Best Theater of 2023: Well, we survived, I guess

Usually I use this space to talk about how the year of theater has felt, maybe some of the highlights, compare the trends with previous seasons and my engagement with them, and thoughts about the future. I don't know that I have the energy to do that this year. This year has found too many ways to break my heart, and I don't have much left to give. I'm scared and sad and tired.

So this is what I can give: this year I saw 107 pieces of theater, with 6 of them being repeats within the year, so: 101 unique pieces of theater. Of those 101, 62 were plays, 28 were musicals, and 11 were streaming.

Here are the top eleven, in chronological order of when I saw them.

The Coast Starlight (LCT/Newhouse, Off-B; watched February)

The company of The Coast Starlight. Photo by T. Charles Erikson.

The Jungle (A Good Chance/National Theatre/Young Vic/St. Ann's Warehouse, Off-B; watched March)

Ben Turner and Jonathan Nyati as Salar and Mohammed in The Jungle.
Photo by Marc Brenner.

Life of Pi (National Theatre/Schoenfeld, B; watched March)

Hiran Abeysekera and puppeteers as Pi and Richard Parker in Life of Pi
(London run). Photo by Johan Persson.

Describe the Night (Steppenwolf, Regional; watched March)

Yasen Peyankov and James Vincent Meredith as Nikolai and Isaac in
Describe the Night. Photo by Michael Brosilow.

Villette (Lookingglass Theatre, Regional; watched March)

Debo Balogun and Mi Kang as Paul Emmanuel and Lucy Snowe in Villette.
Photo by Liz Lauren.

Rough Trade (The Tank, Off-Off-B; watched April)

Derek Christopher Murphy and Max Kantor as Finch and Hawk in Rough
Trade. Photo by Hunter Canning.

& Juliet (Sondheim, B; watched May)

Lorna Courtney, Betsy Wolfe, Justin David Sullivan, and Melanie La Barrie
as Juliet, April, May, and Angelique in & Juliet. Photo by Matthew Murphy.

Jaja's African Hair Braiding (MTC/Friedman, B; watched September)

Nana Mensah, Lakisha May, Maechi Aharaanwa, and Kalyne Coleman as 
Aminata, client, Ndidi, and client (I'm so sorry, both Lakisha May and 
Kalyne Coleman played multiple roles brilliantly, but now I can't remember
which was which), in Jaja's African Hair Braiding. Photo by Matthew Murphy.

Swing State (Audible/Minetta Lane, Off-B; watched September)

Mary Beth Fisher and Bubba Weiler as Peg and Ryan in Swing State.
Photo by Liz Lauren.

Nosferatu, a 3D Symphony of Horror (TIQ/Skirball, Streaming; watched October)

Cover art for Nosferatu, a 3D Symphony of Horror.

Purlie Victorious (Music Box, B; watched November)

Jay O. Sanders, Billy Eugene Jones, Kara Young, and Leslie Odom, Jr. as
Ol' Cap'n Cotchipee, Gitlow Judson, Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins, and 
Purlie Victorious in Purlie Victorious. Photo by Marc J. Franklin.