To paraphrase a particularly wise bard, the play’s the thing — but awards are nice, too. The nominees for the 2026 Tony Awards will be unveiled on May 5, injecting some fresh drama into an already-eventful 2025-26 Broadway season. The past few weeks have seen some high-profile debuts, from big-budget musicals like The Lost Boys to star-powered revivals like Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. And don’t forget that Tony voters still have the lingering memory of since-closed fall productions like Little Bear Ridge Road and Marjorie Prime as they fill out their ballots.
Ahead of Tony nominations morning, Gold Derby recruited our resident Tony Talkers to make another Awards Magnet appearance sharing their own predictions for the shows they expect to make the cut in the major categories. One big takeaway? The play and musical revival categories may be the toughest to call.
Over in Musical Revival, for example, you’ve got two clear front-runners — Cats: The Jellicle Ball and Ragtime — assured for nominations. But the third spot is an up-for-grabs battle between Chess and The Rocky Horror Show, both of which have their passionate fans… and fierce detractors. Meanwhile, both of our Tony experts are predicting a snub for Tracy Letts’ Bug starring Carrie Coon, leaving an opening for Joe Turner to come and go.
Watch our latest episode of Awards Magnet above or listen along on your podcast platform of choice. And be sure to send your thoughts, voicemails and favorite Rocky Horror song to awardsmagnet@goldderby.com.
