My Top 20 Live Shows of 2025
I saw 97 live shows in 2025! Everything from theater, concerts, dance, opera, stand-up, improv and sketch, & immersive experiences. Some may have opened prior to 2025, but this was the year I saw them. These were my favorites!
1. MINDPLAY
This off-Broadway show was a complete blend of theater, magic, & mentalism. With a script smartly written by Vinny DePonto & Josh Koenigsberg, the show is an autobiographical account of the DePonto’s life. It centers around his childhood traumas & his discovery of magic. Extremely moving & spellbinding.
2. THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY
This West End transfer to Broadway left me in awe. Sarah Nook, from HBO’s Sucession, stars in this adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s 1890 novel of the same name about corruption & the pursuit of eternal youth. Nook plays all 26 roles in this one-person-show. The result is a visual spectacle with intricate character work like I’ve never seen before.
3. PURPOSE
This 2025 Tony Award-winner for Best Play & Pulitzer Prize winner for Drama is by playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, who also wrote the Tony-winning play Appropriate. The writing is sharp & the performances are stellar. This drama is about the issues within a black, prominent, political family in Chicago & the scandals they’re trying to conceal.
4. RAMY YOUSSEF: LOVE BEAM 7000 TOUR
Youssef is a modern comic genius. He carefully crafts his jokes from within his own life experiences as an American Muslim. He pushes boundaries & his new stand-up tour Love Beam 7000 is a tight set nearing perfection. Since there is no video from the tour, as it’s still ongoing, I attached here a clip from his HBO Special Feelings.
5. MAYBE HAPPY ENDING
One of the best musicals I’ve seen in years. The story is about two robots who were left behind as new models were created. But in the dump ground they’ve been disposed at, they find each other & set off to an adventure of a lifetime. Performances by Darren Criss & Helen J. Shen unexpectedly sent me afloat. The music, lyrics, & book by Will Aronson & Hue Park led to 2025 Tony Award wins for Best Musical, Best Book, & Best Score.
6. HEATHERS THE MUSICAL
An off-Broadway revival of the musical by Laurence O-Keefe & Kevin Murphy, based on the 1988 film by Daniel Waters, that is absolutely ready for Broadway. This is a rare occasion where every song actually moves the plot forward & all of the performances by this large cast is on point. The music is vibrant & the amount of camp in the script & acting is just at the perfect level. Be aware there is murder, suicide, sex, jealousy, bulling, & so much more in this dark comedy musical.
7. LUZIA BY CIRQUE DU SOLEIL
Cirque du Soleil is standing strong in its 38th production since it opened its doors in 1984. Luzia celebrates Mexican culture with songs & score that is seductively intoxicating. The show has 44 performers from 15 countries & it’s one unbelievable act after another in this spectacular feast for the eyes.
8. ART
This Broadway revival of the 1998 Tony Award-winner for Best Play is sure to get plenty of nominations this year. Starring Neil Patrick Harris, Bobby Cannavale, & James Corden. The play is about three friends whose friendships are tested when one of them buys a completely white blank painting for an exuberant amount of money. An all-out powerhouse performance here from Corden who, in my opinion, is bound for a Tony nomination, if not win, for Best Actor.
9. WHITE MESSY GAYS
This comedy play by Drew Droege cracked my ass up this year. Not a dull moment on stage as gay friends gather for a Sunday brunch in NYC at one of their apartments. Only one problem, one of them has been murdered by two of the other friends & the body is hiding in a dresser in the living room. Performances are comedic gold here, especially by Droege & Pete Zias.
10. KYLIE MINOGUE: THE TENSION TOUR
Kylie finally gets to perform at Madison Square Garden on her NYC stop. The international superstar brings her greatest hits, including the new sensations “Padam Padam” & “Lights, Camera, Action” to an exhilarating night of pure, absolute fun! And I still can’t get it out of my head.
11. WAITING FOR GODOT
Keanu Reeves & Alex Winter reunite to star in this Broadway revival of the 1952 play by Samuel Beckett. Considered a modern theater classic, this production directed by Jamie Lloyd, who won the 2024 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical with Sunset Boulevard. Lloyd returns to strike gold yet again. The show is about two best friends who are stuck in limbo waiting for a mythical being called Godot. While they wait, we take a dive into their psyches with a hilarious & quite dramatically moving outcome.
12. JOHN PROCTOR IS THE VILLAIN
When an English teacher assigns Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible to an 11th grade class to read, chaos ensues. The work affects the kids unearthing buried traumas, affecting the entire class & the teachers involved. The Tony-nominated play by & starring Sadie Sink was a total surprise that made me think for weeks on the issues presented.
13. NIKKY GLASER: ALIVE AND UNWELL TOUR
Nikki Glaser is at an all-time high after hosting last year’s Golden Globes & coming back to do it again this year. This new standup tour was a delight for the belly with plenty of laughs & insight into materialism, sexism, ageism, & more. Can’t wait for the HBO special.
14. ANGRY ALAN
John Krasinski, from NBC’s The Office & A Quiet Place movie series, returns to the stage in this off-Broadway play by Penelope Skinner. Roger is a divorced father who has gone down a digital rabbit hole led by a man named Alan. His life falls into an absolute disaster as he blindly follows Alan’s worldviews. Sometimes you can’t decide what side to be on in this dark, timely comedy.
15. JUST IN TIME
Jonathan Groff stars in this new musical about the life of 1950s & 60s popstar Bobby Darin. The show was nominated for six Tonys last year. Groff is a powerhouse engaging us with his every breath. The story about the complicated person that Darin was & the dangers of the music business is gripping with emotional conflict. Darin’s hits such as “Splish Splash,” ”Dream Lover,” “Beyond the Sea,” & “Just in Time” highlight this captivating musical.
16. LITTLE BEAR RIDGE ROAD
The new intriguing play by Samuel D. Hunter is an enigmatic look at a family in a small town in Ohio. An aunt, played by the great actress Laurie Metcalf, & her nephew, played by Micah Stock, are suffering from grief after their brother & father dies. Set during the 2020 pandemic, they are at first estranged but through their grief get closer allowing family trauma to resurface. Metcalf was stellar here & I’m hoping for a Tony nomination this year for her.
17. GINGER TWINSIES
This new off-Broadway musical based on the 1961 film The Parent Trap, is an all-out insane trip down a crazy body switching madness. Red-headed twins separated at birth, played by two entirely different looking actors, hilariously fool their respective parents into thinking they are the other. The comedy was sharp at a fun pace that still brings a smile to my face when I think about it.
18. GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS
This Broadway play written by David Mamet is back with a poignant revival starring Kieran Culkin, Bob Odenkirk, & Bill Burr. The show is about four real estate agents who are ready to engage in terrible acts to acquire properties & the subsequent wealth from their sales. It’s a capitalist nightmare in this comedy-drama where anything goes.
19. THE MAGIC FLUTE
The 1791 opera by Amadeus Mozart has become a Metropolitan Opera staple of the holiday season in NYC. This was my first time seeing the abridged version directed by Julie Taymor. This version is quick to its plot development, not wasting any time on side stories. It is visually stunning & a must-see if you’re in NYC during December. In the tale, the Queen of the Night persuades a prince to rescue her daughter from captivity.
20. RICKY GERVAIS: MORTALITY
Rickey Gervais latest stand-up tour was a hit for me. He is crass, vulgar, & will tell you like it is. There is no other comedian of that stature out there doing what he is doing. He is fearless & will talk about anyone & anything. Dare I compare him to one of favorite comedic divas of all time, Joan Rivers? Yes, I do. The tour was filmed & is also an HBO special of the same name.