Favorite Shows of 2020

[BroadwayGuy12]

Favorite Shows of 2020#1

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]

Favorite Shows of 2020#2

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]

Favorite Shows of 2020#3

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]

Favorite Shows of 2020#4

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

My father (AIDS) My sister (AIDS) My uncle and my cousin and her best friend (AIDS, AIDS, AIDS) The gays and the straights And the white and the spades

[Jordan Catalano]

Favorite Shows of 2020#5

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]

Favorite Shows of 2020#6

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. 

 

"Anybody that goes to the theater, I think we’re all misfits, so we ended up on stage or in the audience.” --- Patti LuPone.

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

[bwayphreak234]

Favorite Shows of 2020#7

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.

"There’s nothing quite like the power and the passion of Broadway music. "

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

[bwayobsessed]

Favorite Shows of 2020#8

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]

Favorite Shows of 2020#9

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]

Favorite Shows of 2020#10

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

Didn't see much but loved Slave Play.

[SouthernCakes]

Favorite Shows of 2020#11

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]

Favorite Shows of 2020#12

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]

Favorite Shows of 2020#13

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]

Favorite Shows of 2020#14

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.