Cinco Paul's Schmigadoon!, Ahrens and Flaherty's Ragtime Win Big at 79th Tony Awards

Broadway's biggest night returned to Radio City Music Hall in NYC on Sunday, June 7, and the evening was singular and sensational – particularly for ASCAP's musical theatre creators Cinco Paul (Schmigadoon!) and the team of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime). Each of their musicals took home four Tony Awards!

Cinco Paul himself took home the Tonys for Best Original Score and Best Book, while ASCAP member Doug Besterman walked away with a trophy for Best Orchestrations. Schmigadoon! then took home the final award of the night for Best Musical, bringing their total awards to 4. 

 

Lincoln Center Theater's acclaimed Broadway revival of Ahrens & Flaherty's musical Ragtime also won 4 Tonys, including Best Revival of a Musical. 

 

+ Listen to Ahrens & Flaherty on Versed: The ASCAP Podcast

 

The show was full of Broadway razzle dazzle and touching moments. The night opened with a 7-minute long tribute to leading ladies written by ASCAP's Pasek & Paul and Mark Sonnenblick. The show also featured performances of songs written by two of ASCAP's late musical theatre icons: Leslie Odom Jr. performed "Without You" from Jonathan Larson's landmark musical Rent to accompany the in memoriam segment, and Rachel Zegler helped celebrate the 50th anniversary of Marvin Hamlisch's groundbreaking A Chorus Line with a stirring rendition of "What I Did For Love."

 

 

2026 TONY WINNERS

 

BEST MUSICAL

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Schmigadoon! – Music & Lyrics by Cinco Paul

 

BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL

Schmigadoon! – Cinco Paul

 

BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL 

Ragtime (Music by Stephen Flaherty, Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens)

 

BEST ORCHESTRATIONS 

Schmigadoon! – Doug Besterman