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.
