10 Years of Broadway Superlatives - Celebrating The Standouts of the Decade!

As the decade comes to a close, you'll notice many publications spending a great deal of time reflecting on accomplishments in every area. Whether its television, sports, film, music, technology, trends, and even memes, the culture of year-end and end of the decade quantifying is upon us.

Broadway is no different, with many outlets taking in-depth looks at the impact of work created over the past ten years. Yet when it comes to our own small community, the professional ties that bind us to one another and the works we create are much closer knit than some of our entertainment counterparts.

Thanks to the insular nature of our community and the specialized industries that define our roles in it, Broadway shares many qualities with the melting pot of a high school, with each show and the people involved bringing something unique to the table, while contributing to the larger picture as a whole.

You can't have a high school experience without your jocks, stoners, sexually active band geeks, Mathletes, 'Plastics' (and of course, theatre kids), just like you can't have Broadway without artists, actors, writers, composers, directors, producers, advertisers and more.

When an era comes to an end in high school, the occasion is marked by a yearbook, often containing superlatives to credit those whose individual attributes have made the experience richer for everyone. As this era comes to a close on Broadway, we're doling out some superlatives of our own to acknowledge some of the best and brightest theatre people, show elements, and productions that have made this decade one of the best in Broadway history.

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Individuals

Most Awarded Playwright - Arthur Miller

Most Produced Playwright - William Shakespeare, Macbeth (2012), Romeo & Juliet (2013), Twelfth Night (2013), Richard III (2013), Macbeth (2013), King Lear (2018)

Most Produced Composer - Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jesus Christ Superstar (2012), Evita (2012), School of Rock (2015), Cats (2016), Sunset Boulevard (2017), Prince of Broadway (The Phantom of the Opera, 2017)

Most Likely To Have A Broadway Theater Named After Them - Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton, The Musical Sensation of 2015 And All That Followed (2015 - Present)

Most Unstoppable Joy Machine - Alex Brightman, School of Rock (2015) & Beetlejuice (2019)

Most Unforgettable Performance - TIE! Nina Arianda, Venus In Fur (2011) & Ben Platt, Dear Evan Hansen (2016)

Best Animal Performance - Goat interacting with Nathan Lane at the Tony Awards, Once On This Island (2018)

Most Deserved Success- Billy Porter, Kinky Boots (2013), Pose (2018), Every red carpet he's ever. set. foot. on.

Most Likely To Play Effie in A Dreamgirls Revival - Alex Newell, (Once On This Island, 2018)

Most Spot-On Princess Casting - Christy Altomare, Anastasia (2017)

Best Character Entrance - Adam Driver, Burn This (2019)

Most History-Making Performer(s) - TIE! Ali Stroker, Oklahoma! (2019) & Peppermint, Head Over Heels (2018)

Most Necessary Future Collab - Hugh Jackman, Hugh Jackman: Back On Broadway (2011) & Neil Patrick Harris, Hedwig & the Angry Inch (2014)

Best Kiss-Off In A Musical - Jan Maxwell - "Could I Leave You?", Follies (2011)

Best Reprisal of a Role - Alan Cumming, Cabaret (2014)

Best West End Transplant - Cynthia Erivo, The Color Purple (2015)

Best Interpreter of the Classics - Barlett Sher, The King & I (2015), Fiddler on the Roof (2015), My Fair Lady (2018), To Kill A Mockingbird (2018)

Breakout Director(s) - TIE! Rachel Chavkin, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, Hadestown (2019) & Ivo van Hove, A View From The Bridge (2016), The Crucible (2016), Network (2018), West Side Story (2019)

Best Replacement Performer - Laura Benanti, My Fair Lady (2018)

Best Non-Traditional Casting - Joshua Henry, Carousel (2018)

Best New Performer(s) - TIE! Hailey Kilgore, Once On This Island (2018) & George Salazar, Be More Chill (2019)

Best Portrayal of A Real Person - Stephanie J. Block, The Cher Show (2018)

Best Onstage Team - Norm Lewis & Audra McDonald, The Gershwin's Porgy & Bess (2012)

Best Villain - Bertie Carvel, Matilda The Musical (2013) - Miss Trunchbull

Burliest Bass - Patrick Page, Hadestown (2019)

Highest-Grossing Star - Bette Midler, Hello, Dolly! (2017)

Most Deserved Tony Award - Kelli O'Hara, The King & I (2015)

Performance You'd Go Back In Time To Witness - Philip Seymour Hoffman, Death of A Salesman (2012)

Pop Musician Most Likely To Write Another Musical - Sara Bareilles, Waitress (2016)

Pop Musician Most Likely To Come To Broadway - Lady Gaga

Most Notable Broadway Fan - Hillary Clinton

Breakout Playwright - Jeremy O. Harris, Slave Play (2019)

Breakout Composer(s) - Benj Pasek & Justin Paul, A Christmas Story the Musical (2012), Dear Evan Hansen (2016)

Most Missed Playwright - Nora Ephron, May 19, 1941 - June 26, 2012 - Lucky Guy (2013)

Most Missed Performer - Marin Mazzie, October 9, 1960 - September 13, 2018 - Enron (2010), Bullets Over Broadway (2014), The King & I (2015)

Greatest Impact- Harold Prince, January 30, 1928 - July 31, 2019 - Prince of Broadway (2017)

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Production Elements

Most Heart String-Tugging Show Tune - "When I Grow Up", Matilda The Musical (2013)

Most Relatable Show Tune - "Michael in the Bathroom", Be More Chill (2019)

Catchiest Show Tune - "You Happened", The Prom (2018)

Show Tune You Probably Haven't Heard But Absolutely Should - "Night Will Come", Groundhog Day (2017)

Best New Audition Song - "She Used To Be Mine", Waitress (2016)

Best New Anthem- "Waving Through A Window", Dear Evan Hansen (2016)

Best Movie Moment Onstage - "Let It Go", Caissie Levy, Frozen (2018)

Best Pop Song Turned Show Tune - "You Oughta Know", Jagged Little Pill (2019)

Most Captivating Moment In A Musical - "Omar Sharif", The Band's Visit (2017)

Most Inventive Lighting - Swinging Lamps, Hadestown (2019)

Most Thrilling Choreography - Christopher Gattelli, Newsies The Musical (2012)

Most Energetic Ensemble - Mean Girls (2018)

Best Audience Interaction - Hair (2011)

Best Marketing - Something Rotten! (2015)

Best Finale - The Math Problem, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2014)

Best Human/Puppet Hybrid - Michael Curry, Frozen - Sven

Best Orchestrations - Daniel Kluger, Oklahoma! (2019)

Best Orchestra - Sunset Boulevard (2017)

Best Ensemble Cast - Falsettos (2016)

Best Set Design - Derek McLane, Moulin Rouge! the Musical (2019)

Best Costumes - David Zinn, The Spongebob Squarepants Musical (2017)

Best Use of A Trombone - Brian Drye, Hadestown (2019)

Best Food Element- Foodwork, Network (2018)

Scariest Sock Puppet - Marte Johanne Ekhougen, Hand To God - Tyrone (2015)

Best Tap Break - "Anything Goes", Anything Goes

Best Illusions - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (2018)

Greatest Technological Achievement - King Kong (2018)

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Productions

Most Progressive Musical - TIE! Jagged Little Pill (2019) & Head Over Heels (2018)

Most Deserving of A Revival - The Scottsboro Boys (2010)

Most Deserved Broadway Production - TIE! Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2014) & The Normal Heart (2011)

Most Surprising Tearjerker - Waitress (2016)

Most Underrated Musical - Groundhog Day (2017)

Most Profound Musical - Fun Home (2015)

Most Expensive Musical - Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark (2011)

Funniest Musical - The Book of Mormon (2011)

Best Musical Revival - Spring Awakening (2015)

Best Play Revival - Jitney (2017)

Most Necessary History Lesson - Shuffle Along, or the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed (2016)

Most Innovative Theatrical Experience - Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812 (2016)

Most Viral Musical - Be More Chill (2019)

Most Heartwarming Musical - Come From Away (2017)

Most Surprising Success - The Spongebob Squarepants Musical (2017)

Best Film Adaptation - The Band's Visit (2017)

Best Book Adaptation - To Kill A Mockingbird (2018)

Best West End Transfer - TIE! Angels In America (2018) & The Inheritance (2019)

Best One-Person Show - Billy Crystal, 700 Sundays (2013)

Best Jukebox Musical - Ain't Too Proud - The Life & Times of The Temptations (2019)

Best Album Turned Musical - Hadestown (2019)

Best Shakespeare - Twelfth Night (2013)

Funniest Play - The Play That Goes Wrong (2017)

Biggest Show of the Decade - Hamilton (2015)

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