First Standings Revealed for the 2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards
Voting is open through Wednesday, June 3rd, 2026.
The first standings have been revealed for the 2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards. The Theater Fans' Choice Awards honor and celebrate the best of New York Theater - as decided by the most important critics, the audience at large - allowing YOU to have your say during the most exciting time of the year for the theater community.
Now celebrating our 23nd year, the Theater Fans' Choice Awards continue to be the grandest fan-based awards of their kind. Voting is open to everyone, and we're excited to showcase an all-star lineup of nominees in categories that not only reflect the popular critical awards, but also include fan-favorite categories for Best Tour, Ensemble, and Off-Broadway shows.
Year after year, we've shattered records with the number of votes, and we can't wait to see the curtain rise on another record-breaking year. Don't miss your chance to vote! Voting is open now and runs through the end of the day on Wednesday, June 3rd, 2026.
Now that the critics and nominators have had their say, let your voice be heard and shine a spotlight on your favorites in the world of New York theater.
There's 11 days to go!
So, without any further delay, click here to vote!
Best Book of a Musical
David Hornsby, Chris Hoch, David Hornsby, Chris Hoch - The Lost Boys - 27%
Cinco Paul - Schmigadoon! - 25%
Jim Barne, Kit Buchan - Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) - 24%
Tye Blue, Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousouli - Titanique - 17%
Iris Rainer Dart, Thom Thomas - Beaches - 5%
Lindsey Ferrentino - The Queen of Versailles - 2%
Best Choreography
Lorin Latarro - Chess - 18%
Christopher Gattelli - Schmigadoon! - 18%
Lauren Yalango-Grant, Christopher Cree Grant - The Lost Boys - 17%
Omari Wiles, Arturo Lyons - CATS: The Jellicle Ball - 16%
Tim Jackson - Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) - 7%
Ellenore Scott - Titanique - 6%
Ellenore Scott - Ragtime - 5%
Ani Taj - The Rocky Horror Show - 4%
Anthony Van Laast - Mamma Mia! - 4%
Jennifer Rias - Beaches - 2%
Best Costume Design
Ryan park - The Lost Boys - 19%
Qween Jean - CATS: The Jellicle Ball - 14%
Linda Cho - Schmigadoon! - 14%
Linda Cho - Ragtime - 9%
Alejo Vietti - Titanique - 8%
David I. Reynoso - The Rocky Horror Show - 7%
Tom Broecker - Chess - 6%
Soutra Gilmour - Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) - 5%
Mark Thompson - Mamma Mia! - 2%
William Ivey Long - Beetlejuice - 2%
Best Direction of a Musical
Michael Arden - The Lost Boys - 24%
Michael Mayer - Chess - 15%
Lear deBessonet - Ragtime - 11%
Tim Jackson - Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) - 11%
Christopher Gattelli - Schmigadoon! - 9%
Zhailon Levingston, Bill Rauch - CATS: The Jellicle Ball - 8%
Tye Blue - Titanique - 8%
Sam Pinkleton - The Rocky Horror Show - 4%
Alex Timbers - Beetlejuice - 4%
Phyllida Lloyd - Mamma Mia! - 3%
Best Direction of a Play
Joe Mantello - Death of a Salesman - 20%
Duncan MacMillan, Jeremy Herrin - Every Brilliant Thing - 16%
Whitney White - Liberation - 9%
Debbie Allen - Joe Turner's Come and Gone - 6%
Robert Icke - Oedipus - 5%
Jamie Lloyd - Waiting for Godot - 4%
Thomas Kail - Proof - 4%
David Cromer - The Fear of 13 - 4%
Trip Cullman - Becky Shaw - 4%
Nicholas Hytner - Giant - 4%
Best Ensemble
Chess - 21%
The Lost Boys - 16%
Schmigadoon! - 11%
Ragtime - 10%
Titanique - 8%
CATS: The Jellicle Ball - 8%
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) - 5%
Mamma Mia! - 3%
The Rocky Horror Show - 3%
Beaches - 2%
Best Featured Performer in a Musical
Ali Louis Bourzgui - The Lost Boys, A New Musical - 18%
Bryce Pinkham - Chess - 10%
Hannah Cruz - Chess - 7%
Ben Levi Ross - Ragtime - 6%
Shoshana Bean - The Lost Boys, A New Musical - 4%
Layton Williams - Titanique - 4%
McKenzie Kurtz - Schmigadoon! - 4%
Ayaan Diop - Schmigadoon! - 3%
Ana Gasteyer - Schmigadoon! - 3%
André De Shields - Cats: The Jellicle Ball - 3%
Best Featured Performer in a Play
Laurie Metcalf - Death of a Salesman - 8%
Danny Burstein - Marjorie Prime - 5%
June Squibb - Marjorie Prime - 5%
Alden Ehrenreich - Becky Shaw - 5%
Ben Ahlers - Death of a Salesman - 5%
Christopher Abbott - Death of a Salesman - 4%
Don Cheadle - Proof - 4%
Patrick Ball - Becky Shaw - 3%
Aya Cash - Giant - 3%
Betsy Aidem - Liberation - 3%
Best Lead Performer in a Musical
LJ Benet - The Lost Boys, A New Musical - 15%
Joshua Henry - Ragtime - 15%
Nicholas Christopher - Chess - 9%
Lea Michele - Chess - 8%
Aaron Tveit - Chess - 8%
Marla Mindelle - Titanique - 8%
Sam Tutty - Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) - 8%
Caissie Levy - Ragtime - 4%
Jessica Vosk - Beaches - 4%
Alex Brightman - Schmigadoon! - 4%
Best Lead Performer in a Play
Daniel Radcliffe - Every Brilliant Thing - 28%
Nathan Lane - Death of a Salesman - 13%
Ayo Edebiri - Proof - 6%
John Lithgow - Giant - 6%
Keanu Reeves - Waiting For Godot - 4%
Adrien Brody - The Fear of 13 - 4%
Lesley Manville - Oedipus - 4%
Susannah Flood - Liberation - 4%
Carrie Coon - Bug - 4%
Laurie Metcalf - Little Bear Ridge Road - 4%
Best Lighting Design
Jen Schriever, Michael Arden - The Lost Boys - 29%
Kevin Adams - Chess - 16%
Jack Knowles - Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) - 8%
Paige Seber - Titanique - 7%
Adam Honoré - CATS: The Jellicle Ball - 6%
Donald Holder - Schmigadoon! - 6%
Adam Honoré, Donald Holder - Ragtime - 5%
Jack Knowles - Every Brilliant Thing - 4%
Jane Cox - The Rocky Horror Show - 3%
Jack Knowles - Death of a Salesman - 3%
Best Long-Running Broadway Show
Hadestown - 18%
Hamilton - 16%
Wicked - 13%
The Outsiders - 8%
Moulin Rouge! The Musical - 8%
& Juliet - 6%
The Book of Mormon - 5%
The Lion King - 5%
The Great Gatsby - 5%
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - 4%
Best New Musical
The Lost Boys - 31%
Schmigadoon! - 25%
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) - 23%
Titanique - 14%
Beaches - 4%
The Queen of Versailles - 4%
Best New Play
Liberation - 28%
Giant - 16%
Dog Day Afternoon - 16%
The Fear of 13 - 12%
The Balusters - 8%
Call Me Izzy - 8%
Little Bear Ridge Road - 7%
Punch - 6%
Best Off-Broadway Musical
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee - New World Stages - 22%
Mexodus - Minetta Lane Theatre - 11%
Bat Boy - City Center - 8%
The Last Five Years - Radio City Music Hall - 7%
The Baker's Wife - Classic Stage Company - 4%
Gotta Dance with AMERICAN DANCE MACHINE - The York Theatre Company - 3%
Bigfoot! A New Musical - City Center Stage 1 - 3%
Romy & Michele: The Musical - Stage 42 - 3%
The Wild Party - City Center - 3%
JOY: A New True Musical - Laura Pels Theatre - 2%
Best Off-Broadway Play
A Christmas Carol (Thorne Adaptation) - PAC NYC - 8%
Prince F****t - Playwrights Horizons - 6%
Andre De Shields is Tartuffe - House of the Redeemer - 4%
Kenrex - Lucille Lortel Theatre - 4%
Eurydice - The Pershing Square Signature Center - 3%
Othello (Shakespeare) - West End Theatre - 2%
Anna Christie - St. Ann's Warehouse - 2%
Twelfth Night - Delacorte Theatre - 2%
Marcel on the Train - Classic Stage Company - 2%
Caroline - MCC Theater - 2%
Best Orchestrations
Anders Eljas, Brian Usifer - Chess - 23%
Ethan Popp, The Rescues - The Lost Boys - 19%
William David Brohn - Ragtime - 11%
Lux Pyramid - Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) - 10%
Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Wilson - CATS: The Jellicle Ball - 9%
Doug Besterman, Mike Morris - Schmigadoon! - 9%
Nicholas James Connell - Titanique - 8%
Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Martin Koch - Mamma Mia! - 4%
Richard Hartley - The Rocky Horror Show - 3%
Charlie Rosen, Charlie Rosen - Beaches - 3%
Best Original Score
The Rescues , The Rescues - The Lost Boys - 35%
Cinco Paul - Schmigadoon! - 27%
Jim Barne, Kit Buchan - Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) - 26%
Stephen Schwartz - The Queen of Versailles - 7%
Mike Stoller - Beaches - 5%
Best Revival of a Musical
Ragtime - 34%
Chess - 31%
CATS: The Jellicle Ball - 20%
The Rocky Horror Show - 15%
Best Revival of a Play
Death of a Salesman - 29%
Every Brilliant Thing - 27%
Oedipus - 9%
Proof - 6%
Becky Shaw - 6%
Fallen Angels - 5%
Waiting for Godot - 4%
Joe Turner's Come and Gone - 4%
Bug - 3%
Marjorie Prime - 3%
Best Scenic Design
Dane Laffrey - The Lost Boys - 31%
Scott Pask - Schmigadoon! - 11%
Soutra Gilmour - Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) - 10%
David Rockwell - Chess - 10%
Gabriel Hainer Evansohn, Grace Lauchbacher - Titanique - 7%
David Korins - Ragtime - 4%
Vicki Mortimer - Every Brilliant Thing - 3%
David Korins - Beetlejuice - 3%
dots - The Rocky Horror Show - 3%
Rachel Hauck - CATS: The Jellicle Ball - 2%
Best Sound Design
Adam Fisher - The Lost Boys - 29%
John Shivers - Chess - 16%
Tony Gayle - Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) - 9%
Kai Harada - Ragtime - 7%
Lawrence Schober - Titanique - 6%
Walter Trarbach - Schmigadoon! - 6%
Brian Ronan - The Rocky Horror Show - 4%
Kai Harada - CATS: The Jellicle Ball - 4%
Tom Gibbons - Every Brilliant Thing - 4%
Kai Harada - Beaches - 2%
Best Touring Production
Hadestown - 10%
Hamilton - 9%
Les Misérables - 9%
& Juliet - 8%
Wicked - 6%
Beetlejuice - 5%
Mamma Mia! - 5%
Come From Away - 4%
Moulin Rouge! The Musical - 4%
SIX - 3%
So, without any further delay, click here to vote!
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