Playwrights Horizons, 12 April
This show surprised me in the best way possible. I knew nothing about it going in, and it ended up embodying one of the things I most value about theatre: being able to experience new ideas and perspectives. Ryan Haddad gives a compelling performance telling a universal, relatable love story through his specific lens of a person with cerebral palsy, highlighting the challenges that creates for him while also treating it like the fact of life that it is for him. The show presents lots to think about and unpack, which is what good theatre should do.
Minetta Lane Theatre, 3 May
I had a third row seat and soaked up every minute of being mere feet away from Hugh Jackman, who was in top form oozing charisma. The play and his performance felt like the best kind of magic trick. The play itself is a very meta two-hander, and Ella Beatty was fine as as the student opposite Hugh's professor, but this was really Hugh's show, and his performance felt masterfully lived-in. So much so that he was able to flawlessly ad lib several times in response to the audience (latecomers, loud sneezes, etc.) and not miss a beat getting right back to the script. It was also wonderful to hear him perform in his native Australian accent, which seems like a rare treat these days.
59E59, 3 June
This production was performed by three actors from the Guildford Shakespeare Company, so there was lots of classic British absurdity with campy delivery and quick costume changes. It was Jane Austen by way of Monty Python. All three actors were fantastic, but Luke Barton, the lone male, seemed to be having the most fun with his roles. One of the best, most hilarious moments was when Barton had to play both Darcy's housekeeper and a portrait of Darcy in one scene, but the whole show was highly entertaining and frequently laugh-out-loud funny.
Irish Arts Center, 23 May
This was a thought provoking and amusing play that feels very timely despite being about an event that occurred in the 1930s. The topic of censorship is sadly just as relevant today as it was nearly 100 years ago, and the play makes a very good argument for why the government shouldn't have a say in what literature people have access to. Ultimately, it is not the government's role to "protect" people from books that simply present the life experiences of characters from different backgrounds and walks of life. The cast has a lot of fun on stage, and one need not be a fan of James Joyce's work to find value or merit in the ideas presented.
Nederlander Theatre, 3 September
I am usually not a big fan of Jeff Ross's comedy, but I decided to see this show because John Mayer and John Stamos recommended it on socials. The show turned out to be amazing: equal parts funny and sad. And it's very Jewish, which I always appreciate. Jeff talks a lot about losing people: parents, grandparents, friends, pets. I happened to see this show not long before my dad passed away, and it was comforting to hear someone talk about going through loss, but continuing on and surviving. It's a poignant, highly personal show that is both beautiful an entertaining.
MTC at NY City Center, 22 March
The writing of this show is extraordinary: a memory play jumping around in time, yet never confusing or unclear, and ranging tonally from laugh-out-loud funny to heartbreakingly devastating while always feeling true. Andrew Barth Feldman, Joanna Gleeson, and Jeanine Serralles were all up to the challenge of delivering this work, and did so with compassion, humanity, and humor. I often don't understand when people describe art as "life affirming", but this play fits that description.
Carnegie Hall, 15 November
This is probably the most aggressively Jewish stand-up set I've ever seen. It's also one of the most truly funny, genuinely laugh-out-loud comedy shows I've seen in a very long time; Alex has such a unique way of observing and reporting on the world. I'm not even sure if gentiles would get half the stuff Alex is talking about, but I definitely appreciated it.
59E59, 20 January
Dear Jack, Dear Louise is a very sweet and funny two-hander about an army doctor and an actress falling in love via letters during WW II, but unlike Love Letters, this show is acted and not simply read. The performances were charming and made me care about and for the characters. The script is tender without being saccharine, making for a lovely show that avoids schmaltziness.
Greenwich House Theatre, 24 October
Ari'el Stachel is an incredible (and incredibly sweaty!) performer. His story about the struggle to fit in and find identity is both unique and universal all at once. As an American-Ashkenazi Jew-Yemenite-Israeli, coming of age in the early 2000s, Stachel had a harder time than most with acceptance, both of himself and by others, exacerbated by OCD and anxiety disorder. However, he has been able to overcome so many challenges to realize his dream of performing on Broadway and even winning a TONY. What a brave and powerful thing for him to bring his story to the stage and lay himself bare while sharing his truth.
Vineyard Theatre, 10 June
This is the weirdest show I saw this year, and I debated including it on this list (Right Before I Go was a close runner-up), but ultimately I have to give Bowl EP props for being creative, imaginative, and truly different from any other show I've seen. Felicia Curry, Essence Lotus, and Oghenero Gbaje all gave excellent, deeply felt performances. The empty swimming pool set was well-conceived. And the mix-tape scene framing was clever. I didn't love the play right after I saw it because it was a lot to process, but it was a show I thought about for days after, and it has continued to leave a lasting impression.
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