2024 in Review: Our Favorite Performances

2024 in Review:

Our Favorite Performances

We were fortunate enough to see 23 different productions in 2024: 20 Broadway, 2 off-Broadway, and 1 regional; these are the shows we considered in all categories for our favorites this year: Appropriate, Days of Wine and Roses, Harmony, Here We Are, Illinoise, Lempicka, Maybe Happy Ending, Merrily We Roll Along, Oh, Mary!, Once Upon a Mattress, Our Town, Purlie Victorious, Stereophonic, Suffs, Sunset Boulevard, Sweeney Todd, Swept Away, The Notebook, The Outsiders, The Who's Tommy, Titanic, Water For Elephants and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Signature Theater - Virginia). We made our lists separately - so below you'll see where we agreed, plus performances we each just had to include! I'm surprised at how much we were in sync this year! Our selections are arranged in alphabetical order below.

How did we compare to your favorites? Leave a comment below, or catch up with us on Twitter, Instagram, Blue Sky or Threads! (@jkstheatrescene for all)

 

Favorite Supporting Performances of 2024

Sarah Pidgeon as Diana in Stereophonic

Kara Young as Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins in Purlie Victorious

HONORABLE MENTION

Hannah Cruz as Inez Milholland in Suffs

Michael Esper as Franz in Appropriate

Amber Iman as Rafaela in Lempicka

Byron Jennings as Arnesen in Days of Wine and Roses

Lindsay Mendez as Mary Flynn in Merrily We Roll Along

Daniel Radcliffe as Charlie Kringas in Merrily We Roll Along

SPECIAL CITATION

HwaBoon as Himself in Maybe Happy Ending

Favorite Production Numbers of 2024

"Come to the Fatherland" from Harmony

Music by Barry Manilow  Lyrics by Bruce Sussman

Directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle

Performed by Zal Owen and The Group

"Entr'acte/Sunset Boulevard" from Sunset Boulevard

Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber  Lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton

Directed by Jamie Lloyd

Performed by Tom Francis and Company

"The Launching" from Titanic

Music and lyrics by Maury Yeston

Directed by Anne Kauffman   Choreographed by Danny Mefford

Performed by The City Center Encores Company

"Man of Metropolis" from Illinoise

Music and lyrics by Sufjan Stevens

Directed and choreographed by Justin Peck

Performed by Brandt Martinez and Company

"The Predatory Wasps..." from Illinoise

Music and lyrics by Sufjan Stevens

Directed and choreographed by Justin Peck

Performed by The Company

"The Road Don't Make You Young" from Water For Elephants

Music and lyrics by PigPen Theatre Co.

Directed by Jessica Stone   Choreographed by Jesse Robb and Shana Carroll

Performed by The Company

"Song of Love" from Once Upon a Mattress

Music by Mary Rodgers   Lyrics by Marshall Barer

Directed by Lear deBessonet   Choreographed by Lorin Latarro

Performed by Prince Dauntless, Princess Winnifred and the Company

Favorite Ensembles of 2024

The Circus Performers - Water For Elephants

The Comedian Harmonists - Harmony

The Greasers and Socs - The Outsiders

Favorite Dancers/Ensemblists of 2024

Jeanette Delgado - Illinoise

Tilly Evans-Krueger - The Outsiders

Carson Stewart - The Notebook

Byron Tittle - Illinoise

Ricky Ubeda - Illinoise

Alejandro Vargas - Illinoise

Favorite Full Companies of 2024

Play

Appropriate

Oh, Mary!

Purlie Victorious

Stereophonic

Musical

Here We Are

Illinoise

Titanic

Favorite Debut Performances of 2024

Stan Brown as Camel in Water For Elephants

Adrian Blake Enscoe as Little Brother in Swept Away

Brody Grant as Ponyboy Curtis in The Outsiders

Nicole Scherzinger as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard

Helen J. Shen as Claire in Maybe Happy Ending

Favorite Understudy Performance of 2024

Sydney Jones as Betty Schaeffer in Sunset Boulevard

Favorite Replacement Performances of 2024

Ella Beatty as River in Appropriate

Joe Locke as Tobias Ragg in Sweeney Todd

Favorite Leading Performances of 2024

Kelli O'Hara as Kirsten Arnesen in Days of Wine and Roses

Leslie Odom, Jr. as Purlie Victorious Judson in Purlie Victorious

Sarah Paulson as Toni in Appropriate

Maryann Plunkett as Older Allie in The Notebook

HONORABLE MENTION

Darren Criss as Oliver in Maybe Happy Ending

Cole Escola as Mary Todd Lincoln in Oh, Mary!

Sutton Foster as Princess Winnifred in Once Upon a Mattress

Tom Francis as Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard