The 2025 Best & Worst of Broadway/theater lists

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 12/2/25 at 10:51pm

Entertainment Weekly 

Entertainment Weekly - The 10 Best Broadway Shows and the 3 Worst

10 BEST

 

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10.  Chess

9.  Liberation

8.  Just In Time

7.  Stranger Things: The First Shadow

6.  Real Women Have Curves

5.  Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York)

4.  Ragtime

3.  John Proctor Is The Villain 

2.  Purpose

1.  Operation Mincemeat

3 WORST

 

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1.  The Queen of Versailles

2.  Redwood

3.  The Last Five Years

Updated On: 12/3/25 at 10:51 PM

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 12/2/25 at 11:24pm

New York Theater - Jonathan Mandell

Top 10 New York Theater for Which I'm Grateful in 2025

 

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Edinburgh Fringe Festival transfers

Good Night, and Good Luck

Just In Time

Liberation

Little Bear Ridge Road

Masquerade

Prince Faggot

Purpose

Ragtime

Well, I'll Let You Go

*Bonus: Wicked on Broadway 

Updated On: 12/3/25 at 11:24 PM

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 12/3/25 at 12:47am

Washington Post - Charles Isherwood

Washington Post - The Best Theater of 2025. New Views on Classic Stories.

Well-known works stood out this year thanks to fresh interpretations from talented actors and ambitious directors.

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  Robert Icke's OEDIPUS with British actors Mark Strong & Leslie Manville

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  Samuel D. Hunter's LITTLE BEAR RIDGE ROAD with Laurie Metcalf directed by Joe Mantello 

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  Samuel D. Hunter's off-Broadway GRANGEVILLE with Paul Sparks.

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  Rebecca Frecknall directed A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE with Paul Mescal & Patsy Ferran

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  VANYA with Andrew Scott

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  Reed Birney & Lisa Emery in LUNAR ECLIPSE

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  Andrew Holland & Alani iLongwe in the revival of THE BROTHER'S SIZE

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  Jonathan Groff in JUST IN TIME

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  FLOYD COLLINS with Jeremy Jordan in Tina Landau's production.

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  RAGTIME with Joshua Henry, Cassie Levy & Brandon Uranowitz 

Updated On: 12/3/25 at 12:47 AM

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 12/3/25 at 2:58am

Love that so many of these are highlighting Just in Time and Groff. Now that we’re removed from it a bit, I really think he should’ve won the Tony over Criss. Criss is definitely very good, but Groff is dynamic.

P.S. I’m aware Criss isn’t in the conversation here bc MHE technically opened the year before.

Updated On: 12/3/25 at 02:58 AM

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 12/3/25 at 3:00am

Groff ABSOLUTELY should have won over Criss. (Francis too)

Updated On: 12/3/25 at 03:00 AM

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 12/3/25 at 5:35am

So happy to see Ragtime showing up on so many lists.

[inception]

Posted: 12/3/25 at 6:36am

Nah.  I saw both Criss & Groff a week and a half ago and I'd still give it to Criss.  He is actually acting.  Groff runs around a lot and can sing, but at no time did I believe he was Bobby Darrin.  

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 12/3/25 at 11:18am

Liked Criss fine - but that wig, make up  and material did a lot of work for him.  Loved Tom Francis & Jonathan Groff most - and Jordan's vocals.  Criss (and Arden) just rode the "look what happened" MHE narrative wave to wins (and were shows not closing).   The category is "Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical".  Not "Best Acting in a Musical" for the Tonys. 

Updated On: 12/3/25 at 11:18 AM

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 12/3/25 at 11:31am

Updated On: 12/3/25 at 11:31 AM

[Falsettolands]

Posted: 12/3/25 at 11:33am

Criss has a very specific assignment in Maybe Happy Ending that feels unfair to put against what Groff has to do in Just In Time. One is fully embodying a character with constraints that other roles wouldn’t have (because they aren’t, you know, robots) , the other is more or less playing with a muddied extension of his own persona (the show never really lets you forget that we’re telling a story ABOUT Jonathan Groff playing Bobby Darrin) They both totally nail their respective assignments and either of them winning would have been perfectly acceptable.

Updated On: 12/3/25 at 11:33 AM

[MezzA101]

Posted: 12/4/25 at 5:56pm

The Best Broadway Shows and Theater of 2025

https://www.vulture.com/article/best-theater-broadway-shows-2025.html

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 12/4/25 at 6:09pm

VULTURE - Sara Holdren & Jackson McHenry

The Best Plays and Musicals of 2025

Sarah Holdren 

 

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10.  The Picture of Dorian Gray (Broadway. Music Box Theatre)

 

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9.  A Streetcar Named Desire (Brooklyn Academy of Music)

 

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8.  John Proctor Is The Villain (Broadway.  Booth Theatre.)

 

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7.  Practice (Playwrights Horizons) 

 

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6.  The Brothers Size (The Shed)

 

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5.  Initiative (Public Theatre)

 

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4.  When the Hurlyburly’s Done (ЯК СТИХНЕ ШУРУ-БУРЯ ЗЛА) (Public Theatre) 

 

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3.  Vanya (Lucille Lortel Theatre)

 

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2.  Lobster (The Tank)

 

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1.  Liberation (Laura Pels Theatre / James Earl Jones Theatre)

 

Jackson McHenry

 

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10.  Slanted Floors (An unnamed apartment in Brooklyn)

 

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9.  Meet The Cartozians (Second Stage)

 

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8.  Jewish Plot (Theater 154)

 

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7.  I'm Assuming You Know David Greenspan (Atlantic Theatre)

 

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6.  Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp. ( Public Theatre)

 

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5.  Initiative (Public Theatre)

 

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4.  The Brothers Size (The Shed)

 

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3.  Vanya (Lucille Lortel Theatre)

 

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2.  Can I Be Frank? (SoHo Playhouse)

 

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1.  Liberation  (Laura Pels Theatre/James Early Jones Theatre)

[Observation]

Posted: 12/4/25 at 6:35pm

Why are these spoilers? lol

[Timon3]

Posted: 12/4/25 at 6:41pm

I love the bit with out of the 20 voting opportunities in the Vulture only 2 are Broadway shows.

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 12/4/25 at 10:52pm

Observation said: "Why are these spoilers? lol"

magic

[Ptero2]

Posted: 12/4/25 at 10:56pm

Timon3 said: "I love the bit with out of the 20 voting opportunities in the Vulture only 2 are Broadway shows."

And not a single musical!

[MezzA101]

Posted: 12/10/25 at 8:21am

16 Best Theater Moments of 2025

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/10/theater/best-theater-moments-broadway-2025.html?unlocked_article_code=1.7k8.IVut.xNnom_92yrtJ&smid=nytcore-android-share

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 12/11/25 at 12:47am

The New York Times - 16 Best Theater Moments of 2025

A Charge In The Air - Laura Collins-Hughes 

• “Glass. Kill. What If If Only. Imp” (Public Theater) X Deirdre O'Connell
• Marisha Wallace's Sally in "Cabaret" (Broadway)
• Brian D'Arcy James monologue in Les Water's revival of Eurydice (Signature Theatre)
• Kara Young's 8-year old Kayleen in Rajiv Joseph's " Gruesome Playground Injuries" (Lortel Theater)
• "Real Women Have Curves'" immigration tale (Broadway)
• Ruthie Ann Miles Mrs. Antrobus' loss of child in Ethan Liipton's "Seat Of our Pants" (Public Theatre)

Big Gestures, Big Feelings - Alexis Soloski 

• Robert Icke's "Oedipus".  countdown clock X Leslie Manville & Mark Strong
• Natalie Palamides, in her play "Weer",  portraying both Mark and Christina running into each other on the street (Cherry Lane Theatre)
• Julia McDermott as Stacey Gross in Brian Watkins "Weather Girl"  (St. Anns Warehouse)
• Lea Michele's "Nobody's Side" in "Chess" (Broadway)
• Maggie Kuntz, Morgan Scott, Fina Strazza and Amalia Yoo screaming in “John Proctor Is the Villain.” (Broadway)

 Taking Loud and Quiet Risks  - Elizabeth Vicentelli 

• First scene in Act II of Bess Wohl's  "Liberation (Broadway)
• "Oh Mary!" X Jinkx Monsoon (Broadway)
• In Carl Holder's "Out of Order" he provides a line-by-line analysis of his recent bank statements. (East Village basement)
• Chris Fisher's illusions in "Paranormal Activity" (Chicago Shakespeare Theater)
• Nina Hoss as Ranevskaya in Benedict Andrews' staging of "The Cherry Orchard" (St. Ann's Warehouse)

Updated On: 12/11/25 at 12:47 AM

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 12/11/25 at 12:56am

Los Angeles Times - Charles McNulty

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2025-12-09/best-theater-2025-jesus-christ-superstar-hollywood-bowl-furloughs-paradise-paranormal-activity

​​​​​​​The Best Theater of 2025 (no particular order)

• "A Man of No Importance" (Noise Within)
• "Jaja's African Hair Braiding" (Mark Taper Forum)
• "Jesus Christ Superstar" (The Hollywood Bowl)
• "The Night of the Iguana" (Boston Court Pasadena)
• "Furlough's Paradise" (Geffen Playhouse)
• "Bacon" (Rogue Machine Theatre at the Matrix’s Henry Murray Stage)
• "Fiddler On the Roof" (The Soraya)
• "& Juliet" (Ahmanson.  National touring company)
• "Life of Pi" (Ahmanson.  National touring company)
• "Paranormal Activity (Ahmanson)

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 12/11/25 at 1:09am

Chicago Tribune - Chris Jones

Best theater of 2025: Storefront shows and Court Theatre reign in our top 10

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/10/best-theater-2025/

• 1.  "Angels In America"  (Invictus Theatre)
• 2.  "Translations" (Writers Theatre)
• 3.  "A Raisin In the Sun (Court Theatre)
• 4.  "True West" (Paramount's Copley Theater)
• 5.  "Mr. Wolf" (Steppenwolf)
• 6.  "Big White Fog" (Court Theatre)
• 7.  "Lobby Hero" (Shattered Globe Theatre)
• 8.  "Much Ado About Nothing (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre)
• 9.  "Berlin" (Court Theatre)
• 10.  "Jekyll & Hyde (Kokandy Productions)

Updated On: 12/11/25 at 01:09 AM

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 12/11/25 at 2:48am

Washington Post - Naveen Kumar

Our Top 10 plays and musicals of 2025 had no celebrities (except one) 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater/2025/12/10/best-theater-broadway-plays-musicals-2025/

Our Top 10 Plays 

10. 'Twelfth Night' (Folger's Theatre)

9. 'Paradise Blue'  (Studio Theatre)

8. 'Vanya' (Lucille Lortel Theater, NYC)

7. 'Downstate' (Studio Theatre)

6. 'Damn Yankees' (Arena Stage)

5. 'Purpose'  (Steppenwolf Theatre Company / Broadway)

4. 'Dead Outlaw' (Broadway)

3. 'In the Heights' (Signature Theatre, DC)

2. 'The American Five'

1. 'Liberation' (Laura Pels Theatre / Broadway)

[mitchern]

Posted: 12/11/25 at 7:43am

I really like how they picked moments in the Times, clever and some great ones.

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 12/11/25 at 9:34pm

.

[uncamark]

Posted: 12/12/25 at 3:36pm

CoffeeBreak said: "Chicago Tribune - Chris Jones

Best theater of 2025: Storefront shows and Court Theatre reign in our top 10

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/10/best-theater-2025/

• 1. "Angels In America"(Invictus Theatre)
• 2. "Translations" (Writers Theatre)
• 3. "A Raisin In the Sun (Court Theatre)
• 4. "True West" (Paramount's Copley Theater)
• 5. "Mr. Wolf" (Steppenwolf)
• 6. "Big White Fog" (Court Theatre)
• 7. "Lobby Hero"(Shattered Globe Theatre)
• 8. "Much Ado About Nothing (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre)
• 9. "Berlin" (Court Theatre)
• 10. "Jekyll & Hyde (Kokandy Productions)

Numbers 1 and 10 were non-Equity shows.

Number 4 was at the studio space of the major theater in a far western suburbs casino town. During the run, Paramount called off the rest of the "Bold Series" season (which was for the most part, considering what usually plays in the suburbs) due to the new Democratic (!) mayor of the town cutting back on funding, perhaps deciding that Paramount was attracting too many people from surrounding Republican suburbs (Aurora is predominately a Latino town).

Court Theatre had the most shows on the list, most of them the last artistic decisions of their retiring artistic director. He's been replaced by a woman with no experience directing plays--and their current show, another attempt at a feminist "Shrew," got a mixed-at-best review from the author of the referenced article, whose power, especially in getting people to storefronts, is equivalent to the power of the lead critics at the pre-Frank Rich NY Times.

[TheGingerBreadMan]

Posted: 12/12/25 at 5:33pm

I know that I'm in the minority here, but I just couldn't stand Purpose. Getting to the end of that play felt like swimming through jello. That's the only show that I've seen that's popping up on these lists that I really don't think deserves to be there.