Hello, theatre friends, and happy new year. It was a wild year.

I saw a lot of theatre in 2023, so I thought it’d be fun to do a summary post of the shows I’m still thinking about – my “best of” the year. Some shows were more polished than others, but these are the ones that – as of this moment – I find myself still thinking about. I think an equally (if not more) interesting list would be “shows I’d like to remove from my memory,” but I’m not here to disparage people on the internet, so we’ll stick to the good stuff.

It ended up being my top 13 shows for the year. Sue me for not making it a round number.

Broadway:

• Merrily We Roll Along – Harry Potter meets Elphaba and Melchior and they sing Sondheim music. Jokes aside – incredible chemistry between the lead actors. I think there’s a strong argument to be made that the plot is inherently flawed, but the casting and the music made me love this show. Open until at least July 7, 2024
• Kimberly Akimbo – This reluctant fan was won over by this show’s heart and humour. Closing on April 28, 2024
• Shucked – This corny musical has staying power (in my mind, at least), and I find myself being disappointed that I’m not seeing it again before it closes. I’m excited for the national tour, though. Closing on Jan 14, 2024
• Sweeney Todd – Yes yes yes yes. Yes. Open, no closing date announced

Off-Broadway:

• I Can Get It For You Wholesale (Classic Stage) – beautiful old-timey goodness in a cool theatre with an amazing cast. Closed
• Waiting for Godot (Theatre for a New Audience) – Michael Shannon and Paul Sparks were great. This is a weird existentialist play where nothing really happens, and I loved it. Closed

Toronto:

• Sizwe Banzi is Dead (Soulpepper) – electrifying performances. Yes yes yes yes yes.
• Appropriate (Coal Mine) – loooooong, but deeeeeeep. One of the better-written plays I’ve seen.
• The Master Plan (Crow’s) – so Toronto, very fun. Shoutout to the tree (IYKYK).

Pre-Broadway/Workshops/Fringe:

• Yoko’s Husband’s Killer’s Japanese Wife, Gloria (NAMT Festival) – weird, moving, bitingly funny…it’s about what it means to be Asian in America and it’s set in an “insomniatic fever dream.” I can’t wait to see where this one goes.
• Fountain of You (NAMT Festival) – witty, upbeat pop-musical theatre, mostly about unrealistic beauty standards, ageism, sexism…fun topics. Plus, it was co-written by an alum of my high school, which is super cool.
• Danielle Tea’s Infernal Latte (Toronto Fringe) – Dante’s Inferno except Britney Spears is your guide through hell. It’s a bit niche but I was 100% the target demographic for this show, and I found it absolutely hilarious and well-executed. Hat’s off.
• Corporate Finch (Toronto Fringe) – this show wasn’t perfect, but for some reason I keep thinking about Rainbow Kester and Matthew Ivanoff’s performances, which were thrilling (it’s a thriller, this is my attempt at wordplay).

Special mention to Keith Brown the magician and Alex Larson the juggler.