Best of the Rest! Here's What the Broadway.com Staff Loved in 2019

In addition to an endless amount of holiday parties, we've also spent our time at the end of 2019 obsessing over best-of-the-year lists. The only thing more fun than reading them: making them! The Broadway.com editorial staff already put their theatergoing heads and hearts together to determine the best performances, debuts and shows of the year. Of course, not everything we loved on stage in 2019 could fit into those slots. As a result, we've each shouted out a show, performer or pile of dead puppet bodies (yup, read on) we think were simply the best (better than all the rest). Check them out below!

Hillary and Clinton

Editor-in-Chief Paul Wontorek
"In addition to being a brisk night of theater highlighted by fantastic performances from pros John Lithgow and Laurie Metcalf, this Lucas Hnath play made my mind swirl. I found myself rethinking a marriage, a presidency and a would-be-presidency that I thought I had already dissected to death. I was riveted—and grateful for the emotional release that Hnath's coda afforded me."

Michael Benjamin Washington in Fires in the Mirror

Managing Editor Beth Stevens
"The radical empathy Michael Benjamin Washington imparts to the more than two dozen characters in Anna Deavere Smith’s Fires in the Mirror left me breathless. Smith’s groundbreaking documentary-style solo show is just as relevant now as when she premiered it in 1992, and Washington’s powerhouse performance revealed its still lingering heartbreak."

Marisa Tomei in The Rose Tattoo

Illustrator & Animator Ryan Casey
"Marisa Tomei set the stage on fire in The Rose Tattoo. Her passionate performance as Serafina showcased the Oscar winner’s range on stage. It was thrilling to see Tomei go head to head with all of her co-stars. I left the theater truly in awe of her talent."

Choir Boy

Photo Director Caitlin McNaney
"As a fan of Moonlight, I was so excited to see Tarell Alvin McCraney bring his storytelling to the stage. Choir Boy was simultaneously dark and hopeful, and the aesthetics of this show captured that. I also appreciated that there were so many stories told through Jeremy Pope and the crazy-talented ensemble."

Adam Driver in Burn This

Editorial Assistant Michael Appler
"While nobody needs to hear another man yell at us from the stage, the man yelling in Burn This was Adam Driver, triumphantly stepping out of John Malkovich’s tall shadow. The ill-fitting suit, the fury—it was all there. Driver burned the production down, and it was brilliant."

Octet

Social Media Manager Caitlyn Gallip
"There was something so phenomenal about Dave Malloy’s Octet—it's hard to put into words. As someone who spends the majority of her day on social media, it was a cathartic piece of musical theater that was equal parts convicting, reflective and painfully self-aware."

The Pile of Dead Puppet Bodies in Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus

Features Editor Diep Tran
"The sky-high pile of dead plush puppets in Taylor Mac’s Gary had me simultaneously intrigued and repulsed. Designed by Santo Loquasto, they looked appropriately disgusting, but I also wanted to jump in and make myself comfortable. It was all hilariously macabre—when Nathan Lane’s Gary got sprayed in the face with fluid from a puppet penis, I almost fell out of my chair."

Patrick Vaill in Oklahoma!

Content Producer Caitlin Moynihan
"Patrick Vaill brings a new depth to the character of Jud Fry in Oklahoma! and is a standout amongst his co-stars as they breathe new, vivid life into classic Rodgers and Hammerstein tunes. His haunting performance is solidified by his commanding vulnerability on stage that makes it impossible to look away—even when you want to the most."

American Utopia

Video Director/Editor Mark Hayes
"David Byrne’s American Utopia was the best concert experience I had this year and one of my favorite shows I’ve ever seen. With a focus on minimalism and accompanied by a terrific group of artists, Byrne’s new material sounded terrific, while his older songs took on new meaning, conveying much-needed messages about our shared human experience."

Ephraim Sykes in Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations

Content Producer Lindsey Sullivan
“‘Get Ready’ is an Ain’t Too Proud anthem, but nothing could have prepared me for the gift that is triple-threat Ephraim Sykes. Wowing the crowd with his golden vocals and slick, microphone-flying moves, he took the audience on an unforgettable journey as the tragic David Ruffin. He stepped up in a demanding role and made it dazzling.”

Stephanie Hsu in Be More Chill

News Editor Andy Lefkowitz
"Watching Stephanie Hsu unleash her comic expertise with outright abandon instantly reminded me of the first time I saw Sutton Foster in Thoroughly Modern Millie. Such an innate sense of comedy is rare. I now also love play rehearsal!"

Get on Your Knees

National Editor Ryan Lee Gilbert
"I spent this entire show doubled over, laughing harder than I have in a long time, while being truly amazed by Jacqueline Novak's talent. Yes, it's a comedy show about fellatio, but it's so much more than that—it's in a class all its own. I'm so excited to have a new favorite stand-up comedian. She's a total star."

The Finale Megamix in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical

Site Producer Joanne Villani
"I could simply rave about Adrienne Warren’s ability to descend a full set of stairs in absolute darkness while wearing (rather high) heels, but there’s more! This moment is full of energy, exuberance and pure delight. Culminating Tina Turner’s extraordinary story with a Tina Turner concert couldn’t be more exhilarating!"