Crafting a best-of list for performances is always a challenge, especially after a year filled with remarkable talent and unforgettable moments. Reflecting on the vibrant theater scene of 2024, TheaterMania’s editorial staff has selected standout acting achievements that left an indelible mark on audiences. These performances represent the passion, skill, and emotional depth that defined the year in theater.
George Abud as Marinetti in Lempicka
With an equine snarl and the manic eyes of a prophet, George Abud fully inhabited the role Filippo Tommaso Marinetti in the short-lived Broadway musical Lempicka, about the Polish portraitist living in Paris at a time of rapid technological and cultural change (but also between two cataclysmic wars). A character with one foot in the plot and another outside the frame, Marinetti is akin to the Emcee in Cabaret or Che in Evita. His messianic faith in technology makes him a sinister figure at a time of industrialized war, and Abud brought to the role a gleaming chrome-like tenor to slice through history and convention in Marinetti’s crusade for a perfect mechanical future. This is a performance that actors will be studying closely for the next 40 years as Lempicka wanders through the wilderness on its way back to Broadway. — Zachary Stewart
John Gallagher Jr. as Mate in Swept Away
From the moment he opens his mouth, we know this is going to be a great performance. Gallagher plays a character only referred to as “Mate” in the Avett Brothers musical Swept Away, about the wreck of a whaling ship which leaves most of the crew dead spare four men in a lifeboat. Mate is a drifter who has worked a series of dangerous and often unsavory jobs in the wild America of the 19th century, and we can hear that in his unplaceable dialect, a strange mix of Baltimore sea salt and New England frost. It’s like he just stepped out of a Ken Burns documentary. He’s a loner-philosopher shrouded in darkness, and we suspect he will be the one to survive in this fallen world. This is a performance that will haunt me for years to come. — Zachary Stewart
William Jackson Harper as Astrov in Uncle Vanya
Desperately unhappy, self-medicating, but still clinging to a shred of idealism — Astrov, the country doctor friend of the title character in Uncle Vanya, is like a lot of us here in 2024. And his emotional journey became the center of gravity in this year’s Broadway revival of the Chekhov drama about feckless elites and the little people who toil to prop up their idleness. Some of this had to do with Heidi Schreck’s adaptation, but I think William Jackson Harper’s achingly sincere and uncomfortably relatable performance bears the greater responsibility. Harper’s Astrov is a man who persists through disappointment and subsists on the palest shadow of hope. This is the second year Harper has made this list, following his 2023 performance in Primary Trust. I hope we get to see him again in 2025. — Zachary Stewart
Megan Hilty as Madeline Ashton in Death Becomes Her
This wasn’t even a question for me. Megan Hilty, in her role, defines what it means to be a Broadway diva and she knows it. She effortlessly juggles punchlines, insults, sneering looks, and hysterical one-liners in heels and furs, backwards, upside down, and headless. Her vocals are gorgeous and she makes you want to be part of her entourage. — Rosemary Maggiore
Joshua Henry as Coalhouse Walker Jr. in Ragtime
Joshua Henry gave a stunning performance as Coalhouse Walker Jr. in New York City Center’s Encores! production of Ragtime, one that got people to their feet mid-show. His gorgeous baritenor voice had me bawling my eyes out in “Make Them Hear You” as well as in his duet with Nichelle Lewis “Wheels of a Dream.” With his powerful stage presence. Henry showed us once again why he’s one of the modern-day greats of the stage. — Pete Hempstead
Kecia Lewis as Miss Liza Jane in Hell’s Kitchen
Kecia Lewis’s Tony-winning performance as Miss Liza Jane in Hell’s Kitchen was a heartfelt portrayal of a wise and nurturing mentor. Her emotional depth came through so clearly in her earth-shattering rendition of “Perfect Way to Die,” where her powerful voice left audiences in tears. As a guide to young Ali, played by Maleah Joi Moon, Lewis brought warmth and gravitas, elevating the character’s role in Ali’s journey of self-discovery. After a 40-year career, she’s finally gotten her flowers. — David Gordon
Audra McDonald as Rose in Gypsy
Audra McDonald is the G.O.A.T. Everyone knows that. Somehow, in George C. Wolfe’s new revival of Gypsy, she manages to top even her best performances. As Rose, McDonald is no steamroller; she’s a mom trying to do right by her kids. She finds a uniquely human side to musical-theater’s greatest monster and is extremely moving in the process. It culminates in a “Rose’s Turn” I’ll never, ever forget, and I count myself lucky to have experienced it in person. — David Gordon
Maryann Plunkett as Older Allie in The Notebook
To say that The Notebook is a tearjerker is like saying that Mount Everest is just a mountain. I can’t remember any show that had me turning on the waterworks like that one, and it was due mostly to an unforgettable Maryann Plunkett, who played a woman suffering from dementia. She captured the heartbreak of losing someone even while they’re sitting right in front of you, yet she showed us a glimmer of hope at the end. Thinking about her performance still chokes me up. — Pete Hempstead
Jennifer Simard as Helen Sharp in Death Becomes Her
Jennifer Simard has been one of my favorite scene-stealers for a long time, ever since she humped a slot machine in Disaster! She gets to show off the full breadth of her comedic depravity in Death Becomes Her, as the meek Helen Sharp, who becomes an immortal vamp with the help of a magic potion. Her idiosyncratic line deliveries stop the show, and so does her psychotic breakdown song, “Madeline.” I’m so glad everyone is catching up to what we in theater have known forever: Jennifer Simard is a genius. — David Gordon
Ricky Ubeda as Henry in Illinoise
I think Ricky Ubeda’s performance in Illinoise on Broadway is one of this year’s most unsung. The centerpiece of Justin Peck’s production, he was able to convey so much deep emotion through body language and facial expressions, using his dance background and natural charisma to embody the whole emotional arc of the production. His preciseness and fluidity created a rare vulnerability that conveyed both great joy and internal strife without the need for dialogue. It was all there. — David Gordon