2025 in Review: Our Favorite Design Elements

We were fortunate to have seen 17 different productions in 2025: 14 on Broadway and 3 off-Broadway. These are the shows we considered in all categories this year: Bat Boy: The Musical, Buena Vista Social Club, Dead Outlaw, Death Becomes Her, Floyd Collins, Gypsy, Heathers, John Proctor is the Villain, Operation Mincemeat, The Queen of Versailles, Ragtime, Real Women Have Curves, Redwood, Romeo + Juliet, Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) and Urinetown. There were two productions we paid another visit to: Hadestown and Sunset Boulevard and considered only those elements which were new to us this time around. We made our selections separately, so below you'll see where we agreed, where we differed, and those things we each just had to include. Our selections are arranged in alphabetical order below.

How did we compare to your favorites? Let us know via social media - @jkstheatresecene on all platforms. (X, Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky and Yahoo mail)

2025 in Review:

Our Favorite Design Elements 

FAVORITE SHOW LOGO

BROADWAY - TIE

Operation Mincemeat     Real Women Have Curves

HONORABLE MENTION

Dead Outlaw     Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends

OFF-BROADWAY - TIE

Bat Boy: The Musical     Heathers: The Musical

FAVORITE SCENIC DESIGN

TIE

Buena Vista Social Club

Designed by Arnulfo Maldonano

Death Becomes Her

Designed by Derek McLane

HONORABLE MENTION

Jeff and Mike

The Queen of Versailles

Designed by Dane Laffrey

Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

Designed by Soutra Gilmour

HONORABLE MENTION

Jeff

Redwood

Designed by Jason Ardizzone-West

HONORABLE MENTION

Mike

John Proctor is the Villain

Designed by AMP and Teresa L. Williams

FAVORITE COSTUME DESIGN

Death Becomes Her

Designed by Paul Tazewell

HONORABLE MENTION

Jeff and Mike

The Queen of Versailles

Designed by Christian Cowan

Ragtime

Designed by Linda Cho

FAVORITE LIGHTING DESIGN

TIE

Death Becomes Her

Designed by Justin Townsend

Sunset Boulevard**

Designed by Jack Knowles

HONORABLE MENTION

Jeff and Mike

Buena Vista Social Club

Designed by Christian Cowan

Floyd Collins

Designed by Scott Zielinsky

The Queen of Versailles

Designed by Natasha Katz

FAVORITE VIDEO/PROJECTION DESIGN

TIE

Redwood

Designed by Hannah S. Kim

Sunset Boulevard**

Designed by Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransome

HONORABLE MENTION

Jeff and Mike

Bat Boy: The Musical

Designed by uncredited

Floyd Collins

Designed by Ruey Horng Sun

HONORABLE MENTION

Mike

Ragtime

Designed by 59 Studio

HONORABLE MENTION

Jeff

John Proctor is the Villain

Designed by Hannah Wasileski

FAVORITE SOUND DESIGN

TIE

Buena Vista Social Club

Designed by Jonathan Deans

John Proctor is the Villain

Designed by Palmer Heffernan

HONORABLE MENTION

Jeff and Mike

Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

Designed by Tony Gayle

HONORABLE MENTION

Mike

Ragtime

Designed by Kai Harada

HONORABLE MENTION

Jeff

Redwood

Designed by Jonathan Deans

2025 in Review: Our Favorite Writing and Direction

We were fortunate to have seen 17 different productions in 2025: 14 on Broadway and 3 off-Broadway. These are the shows we considered in all categories this year: Bat Boy: The Musical. Buena Vista Social Club, Dead Outlaw, Death Becomes Her, Floyd Collins, Gypsy, Heathers, John Proctor is the Villain, Operation Mincemeat, The Queen of Versailles, Ragtime, Real Women Have Curves, Redwood, Romeo + Juliet, Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) and Urinetown. There were two productions we paid another visit to: Hadestown and Sunset Boulevard and considered only those elements which were new to us this time around. We made our selections separately, so below you'll see where we agreed, where we differed, and those things we each just had to include. Our selections are arranged in alphabetical order below.

How did we compare to your favorites? Let us know via social media - @jkstheatresecene on all platforms. (X, Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky and Yahoo mail)

2025 in Review:

Our Favorite Writing and Direction 

FAVORITE NEW BROADWAY SONG

"Dear Bill" from Operation Mincemeat

Sung by Jak Malone

Music and Lyrics by David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts

HONORABLE MENTION

Jeff and Mike

"Dead" from Dead Outlaw

Sung by the Company

Music and Lyrics by David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna

"If I Were a Bird" from Real Women Have Curves

Sung by Aline Mayagoitia and Tatianna Córdoba

Music by Benjamin Velez and Joy Huerta

"New York" from Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

Sung by Sam Tutty

Music and Lyrics by Jim Barne and Kit Buchan

HONORABLE MENTION

Jeff

"For the Gaze" from Death Becomes Her

Sung by Megan Hilty and the Ensemble

Music and Lyrics by Julia Mattison and Noel Carey

Mike

"Millicent's Song" from Dead Outlaw

Sung by the Julia Knitel

Music and Lyrics by David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna

FAVORITE NEW SCORE

TIE

Dead Outlaw

Music and Lyrics by David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna

Real Women Have Curves

Music by Benjamin Velez and Joy Huerta

HONORABLE MENTION

Jeff and Mike

Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

Music and Lyrics by Jim Barne and Kit Buchan

FAVORITE ORCHESTRATIONS

TIE

Floyd Collins

Orchestrations by Bruce Coughlin

Ragtime

Orchestrations by William David Brohn

HONORABLE MENTION

Mike

Sunset Blvd.**

Orchestrations by David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber

HONORABLE MENTION

Jeff

Buena Vista Social Club

Orchestrations by Marco Paguia

FAVORITE NEW BOOK OF A MUSICAL

Operation Mincemeat

Book by David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts

HONORABLE MENTION

Jeff and Mike

Dead Outlaw

Book by Itamar Moses

Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

Book by Jim Barne and Kit Buchan

FAVORITE CHOREOGRAPHY

Buena Vista Social Club

Choreography by Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck

HONORABLE MENTION

Jeff and Mike

Death Becomes Her

Choreography by Christopher Gattelli

FAVORITE DIRECTION - PLAY

 

Danya Taymor 

John Proctor is the Villain

FAVORITE DIRECTION - MUSICAL

Lear deBessonet

Ragtime

HONORABLE MENTION

Jeff and Mike

David Cromer

Dead Outlaw

Tina Landau

Floyd Collins

** - Mike saw Sunset Boulevard in 2025 and he will consider the show for this year's review. I saw it for the first time in 2024, and I will not be considering it for any honors unless it is a new-in-2025 element.

Broadway Quiz: Diva Digs

We love our Leading Ladies, don't we? We know their famous roles. We know their signature songs. We know their awards. But do we know where they had their biggest Broadway moments?

Broadway Quiz:

Diva Digs

DIRECTIONS: Answer each question about where these amazing women have played on Broadway. Good luck!

1. Angela Lansbury opened in Mame in which TWO theaters?

    A. Gershwin Theatre    B. Mark Hellinger Theatre    

    C. Winter Garden Theatre    D. Shubert Theatre

2. Patti LuPone has won three Tony Awards. She gave her award-winning performances in each of these theaters EXCEPT:

    A. The Vivian Beaumont Theater    B. The Broadway Theatre

    C. The Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre    D. The St. James Theatre

3. Caissie Levy is best known as a musical actress, but which theater did she open in a play on Broadway?

    A. Al Hirschfeld Theatre    B. St. James Theatre

    C. Longacre Theatre    D. Vivian Beaumont Theater

4. Betty Buckley made her Broadway debut singing "He Plays the Violin: in 1776. Which theater was that in?

    A. Lunt-Fontanne    B. Majestic Theatre

    C. Royale Theatre    D. 46th Street Theatre

5. Judy Kuhn was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical three times. Which three theaters did these musical open in?

    A. Criterion Center Stage Right    B. Circle in the Square Theatre

    C. Broadway Theatre    D. Imperial Theatre

6. Audra McDonald won her first Tony Award for a show that played in which theatre?

    A. John Golden Theatre    B. Vivian Beaumont Theater

    C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts    D. Royale Theatre

7. Bernadette Peters opened in shows that played in all of the theaters EXCEPT:

    A. Samuel Friedman Theatre    B. Palace Theatre

    C. Royale Theatre    D. St. James Theatre

8. Rebecca Luker played Mrs. Banks in Mary Poppins, which played which Broadway house?

    A. New Amsterdam Theatre    B. The Lyric Theatre

    C. Gershwin Theatre    D. Lunt-Fontanne Theatre

9. Lea Salonga most recently appeared in Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends which played which theater?

    A. Circle in the Square Theater    B. Lena Horne Theatre

    C. Eugene O'Neill Theatre    D. Samuel J. Friedman Theatre

10. Sutton Foster has appeared in 14 Broadway shows (not including benefit performances). Which is the only Broadway theater that she played in more than once?

    A. Broadway Theatre    B. Minskoff Theatre

    C. Marquis Theatre    D. Stephen Sondheim Theatre    

Broadway Games: The Shows of Sherie Rene Scott

Who knew that being a stand-by could make you the talk of the season? Well, that's exactly what has happened to Sherie Rene Scott, Kristin Chenoweth's stand-by in the ill-fated The Queen of Versailles. For some, she's a new face, but for those of us who've been around the theater scene for awhile, we know she's been taking Broadway by storm for decades.

Broadway Games:

The Shows of Sherie Rene Scott

DIRECTIONS: For each production photo below, name the show and the role Sherie Rene played in it. Good luck!

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