Posted: 8/20/19 at 11:14am
Posted: 8/20/19 at 11:40am
The best shows according to me also happen to be my favorite shows (Hello, Dolly!, Hairspray, Fun Home, Into The Woods, among others)
But there are shows I found profoundly bad, where the score of the show (or at least the OBCR) has remained a true guilty pleasure - Mamma Mia!, Phantom of the Opera (no offense to the fans of the show), and Legally Blonde.
Posted: 8/20/19 at 11:47am
I adore the score for Chess, but the show itself has never worked in any iteration. Some were better than others, but all failed to make the characters' motivations clear and believable.
Posted: 8/20/19 at 12:07pm
Well my favorite show is Phantom of the Opera (lol) and I fully acknowledge it is not the "best show". I also count Jekyll and Hyde and The Prom as my guilty pleasures. But I'm the same in that I do think some of my favorites are the best shows. Like A Chorus Line, Company, Hamilton, and Come From Away. Hadestown is also one of the best IMO.
Posted: 8/20/19 at 12:15pm
Posted: 8/20/19 at 6:36pm
My favorite musical is Mame (of course, I am referring to the 1966 and 1981 productions, which benefited from a great Mame and terrific Vera's and Gooch's).
The best musical I have ever seen falls into two categories: great but flawed; and just great. In the former, I would name Follies; in the latter, probably Sweeney Todd.
Re plays, I would say that my favorite play / production ever was A Moon for The Misbegotten, with Dewhurst and Robards; but that I think the best I have ever seen is probably A Streetcar Named Desire; I have seen multiple productions, but the best starred Cate Blanchette.
Posted: 8/20/19 at 8:13pm
I can't really choose a favorite among Mary, Mary, Any Wednesday and Forty Carats, as I loved them all. My favorite musical is Dear World.
Posted: 8/20/19 at 8:23pm
I usually say the original production of FOLLIES is "the best 2 hours I ever spent in a theater", because I can't exactly say it is the best show overall. The best show would either be GYPSY (with Angela Lansbury) or SWEENEY TODD (original Broadway cast).
Posted: 8/20/19 at 11:45pm
Posted: 8/21/19 at 11:47pm
Posted: 8/27/19 at 9:23pm
Come From Away and Come From Away.
Posted: 8/28/19 at 9:02am
Best and Favorite: Les Miserables
Though I have other favorites that I wouldn't consider "best" in terms of artistic proficiency, I would acknowledge them as "bests" in terms of entertainment for the pure joy they bring to me, which I consider a highly valuable trait in any musical:
Six
Legally Blonde
Two Gentlemen of Verona
Mamma Mia
Posted: 8/28/19 at 9:21am
Posted: 8/28/19 at 9:45am
Posted: 8/28/19 at 10:54am
Best and Favorite are the same: Sweeney Todd (original Broadway production)
Others in that category: West Side Story, Gypsy, Mame, Nine, Titanic, Ragtime, Caroline or Change
Flawed Favorites would be: Follies, Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, A Catered Affair -- I think these shows have great scores but definitely book problems.
