It's weird that this one beats out all the rest, but 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee: it's unfussy, it's tightly written, it's really, really funny, and "The I Love You Song" makes me cry pretty much every time.
Ragtime A Chorus Line Avenue Q A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Kiss Me Kate (1999 revival) Next to Normal Newsies (for the choreography) Pippin (the original-haven't seen the revival yet) Kinky Boots (let's see if it sticks in a year) Grease (the original, not the PG-13 version)
Least favorite Spiderman The Life Via Galactica (although it was fun like looking at a train wreck)
Ruthless is my favorite in the sense that I think it's brilliant from start to finish (hence the username), but it's admittedly not a recording I listen to very often.
Other favorites (in no particular order): Once on This Island Pippin (old and new!) Chorus Line City of Angels Les Mis (the first show I saw on Bway and my original favorite) Little Shop of Horrors JCS Hair Children of Eden In the Heights [title of show] Book of Mormon Avenue Q ...and maybe Matilda!
Carrie (Can't choose between 1988 and 2012) Wicked Anything Goes Shrek Next to Normal Avenue Q Scandalous Legally Blonde The Addams Family Young Frankenstein The Producers 9 to 5
This is so hard. When I think favorite, this is where my head goes:
Carousel 1776 Bright Lights, Big City Funny Girl The Mystery of Edwin Drood Into the Woods Bat Boy The Sound of Music The Last 5 Years Jesus Christ Superstar
A diverse list, maybe, but I think that's my Top 10.
Carousel Follies Into the Woods Billy Elliot The Drowsy Chaperone [title of show] The Wizard of Oz Candide (Zimmerman's Revisal) Peter Pan Jerry Springer The Opera Matilda Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812