As we close the door on what has been an enormously challenging year for most Americans, it was comforting to know that even in a world gone mad, Greater Boston theater companies were there to provide much-needed refuge for theatergoers, if only for a few hours at a time.
This may have been the strongest overall year for theater since COVID first hit, with a mix of pure-entertainment musicals like A.R.T.’s Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York (A.R.T.) and Lyric Stage’s Hello Dolly! balanced with plays (and musicals) with much weightier material, like Arlekin Players’ Our Class, and the national tour of Parade at Emerson Colonial. There were also a number of older plays that spoke to the issues bedeviling America today, including attacks on the LGBTQ+, Jewish, and immigrant communities.
Below are the lists of the best of Boston theater in the opinion of reviewers Mike Hoban, Michele Markarian, Shelley Sackett, and returning reviewer Julie-Anne Whitney. Because it was such a great year for theater, our reviewers stretched the traditional premise of a Top 10, not wanting to leave out other worthy productions − many of which appear in others Top 10s. Please keep in mind that none of us were able to see all the shows (many of which we deeply regret not seeing) in 2025, and our lists are limited to what we did see. Please feel free to give us your opinions of our opinions in the comments section or on our Facebook page.
Mike Hoban, Editor
Plays
The Piano Lesson, Actors Shakespeare Project − ASP continued its run of August Wilson’s 10-play Century Cycle, and for the third straight year, their production made the list. Flawlessly directed by ASP’s artistic director Christopher V. Edwards, The Piano Lesson was a three-dimensional portrait of a family coming to grips with not only the effects of systemic racism but also dealing with the predictably unpredictable behavior of the family’s bad apple (played by Omar Robinson in a tour-de-force performance).
Our Class, Arlekin Players − Arlekin Players added another brilliant production to their legacy with this brutal look at revisionist history in 14 chapters. Tough to watch at times, especially considering how much it looks like America may be following a similar playbook.
Death of a Salesman, Harbor Stage − The darkly brilliant production by the Harbor Stage Company in Wellfleet was stripped down to its bare bones by director Robert Kropf, and the results were absolutely riveting. Stacey Fischer delivered a masterful performance as Willie’s put-upon wife, Linda.
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, Speakeasy Stage − What began as a bubbly slice of life comedy about the immigrant experience was perhaps the most prescient play of the year, given the free rein ICE goons have been granted. A terrific ensemble piece expertly directed by Summer L. Williams.
Featherbaby, Greater Boston Stage Company − This surprisingly poignant play about a possessive parrot (Paul Melendy, born to play the role) was alternately hilarious and touching. Liv Dumaine and Gabriel Graetz held their own in this production, no easy task with physical comedian Melendy extraordinaire on stage.
The Glass Menagerie, Gloucester Stage − A first-class treatment of this classic with a terrific ensemble, but especially noteworthy because it served as a dramatic coming-out party for budding musical star Liza Giangrande.
Musicals
Parade, Emerson Colonial Theatre − This harrowing exploration of racial, religious, and political tensions in early 20th-century America was brutal to watch at times, but ultimately the most powerful and beautifully staged musical production of 2025.
A Man of No Importance, Speakeasy Stage − This story of a closeted middle-aged bus porter who can no longer suppress the “the love that dare not speak its name” featured a deep and talented cast, and was both timely and uplifting. It was also the final production of a thirty-plus year career of Paul Daigneault, the founder & artistic director of Boston’s SpeakEasy Stage Company, who went out on a joyous high note.
Tick, Tick… Boom!, Spitfire Grill, Umbrella Stage Company − Director Ilyse Robbins delivered two of the most satisfying musicals of the year for the Umbrella Stage Company, and they couldn’t have been more different. Spitfire featured a score of mostly Americana music in a story of a young woman (Liza Giangrande) finding a new life in a small town; TTB! detailed the struggle of an artist trying to decide whether to choose a life in the arts or one of financial stability. Both productions featured terrific casts and were well-executed.
Fun Home, Huntington Theatre Company − Adapted from Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel/memoir, Fun Home told the story (in flashback) of her coming to grips with her sexuality while learning that her father led a dual life as a closeted gay man. First-rate cast and direction, but the kids nearly stole the show.
Other Productions That Would Have Made The Top 10 In Any Other Year:
Art and Hello Dolly! at the Lyric Stage
Apollinaire Theatre Company’s The Squirrels
Doubt at Hanover Theatre/THT Rep
A.R.T.’s 300 Paintings and Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Michele Markarian, Co-Editor
Readers, in my estimation, 2025 was a terrific year for theater, as we seem to have crossed the line from pedantic post-COVID talking heads to actual entertainment. I found it very difficult to whittle down a list of riveting plays and musicals to a mere ten, but here they are, in order of when they ran:
The Odyssey (American Repertory Theater): Kate Hamill’s feminist take on Homer’s tale was thoughtful and engaging, giving the story an added dimension. Moving and humorous, this “Odyssey” was uniformly well-acted and clever.
ART (Lyric Stage Company): Kid you not, this production was better than the one I saw originally in London many years ago. The excellent cast was spot on in this three-hander involving male friendship, fragile egos and one-upmanship.
Her Portmanteau (Central Square Theater/Front Porch Arts Collective): A mesmerizing, well-written family drama, superbly acted by its three-member cast. Truly a window into another reality that was gripping, touching and tenuously redemptive.
Carousel (Boston Lyric Opera): Okay, while the play’s action inside a fenced-in area with locked gates escaped me (reference to ICE, apparently), I loved this production, which had feeling, spark, and imagination. The singing was gorgeous and the acting matched.
Pirates of Penzance (College Light Opera): I was positively wowed by this production, which hit all the right notes. Professionally executed by college students from across the country, “Pirates of Penzance” was a delight from start to finish.
Passengers (co-produced at American Repertory Theater by The 7 Fingers, TOHU and ArtsEmerson): Visually stunning, thrilling, and at times, scary, “Passengers” is testimony to what the human body is capable of.
Primary Trust (SpeakEasy Stage Company): A warm, funny, moving and compelling piece about a 38-year-old Black man who, with the help of his friend and boss, manages to lift himself out of his childhood trauma to actually connect with others.
Featherbaby, (Greater Boston Stage Company): This production did justice to a heartache of a script, compassionately and humorously directed by Weylin Symes. Paul Melendy is nothing short of brilliant in the title role.
The Hills of California (Huntington Theatre Company) Huntington, you made my choices hard this year, with The Triumph of Love and Fun Home vying for this spot, but I ultimately had to go with Jez Butterworth’s family dramedy, The Hills of California, which was riveting from start to finish.
Tick Tick Boom (The Umbrella Arts Center): Wow. This well-directed musical achingly explored the necessity of choosing a path at a time in adulthood where hedging one’s bets is no longer feasible. An energetic and heartfelt production that packed an emotional punch
Honorable Mentions:
The Triumph of Love (Huntington Theater Company): A smart play featuring a sharp cast with superb direction, this was a fun and clever romp from start to finish.
Hello Dolly (Lyric Stage Company): Aimee Doherty was radiant in the title role of this charming production.
A Man of No Importance, (Speakeasy Stage Company): Eddie Shields’s touching performance as Alfie, a homosexual in 1960s Ireland, gave this musical its soul.
Fun Home, (Huntington Theater Company): I hate this musical. This production’s stellar cast made me actually enjoy it.
Wonder (American Repertory Theater): Heartfelt performances by its cast, both young and old, with its themes of fitting in and kindness, made this show a standout.
Shelley A. Sackett
While 2025 had its theatrical hits and misses, there was much to celebrate, especially among some smaller theaters presenting edgier and more provocative works. It was a varied year, with big, splashy musicals; sharp, intimate family dramas; and risk-taking, inventive productions that pushed the envelope on what we label “theater.” Once again, the vibrant greater Boston theater scene, with its stellar stable of directors, actors and creative production teams, blessed its patrons (and reviewers!) with an abundance of riches, for which we all should give thanks.
In descending order, my list is:
- Hamilton (Broadway in Boston)
A flawless production of the play that just keeps giving. Broadway in Boston’s production at Citizens Opera House was as good as it gets, from set design to actors to choreography and musical direction.
- Fun Home (Huntington Theatre)
Adapted from Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel memoir, the storyline follows a family’s journey through sexual orientation, gender roles, suicide, emotional abuse, grief, loss, and lesbian Bechdel’s complicated relationship with her tightly closeted father. A brilliant script and score and superb production elevated this potentially gloomy tale to one of the year’s top performances.
- The Glass Menagerie (Gloucester Stage)
Gloucester Stage effectively took the road less traveled in its presentation of the 80-year-old classic with an interesting and thought-provoking production that allowed the audience to experience Williams’ script anew through an exciting, hyper-focused and refractive lens.
- Man of No Importance (SpeakEasy)
There is so much to praise about SpeakEasy Stage Company’s ‘A Man of No Importance,’ director Paul Daigneault’s swansong production after leading the company he founded for 33 years, it’s hard to know where to begin. The ensemble of first-rate actors, musicians, choreography, set design, 20 songs, and brilliant directing were the shining constellation at the epicenter of this production that ends on an uplifting note, one that is as relevant and helpful today as it might have been in Oscar Wilde’s day..
- Our Class (Arlekin Players Theatre)
No one can take his audience on an emotional and artistic roller coaster like Igor Golyak, founder and artistic director of Arlekin Players Theatre & Zero Gravity (Zero-G) Theater Lab. With Our Class, he introduced us to characters we initially relate to and bond with, spun an artistically ingenious cocoon, and then told a tale that ripped our heart to shreds and left us too overwhelmed to even speak. The acting was indescribably sublime, each actor both a searing individual and a perfect ensemble member.
- The Life & Times of Michael K (ArtsEmerson)
In substance, Life and Times of Michael K tells the extraordinary story of an ordinary man. Adapted from the 1983 Booker Prize winner, written by South African novelist J. M. Coetzee, it details the life of the eponymous Michael K and his ailing mother during a fictional civil war in South Africa.
As adapted and directed by Lara Foot in collaboration with the Tony award-winning Handspring Puppet Company, this simple tale becomes the captivating and transportive production. Michael K. (and a cast of many) also happens to be a three-foot-tall puppet made of wood, cane, and carbon. “Must see” hardly does it justice; this is a groundbreaking pilgrimage into the multisensorial world of out-of-the-box theater.
This sunny, upbeat two-hander musical romantic comedy was as beguiling as it was impeccably acted, directed and produced. Unlike too many musicals these days, Two Strangers has a complicated plot and fetching music with lyrics that are Sondheim-esque in their conversational fluency and relevance. Add to that a smart, slick set, superb band, impeccable direction, and perfectly matched and equally talented actors for a full-blown fabulous evening of musical theater at its finest.
- Rent (North Shore Music Theatre)
NSMT is tailor-made for musicals with its theatre-in-the-round, signature creative set designs and talented casts. With Rent, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical set in New York City’s East Village from 1989 to 1990, it managed to pay homage to a classic that defined an era while also spotlighting its relevance to today.
- The Mountaintop (Front Porch Arts Collective)
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Hall spun his magic, culminating in a monologue set against a rapid montage of people, movements and events from 1968 to 2024. The effect was as spellbinding as the magical 90 minutes we just spent in the presence of greatness, from the acting, writing, and direction to witnessing the final hours in the life of a man whose legacy is deservedly legendary.
10. 300 Paintings (A.R.T.)
In 2021, Aussie comedian Sam Kissajukian quit stand-up, rented an abandoned cake factory, and became a painter. Over the course of what turned out to be a six-month manic episode, he created three hundred large-scale paintings, documenting his mental state through the process. His Drama Desk Award-nominated solo performance brought the audience on an original and poignant ride exposing his most intimate moments. The opportunity to graze among the real art was after show icing on a delicious cake.
Runners Up:
- Is This A Room (Apollinaire Theater Company)
A stunning production based on the F.B.I. interrogation of whistleblower Reality Winner.
2. The 4th Witch (Manual Cinema)
Hands down, the most wildly exciting and inventive production of the year. Manual Cinema pulled out all the stops, with shadow puppetry, live music, and actors in silhouette who redefined and reimagined theater. Inspired by Shakespeare’s Macbeth, a girl escapes the ravages of war and flees into the dark forest where she is rescued by a witch who adopts her as an apprentice. As she becomes more skilled in witchcraft, her grief and rage draw her into a nightmarish quest for vengeance against the warlord who killed her parents: Macbeth. Timely, relevant, and edge-of-your-seat engaging.
3. Sweeney Claus (Gold Dust Orphans)
Ryan Landry’s brilliant, irreverent, laugh-out-loud mash-up of Sweeney Todd and reindeer-randy Santa Claus brought camp to a new level. Terrific talent, costumes and choreography.
4. My Dinner with André (Harbor Stage Company)
A corner booth, fancy fare and tasty conversation — who doesn’t remember the cult frenzy caused by Louis Malle’s 1981 110-minute film that enchanted audiences, defied pigeon-holing and raised the bar on the “art” referred to as conversation? For those who found the film charmingly quirky, the splendid production at BCA Plaza Black Box Theatre was right up your alley.
5. The Piano Lesson (Actors’ Shakespeare Project)
Only stiff competition and the shadow of the high bar set by Seven Guitars in 2023 prevented ASP’s excellent production of Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama from being among this year’s top ten.
Julie-Anne Whitney
Boston area theater lovers are fortunate to have so many local professional companies to choose from. In one calendar year, you could see five or six dozen shows without traveling more than a half-hour from home. How lucky we are to have such passionate, dedicated playwrights, dramaturgs, directors, actors, and designers creating a diverse bounty of theatrical experiences for us to enjoy.
In previous years, I would have averaged 70+ shows per season, but due to a busy work schedule, I wasn’t able to see more than a dozen productions this year. I was particularly sad to miss SpeakEasy’s A Man of No Importance, A.R.T.’s Night Side Songs, Front Porch’s The Mountaintop, Lyric Stage’s Our Town, and ArtsEmerson’s The 4th Witch, but, from what I’ve heard/read about these productions, I’m sure I would’ve loved them.
Of the shows I did see, many were disappointing due to poorly written, outdated scripts. The stories that moved me the most were primarily about loss and grief, and by the play’s end, I could usually be found crying in my seat. In these dark and troubling times, I am so grateful that plays like this exist:
BEST PLAY – Hang Time (ArtsEmerson). Hang Time was not an easy thing to sit through, but it was one of the most impactful, provocative, and memorable plays I have ever seen. Impeccably written and directed by Zora Howard, and beautifully acted by Bryce Foley, Kamal Bolden, and Julian Rozzell, the production was truly unforgettable.
BEST MUSICAL – Fun Home (The Huntington Theatre). I didn’t review Fun Home for Theater Mirror, but I was fortunate enough to see it. The three Alisons, sensitively and joyfully played by Sarah Bockel, Maya Jacobson, and Lyla Randall, were absolutely superb. Logan Ellis’ direction was faultless and Tanya Orellana’s set design was a knock-out. This production of Fun Home was one of the best musicals I’ve seen in my 15 years of attending theater in Boston.
BEST SOLO SHOW – 300 Paintings (American Repertory Theater). Creator/performer Sam Kissajukian’s harrowing story of self-discovery would be hard to believe if I hadn’t heard it from him directly. The structure of this show was reminiscent of Hannah Gadsby’s Douglas. Part stand-up, part lecture, part play, and part gallery, A.R.T.’s 300 Paintings breaks all the rules. The show’s “epilogue” was also different: audience members were invited onto the stage to explore a sample of Kissajukian’s paintings that remain cleverly hidden throughout the performance. NOTE: The Huntington’s Sardines was a very close second for this one. I found this “comedy about death” to be surprisingly funny and deeply moving. Without a set or a single prop, actor/writer Chris Grace is somehow able to transport you to his past with his effortless storytelling.
