Your musical of 2016

Add me to the Groundhog Day tally! Not only my top musical of the year, but the dress rehearsal is my top theatre experience. The show wasn't perfected yet, but the atmosphere and the audience response made it magical.

I made a full top 10 of theatre shows of 2016, which includes plays, but the musicals in my top 5 are:

RENT
School of Rock
Miss Saigon

Read my full list of fave shows here: www.pagetostagereviews.com/2016/12/my-top-10-favourite-theatre-shows-from.html

Titanic, Half a Sixpence, Ragtime

For me the musical of the year is definitely In The Heights, as it's the one I've seen this year most and love most. Bust as I first saw it in 2015 so there is one more to name (really surprised no one named it yet)
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR at the Open Air Theatre.
My first JCS in English live!!! - after 20 years of wait and after a crappy Russian dated version. Seeing it was one (actually three in a week, and it cost me a fortune) of the best moments of 2016 as a whole, not as a theatrical year.

The musical of the year I haven't seen but have been listening to most is obviously Hamilton.

And the musical of the year here in Russia is Catch Me If You Can. Love it with all my heart and very proud to be part of the team.

1. Titanic

2. Sunset Boulevard

3. Groundhog Day

Titanic was very good. But Passion (Chatalet) was amazing 😄😄😄😄

My top 10

1. Groundhog Day (Old Vic) (Best New Musical) - Whilst I thought the songs sort of blurred together due to the retentiveness of the story, I couldn't help but marvel at the creativity and heart put into this musical
2. Ragtime (Charing Cross Theatre) (Best Musical Revival) - An awe-inspiring ensemble musical that follows so many characters trying to find a place in America. Wonderful performances given by a cast of actor/musicians
3. Grey Gardens (Southwark Playhouse) - An odd one due to the tonal shifts between acts but still a bittersweet musical with such poignant music, performed brilliantly by Jenna Russell and the cast
4. The Last Five Years (St James Place) - I might have liked this more if I had looked up the premise before hand. Still it is a wonderful and heart-rendering story about a relationship, performed beautifully by Samantha Barks and Jonathan Bailey
5. Titanic (Charing Cross Theatre) - Another outstanding ensemble musical about the tragedy experienced by the Titanic disaster, with outstanding performances from the cast. 
6. Princess Caraboo (Finborough Theatre) - A fun and poignant little musical that brought to mind The Clockmaker's Daughter. Not as excellant as that but it still had plenty of heart.
7. Funny Girl (Savoy Theatre) - Sheridan Smith gave a show-stopping performance as Funny Brice in this fantastic revival.
8. Into the Woods (Menier Chocolate Factory) - An imaginative take on Sondheim's musical, performed with dexterity by the cast
9. Show Boat (New London Theatre/Sheffield Theatre) -  A wonderful revival of this musical.
10. The Wind in the Willows (Mayflower Theatre) - Not perfect but I felt it captured the spirit of the book very well.

Lazarus

Sunset Boulevard

Million Dollar Quartet

(don't go to many musicals)

No West End trips for me this year so touring productions only from me.

Guys and Dolls &
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for musicals

and
Private Lives &
Shawshank Redemption for the best plays.

After consideration, I've ranked all the musicals I saw in 2016. I was hoping to see something else in December to bring it to a nice round 20, but 19 will have to do. Easily my biggest theatre-going year.

1. Sunset Boulevard (superb - I've never seen the show, never heard it in full before and didn't even really know the plot, so not only was I stunned by Glenn Close's performance, I thoroughly enjoyed the intrigue, twists and turns of what is surely one of ALW's best pieces.)
2. In the Heights (saw it three times in 2016, loved it every time.)
3. Miss Saigon (based solely on my viewing in 2016, when I deliberately went to see Sooha Kim's scheduled performance. From my previous viewing in late 2015 with Eva Noblezada, it would be higher.)

4. Children of Eden (probably my favourite musical, but the Union Theatre's production was lacking in some areas (underpowered vocals from some of the cast and too minimalist a design) - still a good enough musical to rank this high.)
5. The Toxic Avenger (my biggest surprise of 2016, just a thoroughly enjoyable evening.)
6. Titanic
7. School of Rock
8. Funny Girl
9. Wicked (I've seen it three times, so it's hard to compare to all these first-times surrounding it, but I think this is about right. For me it's now a solid, enjoyable night out, but it doesn't thrill me anymore.)
10. The Go-Between

11. Side Show
12. Grey Gardens
13. Mrs Henderson Presents (one stunner of a song surrounded by lots of mediocre-ness.)
14. The Bodyguard
15. Aladdin (disappointing - was one of my most highly anticipated shows of 2016.)
16. Guys and Dolls
17. wonder.land
18. Sunny Afternoon (probably a good show if you're the target audience. I'm really not.)

19. Murder Ballad (the only thing I regret seeing. Unlikeable, pointless and just dull.)

Groundhog Day without a doubt. Saw it 4 times, I needed to see it a second time to listen and enjoy the quick, funny lyrics. And then I was all smitten groundhog over it and kept going back...

Sunset Boulevard second. Fangirled at stage door and got Ms Close's autograph. Twice (having seen the show three times). Felt truly blessed. Funny Girl runs third for me cos I loved loved loved Sheridan.

Titanic was a lovely piece, JCS was just too brutal and semi-staged for me, Grey Gardens was batty, Dreamgirls gets kudos for performances rather than the piece, ditto School of Rock. Aladdin was visually lovely, Guys and Dolls (my opinion) awful, enjoyed She Loves Me, bit meh about Murder Ballad - feel I should admire it but it was just OK. Same for Vanities The Musical.

I think mine would have to be Sunset Boulevard just for seeing Glen Close on stage closely followed by Grey Gardens.