For Ragtime's Caissie Levy, Her First Tony Nomination Feels Like 'The Biggest Wraparound Hug'

Broadway powerhouse Caissie Levy is a 2026 Tony nominee for her performance as Mother in the Lincoln Center Theater revival of Ragtime. Though this marks her first nomination, Levy has established herself as one of the industry's most formidable leading ladies. She’s defied gravity as Elphaba in Wicked, preached flower power as Sheila in Hair and gave us that legendary “Let It Go” octave-up as Broadway’s original Elsa in Frozen. (And that's just a few of her greatest hits—First Daughter Suite, anyone?)

Speaking to The Broadway Show host Tamsen Fadal at the Grand Salon at the Waldorf Astoria Residences New York, Levy shares that she received news of her Tony nomination amid a packed schedule that consists of “momming and wifing and commuting.” Says Levy, “I got my kids to school with my husband and then we raced back home to try to find the right channel to watch it on. We got there in the nick of time. We watched it and immediately FaceTimed my parents in Canada.”

For a theater veteran like Levy, an acknowledgment of this caliber hits different. “To be recognized with this Tony nomination feels like the biggest wraparound hug I could get from the community that I've put 20 years into. I knew it would mean so much to me, but I didn't realize how much it would mean,” Levy emphasizes. "I'm at a point in my career where I can really appreciate how special it is. It's not passing me by. I'm able to have conversations with people that I've known for so long and say, 'Wow, I feel so grateful to be where I am.'"

In Ragtime, Levy portrays a turn of the century matriarch who is thrust into social consciousness. “The role is so wonderful. It's so deep and complicated and exciting. That alone is a gift, getting to play this part in this show at this moment in time. We really feel the audience craving this story right now, which as an actor gives you immense gratitude and satisfaction,” she says.

Ragtime has 11 Tony nods, making it is the most-nominated revival of the season. Reflecting on why the production has had such an impact, Levy opines, “I think people come in with one of the storylines speaking to them more than the other two, and they leave changed and maybe investigating how the other storylines might affect them. I think people are craving this kind of theater right now because we sometimes feel lost in this country. That's when art matters the most, right? It gives us a little window to process all the things we're feeling in life, get into a theater with a bunch of strangers, feel our feelings next to each other and leave with our hearts opened.”

Levy is a mother of two young children and this incredible moment in her career has not been without some sacrifice. “Any parent in this business knows how hard that struggle is, that balancing act. My kids got into bed with me yesterday morning for a snuggle, which was delicious, and it was all going great. Then my daughter said, ‘Mommy, I don't like that your job is special. I want you to be home every night to tuck me in.' And then my son said, ‘But I love that your job is special because I want you to follow your dreams.'"

"It was just the most adorable and sad and happy moment because that's what it is right now, having young kids who only sort of understand why you're not there every night and who get to grow up backstage and around theater people, so what a gift,” says Levy. “They have all these aunties and uncles who take them in and the experiences they get because of that are unbelievable. But I'm also not there to pick them up at the bus stop or make them dinner or tuck them in at night and that's hard for all of us. As a mother and playing this role, I've been doing a lot of mothering of myself and reminding myself there are seasons for things, and it will change and grow and ebb and flow. You have to lean in and just go for it.”

GET TO KNOW THE TONY FIRST-TIMERS
Left to Right: MARLA MINDELLE - Titanique | CAISSIE LEVY - Ragtime | CHRISTIANI PITTS - Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) | STEPHANIE HSU - The Rocky Horror Show | SARA CHASE - Schmigadoon!

Watch the June 3 episode of The Broadway Show with Tamsen Fadal, highlighting all five first-time Tony nominees for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical, and check out the complete gallery of photos from our exclusive Broadway.com photo shoot below.

The Broadway Show Credits: Directed by Zack R. Smith | Producers: Paul Wontorek and Beth Stevens | Senior Producers: Caitlin Moynihan and Lindsey Sullivan | Videographers: Jessica Arena, Pablo Esteves, Eddie Lebron, Nick Shakra and Ryan Windess | Audio: Drew James | Gaffer: Alicia Esposito
Photo Credits: Photography by Jenny Anderson | Photo Assistants: Laurel Hinton, Lindsey Kelly and Shawn Salley | Location: The Grand Salon at the Waldorf Astoria Residences New York
Hair and Makeup Credits: Morgan Blaul, L. Monique Rance, Rachel Roberts and Angella Valentine

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