Poll: Best and Worst Broadway Show of 2025?

[NewYorkTheater]

Posted: 12/13/25 at 9:31am

Which did you think was the best of the thirty-four shows that opened on Broadway (+ three that had no official opening) in 2025? Which was the worst? Which did you most want to like, and might have liked better had there just been a few changes or if they had had more time? Take the three polls below. Judge the quality of the show as you see it, not how it did at the box office.

Poll: Best and worst Broadway show of 2025

[Fordham2015]

Posted: 12/13/25 at 10:07am

My top shows of the year (alphabetical):

Buena Vista Social Club
Dead Outlaw
Oedipus 
Ragtime

[NewYorkTheater]

Posted: 12/13/25 at 10:56pm

Ragtime is topping the first list (Best Broadway show)

[ACL2006]

Posted: 12/13/25 at 11:23pm

Best:
Ragtime
Dead Outlaw
Spelling Bee(off-Broadway)

Worst:
The Last Five Years
Rob Lake w/Muppets
Queen Of V.

Updated On: 12/13/25 at 11:23 PM

[Jarethan]

Posted: 12/14/25 at 12:14am

I only saw 16 shows on Broadway in 2025, but I still have an opinion:

BEST:

CHESS -- I loved it as much as Sarah Holdren, faults and all.  Pure exhilaration.  I can't wait to see it again in the spring

John Proctor is the Villain -- such a brilliant concept, so well executed.

Ragtime -- The best Ragtime cast I have seen, and the VB theatre was perfect for it.  Would I have loved lavish sets?  Yes.   Did it really matter?  No.  My only complaint: having seen the show in different incarnations for 7 - 8 times, I get tired of the Evelyn Nesbill bits, mainly the 'wheeee' that she seems to repeat an awful lot.

Maybe Happy Ending -- I did not see it until 2025

Just in Time -- For Jonathan Groff's performance.  His talent and charisma resulted in a 'Broadway turn for the ages'.

Two from Florida:

Purlie (Westcoast Black Theatre -- Sarasota, FL) -- so much more entertaining than Purlie Victorious.  Loved it as much as I did in 1971.  Just a great show that some non-profit should take a chance on.  

Jesus Christ Superstar (Asolo Rep -- Sarasota, FL.  Directed by Josh Rhodes, who did another great job.  HE directs production at the Asolo pretty regularly, and he has done a great job a number of times.  

 

WORST:

Queen of Versailles -- I did not see this in NYC, but I hated it in Boston, where I managed to see it two times (I had high expectations, and got the tix in advance, attending with different people).  I only disliked it the first time, making excuses because it was Schwartz and Chenoweth.  I totally hated it the second time, because I thought they would have done something in the interim to make Jackie more comprehensible and / or empathetic and or just gone all out for a totally loathsome narcissist.  The second time, it was painfully obvious that KC was miscast, since she was clearly trying to make Jackie likeable, a serious mistake.

Since I only got to see a limited number of shows, I did a lot of screening and really didn't dislike anything else I saw in the city.