my favourite theatre of 2023 | the best plays and musicals I saw in London and New York this year
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OHMYGOD HEY!
This year I saw nearly 250 plays and musicals, mostly in the UK and the US.
Check out today's brand new video to find out which shows made my top 25, and stay tuned until the end to see which show was my favourite of a very busy year of theatregoing...
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00:00 | introduction
03:21 | show 25
04:33 | show 24
06:01 | show 23
07:23 | show 22
08:53 | show 21
10:19 | show 20
12:03 | show 19
13:22 | show 18
15:04 | show 17
16:37 | show 16
18:20 | show 15
19:46 | show 14
21:37 | show 13
23:46 | show 12
25:27 | show 11
27:30 | show 10
29:03 | show 9
30:27 | show 8
32:23 | show 7
34:27 | show 6
36:17 | show 5
38:16 | show 4
39:57 | show 3
41:55 | show 2
44:02 | show 1
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#westend #Broadway #theatre #review #musical - Zábava
This was the greatest theatrical year of my life so far! Mostly because I got to cross the pond to London and saw SO MANY SHOWS! I miss the West End every day and cannot wait to return! Also, meeting you and Aeron this year was another major highlight of my year! Cannot wait for you two to come back to the US real soon!
I can't afford to see shows right now, and I'm so grateful to your channel for giving me such a wonderful, joyous view on the theatre world. Thank you so much for all the lovely vids, and have a happy New Year!
I've been watching a lot of CZcams bootlegs, and I also subscribed to a few streaming sites that are pretty good (marquee TV and national theatre live). Marquee has a free trial.
My top ten this year
1. Sunset Boulevard (Savoy)
2. Next To Normal (Donmar)
3. Operation Mincemeat (Fortune)
4. The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (Southwark Playhouse)
5. Standing At The Sky’s Edge (National Theatre)
6. Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York) (Kiln)
7. The Little Big Things (@SohoPlace)
8. Stranger Things: The First Shadow (Phoenix)
9. Groundhog Day (Old Vic)
10. A Strange Loop (Barbican)
One of the best theatrical events of the year that you neglected to mention is the emergence of MickeyJo with his clever, insightful, and entertaining commentary of the modern English speaking theatre scene. I stumbled onto your channel when you had posted only a few installments -- for me, you were often frustrating to watch then -- too much of a musical geek. Well, my friend, watching your criticism quickly grow up and mature has been a pleasure -- you haven't lost the giddy while you have found depth and ease of delivery. Well done, well done. Keep going. Congrats.
My favorite show that I saw this year was a tie between one of the US tours of Hamilton, and the Lyric Opera's production of West Side Story!
Hamilton is my all-time favorite musical, and this was my first time seeing it live after watching the pro shot several times, and listening to the cast recording too many times to count.
And West Side Story was special because some friends and I went to see it together, driving to Chicago and back (12 hours total of driving!) in the same day. And the show was SO worth it - the production was magical, and I'm so happy we were all able to go.
One of my favorite things from 2023 was finding your channel! Thanks so much to you (and Aeron!) for all your fun stagey content & can’t wait to see what 2024 brings!
Happy New Year! Thank you for being my access to The West End. Looking forward to seeing more in the coming year!🎉🎉🎉
Thank you! From a person who doesn't know much about theater - I watched your Merrily review and then was able to see it live and I am so grateful to you for that experience!
Really enjoyed your countdown. I saw Merrily a few weeks ago and felt truly lucky to be in that theatre! Happy New Year!
Happy New Year Mickey-Jo!! 🎆🎉 Cannot wait to see what stagey adventures you have planned for 2024.
My top shows of the year were:
1. The Lord of the Rings (Watermill Theatre)
2. Fun Home (Gate Theatre, Dublin)
3. Guys and Dolls (Bridge Theatre)
4. Tiny (Civic Theatre - very exciting new musical in development!)
5. Somewhere Out There You (Abbey Theatre)
I saw Merrily last year downtown. Can’t agree more it is a perfect cast in a great revival
I started watching the bootleg of the last revival...I don't know how anyone makes it through. The characters are so nasty
Just booked a ticket for Bacon for Thursday night. Thanks for the recommendation
Literally booked tickets for Bacon just now based on this list, thank you for the shoutout about it coming to NYC!
I think my favourites have been Newsies and Two Strangers (Carry a cake across New York). Happy New year 🥳
Soooooo happy to see Groundhog Day so high on this list. The day it closed on Broadway was such a sad thing for me, knowing that I'd never get to see that production again. Very thankful for the four times I did get to see it. It's such a special show.
Happy New Year Mickey Jo! Thanks for all your great reviews! This year I am hoping to see the National tour of Shucked in Boston & see How To Dance In Ohio in New York.
Happy New Year to you. Thank you for all the hard work you do🌟🔔🌟🔔🌟🔔🌟🔔🌟🔔🌟🔔🌟
Thank you! Happy New Year to you too!
I had some fantastic theatre experiences this year. Finally saw touring productions of Hamilton and Hadestown in Toronto. Saw Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as well in Toronto. Saw Gypsy at the Shaw Festival (Niagara on the Lake, ON) and saw a world premier of Pollyanna: the Musical at Theatre Aquarius (Hamilton, ON). I am BEYOND excited to say I am finally seeing SIX in Toronto in February 2024. Cannot wait for more theatre and your Disappointing Show review....ooooo DRAMA!
I'm glad I discovered your channel. I always enjoy your reviews and recommendations. My theatre-going has been limited to Scotland this year but my favourites have been Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder at the Edinburgh Fringe, Wicked (UK tour) and Gypsy at Pitlochry Festival Theatre, which I believe is the first production done with actor-musicians. In 2024, I'm looking forward to seeing Hamilton and Come From Away for the first time.
Thank you for a year of vlogs, enjoyed them all, particularly the challenge ones with Aeron and Ellie. After careful consideration, my top 3 shows that I’ve enjoyed the most in 2023 were Bake Off, Crazy For You and A Chorus Line (youth production).
The best things i saw this year were
1) Moulin Rouge
2) Rachel Tucker in concert
3) Cabaret
4) Othello at Riverside Studios
5) Heathers
6) Sunset Boulevard
8) Six
8) Iolanthe at ENO
9) Forbidden Nights
10) I loved Frozen too (didnt like the movie) but the audience was so disruptive it definitely impacted the experience
Best concert was Rachel Tucker at Cadogan.
Standout performances were:
1) Lea Salonga in Old Friends
2) Jamie Muscato in Moulin Rouge
3) Marisha Wallace in Oklahoma
4) Charlie Stemp in Crazy for You
5) Martins Imhangbe in Othello
6) Mason Alexander Park in Cabaret
7) Penelope Wilson in Backstairs Billy
8) Tanisha Spring and Dom Simpson in Moulin Rouge
9) Felipe Peirano in House of Flamenka
10) Natalia Osipova in Don Quixote at ROH
11) Patrick Wilson in My Favorite Things
Most disappointing shows were
1) Julius Caesar at RSC
2) The Tempest at the Globe
3) The 7 Deaths of Maria Callas
4) Choir of Man
My most anticipated shows of 2024 are
1) Burlesque
2) Macbeth with Ralph Fiennes
3) Player Kings
4) Lea Salonga in concert
5) Jamie Muscato in concert
6) Swan Lake at ROH.
Saw Merrily at the NYTW and on Broadway, and it is definitely my #1 as well. I also saw Parade and Kimberly Akimbo, so glad they made your list!
I may of only seen 4 pieces of theater this year (Legally Blonde non eq tour & Jagged Little Pill, To Kill A Mockingbird, & Beetlejuice tours) but I've loved obsessing over other/new shows via your videos so am very appreciative. I'm also only likely seeing one thing next year (new Peter Pan tour) so any piece of music/B-Roll will be played constantly. Already looking forward to Little Big Things & the new Death Note recordings. Fingers crossed we get one for Next To Normal as well. I'm seeing Cassie in a few weeks at Disney so at least I'll get to hear her sing some Frozen.
Thanks for the tip about "Bacon." I'll check it out at Soho Playhouse, before heading to London for two weeks in January
I saw 30 shows this year. Sunset Boulevard was my number 1 show.
Happy New Year and here to other year of great theatre.
Surprised that Crazy for You didnt make the list.
My highlights of the new were Groundhog Day, Bonnie & Clyde, Newsies and Heathers.
Crazy For You was high in last year's list, that's why! One of my favourites definitely, and the show I saw on my birthday.
My favourite shows of this year were (I have to admit, I did include some shows I've seen before but last year was the first time I really saw enough shows to do a Top 10!):
1. Operation Mincemeat (Fortune Theatre)
2. Wicked (Apollo Victoria Theatre)-genuinely did not anticipate the day where something would overtake Wicked as my favourite show, but here we are!
3. Next To Normal (Donmar Warehouse)
4. Moulin Rouge! (Piccadilly Theatre)
5. Groundhog Day (Old Vic)
6. Ride (Southwark Playhouse Elephant)
7. Cabaret (Playhouse Theatre)
8. Guys and Dolls (Bridge Theatre)
9. Six (Vaudeville Theatre)
10. The Time Traveller's Wife (Apollo Theatre)
Cannot wait for this year's theatre, I have so many exciting shows booked already!
I don't know how you narrowed it down. Some very solid choices there! My wish list of shows keeps getting longer.
Hamilton was my top show this year. Somehow managed to see it 3 times, with different performers covering almost every role, which was so fun to see. Hadestown, Jagged Little Pill, In Dreams, Six, 42nd Street, Rent, Spamalot and Something Rotten were the other shows I saw and found some great moments in all of them.
Great vid! Inevitably, some I fully agree with, and some I think you and I saw different shows! :P
Where is your review of the no.25 Babies Concert? I saw it and loved it (and saw you in the foyer, nice uniform!). Was looking forward to hearing your thoughts but have never seen a video posted and can't see one now?
Shucked is my guilty pleasure from this season
Fantastic to hear. For me it has simply got to be the Sheffield Crucible production of Miss Saigon. Going into 2023 I was highly anticipating this show as it showed so much more resonance to the world of today what with recent conflicts that have occurred, issues of poverty and sex work and also because the original show had dated and going into this production I was hoping it was going to show a new light on the text. And it delivered that but more as well. It went for a more minimalist approach that took your breath away and made it where it centred the story on Kim (which sometimes is neglected) but also was a piece about her reclaiming her story and the performances were just incredible. Likewise we also had outstanding performances from Joanna Ampil who brought a brand new light to the Engineer, Christian Maynard as Chris who showed a performance that enlightened us on how some of the men in Vietnam were just boys and could not save people and yet there felt to be pressure to deliver this role and many more.
I know you were a bit mixed on this show but for me seeing it on the closing night was such a special experience (amidst being in floods of tears) and I pray this is a production that does return to the Crucible again because it needs to be seen more.
I saw the miss saigon cast reunion at musicalcon and was blown away by the music and the performances. Hoping there's a bootleg somewhere.
Trust me if there is one available I will be getting it. I didn't get the chance to see the reunion performance at Musical Con but I will say that final performance at the Crucible was just stunning. I thing everyone felt everything on that final night and it was such a special production.@@emhu2594
In your Panto vlog, you and Aeron drank a green concoction that looked as though it was the liquified remains of Elphaba. Maybe they should serve it at Wicked.
Hi MickeyJo! Based on your glowing review of Bacon in this video, I saw it yesterday at the SoHo Playhouse in New York. You're right! What a powerful and emotional story, and one I wouldn't have seen without your recommendation. Thank you!
So glad you saw it and enjoyed, thank you for sharing! ❤️
My number 1 show of the year was La Cage aux Folles at Regents Park Open Air Theatre. Breathtakingly amazing x
I saw a crazy amount of shows this year. The best one was Stereophonic. It was my first play and it was so amazing.
Heard GREAT things about it!
@MickeyJoTheatre rumor has it it's transfering to Broadway in Spring, so I hope you get to see it if you pop over again~
So sad that Lord of the Rings at the Watermill didn't make your cut 🥲
In Australia the best show in recent times has definitely been Dorian Gray, a phenomenal one-woman show with incredible staging and technical elements, that each stagehand also gets a bow! It's transferring to the West End I can't wait for you to see it.
I figured Merrily and Sunset Blvd would be high on your list, but expected Old Friends would be higher. Also expected Mincemeat, but not that high. Hoping it transfers to Broadway or Off Broadway. Merrily was definitely worth the price.
Interested in hearing your Hamilton comments. Also - did I miss a review for Six on Broadway?
Thanks for a great year! Looking forward to more in 2024. Anticipating the spring openings.
Happy New Year!
I knew Merrily would be your #1. Hopefully Tony will agree by nominations for everyone. Would you see a Night Music with Cynthia Eribo as Desiree?
1. This year I saw Six in London ( really loved it) 2. (My first Panto) Sleeping Beauty in Crawley 3.Derren Browns Showman (I'm biased I'm a big fan) 4. (Dutch play about a woman escaping Syria and what happens after) Laura H.
5. Pride and Prejudice de musical (in the Netherlands, new female only production, was lovely) 6. Aida in the Netherlands (not a fan of this production and cast did not have a very strong day)
You inspired me to go back to the Fringe this year, so it'll be a lot longer list in 2024
schuked! We saw it and it's amazing
Splashed out on a ticket for front row Merrily on Saturday, it was truly so sublime
Omggg I didn't know there were plans for a Parade proshot!!! Ahhh I hope it happens!!!!
I find it hard to join in the praise for Patsy Ferran. I’d heard a lot about her, finally got to see her in Streetcar . . . and I was disappointed. For starters, she was clearly far too young for the role. Secondly, I wasn’t far from the stage, but could barely hear a word she said. I think a great actor should at least be able to project to the balcony. She seems a very quiet, inward person. When I saw Pygmalion I was in the second row stalls so had no trouble hearing her, but - still not blown away. Audrey Hepburn would run rings round her.
Anyway, my top 10, in no order:
(By the way, the best thing I went to was Elton’s penultimate concert, the second was Peter Gabriel, and the third was Katie Melua. But since we’re talking theatre 😊. . . )
Medea. Amazing performance by powerhouse Sophie Okenedo. Imaginative staging and casting in a very nice new theatre.
Private Lives. Stephen Mangan always comes across as a nice guy but at times here his louche gentility turned to real menace.. Very funny and at times scary.
The Motive and the Cue. My best play. Everyone should have got awards, Mark Gatiss was quite heart-breaking at times. As for Johnny Flynn - on the odd occasion you really felt Richard Burton was standing in front of you.
Guys and Dolls. I knew the Bridge would do this well but it exceeded any expectations. Just brilliant.
The Crucible. Studied it at university, never saw it until the summer. Great production and the waterfall curtain was excellent.
Phantom of the Opera. Seen it before but it’s just amazing.
King Lear. Mixed reviews but I enjoyed it. Surprisingly funny for a tragedy. First time I’ve seen Ken, well worth it.
Old Friends. A really excellent, uplifting show. You knew so many of the cast - I just know Bonnie Langford from Doctor Who!
Sunset Boulevard. I’m still kind of recovering from this - so unusual and innovative, with a spectacular lead performance. I’ve have hated the Jamie Lloyd shows I’ve seen before - Cyrano and The Seagull. The latter especially was a travesty - to have great actors sitting in a line on plastic chairs pretending they’re in a play was an insult to a paying audience. It was like watching a table read. Cyrano had been just the same. Now, however he had to include the music and the dancing and it was amazing. He really must stop this childish thing he does, where an actor comes on stage about ten minutes before curtain up and just stares down the audience while some shuffle nervously about. The woman behind me had introduced herself to the people beside her as a TV producer, and she was as unimpressed as I was. “I’ve seen a couple of his things before,” she said, “London and New York. He always does this. He thinks it’s clever but it’s not.”
Hey, that’s only 9. Well, I didn’t go and see as much as I normally do because there didn’t seem to be as much on that I wanted to see. Maybe I’ll throw in Crazy For You, though it wasn’t in the same bracket as these others.
I’ve got the big-star vehicles lined up - Plaza Suite, Macbeth, An Enemy Of the People, Long Day’s Journey, Player Kings. Hopefully a few other things as well.
I saw and loved Parade, am in the middle of reading a book on the case, but my favorite was Sweeney with Groban and Ashford.
I was surprised he didn't mention ST, that was a truly magnificent production!
My top 10 for the year:
1. Operation Mincemeat
2. Hadestown
3. Parade
4. Sweeney Todd
5. Next To Normal
6. Sondheim's Old Friends
7. Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
8. Guys & Dolls
9. Crazy for You
10. Groundhog Day
Honourable mentions:
- The Little Big Things
- Allegiance
- Newsies
- Kimberly Akimbo
- Miss Saigon
- The Motive and the Cue
Thanks for this extraordinary list, Mackey Jo. +/- 250 productions in 1 year is incredible. I saw GROUNDHOG DAY on Broadway 3 times before it's too-soon closing, and understand why you liked it so much. I did, too. I look forward to seeing BACON when it comes to the Soho Playhouse (it's not mentioned on their website yet.) I hope you and Aeron have a fabulous 2024.
It is if you look on the calendar.
@@yankee04 Right you are. Thanks! Just bought 2 tickets for January 27 evening... can't wait. Seeing Days of Wine & Roses that afternoon, Harmony the night before and Once Upon a Mattress with Sutton Foster & Michael Urie at ENCORES! the day after. Another 4-show weekend... 🎭
@@carlbaldasso Happy to help. Enjoy! I won’t be in NYC to see it unfortunately.
I saw Harmony in November. The ensemble is so good.
I saw the Book of Mormon in 2023 such a great show!
Groundhog day and operation mincemeat are my top 1 and 2 for 2023!!
My favourite was Crazy For You (got to meet Charlie Stemp afterwards)
My top shows from 2023 have to be Operation Mincemeat and Dear England, with an honourable mention to Crazy For You!
I have to go with seeing Mason Alexander Park in Cabaret as my top performance of the year.
Loved his performance. Would love to see a review of the new leads
Just to say if your top London show in 2022 was Crazy for You and in 2023 was Groundhog Day I need to find a crystal ball to learn selection for 2024 and go and see the show many…. many times !!! 😊
The mcfly and Busted reference………. I gasped all the way from brazil. We do share a brain cell.
It's always so fun to hear your opinions on theater!! :) I have more limited theater options since I live in Montreal but still saw amazing shows and actually one of them was Wicked in London when I traveled there in the spring. I'd never seen it live before so I was pumped and it did not disappoint!
See a prayer for republic in NY if you can saw it last night.
Where is Crazy for You?! That was my favourite of the year! Also the Little Big things and Newsies!
On last year's list! 😂
Enjoyed this. But when I was in NY in December I was unwilling to spend $350 for a bad seat for Merrily. Maybe in Spring, since it's been extended.
Nothing is worth seeing from a bad seat! Hope you get a great deal in the New Year!
Well….based on your recommendations….seeing Hamilton tomorrow night in Manchester……Old Friends on Thursday (having already seen)….Groundhog Day (OST is literally on permanent loop on car speakers) I saw on last day in London (anyone got flight tickets to spare Melbourne)….and also saw A Strange Loop…..but disappointed Crazy for You was not there - saw it earlier this year and just returned from 7hr return drive to see final show this afternoon. Charlie Stemp (and the whole cast) utterly fantastic….very deserving 1st act standing ovation!
Crazy For You was on last year's list and therefore wasn't eligible this time around by my rules - but I did go on my birthday, making it the best show in town 😉
@@MickeyJoTheatre ps forgot to mention Jersey Boys snuck in tickets to see Jersey Boys for the first time in Wednesday before it closes….i’ll be permanently on M6/M1 travelling from/to Manchester !
My top shows were Crazy for You (London), The King and I (Glasgow), Operation Mincemeat ((London) and something you did not mention at all (maybe you never saw it), Frank and Percy (London). I thought Guys and Dolls was the most over-rated show of the year and I also saw a really weird production of Carmen in Glasgow.
Faves were Guys And Dolls immersive, Dear Evan Hansen with Sam Tutty, Groundhog Day, Manic Street Creature. Show i enjoyed more than i though I would - Hamilton. Massive disappointments - Operation Mincemeat (overhyped fringe show , rather am dram, outgrown its natural size. If i'd seen it as Southwark id have enjoyed it more) ) and Sunset Boulevard(while not bad and had some great moments and performances was under whelming musically. the songs were forgettable even just after they had finished__)
I saw 19 shows this year my faves were My sons a queer , Unbelievable and Crazy for you
#justiceforlittlebigthings
WAIT “the top 10%” ?You saw 250 shows this year ?? Or is this theatre-kid maths?
He gets free press screenings...it's like his job
He does say that he watched 'close to 250 shows this year' in the beginning.
@@Armadillo312that’s insane.
@@emhu2594lol yes, understood. I still can’t believe he made that many
Dear England?
WHAT ABOUT CRAZY FOR YOU??????!!!!!! 😢😢😢😢😢😮😮😮😮😮
Last year's list! Don't worry, even made it my birthday show this year because I loved it so much!
It feels a little weird that Here Lies Love has been running while Imelda's son is now in office as president and the family still haven't returned the millions upon millions of funds stolen from the Philippines while there are mothers who have to give their babies rice water because they can't afford milk. Not a criticism of you for watching it - just an odd choice by the producers IMO (which I'm sure they considered)!
Norma Desmond is now Black....yeah right.
Nicole Scherzinger isn't black.
Diahann Carroll did play Norma Desmond however, back in 1995.
Why do the racists and bigots always make themselves known when no one cares about your opinions.
...not forgetting Rita Monero's Norma in the early naughties - she was brilliant.
Name one famous silent film star that was black or hispanic.@@davesmith5470