2017 Wrap-Up: Broadway.com Picks the Best Shows of the Year

We are privileged to see all the Great White Way has to offer each year, and it’s no easy task to choose favorites. This year offered an embarrassment of riches which made this list incredibly hard to put together, but (after much discussion) here's Broadway.com’s picks for the best shows of 2017.


 

5. Hello, Dolly! 
The hottest ticket of the season turned out to be worth every precious penny in your pocket. Jerry Herman’s Hello, Dolly! made a triumphant return to the boards in a gloriously old-fashioned revival directed by Jerry Zaks and starring the incomparable Bette Midler leading a dream cast. There was nothing to pick apart in this unforgettable production, which made us prouder than ever to call ourselves Broadway fans.



4. The Band’s Visit
David Yazbek and Itamar Moses’ The Band's Visit transported audiences to a desert wasteland teeming with quirky and lovable characters. When an Egyptian police band ends up stranded in a desolate Israeli town, surprising friendships bloom and Arabs and Israelis find common ground. The result is a quietly charming show with a Middle Eastern beat and a very unusual love story at its core.



3. SpongeBob SquarePants
A kaleidoscope of playful comedy, pop music and sincere hopefulness, SpongeBob SquarePants is a musical worth worshipping. Conceived by Tina Landau, who tapped over a dozen popular music artists like Cyndi Lauper, John Legend and David Bowie to contribute to the score, and anchored by Ethan Slater’s impressive performance as the titular sponge, the show has transformed the Palace Theatre into a deep-sea treasure trove of fun. It’s no secret that SpongeBob SquarePants is much more than a simple musical.



2. A Doll’s House, Part 2
Let’s not forget the plays here. A Doll’s House, Part 2 received eight 2017 Tony nominations, the most of any play. The entire cast garnered nods and Laurie Metcalf finally took home her first Tony for her performance as Nora. Winning over critics and audiences alike, Lucas Hnath’s skilled, amusing, touching and thought-provoking follow-up to Ibsen’s classic was a delight.
 

1. Once On This Island
Our favorite show of 2017 opened just a few weeks before year’s end. Once On This Island was a small, beautiful fable of a musical when it premiered on Broadway in 1990 that has been gloriously rethought by one of theater’s most inventive directors, Michael Arden. His stirring new staging is in-the-round and features junkyard costumes, dirt, fire and water and yes, live animals. But what really makes this stunner sing is its heartbreaking story, which made our hearts sing all over again as only a Broadway triumph can.

That’s our list! Here’s to more theater magic in 2018.