{"id":59592,"date":"2017-12-19T10:20:25","date_gmt":"2017-12-19T15:20:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/these-were-the-top-10-plays-and-musicals-of-2017\/"},"modified":"2017-12-19T10:20:25","modified_gmt":"2017-12-19T15:20:25","slug":"these-were-the-top-10-plays-and-musicals-of-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/these-were-the-top-10-plays-and-musicals-of-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"These Were the Top 10 Plays and Musicals of 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

These Were the Top 10 Plays and Musicals of 2017<\/b>
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Let\u2019s face it: Few people are going to look back fondly on 2017. But there was respite on New York stages, from big, brassy revivals promising pure escape, to more intimate, challenging works intent on confronting our current culture. There were period dramas that felt timelier than ever, and vibrant new shows that gave voice to people whose stories have never been told. <\/span><\/p>\n

Here are Towleroad\u2019s top 10 plays and musicals of 2017. Cheers to more art in the face adversity in the year to come.<\/span><\/p>\n

10. People, Places & Things
<\/i><\/b>Audiences tumbled headlong through the tortured mind of a struggling addict in director Jeremy Herrin\u2019s electrifying production, which came to St. Ann\u2019s Warehouse from London\u2019s National Theatre. Duncan Macmillan\u2019s drama also served as New York\u2019s introduction to the formidable talents of Denise Gough, who\u2019ll next take on the role of Harper in this spring\u2019s Broadway revival of <\/span>Angels in America<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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9.<\/strong><\/em> The Little Foxes
<\/i><\/b><\/a>Cynthia Nixon and Laura Linney gave four of the best performances of the year, trading off roles each night in Lillian Hellman\u2019s classic drama of American greed. Daniel Sullivan\u2019s finely outfitted production for Manhattan Theatre Club won Nixon her second Tony Award. Our review HERE<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

8. School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play
<\/i><\/b>Jocelyn Bioh transplants the teen<\/a> drama genre to her parents\u2019 native Ghana, complete with a fierce resident queen bee (MaameYaa Boafo), a pretty newcomer (Nabiyah Be), and a clique of friends whose loyalty shifts like the tide. The result is an incisive exploration of girlhood, colorism, and the price of beauty. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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7.<\/strong><\/em> Sunday in the Park With George<\/a>
<\/i><\/b>Jake Gyllenhaal and Annaleigh Ashford delivered career highmark performances in Stephen Sondheim\u2019s beloved portrait of the artist as a young narcissist. Lovingly directed by Sarna Lapine (book writer James Lapine\u2019s neice), the revival was both spectacular in its simplicity and stunning in its artistry. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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6.<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0Charm
<\/i><\/b><\/a>There was little not to love about Philip Dawkins\u2019 play featuring a class of disadvantaged queer youth and the transwoman tasked with teaching them manners. Sandra Caldwell, who <\/span>came out as trans<\/span><\/a> for the first time at age 65 in a feature promoting the show, led director Will Davis\u2019 exuberant production, which introduced audiences to an exciting new crop of talent. Our review HERE<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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5.<\/strong> <\/em>Torch Song Trilogy
<\/i><\/b><\/a>Michael Urie and Mercedes Ruehl went head to head in this transcendent revival of Harvey Fierstein\u2019s seminal gay<\/a> epic. A condensed version of the original trilogy, director Moises Kaufman\u2019s new production proved that Fierstein\u2019s exploration of identity, intimacy, and family is as resonant as ever. (Cross your fingers for a Broadway transfer.) Our review HERE<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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4.<\/strong><\/em> Hello, Dolly!
<\/i><\/b><\/a>Bette is back! (Well, for another month, anyway.) Grand dame Bette Midler made her Broadway return by leaving her mark on one of musical theatre\u2019s most iconic characters. Jerry Zaks\u2019 dazzling, color-drunk revival may not have broken new ground, but it\u2019s the perfect vehicle for a superstar performance. Bernadette Peters takes over the role on January 20. Our review HERE<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. The Red Letter Plays
<\/i><\/b>Signature Theatre\u2019s revivals of sister plays <\/span>Fucking A<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>In the Blood<\/span><\/i> brought Suzan-Lori Parks\u2019 riffs on <\/span>The Scarlet Letter<\/span><\/i> to beautiful new life. Parks\u2019 interrogation of sex<\/a>, motherhood, blood-lust, and the fault lines of race and class serves as a chilling \u2014 and timely \u2014 fable of America\u2019s guiding principles.<\/span><\/p>\n

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2.<\/strong> <\/em>The Band\u2019s Visit
<\/i><\/b><\/a>This delicate and quietly insightful new musical from Itamar Moses and David Yazbek sets a new precedent for the genre. Set in a hole-in-the-wall desert town, the musical about suspended hopes stars a police band all in powder-blue and rising icon Katrina Lenk \u2014 in her second star turn of the year. It\u2019s the new musical to beat heading into a spring lineup that\u2019s far less subtle (think:\u00a0<\/span>Mean Girls<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>Frozen<\/span><\/i>). Our review HERE<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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1.<\/strong><\/em> Indecent
<\/i><\/b><\/a>Paula Vogel and director Rebecca Taichman delivered what was by far the most daring and transporting drama of the year. Spanning decades and interrogating the very meaning of art in the face of atrocity, the production swept audiences in its arms from the first moment until the story\u2019s haunting end. Our review HERE<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recent theatre features\u2026
\u2018Cruel Intentions: The Musical\u2019 Is a Wicked Delight for \u201890s Lovers: REVIEW<\/a>
How to Save Civilization from Certain Disaster? Take a Cue from \u2018SpongeBob\u2019 on Broadway (Yes, Seriously): REVIEW<\/a>
In Broadway Revival of \u2018Once on This Island,\u2019 a Modern Fable, Beautifully Told: REVIEW<\/a>
Uma Thurman Opens in \u2018The Parisian Woman,\u2019 a Fiction That\u2019s No Match for Reality: REVIEW<\/a>
Amy Schumer Rains Down Laughs in Steve Martin\u2019s Curious \u2018Meteor Shower\u2019: REVIEW<\/a>
In Drew Droege\u2019s \u2018Bright Colors And Bold Patterns,\u2019 a Hilarious Portrait of Living Out Loud: REVIEW<\/a>
In New Musical \u2018The Band\u2019s Visit,\u2019 an Exquisite Meditation on Hopes Won and Lost: REVIEW<\/a>
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Follow Naveen Kumar on Twitter: @Mr_NaveenKumar<\/a>
\n(photos: julieta cervantes, joan marcus,\u00a0matthew murphy, and carol rosegg)<\/em><\/p>\n

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These are Towleroad’s Top 10 Plays and Musicals of 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n