Best Theatre of 2023

It’s that time of the year. While I saw a total of 76 shows in 2023, I’ve chosen my favorite new productions that premiered this year. In this post-Covid era where new works struggle to survive and find a sustainable audience, I want to celebrate the achievements of all shows that were able to run - no matter the length, house size, critical response, or sales.

These are my picks for the best theatre of 2023:

Top 5 Musicals:

5. Here We Are’s Act One (The Shed)

The quirky first act to Stephen Sondheim’s final musical was an astounding display of twenty-first century Sondheim offering satirical commentary on brunch culture, Teslas, and political turmoil. Here We Are delivered a stellar all-star cast with stunning scenery by David Zinn. While I found the tonal shift and disappearance of songs in Act Two to be disappointing, that whimsical first act is a marvel I’d watch again and again.

4. Days of Wine and Roses (Atlantic Theatre Company)

For Kelli O’Hara and Brian D’Arcy James, Days of Wine and Roses is an example of two accredited theatre vets testing the length of their wheelhouse. Adam Guettel’s 90-minute musical, which is based on a 1962 film of the same name, questions how can two lovers remain together when an addiction is tearing them apart?

3. Here Lies Love (Broadway Theatre)

Ten years after its smash-hit run at The Public, David Byrne and Fatboy Slim’s Here Lies Love arrived on Broadway. The massive Broadway Theatre was converted into an immersive Studio 54-esque nightclub complete with a dance floor, a rotating center platform, and a variety of stages throughout the buzzing space. Regardless of its short run, Here Lies Love dared to bring an entirely unique experience to a Broadway stage.

2. Merrily We Roll Along (Hudson Theatre)

Director Maria Friedman and the trio of Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, and Lindsay Mendez have turned an infamous Sondheim flop into the biggest musical sensation of the year. The sense of authentic chemistry shared between these “old friends” is just electric, allowing us to invest in the backwards journey of their friendship despite learning the grim fate within the musical’s first ten minutes.

1. Shucked (Nederlander Theatre)

When rumors of a small corn-themed musical comedy in Utah transferring to Broadway first appeared, I heard descriptions like “the underdog” and “the dark horse of the season”… And sure enough, my favorite musical of 2023 goes to the “little musical that could”: Shucked. The creative team found a perfect balance of corn, dad jokes, and heart. The charm of Shucked resides in its originality. Concealed underneath its quirky farce is a theme that demonstrates the value of community - perhaps the most opportune message.

Top 5 Plays:

5. The Comeuppance (Signature Theatre)

Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins new play follows a boozy pregame for a 20-year high school reunion. Jacobs-Jenkins proves to be an expert at the revealing of exposition as we slowly learn about his characters through their reflection of past selves and experiences. Narrated by a multi-faced character named “Death”, The Comeuppance is a warning of the powerful force of nostalgia and how relationships evolve over time - for better or for worse.

4. LOVE (Park Avenue Armory)

I needed nearly 24 hours to collect my thoughts on Alexander Zeldin’s LOVE. It’s a heavy, intense slow-burn of a play that documents homeless folks living in a temporary housing facility. The impact of LOVE is felt once the show ends as you’re making your way from Manhattan’s Upper East Side. With Zeldin’s minimal yet nuanced dialogue, we’re forced to create our own assumptions for the fate of each of the struggling characters.

3. JOB (Soho Playhouse)

For me, playwright Max Wolf Friedlich’s JOB was the surprise smash of the season. Using only two actors and a hasty 80 minutes, Friedlich constructed a gripping drama that forced his audience to watch human behavior - full of its flaws, complexities, secrets, quirks, and triggers. The slow-burn pacing feeds us clues that twist our perception of not only reality, but reliability.

2. Infinite Life (Atlantic Theatre Company)

Atlantic Theatre Company kicked off its 2023-2024 season with Infinite Life, a daring new play by Pulitzer Prize winner Annie Baker. It depicts six strangers (most of whom are older women) living with chronic illnesses across a sequence of days at a “treatment facility” that specializes in fasting and juice-cleanses. Baker’s use of colloquial language, matched by director James Macdonald’s gentle staging, is just as complex as the networks of inflammation that can attack our nerves without reason.

1. Wolf Play (MCC)

I find that the best theatre is the kind that cannot be described verbally. When someone asks “how was it?”, the only response you can collect is “oh my God, you have to see it.” The glory of Hansul Jung’s Wolf Play could only be witnessed within the square stage of an intimate Off-Broadway theatre in Midtown. It’s a sensory experience that bounces between Brechtian metatheatre and the realism of a young family trying their best to protect a neglected child. I hope all theatre-goers receive the opportunity to witness a future iteration of Wolf Play someday. I think the ancient Greeks of the Theatre of Dionysus who built this art-form would be quite content knowing this is our theatre today.

Best Choreography: Hell’s Kitchen

One of the most anticipated new musicals of 2023 was The Public’s Hell’s Kitchen with dancing by visionary choreographer Camille A. Brown. Her lively choreography, paired with Alicia Keys’ blend of R&B and soul, encapsulated the intoxicating energy of Midtown Manhattan and the diverse communities within it.

Top 5 Moments:

5. Jinkx Monsoon joins Chicago

Two-time RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon made their Broadway debut as Matron “Mama” Morton in Chicago. Monsoon was a delight to watch as she used her musical theatre, comedy, and drag chops to reinvigorate the Broadway hit.

4. “Showtune Sundays” on Fire Island

This summer, I attended the “Showtune Sundays” event at Pavilion on Fire Island Pines. The party caters to musical theatre fans. A large screen displays videos of Tony Awards performances, iconic online bootlegs, and other niche performances. Attendees are encouraged to hop up onstage and perform alongside the video à la Rocky Horror Picture Show. It was a wonderful evening that reminded me of just how unifying musical theatre can be, especially for the queer community.

3. Nora’s exit in A Doll’s House

In the play’s climax, director Jamie Lloyd staged Nora’s iconic departure from her family far upstage as an automated roller door revealed the exterior of the Hudson Theatre (West 45th Street). Nora, played by Jessica Chastain, stepped outside her barren home and into the world of bustling Midtown Manhattan as the door closed after her. It was a shocking coup de théâtre that challenged our idea of how a performance space can operate.

2. Wicked’s 20th Anniversary Performance

On October 30th, Wicked celebrated its 20th year on Broadway! I’m grateful to have attended the commemorative performance alongside Wicked royalty including composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz and bookwriter Winnie Holzman as well as original stars Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth. Oh, what a celebration we had that day!

1. Sleep No More

After studying the groundbreaking immersive hit Sleep No More in college, I finally got to attend a performance. My jaw continuously dropped as I wandered the five floors of the McKittrick Hotel, a 100,000-square-foot block of warehouses in Chelsea that were transformed into a 1930s-era establishment. It’s a feast for the senses. While news broke that the production will be closing after 13 years in February of 2024, Sleep No More’s impact on the New York theatre scene will never be forgotten.

Review: ‘Job’

Review: ‘Wet Brain’