And a solid year it was. Lots of great shows didn’t make the cut, but here’s what stood out most for me:

10. “Stuy or Die” (locations throughout the city): A homegrown New York production that told a very New York story -- about Asian-American/Pacific Islander teens trying to gain entrance to one of the city’s top high schools. It spoke volumes.

9. “Saturday Church” (New York Theatre Workshop): The “Rent” of today’s generation? This powerful musical about a young man’s journey to embrace his queer identity could be it.

8. “Chess” (Broadway): The perpetual problem-child show finally made sense in this smartly conceived revival. And the cast delivers some thrilling musical moments.

7. “Little Bear Ridge Road” (Broadway): Samuel D. Hunter’s human and humane drama about two lonely people -- an aunt and her nephew -- forging a connection was anchored by two of the year’s greatest performances, courtesy Laurie Metcalf and Micah Stock.

6. “My Son’s a Queer (But What Can You Do?)” (City Center): About as life-affirming as a coming-out story gets. Rob Madge’s tale so deserves a future home on Broadway.

5. “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” (Metropolitan Opera): Yes, an opera makes my list, but it’s a brilliant theatrical realization of the equally brilliant Michael Chabon novel just the same.

4. “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)" (Broadway): The rom-com as a sweetly joyful two-character musical. Such a great score, too.

3. “Masquerade” (former Lee’s Art Shop building): Forget its historic Broadway run: The ideal iteration of “Phantom of the Opera” turns out to be this immersive spectacle.

2. “John Proctor Is the Villain” (Broadway). Kimberly Belflower’s funny-haunting work for the me-too era was Broadway’s tops this past season, bar none.

1. “The Weir” (Irish Rep): Conor McPherson’s seemingly simple drama -- think a group of barflies telling ghost stories -- is really a story of Ireland writ large. And it takes a company like Irish Rep, arguably the best Off Broadway presenter there is, to bring such a profound work to life.

(Published: Dec. 27, 2025)