What is the BEST Show You Have Seen on Broadway- Page 2

[broadway86]

Posted: 5/24/24 at 9:22am

Ooof. So many come to mind...

August: Osage County (Estelle Parsons, Amy Morton)

The Ferryman (original cast)

Cabaret (Alan Cumming, Emma Stone)

Blithe Spirit (Angela Lansbury)

Merrily We Roll Along (Groff, Radcliffe, Mendez)

The Inheritance (Burnap, Soller)

Doubt (Jones, O'Byrne)

The Pillowman (Crudup, Goldblum)

Hello Dolly (Midler, Hyde-Pierce)

Angels in America (Garfield, Lane)

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Turner, Irwin)

Nine (Banderas, Masterson)

Chicago (Neuwirth, Ziemba)

 

Barely scratched the surface, but that's a few that I can still remember vividly.

[SkidRow82]

Posted: 5/24/24 at 9:32am

I’m confident folks who saw the original would disagree, but the best thing I’ve seen is the 2011 revival of Follies.

Honorable Mentions: The Diane Paulus revivals of Hair and Pippin

And the best non-revival I’ve seen: Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812.

Best Play: Boys in the Band (201 

Updated On: 5/24/24 at 09:32 AM

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 5/24/24 at 9:35am

Hard to remember, but the ones that spring to mind right now (in no particular order)...

MUSICALS

Matilda

Billy Elliot

Hello, Dolly! (2017 Better Midler revival)

Company (2020 revival)

Cabaret (2014 revival with Michelle Williams and Alan Cumming)

The Phantom of the Opera

The Book of Mormon

Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812

PLAYS

King Charles III

The Inheritance

[MrsSallyAdams]

Posted: 5/24/24 at 10:00am

The Producers - 2002 - Original Broadway Cast - Broderick was already on auto-pilot, making the opening scenes drag. Once Gary Beach and Cady Huffman arrived it flew to musical theater heaven.

Hello Dolly - 2018 - Bernadette Peters seemed uncomfortable reproducing Midler's schtik. But she made a meal of the dramatic monologues. And the staging was gorgeous. The arrangement of "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" brought on the waterworks.

The Boys in the Band (2018) and The Inheritance (2019) are flawed plays. But watching the original Broadway casts with audiences full of gay men felt like events. 

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child v.2 (2022). The writer melted down and alienated a generation of fans. Broadway responded by casting two genderqueer artists and playing the romantic subtext as text. The audience held our collective breath when Albus "came out" to his father. As cheesy as it is to type out, it felt healing. 

 

[BeingAlive44Ever]

Posted: 5/24/24 at 10:20am

Seeing so much love for Hello Dolly and Matilda! God how did I forget those? Both unbelievable modern productions that represent what's so great and enduring about theatre. 

I saw mention of Groundhog Day! What a brilliant musical and an equally brilliant production! I think everybody basically knows it's really great, which is awesome, but it's just never been all that financially viable, especially over here, which sucks because it's one of the great musicals of the 2010's. Tim Minchin is so smart in his lyrics and compositions, the one thing that holds him back from greater success is his somewhat alienating incredibly wordy phrases. Some people like that, like me, but even I think he gets overambitious with some lines and takes away from the incredible heart at the core of his writing. But nevermind that, point is I adore Tim Minchin's musicals and think Groundhog Day is certainly one of the best shows recently on Broadway. 

[SeanD2]

Posted: 5/24/24 at 10:23am

Modifying your question a bit, the best PRODUCTION of a show that I otherwise don't care much for is the Deaf West Big River. Sitting in that theater in the summer of 2003 as the music went silent during the reprise of Waiting for the Light to Shine is one of my top theatrical experiences of all time. Do I have any interest in seeing Big River again? No. But would I see that production a thousand more times? Absolutely.

[persephone88]

Posted: 5/24/24 at 10:32am

Plays: Angels In America (Garfield /Lane), The Ferryman, Doubt with Cherry Jones. 

Not Broadway but honorable mention: The Jungle

Musicals: Cabaret (Mendes revival), Pippin (Paulus revival), Dear Evan Hansen OBC, Once on this Island revival

[hork]

Posted: 5/24/24 at 12:22pm

Best show: Fun Home

Best Experience: American Idiot with Billie Joe Armstrong as St. Jimmy

[bwayobsessed]

Posted: 5/24/24 at 12:43pm

Some that come to mind:

Anything Goes with Sutton and Joel

Hello, Dolly with Donna Murphy

Significant Other 

Deaf West Spring Awakening 

[marytylermoore]

Posted: 5/24/24 at 1:00pm

Musicals:

Fun Home

Shuffle Along 

Plays:

Angels in America (2018 revival)

The Glass Menagerie (2017 revival) - I was so taken by Sally Field and Joe Mantello that I didn't even mind the paired down production

[sppunk]

Posted: 5/24/24 at 2:38pm

Began attending shows around 2012 and have 135 or so under our belts now but recency bias is here. 

The final performance of Come From Away was incredibly special. We saw the 3rd performance of CFA at Ford’s Theatre in DC and opening night on Broadway, so that bookend was joyous and fun. 

Seeing Hello, Dolly! with Bette. Seeing my wife more excited for anything in her life and everyone else was thrilling. And then that show with its sets and colors and costumes just blew it all way. Epic stuff.
 
God of Carnage might be the most fun experience at a play ever, too, with the original cast  I knew little about the play itself but was excited about the cats I was in awe of the entire show and wish I could watch it again  

Not Broadway but seeing Ferryman in the West End needs a mention as well. Live animals, a fire, a cast of seemingly 45 people .. what’s not to love?

Hamilton at the Public deserves mention too. 

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 5/24/24 at 2:45pm

In no particular order...

• Waitress
• Company (2022 Revival)
• Sweeney Todd (2023 Revival)
• Into the Woods (2022 Revival)
• Merrily (2023 Revival)
• Cabaret (2024 Revival)
• Kimberly Akimbo
• A Strange Loop
• Days of Wine & Roses
• Hadestown
• Moulin Rouge (OG Cast Specifically)
• Jagged Little Pill
• Wicked
• Stereophonic
• Prima Facie
• Parade
• Come from Away

 

[HenryTDobson]

Posted: 5/24/24 at 3:13pm

Fun Home

[DJD4]

Posted: 5/24/24 at 3:47pm

Best musical experience:

I got the chance to see the original cast of Next To Normal a few weeks before the Tonys (where it won quite a few) and it was possibly the most amazing theatre experience I have ever had in my life (cheesy I know). I knew absolutely nothing about the show, not even a single song, and I was absolutely floored. My family has a history of mental health struggles, so seeing this with my mom was an extremely powerful night at the theatre. I've seen many great shows, but this experience will always stand out as one of the best.

Best play:

Hands down August: Osage County. Once again I had absolutely ZERO context of what this play was about before walking in, and it turned out to be one of the most haunting and amazing theatre experiences ever. Estelle Parsons was on as Violet, and her performance was mesmerizing. I was still a pretty new theatre goer at that point (in my late teens), so I hadn't given plays too much thought (I thought they all might be boring, silly me), but this play made me change my mind about plays.

Silly honorable mention:

I saw the first preview of that Bye Bye Birdie revival in 2009 with John Stamos and Gina Gershon. The production wasn't all that great, but just knowing that I was at the first public performance was really exciting. Mistakes were made, some jokes didn't land, and the entire cast looked visibly nervous. As someone who had never seen a first preview before, this was incredible to me. I was at the height of my broadway obsession at that point (which, of course, I never grew out of), and being able to see a rocky and unbalanced first performance really showed me that even the pros need time to settle into a show. That production didn't last long, but to this day that is my only experience seeing a first preview and it was a very special experience for me.

 

forgive my unnecessary and cringey organization, I'm a teacher so I always overdo and over-explain things 

Updated On: 5/24/24 at 03:47 PM

[aburnedhill]

Posted: 5/24/24 at 4:36pm

I am from CA and am a newer adult (21), so have spent some of my disposable income on a handful of trips to see theatre in the city. My first trip to the city was when I was 12 and we saw Matilda and Side Show. Both so great and I'll remember them forever because they were my first. Auntie loved Side Show 

As an adult, How I Learned to Drive from the front row on my 30 Under 30 ticket was frightening. I hadn't seen a production so perfectly acted before. Everyone came out swinging whether that audience was ready or not. Rocked my spirit. 

Seeing Judy Kuhn do her thing in Assassins was also bucket list level for me. Same for Victoria Clark in Akimbo. As well as Celia K-B in Mockingbird. 

[broadfan327]

Posted: 5/25/24 at 12:45am

For me, the best production of a musical I have seen was LCT's revival of South Pacific.  It was just a magical evening.  The best production of a play I have seen is August: Osage County.  The level of acting on that stage was extraordinary, as well as it is a future classic play.

[bear88]

Posted: 5/25/24 at 5:30am

Hamilton - 2016 (original cast with Javier Munoz in the title role - there’s plenty of revisionism and reassessments of this musical since then, some of which I agree with, but it was groundbreaking and thrilling theater)

Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 - 2017 (not for everyone; for me, magical, fun and beautiful)

Merrily We Roll Along - 2023 (might be some recency bias with this one, but it was a terrific production that incorporated all the smart changes made over the years and was wonderfully cast)

My honorable mention is Six Degrees of Separation, which I saw back in 1990 and was my first Broadway show. I am not sure how well it’s aged (haven’t seen it since) but the performances - especially by Stockard Channing - made me realize what a thrill elite acting can be.

[mtcond]

Posted: 5/25/24 at 8:12am

I post rarely, but I can't resist the opportunity to bask in some positive memories. 

Best Play: "August: Osage County" with Estelle Parsons and Amy Morton was a thrilling night. I happened to be there with an audience that was especially plugged into the play, so the communal experience (not always great with cell phones, talking, and eating) was terrific. It was a BCEFA fund-raising evening, and the actor who gave the speech also commented on it, something along the lines of "The actors should be paying you tonight! You people are a treat." A memorable evening and a great play. 

Best Play (tie): "The Normal Heart" (2011) with Joe Mantello, Ellen Barkin, and John Benjamin Hickey, directed by Joel Grey. I was thunderstruck by the performances and by the play, which I had heard about but never read or experienced. It's a cliche to say I couldn't leave my seat at the end, but I wasn't the only one. I'd never seen a significant portion of the audience need to sit back down after the curtain call to compose themselves before leaving. I saw it twice and this happened both times. If I remember correctly, the final image of AIDS victims' names covering the back wall of the stage remained in place after the curtain call, which didn't let us walk blithely back to Times Square.

Best Musical: "Hello, Dolly!" with Bette Midler. As mentioned by many above, a magical combination of actors, designers, musicians, and material. Joyous and open-hearted.

Updated On: 5/25/24 at 08:12 AM

[CJRochester]

Posted: 5/25/24 at 10:56am

Musicals:

• "Ragtime" (original)
• "Hello, Dolly!" with Bernadette
• "Big River" (original)
• "A Funny Thing Happened..." (Nathan Lane revival)
• "Finding Neverland"
• "A Little Night Music" (with Bernadette and Elaine Stritch)
• "Light in the Piazza"
• "Next To Normal" with Jessica Phillips
• "Pippin" (2013 revival) 
• "Matilda"

 

Plays: 

• "Master Class" (original) 
• "Deathtrap" (original)
• "Noises Off" (original) 

Updated On: 5/25/24 at 10:56 AM

[Hope Lombardo]

Posted: 5/25/24 at 3:42pm

Spring Awakening. Year one.

I was young and really didn't know much about Broadway...was given a free ticket to a show I knew nothing about...i remember crying at the end and it changed my entire relationship with live theater. 

[BentleyB]

Posted: 5/25/24 at 3:56pm

Musical:  OBC of A Chorus Line, Great Comet,  Hadestown (in Previews), Wicked (3 weeks after it opened.)

Musical Revival:   Hello Dolly!  W/ Bette Midler and Pippin 

Play:  The Ferryman 

 

[hak5]

Posted: 5/25/24 at 7:29pm

HADESTOWN 

honorable mentions for:

PIPPIN (revival)

COMPANY (revival)

A STRANGE LOOP

SHUCKED

[ManOfLaMuncha]

Posted: 5/25/24 at 7:52pm

there were three favorites...

The Original "Follies"

"Lenny"

"Love! Valour! Compassion!

plus special place in my heart for "Applause" and "The Diary of Anne Frank"...."The Ritz" and original "Promises, Promises"

Updated On: 5/27/24 at 07:52 PM

[sheridan]

Posted: 5/28/24 at 3:42pm

Next to Normal

South Pacific 

Rent

In the Heights

Les Miz

Come From Away

Beautiful 

[DJD4]

Posted: 5/28/24 at 8:06pm

mtcond said: "I post rarely, but I can't resist the opportunity to bask in some positive memories. 

Best Play: "August: Osage County" with Estelle Parsons and Amy Morton was a thrilling night. I happened to be there with an audience that was especially plugged into the play, so the communal experience (not always great with cell phones, talking, and eating) was terrific. It was a BCEFA fund-raising evening, and the actor who gave the speech also commented on it, something along the lines of "The actors should be paying you tonight! You people are a treat." A memorable evening and a great play. 

Best Play (tie): "The Normal Heart" (2011) with Joe Mantello, Ellen Barkin, and John Benjamin Hickey, directed by Joel Grey. I was thunderstruck by the performances and by the play, which I had heard about but never read or experienced. It's a cliche to say I couldn't leave my seat at the end, but I wasn't the only one. I'd never seen a significant portion of the audience need to sit back down after the curtain call to compose themselves before leaving. I saw it twice and this happened both times. If I remember correctly, the final image of AIDS victims' names covering the back wall of the stage remained in place after the curtain call, which didn't let us walk blithely back to Times Square.

Best Musical: "Hello, Dolly!" with Bette Midler. As mentioned by many above, a magical combination of actors, designers, musicians, and material. Joyous and open-hearted."

Yes!! My experience with August also had an extremely tuned in and captivated audience. Wasn't sure if this was the norm for this show, but it genuinely felt like the entire audience was having the exact same experience. I wish I could go back in time and see that exact performance and collection of actors again.