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