From the Desk of Jim R, Take 2: From the Desk of Jim R, Take 2, Column 295, "The Best Musicals of 2021 (Equity)"

By James V. Ruocco

Playbills.

Opening Nights.
Ticket Stubs.

Reviews.

Notes.

Great Orchestra Seats.

Praiseworthy Adverts.

Twelve Months at a Glance.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the unpredictability of the Omicron Variant, 2021 was still a surprisingly great year for Equity-based musical theatre - LIVE or streamed - with specially selected productions of every size, shape and color coming at you day by day, week by week, month by month with very few postponements or COVID-related outbreaks disrupting ongoing performances or opening nights.

The Bushnell.
ACT of CT
Music Theatre of Connecticut.
Playhouse on Park.
TheaterWorks/Hartford.
Goodspeed Musicals.

Six venues.
Six showcases.
Musical theatre - front and center.
Songs galore.
Some new.
Some old.
Some that will never be forgotten.

What worked?

What didn't?

What stood out?

What tanked?

What deserved a standing ovation or two?

After about a couple of hours of quiet deliberation and scanning through an endless variety of content, from reviews and playbills to columns and specially marked reminder notes, things fell neatly into place, one by one, line by line.

Difficult?
Yes and no.
Pros and Cons?

Almost, always.
An open mind?

Most definitely.
Time consuming?

Not a chance.
Fun?

Oh, yes.

Personal favorites?

It comes with the territory.

My choices are as follows:

Please note: Normally, there's a tie between two productions.
This year: There are four.
"Rent," "The Last Five Years," "Falsettoland" and "Into the Woods" are tied for first place honors in this year's round-up.

The Best Musicals of 2021 (Equity)