Ave. Q & Wicked Top 2004 Audience Award Winners

For the fifth year, Broadway.com turned to its readers to determine the best of the season both on Broadway and off with the Broadway.com Audience Awards. Now, after two weeks of voting and over 155,000 votes cast by online theatergoers around the world, the results are in!

The hit Broadway tuners Avenue Q and Wicked tied with four awards each, although Wicked did win in the category of Favorite New Broadway Musical. Wicked leading lady Idina Menzel was honored in three categories: Favorite Leading Actress in a Broadway Musical, Favorite Diva Performance and Favorite Onstage Pair, an award she shares with co-star Kristin Chenoweth.

Avenue Q's Tony-nominated leads Stephanie D'Abruzzo and John Tartaglia were honored in the Breakthrough Performance categories. Featured funny lady Ann Harada, who was surprisingly left out when Tony nominations were announced earlier this month, won as Favorite Featured Actress in a Broadway Musical. The Broadway.com Audience Awards include many unique categories including Favorite Ensemble cast, won this year by the seven member company of Avenue Q.

Of the plays, A Raisin in the Sun came out on top with three awards, including Favorite Revival of a Play and nods for leading ladies Audra McDonald and Phylicia Rashad. The acclaimed Lincoln Center Theater revival of Henry IV won for players Kevin Kline and Ethan Hawke. I Am My Own Wife was named Favorite New Broadway Play, while star Jefferson Mays took home Favorite Solo Performance.

Other notable wins included acting awards for The Boy from Oz lead Hugh Jackman and Little Shop of Horrors' sadistic dentist Douglas Sills. The Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of Assassins took the prize as Favorite Broadway Musical Revival and the Actors' Fund of America concert version of the flop musical Chess was named Favorite Special Event.

Rent, the Jonathan Larson musical now in its eighth year on Broadway, is our readership's Favorite Long-Running Broadway Show. Former Spice Girl Melanie Brown, who took over the leading role of Mimi last month, won the show a second award for Favorite Replacement Female. Interestingly, original Rent star Adam Pascal also won for assuming the role of the Emcee in the now-closed revival of Cabaret.

Off-Broadway, one-named shows Bare and Bug were awarded as favorite new musical and play, respectively, while Gerard Alessandrini's Forbidden Broadway won as Favorite Long-Running Off-Broadway Show for the third year in a row.

A complete list of winners follows:

Favorite New Broadway Musical:
Wicked

Favorite New Broadway Play:
I Am My Own Wife

Favorite Broadway Musical Revival:
Assassins

Favorite Broadway Play Revival:
A Raisin in the Sun

Favorite New Off-Broadway Musical:
Bare

Favorite New Off-Broadway Play:
Bug

Favorite Leading Actor in a Broadway Musical:
Hugh Jackman, The Boy from Oz

Favorite Leading Actress in a Broadway Musical:
Idina Menzel, Wicked

Favorite Featured Actor in a Broadway Musical:
Douglas Sills, Little Shop of Horrors

Favorite Featured Actress in a Broadway Musical:
Ann Harada, Avenue Q

Favorite Leading Actor in a Broadway Play:
Kevin Kline, Henry IV

Favorite Leading Actress in a Broadway Play:
Phylicia Rashad, A Raisin in the Sun

Favorite Featured Actor in a Broadway Play:
Ethan Hawke, Henry IV

Favorite Featured Actress in a Broadway Play:
Audra McDonald, A Raisin in the Sun

Favorite Solo Performance:
Jefferson Mays, I Am My Own Wife

Favorite Ensemble Cast:
Avenue Q

Favorite Onstage Pair:
Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel, Wicked

Favorite Replacement Male:
Adam Pascal, Cabaret

Favorite Replacement Female:
Melanie Brown, Rent

Favorite Breakthrough Performance Male:
John Tartaglia, Avenue Q

Favorite Breakthrough Performance Female:
Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Avenue Q

Favorite Diva Performance:
Idina Menzel, Wicked

Favorite Long-Running Broadway Show:
Rent

Favorite Long-Running Off-Broadway Show:
Forbidden Broadway

Favorite Special Event:
Chess Actors' Fund of America Concert

For a complete list of past winners, click here.