: The Lost Boys won for scenic design of a musical and lighting design of a musical (Jen Schriever and Michael Arden), while Cats: The Jellicle Ball claimed choreography honors (Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons). Ragtime took sound design of a musical. The variety of winners across the pre-show categories indicated a theater season with several strong contenders rather than one clear juggernaut.
As the evening progressed toward the main ceremony, the stage was set for what would likely be a competitive night. Schmigadoon! and Death of a Salesman had established themselves as forces to be reckoned with, but the pre-show results also suggested that productions like The Lost Boys, Cats: The Jellicle Ball, and Ragtime had made their own compelling cases to voters. The major awards still to come would determine whether the early frontrunners could sustain their momentum or whether other shows would emerge as the night's true victors.
Notable Quotes
Qween Jean won best costume design for Cats: The Jellicle Ball, becoming the first openly transgender woman to win a Tony in any category— NPR reporting on the 79th Tony Awards
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does it matter that these design awards came first, before the main broadcast?
Because it tells you what the theater community actually values in the work itself—not just the stars or the story, but the craft underneath. Three awards for Death of a Salesman in design categories means voters saw something cohesive and excellent in how that production was built.
And Qween Jean's win—is that just a symbolic moment, or does it change something?
It's both. Symbolically, it's the first time someone openly transgender has won a Tony in any category. But it also means her work on Cats was judged on merit and won. That's the part that matters most—she was the best at what she did.
So Schmigadoon! and Death of a Salesman are the favorites going into the main show?
They're the ones with momentum, yes. But the pre-show only covers design and some acting. The big directing awards, best play, best musical—those are still ahead. A show can win three early awards and then lose the night's biggest prize.
What does it say that so many different shows won awards?
It says this was a strong season. You've got The Lost Boys, Ragtime, Cats, all winning in different categories. It's not one show dominating everything. That usually means the voters saw real quality across the board.
Will the CBS audience care about costume design and lighting?
Most casual viewers won't. But the people watching—theater people, industry people—they know that's where you see the real craftsmanship. The pre-show is for them.