Watch Lea Michele, Joshua Henry and More Celebrate Their 2026 Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards Wins

The 2026 Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards took place on May 28 at the Skylark’s rooftop cocktail lounge. These awards give the power to the people with fans voting for their favorite Broadway stars and productions. We chatted with top Dogs Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Cake bosses Sam Tutty and Christiani Pitts, Lost Boys legend Shoshana Bean, Ragtime royal Joshua Henry and Chess champion Lea Michele about why the audience-voted award carries a special significance.

Michele nabbed three BACAs this year: Favorite Diva Performance, Favorite Leading Actress in a Musical and Performance of the Year for her turn as Florence Vassy in Chess. “Every single night over at the Imperial Theatre, it is a rock concert," she said, "and the audience is having the most incredible time. People [are] standing up on their feet and cheering and supporting each and every cast member in their moments in the show. I really never experienced anything like that before in a theater. It's like you can feel the walls vibrating.”

The enthusiasm of Broadway audiences was on many winners' minds, including Ragtime star Henry, who explained why this award is meaningful: “This one is voted on by the people," the Favorite Leading Actor in a Musical said, thanking audiences. "The people have spoken and given me this incredible award—thank you so much. Everyone who voted and everyone who's seen Ragtime five, seven, 10 times—we really appreciate you!” 

Bean echoed that sentiment. “It's the most meaningful because it's from the audiences and the audiences are my favorite character in the show,” said the Best Featured Actress in a Musical winner for The Lost Boys.

Hats off to all the winners! See you next year!

Watch the full video below: