Best best musical of the decade

[KatVer]

Memphis, The Book of Mormon, Once, Kinky Boots, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, Fun Home, Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, and now The Band's Visit. Which of these best musical winners is your best/favorite and why?

[froote]

1. Hamilton

2. Fun Home

3. The Book of Mormon

4. Once

5. The Band's Visit

6. Dear Evan Hansen

7. Kinky Boots

Haven't seen Memphis or Gentleman's Guide.

[GeorgeandDot]

Tie between Fun Home and The Band's Visit for me.

[poisonivy2]

Hamilton, Fun Home, Book of Mormon and DEH are the top tier. 

[Jarethan]

Hamilton and DEH, hands down.  For pure fun, Kinky Boots.

Least deserved: Once, which won in a pretty mediocre season -- its only real competition was Newsies!!! -- and Fun Home, which I thought was overrated.  Memphis, which I enjoyed seeing once and had no interest in seeing even a second time, only won because it opened in a terrible season for musicals.

[KnewItWhenIWasInFron]

"Fun Home"

[Sauja]

I adore six of them and had a lot of trouble ranking them.
1.Hamilton
2. Fun Home
3. The Book of Mormon
4. Once
5. The Band’s Visit
6. Dear Evan Hansen

I mildly enjoyed
7. Gentleman’s Guide

I didn’t particularly enjoy
8. Kinky Boots (but Matilda would have made my top 3)

And I violently hated:
9: Memphis (a deeply terrible show that should have lost to Fela or Passing Strange, either of which would have edged out Gentleman’s for my number 7.

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

Matilda would have been in my top 3 or at least top 5 had it actually won. I have to think about it some more, but I do think Hamilton is number 1 with Fun Home following as number 2.

[bdn223]

Its easily Fun Home and Hamilton competing for the top spot then Book of Mormon in third. And then Memphis, no matter what wins next year will be in dead last. 

In terms of most over rated it Once or Dear Evan Hansen. 

In terms of most the best crowd-pleaser/most fun is easily Kinky Boots. 

Then the most forgettable, the "What won that year again?" such as 50's Redhead, 60's Halleljah Baby!, 70's  Raisin, 80's Jerome Robbin's Broadway, 90's City of Angels or Fosse, 2000's Contact  (If it wasn't for the controversy surrounding it) or arguably Spamalot (its a solid show, but its rarely brought up to the point where the film adaption announcement earlier this year took everyone by surprise)- will probably be A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder or The Band's Visit. 

The most produced production of the Decade will probably be: Dear Evan Hansen

First Best Musical Winner to get a revival: Fun Home

First musical of the decade to get a revival: American Idiot.

[RaisedOnMusicals]

I'd say my top three among that group would be Hamilton, DEH and Book of Mormon. 

[yankeefan7]

Listing only the shows I have seen.

1. Hamilton

2. Book Of Mormon

3. Dear Evan Hansen

4. Kinky Boots

5. Memphis

6. Once

 

[JudyDenmark]

For me, it's:

1. Book of Mormon. Still one of my favorite shows, period.
2. Dear Evan Hansen
3. Hamilton (this is probably the "best" on paper, but I had a bad theatergoing experience the first time I saw it which inevitably soured me on it. It definitely redeemed itself on viewing #2, but the damage had already been done.)
4/5. Band's Visit & Fun Home (these are really tied for me. Loved them both so it's weird to have them as 4/5 but I guess I loved the others more)
6. Gentleman's Guide
7.Memphis
...
58. Kinky Boots

I never saw Once, so don't think I should rank it.

[Impossible2]

1. The Bands Visit

2. Book of Mormon

3. Gentlemen's Guide

4. Dear Evan Hanson

5. Kinky Boots


I still haven't seen Hamilton, I will when I don't have to take out a 2nd mortgage to buy a ticket.

I HATED Fun Home with the wrath of satan.

[Alex172005]

JudyDenmark said:
3. Hamilton (this is probably the "best" on paper, but I had a bad theatergoing experience the first time I saw it which inevitably soured me on it. It definitely redeemed itself on viewing #2, but the damage had already been done.)

I'm curious to know what soured it for you.

Also, to me it's between Mormon and Hamilton. Loved DEH and TBV and Fun Home also, but Hamilton and Mormon are amongst my all-time favorites. Also can't forget Come From Away which was great but didn't win Musical.

 

[broadwaysfguy]

wow does this thread contradict those on this board whining about how bad the seasons have been!

1) hamilton

2) book of mormon

3) come from away (didnt win best musical and it was astounding)

4)dear evan hansen

5) kinky boots

6) the bands visit

7) Fun home

each of these shows is absolutely incredible at succeeding at at what it set out to do a show in its genre.

I would watch any of these as many times as i could(and have and will continue to)

memphis, once and gentlemens guide are all great shows, but a notch or two below the above shows in my opinion and not shows I would rush out to see again

 

 

[JudyDenmark]

Alex172005 said: "JudyDenmark said:
3. Hamilton (this is probably the "best" on paper, but I had a bad theatergoing experience the first time I saw it which inevitably soured me on it. It definitely redeemed itself on viewing #2, but the damage had already been done.)

I'm curious to know what soured it for you."

It was a few things... I had trusted the reviews that said the show was crystal clear and that you didn't need to know anything about American history to follow it. I didn't take into account that those reviewers all had perfect seats. I was sitting in the nosebleeds and was lost about five minutes in... I think I was catching about every fifth word, and was having a hard time telling the characters apart from that distance. I could tell I was watching something "good," but had absolutely no idea what was going on for most of it, which made it frustrating and hard to enjoy. (This was before the cast recording had been released, otherwise I for sure would've listened ahead of time, knowing how wordy it is.)

On top of that, there was an usher who was walking in front of our section nonstop back and forth waving her flashlight at people. Through the entire show. I always think it's ironic that they're trying to prevent people from being on their phones and therefore distracting other people, when the flashlight waving is 100x more distracting. Also, the couple in front of me was making out the whole time, which was inappropriate and gross. (Not to mention a massive waste of money on their part!) And I also was dealing with lower back problems at the time that were exacerbated by the very uncomfortable seats at the Rodgers, which just added to the distraction as I was in a lot of pain. 

That said, I knew the show was good, so I bought orchestra tickets for a year later. Within that year, the fandom got totally out of hand and extra obnoxious, and it felt like LMM was everywhere... I think he's a genius writer but can't say I'm a huge fan of his singing, so it was just too much and only increased my negativity towards it. But when I went back a year later, I really loved it. (Having Muñoz in the role helped, to be honest.) It also was the night of Obama's last speech in office, so it made the whole thing particularly emotional. I was literally sobbing through "One Last Time."

But yeah, that's why. Really not a fault of the show... just circumstance. 

[TheatreRocks]

book of mormon or fun home

[BroadwayConcierge]

1. Hamilton (far and away)
2. The Band’s Visit
3. The Book of Mormon
4. Gentleman’s Guide
5. Once
6. Kinky Boots
7. Fun Home
8. Dear Evan Hansen
9. Memphis

[AADA81]

Fun Home

Dear Evan Hansen

Hamilton

The Book of Mormon

A Gentleman's Guide ....

Once

Kinky Boots

Memphis

 

I haven't seen 'The Band's Visit' yet so I can't rate it, but of the rest of these shows I really enjoyed only FH and DEH completely, though I think Hamilton's staging was terrific and I loved the cast.  I found 'Once' and 'Gentleman's Guide' a bit boring and didn't care for 'Kinky Boots' or 'Memphis' at all.  Just my opinions ....

[poisonivy2]

How I'd rank them:

1. Hamilton

2. Book of Mormon

3. Dear Evan Hansen

4. Fun Home

5. Kinky Boots

HUGE DROP-OFF ...

6. The Bands Visit

7. Gentleman's Guide

8. Once

9. Memphis

[carnzee]

I'm somewhat surprised at the low opinion of Gentleman's Guide. I'm embarrassed to admit it's the only one on the list I've seen, as I'm more of a play guy. But I thought GG was wonderful.

[Cat Guy]

The Book of Mormon.  Why?  In part, because my family and I have a history with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints dating back to 1855 England.

[IdinaBellFoster]

1) HAMILTON

2) FUN HOME

3) DEAR EVAN HANSEN

4) THE BOOK OF MORMON

5) ONCE

6) KINKY BOOTS

7) THE BAND'S VISIT

8) A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER

A Grand Canyon sized gap

9) MEMPHIS

[Phantom4ever]

1. Hamilton
2. The Book of Mormon
3. Dear Evan Hansen
4. Fun Home
5. Kinky Boots
6. A Gentleman’s Guide
7. Memphis

GIANT HUGE SPACE

8. Band’s Visit


ENORMOUS ABYSS

9. Once

[S394206H]

The Book of Mormon

Hamilton

The Band's Visit

Dear Evan Hansen

Once

Fun Home

Gentleman's Guide

Kinky Boots

Memphis

That being said, I genuinely love all nine of these shows and ranking them was really hard!