The 2026 JKTS Awards: Editors' Choice, Part Two

Editors' Choice, Part Two

Best Logo of the Season

   

Revival: Cats: The Jellicle Ball 

New Musical: The Lost Boys

Headlines of the Year 

The fire at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre

Both headlines happened relatively recently. The fire at the home of The Book of Mormon caused significant damage to an upstairs lighting room, and canceled several weeks of performances, just as the show was set to celebrate 15 years on Broadway. Thank goodness it happened when the show was dark and no one was seriously injured.

Announcement of Pink as host of the 2026 Tony Awards

Meanwhile, you could hear the gasps all around the theater district and across the nation when it was announced that the pop star and non-Broadway celebrity would be hosting the industry's biggest night. Well, all that pearl clutching and snobbery against an "outsider" was for naughty. She was spectacular, and the event was the best in years.

Best Showstopper

Chess: The Nicholas Christopher "Note"

No matter what you've read or seen on videos, nothing could ever replace seeing Christopher perform the entirety of the "Endgame" sequence live, with that note frequently causing spontaneous - and well-deserved - standing ovations. Spectacular in every sense of the word. People will say they were there for years to come.

Best Dance Number

Traditional number: Schmigadoon! "Schmigadoon!" 

(Choreography by Christopher Gattelli)

Non-traditional: The vampire flying sequences in The Lost Boys 

(Aerial choreography by Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant)

Best Pre-show

Verbal Announcement: Jim Parsons, Titanique

Non-Verbal: The sign girl, Becky Shaw

Both were hilarious - one intentionally, the other in mute testimony to the need for such instructions.

Best Overture

TIE: Cats: The Jellicle Ball and Chess

Both revivals had great overtures. Cats mirrored the concept of the show: the complete original overture, staged with a passing of the torch of the original production to a new, exciting concept. Chess, which featured a new book, also featured a new-for-the-revival overture. A nice touch.

Best Special Effects

The Lost Boys: The Bridge Scene

Best Elevator Since Sweet Charity

The Lost Boys: The Orchestra Pit

Check out the mosh pit that rises from the orchestra pit during The Lost Boys concert as they sing "Have to Have You." An amazing visual! Dane Laffery's set design includes several elevators that create even more space for this enormous undertaking. Space to jump from a bridge, lifting entire sets to allow even more to happen beneath it. Elevators sure have come a long way on Broadway!

Best Surprise

The Skimbleshanks Voice-over: Cats: The Jellicle Ball

For the Jellicle Ball, everyone's favorite railway cat (Emma Sofia) has moved to the New York Subway. Who wouldn't love to see this sassy kitty on the A Train? No spoilers here, but something really fun happens mid-song when a familiar voice rings out across the runway!

Best Costume Change Award

Chess: Aaron Tveit from skivvies to a suit in "One Night in Bangkok"

I mean, who doesn't love the chance to see Aaron in his undies? We still haven't gotten over those scenes in Next to Normal! But watching his costume change during "One Night in Bangkok" is next level. Fun, sexy and cleverly choreographed, how great was that?

Sorry We Missed It Award

Liberation

I could name half a dozen mostly lame excuses as to why we didn't see this Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning play. None are really good enough, and I am still kicking myself for not witnessing this important work.

"I'm Still Here" Award

June Squibb in Marjorie Prime

At 96, June Squibb shows no sign of stopping. And why should she? On Broadway alone, her career spans 66 years of plays and musicals. She wasn't lying when she told us she slayed every role - the ultimate Leading Lady Marmalade!

Six Award for Playing Real Life People 

Parody: Marla Mindelle as Celine Dion, Frankie Grande as Victor Garber 

and Deborah Cox as The Unsinkable Molly Brown in Titanique

Sincerity: Anna Grace Barlow as Evelyn Nesbit, 

Rodd Cyrus as Harry Houdini  and Shaina Taub as Emma Goldman in Ragtime

This season, Six means six! In Titanique, funny takes on beloved figures from history, music and stage and screen was the order of the day. Over at Ragtime, genuine American historical figures were powerfully brought to life as entertainment and activism intertwined.

One Actor/Two Roles Award

Tonya Pinkins in The Wild Party: 2000: as Kate and 2026: as Dolores

I'm probably among the few who can say they saw both the 2000 Broadway production and the 2026 Encores productions of LaChiusa's The Wild Party. What a treat it was to see Tonya Pinkins absolutely slay in two different roles. What a great actress!

Suffs Empowerment Awards

Cats: The Jellicle Ball

The Jellicle Ball is a lot of things to a lot of people. Perhaps the most important thing is that it brings a whole culture to the main stream, bringing joy and opening minds in the process. That is a beautiful thing, indeed.

John Riddle in Titanique

I read an interview with John Riddle where he discusses how Titanique allows him to tap into his authentic queer self. That he feels that way is wonderful for him, of course, and he's such an amazing guy, but it also is wonderful that he stands up on that stage as a queer role model, too.

Best Entrance

Cast: Ragtime

They rise up from below like ghosts from history. Thrilling every time I think about it. Goose bumps and happy sighs.

Individual: Andre de Shields as Old Deuteronomy in Cats: The Jellicle Ball 

Munkustrap stops the show. He announces the arrival of Old Deuteronomy. Unsatisfied with our reaction, he commands, "All rise!" And we all did without question. Maybe the most deserved standing ovation of the year. That is how you make an entrance!

Non-living: The suitcase in Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

That lone piece of luggage spinning around the set on a turntable. It never said or sang a word, but it started the show. Part of Broadway history, like the Dr. Zhivago table and Maybe Happy Ending's Hwaboon...

Best Exit

"Temptress" Chastity Moore as Grizabella in Cats: The Jellicle Ball

Grizabella's ascension to the Heavyside Layer has always been a moment of spectacle. Her tire has been replaced by an elegant spiral staircase, but it is no less breathtaking - especially since Griz goes up in a tight floor length gown, boa and very tall heels!

Grin and Bear It Award

TIE: The casts of Beaches and The Queen of Versailles

The companies of these two resounding flops get all my respect. Huge theaters with mostly empty seats, knowing the critics and audiences largely didn't like you, and they still gave 100% for each remaining performance.

The Ghost "Molly, You in Danger, Girl" Award

Beaches Conductor, Paul Staroba

It was the moment we were all waiting for: Jessica Vosk is singing "Wind Beneath My Wings." All of a sudden, the stage starts to move toward the audience, and it doesn't look like it is going to stop. And it is heading right for the conductor's head. It's all I'm paying attention to now, and the biggest thing I remember from the whole show.

Prop of the Year Award

The Cake, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) 

and The Heart of the Ocean, Titanique

One is so important to the plot, it is part of the title. The other is part of a cultural touchstone. Has a piece of cake ever created a 1,000 person gasp before this? Has a piece of fictional jewelry ever garnered so many laughs? 

The Final 2026 JKTS Awards Tally

Between your Readers' Choice Awards and our Editors' Choice Awards, we honored 17 shows that opened this season with a whopping 78 awards!

The Lost Boys - 20

Cats: The Jellicle Ball - 14

Titanique - 9

Ragtime - 6

Chess - 5

Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) - 5

Liberation - 3

Schmigadoon! - 3

The Queen of Versailles - 3

Beaches - 2

Becky Shaw - 2

Boop! - 1

Hadestown - 1

Just In Time - 1

Marjorie Prime - 1

The Rocky Horror Show - 1

The Wild Party - 1

The Biggest Musicals That Didn't Win the Best Musical Tony Award

With the Tony Awards safely behind us for another year, it is generally to the benefit of the show that takes the coveted Best Musical. I'm sure it will generate some extra buzz for Schmigadoon!. But not to worry, The Lost Boys! Many times, a show that doesn't win that award goes on to a lengthy, and profitable, run.

The Biggest Musicals That Didn't

Win the Best Musical Tony Award

There are currently 5 musicals running that have outrun their season's Best Musical. As of June 14, 2026, here are the current performance numbers, the Best Musical of that season and their performance total, plus the current percentage of how much the runner-up surpassed the champ. (Percentage rounded to the nearest whole percent.)

• & Juliet - 1491 performances. 2023 Best Musical Kimberly Akimbo - 612 performances. 144% more and growing!
• MJ - 1797 performances. 2022 Best Musical A Strange Loop - 293 performances.  513% more and growing!
• Six - 1921 performances. 2022 Best Musical A Strange Loop - 293 performances.  556% more and growing!
• Aladdin - 4421 performances. 2014 Best Musical A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder - 905 performances. 389% more and growing!
• Wicked - 8795 performances. 2004 Best Musical Avenue Q - 2534 Broadway performances. 247% more and growing!

It is really interesting to look at the historical list of Broadway's Longest-Running Shows, and see how many shows bested their season's Best Musical. The highest ranking musical on the list that isn't eligible for this list is the pre-Tonys classic, Oklahoma! with a then unheard of run of 2212 performances! And of course, we aren't including revivals, even though several have outrun their original productions (Chess comfortably passed its original run recently!) But we'd be remiss not to mention Chicago which is the longest currently running show. Not only did they beat the performance total of their original production, but it also has surpassed the show that was the Best Musical of the original's season, A Chorus Line! (Sorry for the word salad there...)

Here are the 10 longest-running shows of all time that played more performances than their season's Best Musical:

10. The Magic Show (not even nominated for Best Musical!) - 1920 performances. 1975 Best Musical The Wiz - 1672 performances. 15% more!

9. Pippin - 1944 performances. 1973 Best Musical A Little Night Music - 601 performances. 223% more!

8. Smokey Joe's Cafe - 2036 performances. 1995 Best Musical Sunset Boulevard - 977 performances. 108% more!

7. Rock of Ages - 2328 performances. 2009 Best Musical Billy Elliot - 1312 performances. 77% more!

6. Beautiful: The Carole King Musical - 2416 performances. 2014 Best Musical  A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder - 905 performances. 167% more!

5. Mary Poppins - 2619 performances. 2007 Best Musical Spring Awakening - 859 performances. 205% more!

4. Grease - 3388 performances. 1972 Best Musical Two Gentlemen of Verona - 614 performances. 323% more!

3. Miss Saigon - 4092 performances. 1991 Best Musical The Will Rogers Follies - 981 performances. 317% more!

2. Beauty and the Beast - 5461 performances. 1994 Best Musical Passion - 280 performances. 1850% more!

1. Mamma Mia! - 5758 performances. 2002 Best Musical Thoroughly Modern Millie - 903 performances. 538% more!

Looks like Stephen Schwartz knows a thing or two about writing popular shows. Three of his shows outran the winners of their season! And there's A Gentleman's Guide, which may have won the big prize, but TWO of that year's shows outlasted it by a wide margin - one is still running!

The Tonys help, but don't guarantee a bigger hit. What does help is a show that develops a strong fan base no matter who is in it, and no matter what the critics may have to say. Mostly, you need a show that people will recommend and will see more than once. Will any of 2026's shows do as well? Time will tell.

From Where We Sat: The Helen Hayes Theatre

Today, we have the next in our series of seating articles based on many of your emails requests and questions, namely "how were your seats?" Sure, I'm aware of another website that provides a similar service that covers New York theaters, national theaters and concert and sporting venues. I hope to provide a bit more information and insight. That said, if there's anything more you'd like to know or want to share your own experiences please feel free to contact us on social media at JKsTheatreScene.

From Where We Sat:

The Helen Hayes Theatre

The Theatre: 

• 240 W. 44th Street
• Current capacity: 581 seats
• Orchestra and Mezzanine

What We Saw There:

• Becky Shaw (review HERE)

Where We Sat: 

• Right Side Orchestra Row J, Seats 12 & 14. The seating in this theater has average leg room. The seats themselves were comfortable and in excellent condition.

What We Paid: 

• $99.00 (Today Tix offer) These seats are normally $214.00 at the box office. 

The Location: 

• Upon entering the theater, we were directed to the second door immediately to our left.
• Row J is the ninth row from the stage.

Seat Amenities and Exiting the Theatre:

• These seats are comfortable and well maintained.
• Exiting the theatre is particularly easy and simple from here. The door to the street is about 30 feet away straight ahead. Getting out is pretty painless.   
• We were out of the theater and on our way in less than 5 minutes post curtain call.

So how was the view*?

• We were against the wall, right at the point where the wall angles in. These were definitely partial view, with everything stage left of the proscenium out of view. I don't think we missed much, but it was annoying, especially considering that they were not designated as partial view.
• I don't think people in the orchestra seating in the first couple of rows fared much better, as the stage is pretty tall from there.
• Facial expressions and set and costume details were crystal clear as we were at an otherwise perfect distance from the stage.

The bottom line:

• I would not choose these seats specifically, unless there was nothing better available. The view is definitely partial. Having been there again after all these years (it's been about 20 years), and it's fresh in my memory, even the very back row of the orchestra is considerably better.

* - Your seating preferences may vary, of course. And these seats may not be as ideal for a different production.

Other seating at The St. James Theatre

• We have seen several productions at this theater and we've sat in various locations in the orchestra, and mezzanine areas. (We even sat on stage once for Xanadu!)
• A couple of times, we sat in the center orchestra section. The seats had an average amount of leg room. You could see the whole stage at once, but it isn't too far from the stage, so you can still see the details and facial expressions. The legroom is less generous in the orchestra, but it isn't uncomfortable. The seats there have a typical rake, so seeing over others can be difficult if someone tall sits in front of you. Do with that information what you will.
• The mezzanine view is pretty great throughout, with the normal limitations of the extreme sides. Oddly, the closer you are to the front of the section, the more cramped the seating.

The 2026 JKTS Awards: Editors' Choice, Part One

Editors' Choice, Part One

Recently, you had your say with The 2026 JKTS Readers' Choice Awards (HERE). Now it is our turn! Today, we offer up our more serious awards (a few fun ones will post next week), honoring those theater people - new faces and familiar faces - that made the 2025-2026 Broadway season the special one that it was.

Show Folk Awards

Movers and Shapers

• Playwright: Bess Wohl (Liberation) 
• Musical Writers: The Rescues (The Lost Boys) and Jim Barne & Kit Buchan (Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York))
• Designers: Qween Jean (Liberation & Cats: The Jellicle Ball) and Dean Laffrey, Michael Arden & Jen Schriever (The Lost Boys)

These greats represent the present AND the future of Broadway. They have their fingers on the pulse of relevancy, and continue to stretch the boundaries for their respective crafts.

Mavericks of the Season 

• Queen Jean, Tony-winner for Cats: The Jellicle Ball (Best Costume Design of a Musical)
• Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousouli and Tye Blue writers, stars and directors of Titanique

Much has been written about Qween Jean's historic Tony win already, but I'll just add that she inspires me to be a better member of the queer community.

And who doesn't love a from-the-ground-up success story? The three collaborators of Titanique represent the very ideal of creating theater. What started out as a kind of joke between friends blossomed into a tiny show that refused to die, and grew and grew until it became an international hit show. Though it may seem that Broadway is the final jewel of the ocean in its theatrical crown, I somehow suspect it is far from over. 

Welcome to Broadway 

• Anna Grace Barlow, Ragtime
• LJ Benet, The Lost Boys
• Melissa Berrera, Titanique
• Ayaan Diop, Schmigadoon!
• Alden Ehrenreich, Becky Shaw
• Luke Evans, The Rocky Horror Show
• "Tempress" Chastity Moore, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
• Sam Tutty, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

Every season brings a wonderful new crop of Broadway debuts, but these folks really stood out to us. Some came from other areas of the arts, others from across the pond. All of them generously shared their talents and unique personalities. We really hope they will all come back often.

Welcome Back to Broadway

Stephen Schwartz, The Queen of Versailles

It feels like he's always around. There have been revivals of Godspell and Pippin on Broadway, and The Baker's Wife off-Broadway. There's been a steady stream of film scores. And of course, there's the constant presence of Wicked both on Broadway and in movie theaters. It is notable that The Queen of Versailles is his first original Broadway score in 22 years, the last being Wicked. Though its demise was swift, it's always a great thing to have Schwartz's work on the boards!

Stars on the Rise

• Rodd Cyrus, Ragtime
• Sydney James Harcourt, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
• Layton Williams, Titanique
• Maria Wirries, The Lost Boys 

These four performers are all going to be big. Really big. Mark my words!

Two of them made their Broadway debuts this season to much acclaim - and a Tony nod for one of them, the third narrowly escaped eternal life as a vampire and slayed as a heroine before it was all over, and the fourth's already good career was reborn into a new Jellicle life! And all four stole the show with their dazzling performances!

Outstanding Standby Performance

Sherie Rene Scott on as Jackie Siegel in The Queen of Versailles

We specifically chose a performance with Ms. Scott on in the lead role. We didn't think too much of the show, but she did not disappoint! She really made a diamond out of a lump of coal with her genuine star turn here. What a presence! And her chemistry with her co-stars and, importantly,  the audience was palpable. Here's to a new vehicle for her to shine in all on her own.

The Egregiously Overlooked

• Sydney James Harcourt, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
• Isabelle McCalla, Schmigadoon!
• "Tempress" Chastity Moore, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
• Constantine Rousouli, Titanique
• Shaina Taub, Ragtime

No, I can't/won't say who I'd have taken off the nominee lists to make room for these overlooked geniuses, but damn, I wish there was more room then! (And yes, I know Rousouli was nominated for Best Book...). Harcourt's take on Rum Tum Tugger was both sexier and more meaningful than ever before, just as Moore's Grizabella felt deeper and stirring. Taub was better here than in Suffs, and her Union Square scene was so stirring. Rousouli's charming goof ball take on Jack was both riotous and dare I say touching? And McCalla's school marm was next level, especially in her stop-the-show-cold tap number!

Review: Becky Shaw

Review of the Saturday, June 6, 2026 matinee performance at the Helen Hayes Theatre in New York City. A play by Gina Gionfriddo. Starring Patrick Ball, Madeline Brewer, Alden Ehrenreich, Linda Emond and Lauren Patten. Scenic design by David Zinn. Costume design by Kaye Voyce. Lighting design by Stacey Derosier. Sound design by M.I. Dogg. Directed by Trip Cullman. 2 hours 30 minutes, including one intermission.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It's always fun to watch bad people at work in a play or movie (not so much in real life). Such is definitely the case with the viciously biting comedy, Becky Shaw. The people in this relationship drama are alternately mean and well-intentioned, predators and victims, self-serving and open-hearted. Full of secrets and thriving on the ability to use them as weapons, these are simply not nice human beings. But you could never tell them that.

A tricky game of manipulation over money, power and love, the lives of this soon to be less wealthy family are already on edge, when a seemingly innocent, lonely girl gets entangled in their lives. Chaos ensues and no one ends up the way they started. Obviously, there's a lot going on here, and trying to capture it all without giving too much away is a fool's errand, so I'll leave at this: this Pulitzer Prize finalist by Gina Gionfriddo is a harsh reality check for modern society, and it left me thankful not have this be in my life!

Trip Cullman's direction is razor-sharp and fraught with tension, with a blistering pace and a few dramatic flares. Design-wise, the lighting (by Stacey Derosier) is unremarkable, save for some appropriately cold hues in the early scenes, and M. I. Dogg's sound was crystal clear, if at times jarring with that way too common penchant for jump scare music to punctuate the end of each scene. (Can we just stop with that already?) The biggest surprise and also the biggest disappointment was the cheap looking and, well, ugly set and costumes (by David Zinn and Kaye Voyce, respectively). Wow, just wow. Community theater on a thrift shop budget isn't really an appropriate vibe at this level or this piece.

Fortunately, there isn't a weak link in the cast. Linda Emond as the matriarch, controlled the stage every moment she was on, wielding her cane like a wicked sorcerer's staff as she made pronouncements and observations like evil incantations. Meanwhile, Patrick Ball walks a fine line between earnestly good, hopelessly naive and self-righteousness as the people-pleasing husband who nearly loses everything to help a co-worker. He says all the right things about women and how they should be treated, but always leaves some measure of doubt as to just how much he means it. As the titular Becky Shaw, Madeline Brewer makes an impressive debut as a master manipulator with pot stirring skills that are unparalleled. Her slight stature, sweet voice and demure look is the perfect disguise for such a trickster, and Brewer plays it with cunning allure - we are both smitten and repulsed at the same time.

It is with the last two actors that Becky Shaw has its real muscle. Lauren Patten is perfection as the messy and messed up Suzanna, a psychology grad student who seems to understand everyone else's issues while blind to her own. Until she isn't. Patten is intense yet not off-putting, and plays her character in such a way that you can be on her side and appalled by her at the same time. Given Suzanna's family, it's no wonder she is the way she is, and the actress navigates it all with excellence. Finally, there's newly minted Tony-winner Alden Ehrenreich, as financial advisor and almost son to this odd family. He is maddening in his indignant need to stick to his steadfast belief system - he embodies the "stay in your lane" philosophy to the point of near destruction. And yet, somehow, you find yourself thinking he's right to do so. He's a bit of an asshole, who uses his personal credo as an armor, and only later do we come to understand why. The play leaves us at a bit of a cliffhanger where he is concerned, and that makes the whole play that much more unnerving and thought-provoking.

The aesthetics of the production aside, it was a funny and challenging piece. I know I wouldn't want any of these people in my life. Gionfriddo spends a lot of time letting us know about characters outside of the play - a father, his financial advisor/lover, the mother's lover and more. The whole time I kept thinking these are the people I want to see. Is that a good thing?

📸: M. Franklin