Beaches: The Musical is officially heading toward an early Broadway shutdown after becoming the first major Tony Awards casualty of 2026. Despite opening previews at the Majestic Theatre in March ahead of its April debut, the long-developed production struggled to fully win over audiences and critics, with reviews quickly turning mixed to negative. However, once the musical walked away completely shut out of the Tony nominations, the Broadway fate of Beaches seemingly collapsed almost overnight.

Last week alone, Beaches reportedly played to barely 51 percent of the theatre's capacity while earning nearly $550,000 or less weekly, far below the financial demands needed to sustain a Broadway musical. Although the production had originally planned a limited run through September before launching a national tour, producer Jennifer Maloney-Prezioso still praised the cast and crew for creating a story filled with “heart, humanity, humor, and emotional truth,” insisting audiences continued deeply connecting with its emotional themes of friendship and love even after the final curtain.

“Night after night, audiences have laughed, cried, called their friends on the way out of the theater, and connected deeply with this story of friendship and love." producer Jennifer Maloney-Prezioso said.

Led by Jessica Vosk and Kelli Barrett, Beaches: The Musical had reportedly hoped that major Tony nominations for its lead performances or the production itself could help revive momentum after its weak opening weeks. Based on Beaches starring Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey, the story follows the decades-long friendship between Cee Cee and Bertie as they navigate childhood, marriage, career struggles, personal loss, and illness together.

But while Beaches quietly vanished from the Broadway musical race, the 2026 Tony Awards nominations have already pushed theatre season competition into full spotlight chaos.

Inside the biggest Tony Awards nominations dominating Broadway in 2026

The 79th Annual Tony Awards nominations officially turned Broadway’s 2026 theatre season into a fierce competition after hosts Darren Criss and Uzo Aduba unveiled this year’s biggest contenders on May 5. New musicals The Lost Boys and Schmigadoon! immediately stormed ahead with 12 nominations each. However, the final winners will officially be announced live on June 7 during the main ceremony at Radio City Music Hall, airing coast-to-coast from 8 PM to 11 PM ET.

Meanwhile, Death of a Salesman emerged as the season’s most-nominated play with nine major nominations, intensifying anticipation around this year’s theatre race even further. Major categories also feature productions like Titaníque, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), and Oedipus, alongside acting nominations for stars including Daniel Radcliffe, Nathan Lane, and Joshua Henry.

While Beaches may have exited Broadway far earlier than expected, the emotional story of friendship and love behind the production still appears far from over as the musical now prepares for its upcoming national tour beyond New York’s theatre stage.

What are your thoughts on Beaches shutting down after its Tony Awards snub? Let us know in the comments.

Written by

Lisa Roy

Edited by

Aliza Siddiqui