Favorite Shows of 2020

[BroadwayGuy12]

Posted: 12/21/20 at 2:07pm

Sure, 2020 was a pretty terrible year for fans of live theatre. But in reflecting on the performances that I got to experience this year - both in person in January and February, and virtually for the remainder of the year - I realized that, even in a global pandemic, the year wasn't a total loss.

Shows I Enjoyed In Person:

Paris (Atlantic Theatre Company)

The Thin Place (Playwrights Horizons)

Anatomy of a Suicide (Atlantic Theatre Company)

Moulin Rouge!

Shows I Enjoyed Virtually:

Significant Other (Broadway's Best Shows Virtual Reading)

What the Constitution Means to Me (Amazon Prime)

Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration (Broadway.com)

Hamilton (Disney+)

What were some of your favorite shows and/or performances of 2020?

[hak5]

Posted: 12/21/20 at 2:14pm

I was lucky enuff to see a preview of COMPANY
& -the revival of Little Shop

both we really good

[MattieIce2018]

Posted: 12/21/20 at 5:13pm

I don’t know if it will be back on the other side of all this, and it had some pacing issues, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Mrs Doubtfire (saw it on 3/11, the night before the shutdown). Also really enjoyed the LSOH revival, which I saw back in January right before Groff left.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 12/21/20 at 5:26pm

Most memorable was Bug at The Steppenwolf and School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play at The Goodman

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 12/21/20 at 5:37pm

Best live show that premiered in 2020: "Company"
Best virtual show: "Lips Together, Teeth Apart" - One of the first "zoom" type readings, done in April and I still hope when shows reopen, they'll get this cast (Celia Keenan-Bolger, Zachary Quinto, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Ari Graynor) to perform a revival of it. Celia was spectacular and deserves a Tony just for this reading. 

[ClumsyDude15]

Posted: 12/22/20 at 2:31am

MattieIce2018 said: "I don’t know if it will be back on the other side of all this, and it had some pacing issues, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Mrs Doubtfire (saw it on 3/11, the night before the shutdown).."

I was at the same performance and I’ve been holding onto the warmth and heart from Mrs Doubtfire since then. The show has such a big heart and while it could use some work (they were in previews, so I’m sure changes were on coming) I have a strong feeling it will be back when Broadway reopens. I plan to make a return as soon as Broadway reopens to be able to laugh as hard as I did that night watching Rob McClure give a master class in musical comedy. 

 

Updated On: 12/22/20 at 02:31 AM

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 12/22/20 at 7:02am

Company, Girl From the North Country, and The Minutes were my favorites I saw that opened in 2020.

Updated On: 12/22/20 at 07:02 AM

[bwayobsessed]

Posted: 12/22/20 at 3:30pm

Sadly only made it to two big shows before it all shut down but West Side Story and Little Shop were both wonderful. I thought West Side Story was especially exciting, breathed a lot of life into the show.

Virtual favorites have been Significant Other and NT’s Streetcar. Planning to catch Jefferson Mayes’ A Christmas Carol at some point.

Updated On: 12/22/20 at 03:30 PM

[JBroadway]

Posted: 12/22/20 at 3:45pm

In those 2.5 months before theatres shut down, I was actually experiencing a really great batting average: I was really enjoying a lot of the show I was seeing. The ratio was much higher than I would have expected - and similarly, there were a lot of individual shows that were exceeding my expectations based on popular opinion. These were some of my favorite shows I saw in January, February, and the 1st half of March:

--Moby Dick (ART)

--Timon of Athens (TFANA)

--Jacqueline Novak: Get on Your Knees

--Anatomy of a Suicide (Altnatic)

--Frankenstein (CSC)

--Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (New Group) 

--Cambodian Rock Band (Signature)

--Unknown Soldier (Playwrights Horizons)

--Tumacho (Clubbed Thumb)

--The Headlands (LCT3)

--Endlings (NYTW)

--Uncle Vanya (West End)

--Stranger Things (Secret Cinema - London) 

--The Revenger's Tragedy (Cheek by Jowl)

--Endgame & Rough For Theatre II (Old Vic)

--The Minutes

--Gnit (TFANA)

--Dana H (Vineyard)

 

And plenty of other shows that I enjoyed, but not quite enough to make the abridged list above. 

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 12/23/20 at 9:31am

Didn't see much but loved Slave Play.

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 12/23/20 at 1:49pm

Company! Loved the production! And design! Didn’t love the central performance from a singing perspective, but loved her acting!

[bandit964]

Posted: 12/27/20 at 11:30pm

Only saw 4 shows this year, but loved all 4.  If I had to rank them:

4. The Sound Inside

3. Medea

2. Is This a Room

1. Dana H.

[Ftworthguy]

Posted: 12/28/20 at 2:12pm

SouthernCakes said: "Company! Loved the production! And design! Didn’t love the central performance from a singing perspective, but loved her acting! "

 

COMPLETELY agree -- Loved the production -- it was thrilling and fresh, the central performance was, oddly, the weak link.   But I also thinks that's a problem with the show.  Bobbie/Bobby is an observer and the supporting characters are where all the meat of the show is.  

[Hairspray0901]

Posted: 12/28/20 at 2:58pm

I saw Moulin Rouge, The Minutes, Anatomy of a Suicide (twice), and Six. Loved all but The Minutes.