The New York Times offered its own predictions for the 1996 Tony Awards, scheduled to be given June 2. In his May 31 On Stage and Off column, Peter Marks divided the Tonys into three categories: The Locks, The Tossups and The Rest.

What's interesting is how many categories were predicted differently, though with equal confidence, by Variety, as published earlier in the week.

Here are the Times' picks:

The Locks
Best Actress (Play) Zoe Caldwell in Master Class
Best Choreography: Savion Glover for Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk
Best Lighting Design: Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer for Noise/Funk

The Tossups
Best Play: Master Class or Seven Guitars, with Guitars slightly favored.
Director of a Musical: George C. Wolfe of Noise/Funk or Christopher Renshaw for The King and I, with Wolfe slightly favored. The Rest:
Best Musical: Rent
Best Revival (Play): A Delicate Balance
Best Revival (Musical): The King and I
Best Director (Play): Gerald Gutierrez for Delicate Balance
Best Actor (Play): George C. Scott for Inherit the Wind
Best Actor (Musical): Nathan Lane in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Featured Actor (Play): Ruben Santiago-Hudson for Seven Guitars
Featured Actress (Play): Lois Smith for Buried Child
Featured Actor (Musical): Wilson Jermaine Heredia for Rent
Featured Actress (Musical): Anne Duquesnay (Noise/Funk
Book of a Musical: Jonathan Larson for Rent
Original Score: Jonathan Larson Rent
Sets: Brian Thomson for the King and I
Costumes: Roger Kirk for The King and I

The column did a separate section predicting Julie Andrews would win for Best Actress (Musical).

-- By Robert Viagas