# Tony Awards 2026: What's Changed w/ Sam Eckmann

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/broadway-breakdown-224933/tony-awards-2026-what-s-changed-w-sam-eckmann
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/broadway-breakdown-224933/tony-awards-2026-what-s-changed-w-sam-eckmann.md
Podcast: [Broadway Breakdown](https://stenobird.com/podcast/broadway-breakdown-224933)
Published: 2026-04-09T04:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://bwaybreakdown.substack.com/p/tony-awards-2026-whats-changed-w
Audio file: https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/193476767/00e820874e7209832377ad9f9c73cfa3.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/broadway-breakdown-224933/episodes/tony-awards-2026-what-s-changed-w-sam-eckmann
Duration seconds: 4828

## Resource

As the 2025/2026 barrels towards the finish line, Matt is joined by Breakdown fave Sam Eckmann (Gold Derby) to discuss how this year’s Tony race has changed. From a surprisingly thin Best Musical field to a hyper-competitive Play Revival race, they explore how industry sentiment, voter behavior, and late-season openings could reshape the narrative in the final stretch. If you think you know where the Tonys are headed… think again. Important Links Revue-ing the 2025/2026 Season: Green Room 42 Tix The (Slightly Early) Tony Awards Show: Green Room 42 Tix Sam Eckmann: Gold Derby Broadway Breakdown: Discord Broadway Breakdown: Substack Guest bio Sam Eckmann is an awards expert and contributor at Gold Derby, where he covers Broadway, film, and television races with a sharp eye for trends and voter psychology. A frequent Tony Awards predictor, Sam brings both data-driven insight and deep theater knowledge to the Broadway Breakdown universe. Timestamps * 0:00 – Intro + framing the 2026 Tony race * 2:00 – Best Musical: a weak frontrunner year? * 6:00 – Why Two Strangers leads—but isn’t unbeatable * 9:00 – The “original score vs. jukebox” debate * 14:00 – Musical Revival showdown: Ragtime vs. Cats: The Jellicle Ball * 29:00 – Play Revival: the most competitive category of the season * 40:00 – Lead Actor (Play): crowded field, shifting frontrunners * 45:00 – Director (Musical): why this race is wide open * 50:00 – Will The Queen of Versailles still show up on nomination morning? * 1:00:00 – Can comedy win? The Titanique question * 1:08:00 – Lead Actress (Play): stacked, messy, unpredictable * 1:14:00 – Final predictions in flux + shows to watch before nominations * 1:18:00 – Closing thoughts + diva send-off Listener discussion questions * In a year with no clear Best Musical jugg…

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## Transcript

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