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5 Reasons Why Many Thought Cats: The Jellicle Ball Would Win the Tony
1. It fit the mold of a lot of this category’s more recent winners. Productions that were respectful to the authors' intentions, while still completely rethinking the whole thing. Among them are Diane Paulus' circus-themed Pippin in 2013, Marianne Elliott's gender-reversed Company in 2022, Maria Friedman's coherently structured Merrily We Roll Along Along in 2024, and Jamie Lloyd's stripped-down black & white Sunset Boulevard in 2025. Not to mention that in the past when we've had races between a more straightforward revival and a more experimental one, the latter tends to prevail for providing more originality. Examples included John Doyle's stripped-down The Color Purple over Roundabout Theatre Company's lavish She Loves Me in 2016, Michael Arden's immersive Once on This Island over Lincoln Center Theater's lavish My Fair Lady in 2018, and Daniel Fish's darker, stripped-down, immersive Oklahoma! over RTC's lavish Kiss Me, Kate in 2019.
2. It changed people's perception of Cats. Despite the original productions in both London and New York achieving record-breaking runs, the musical itself doesn't necessarily have the best reputation in the world. Many have especially for years made jokes about it having no plot at all. The show was previously revived on Broadway in 2016. While it featured new choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler, it was still by and large a remounting of Trevor Nunn's original staging. Even though it ran for about a year and a half, it still received a bit of a ho-hum reception. Not to mention even more jokes came about in 2019 with the colossal failure of the live action film adaptation (which even Andrew Lloyd Webber hated). When this reinterpretation premiered Off-Broadway in 2024, it received such a rapturous response. Someone on Reddit even commented with something like "Cats actually makes sense for once." A large part of that is due to Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch's concept of departing stylistically from the original and re-theming it to ballroom culture.
3. It was expected to go hand-in-hand with directing. Prior to this year, there's only been three scenarios within the 21st century where Best Direction of a Musical went to a show that didn't go on to win its Best Production category:
John Rando winning for Urinetown in 2002; the show loses Best Musical to Thoroughly Modern Millie
John Doyle winning for his stripped-down Sweeney Todd in 2006; the show loses Best Musical Revival to The Pajama Game
Christopher Ashley winning for Come From Away in 2017; the show loses Best Musical to Dear Evan Hansen
Meanwhile, since Best Musical Revival was established as its own category in 1994, the following champs also won for their directors:
Nicholas Hytner Carousel in 1994
Hal Prince for Show Boat in 1995
Walter Bobbie for Chicago in 1997
Michael Blakemore for Kiss Me, Kate in 2000
Joe Mantello for Assassins in 2004
Bartlett Sher for South Pacific in 2008
Terry Johnson for La Cage aux Folles in 2010
Diane Paulus for Pippin in 2013
Marianne Elliott for Company in 2022
Michael Arden for Parade in 2023
4. For a while, it was believed that by opening in the spring, within the final couple of months of Tony eligibility, it would greatly increase a production's chances of winning big. As Ragtime opened back in the fall in 2025, there was speculation that Cats' spring opening was going to overshadow the former as the latter was going to be more fresh in peoples minds. For the most part, that sentiment is still true. This year alone saw Schmigadoon!, a spring opening, win Best Musical as well as Death of a Salesman, another spring opening, win Best Play Revival.
5. The timely nature of the production.
1. It fit the mold of a lot of this category’s more recent winners. Productions that were respectful to the authors' intentions, while still completely rethinking the whole thing. Among them are Diane Paulus' circus-themed Pippin in 2013, Marianne Elliott's gender-reversed Company in 2022, Maria Friedman's coherently structured Merrily We Roll Along Along in 2024, and Jamie Lloyd's stripped-down black & white Sunset Boulevard in 2025. Not to mention that in the past when we've had races between a more straightforward revival and a more experimental one, the latter tends to prevail for providing more originality. Examples included John Doyle's stripped-down The Color Purple over Roundabout Theatre Company's lavish She Loves Me in 2016, Michael Arden's immersive Once on This Island over Lincoln Center Theater's lavish My Fair Lady in 2018, and Daniel Fish's darker, stripped-down, immersive Oklahoma! over RTC's lavish Kiss Me, Kate in 2019.
2. It changed people's perception of Cats. Despite the original productions in both London and New York achieving record-breaking runs, the musical itself doesn't necessarily have the best reputation in the world. Many have especially for years made jokes about it having no plot at all. The show was previously revived on Broadway in 2016. While it featured new choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler, it was still by and large a remounting of Trevor Nunn's original staging. Even though it ran for about a year and a half, it still received a bit of a ho-hum reception. Not to mention even more jokes came about in 2019 with the colossal failure of the live action film adaptation (which even Andrew Lloyd Webber hated). When this reinterpretation premiered Off-Broadway in 2024, it received such a rapturous response. Someone on Reddit even commented with something like "Cats actually makes sense for once." A large part of that is due to Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch's concept of departing stylistically from the original and re-theming it to ballroom culture.
3. It was expected to go hand-in-hand with directing. Prior to this year, there's only been three scenarios within the 21st century where Best Direction of a Musical went to a show that didn't go on to win its Best Production category:
John Rando winning for Urinetown in 2002; the show loses Best Musical to Thoroughly Modern Millie
John Doyle winning for his stripped-down Sweeney Todd in 2006; the show loses Best Musical Revival to The Pajama Game
Christopher Ashley winning for Come From Away in 2017; the show loses Best Musical to Dear Evan Hansen
Meanwhile, since Best Musical Revival was established as its own category in 1994, the following champs also won for their directors:
Nicholas Hytner Carousel in 1994
Hal Prince for Show Boat in 1995
Walter Bobbie for Chicago in 1997
Michael Blakemore for Kiss Me, Kate in 2000
Joe Mantello for Assassins in 2004
Bartlett Sher for South Pacific in 2008
Terry Johnson for La Cage aux Folles in 2010
Diane Paulus for Pippin in 2013
Marianne Elliott for Company in 2022
Michael Arden for Parade in 2023
4. For a while, it was believed that by opening in the spring, within the final couple of months of Tony eligibility, it would greatly increase a production's chances of winning big. As Ragtime opened back in the fall in 2025, there was speculation that Cats' spring opening was going to overshadow the former as the latter was going to be more fresh in peoples minds. For the most part, that sentiment is still true. This year alone saw Schmigadoon!, a spring opening, win Best Musical as well as Death of a Salesman, another spring opening, win Best Play Revival.
5. The timely nature of the production.
We probably would’ve heard something about them wanting to make it up to the show itself after losing Best Musical in 1998 if that was the case. And besides, we’ve seen time and again how voters by and large at any awards show just don’t think like that. They’re only voting for what they liked most. Here are some more recent examples of that…
At last year’s Tonys, key reasons people were predicting Audra McDonald to win Best Lead Actress in a Musical for Gypsy over Nicole Scherzinger in Sunset Boulevard included some controversial political comments the latter made. Plus, many felt the former would get some last minute sympathy from voters following then-recent shade thrown at her by Patti LuPone. Yet on Tony, it proved that voters by and large just didn’t care as Scherzinger won, which also tied in with Sunset Boulevard’s prize for Best Musical Revival.
At last year’s Emmys, Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti were widely predicted to win both of their respective categories for the HBO miniseries, The Penguin. A key reason for that was because many thought voters were going to see them as a packaged deal. How can you award one without awarding the other? After Milioti won Lead Actress in a Limited Series/Movie, things were looking promising for Farrell in Lead Actor… until he lost to Stephen Graham for the Outstanding Limited Series winner, Adolescence.
At this year’s Oscars, many early on thought voters would want to give Best Supporting Actor Delroy Lindo for Sinners or Stellan Skarsgård for Sentimental Value. They were both industry vets on their very first nominations. Meanwhile, others doubted Sean Penn would win for One Battle After Another for various reasons. He had already won twice before for Mystic River in 2003 and Milk in 2008, he’s not the most likable figure in Hollywood, and he clearly didn’t give a f*ck about awards season as he was pretty much a no-show all season long (except for the Golden Globes). Yet on Oscar night, it proved that voters by and large just didn’t care about any of those scenarios at all as Penn became a three-time winner, which also tied in with One Battle After Another’s Best Picture prize.
5 Reasons Why Ragtime Won the Tony for Best Musical Revival
1. Voters simply went with their hearts.
2. The timely nature of the musical.
3. We've seen in recent years how much voters just love a good success story. Especially when it comes to revivals of shows that originally weren't successful to begin with. In 2023, Jason Robert Brown & Alfred Uhry's Parade came back to Broadway for the first time since its original short-lived run in the 1998-99 season. This time, it managed to get some new found appreciation with audiences as it constantly grossed over $1,000,000 a week. The following year, Stephen Sondheim & George Furth's Merrily We Roll Along came back to Broadway for the first time since its original disastrous run in 1981. Initially scheduled as a limited run, it kept extending multiple times. Not only that, but many felt that director Maria Friedman finally managed to make the show's tricky structure (told in reserve) work. With Ragtime, the musical was previously on Broadway twice before and lost money both times. While original managed a two-year run from 1998-2000, it was still a notorious commercial flop. While the first revival was well received, it sadly never caught on with the public, only lasting from October 2009 through January 2010. When Lincoln Center Theater announced they were going to be reviving Ragtime, it was originally slated to last from September 2025 through January 2026. Yet throughout the season, it constantly grossed over $1,000,000 a week, leading to multiple extensions. Just goes to show how third time proves to be the charm for this particular musical in finding success.
4. The producers were smart enough to re-invite voters back during Tony season.
5. Following Sunset Boulevard’s victory last year, voters may have felt “been there, done that” with Andrew Lloyd Webber.
At last year’s Tonys, key reasons people were predicting Audra McDonald to win Best Lead Actress in a Musical for Gypsy over Nicole Scherzinger in Sunset Boulevard included some controversial political comments the latter made. Plus, many felt the former would get some last minute sympathy from voters following then-recent shade thrown at her by Patti LuPone. Yet on Tony, it proved that voters by and large just didn’t care as Scherzinger won, which also tied in with Sunset Boulevard’s prize for Best Musical Revival.
At last year’s Emmys, Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti were widely predicted to win both of their respective categories for the HBO miniseries, The Penguin. A key reason for that was because many thought voters were going to see them as a packaged deal. How can you award one without awarding the other? After Milioti won Lead Actress in a Limited Series/Movie, things were looking promising for Farrell in Lead Actor… until he lost to Stephen Graham for the Outstanding Limited Series winner, Adolescence.
At this year’s Oscars, many early on thought voters would want to give Best Supporting Actor Delroy Lindo for Sinners or Stellan Skarsgård for Sentimental Value. They were both industry vets on their very first nominations. Meanwhile, others doubted Sean Penn would win for One Battle After Another for various reasons. He had already won twice before for Mystic River in 2003 and Milk in 2008, he’s not the most likable figure in Hollywood, and he clearly didn’t give a f*ck about awards season as he was pretty much a no-show all season long (except for the Golden Globes). Yet on Oscar night, it proved that voters by and large just didn’t care about any of those scenarios at all as Penn became a three-time winner, which also tied in with One Battle After Another’s Best Picture prize.
5 Reasons Why Ragtime Won the Tony for Best Musical Revival
1. Voters simply went with their hearts.
2. The timely nature of the musical.
3. We've seen in recent years how much voters just love a good success story. Especially when it comes to revivals of shows that originally weren't successful to begin with. In 2023, Jason Robert Brown & Alfred Uhry's Parade came back to Broadway for the first time since its original short-lived run in the 1998-99 season. This time, it managed to get some new found appreciation with audiences as it constantly grossed over $1,000,000 a week. The following year, Stephen Sondheim & George Furth's Merrily We Roll Along came back to Broadway for the first time since its original disastrous run in 1981. Initially scheduled as a limited run, it kept extending multiple times. Not only that, but many felt that director Maria Friedman finally managed to make the show's tricky structure (told in reserve) work. With Ragtime, the musical was previously on Broadway twice before and lost money both times. While original managed a two-year run from 1998-2000, it was still a notorious commercial flop. While the first revival was well received, it sadly never caught on with the public, only lasting from October 2009 through January 2010. When Lincoln Center Theater announced they were going to be reviving Ragtime, it was originally slated to last from September 2025 through January 2026. Yet throughout the season, it constantly grossed over $1,000,000 a week, leading to multiple extensions. Just goes to show how third time proves to be the charm for this particular musical in finding success.
4. The producers were smart enough to re-invite voters back during Tony season.
5. Following Sunset Boulevard’s victory last year, voters may have felt “been there, done that” with Andrew Lloyd Webber.