The 2021 List

Wherein I attempt to rank every show I’ve seen this year, a running list as the year unfolds, regardless of genre (theater, music, dance). Note, the company I keep is not a factor, though it often redeems the lesser of such evenings. If I’ve written about them, links are provided. If I published a review, it is linked.

Previous Years: 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010

Twilight: Gods/Lyric Opera/April 26

The Last Pair of Earlies/Raven Theatre/November 1

Paradise Square/Broadway in Chicago/November 17

The Magic Flute/Lyric Opera/November 3

Home: A Celebration/Joffrey Ballet/October 13

Kinky Boots/Paramount Theatre/August 27

Her Honor Jane Byrne/Lookingglass/November 14

American Mariarchi/Goodman Theatre/October 3

What the Constitution Means to Me/Broadway Playhouse/October 29

Fannie, The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer/Goodman Theatre/October 25

Together At Last: Second City MainStage/October 14

8 Track: The Sound of the ’70s/Theo Ubique/December 12

Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski/Chicago Shakespeare Theater/November 4

A Recipe for Disaster/Windy City Playhouse/October 15

School Girls; or, the African Mean Girls Play/Goodman Theatre/August 2

Florencia en el Amazonas/Lyric Opera/November 13

Medora Musical/Medora, ND/June 18