Broadway Breakdown – Matt Ranks: The 2025 Theatre Season (Mostly)

Episode date: January 1, 2026
Host: Matt Koplik

Overview

This special solo episode features Matt Koplik's in-depth, unfiltered wrap-up and ranking of the 2025 (and early 2026) New York theatre season. With his signature blend of snark, humor, and passionate analysis, Matt reviews and ranks the new productions he's seen on and off Broadway, from worst to best (including a few caveats and notable experiences along the way). The episode is interspersed with playful digressions, memorable rants, and sharp commentary about the hits, the flops, and the oddities of the year.

Housekeeping, Shout-outs, & Listener Mail

[04:00–13:40]

• Listener Review: Matt reads and discusses a new five-star review mirroring his opinion on "Ragtime.”
  • “It is exactly because the musical thinks it is redeeming unredeemable characters. Very few of these characters are redeemable." (05:15)
• Book Shoutouts: Matt gives shout-outs to theatre-centric books and authors, including "We Have Reached the End of Our Show" by Ali Gordon, "History Hiding Around Broadway" by Teal Dvornik, Rob W. Schneider's "Queer Musicals," and "The Periodic Table of Broadway Musicals."
• Discord Plug: Matt invites listeners to join the podcast’s Discord for discussion, ticket tips, show opinions, and book club.
• Methodology:
  • Only shows in the 2025 season he’s personally seen are ranked.
  • Shows not seen: "Mamma Mia!" and "Spelling Bee."
  • Both Broadway and notable Off-Broadway productions considered.
  • "Queen of Versailles" appears twice (Kristin Chenoweth and Sherri Renee Scott lead performances evaluated separately).
  • “These are just my opinions. This is not an official ranking of any kind. Enjoy the ride.” (13:15)

The Rankings: #27–#21 (The “Bad” & “Missable” Zone)

27. Call Me Izzy (Broadway)

Starring Jean Smart
[15:00]

• “The first show of the Broadway season, and in my opinion, the worst.” (15:15)
• One-woman show; Jean Smart’s performance praised for commitment, but the play itself is called a "nothing burger."
• Clumsily handles domestic abuse themes; “The humor just feels unearned.”
• “3.5 out of 10… bad, but not the worst thing ever.” (21:13)

26. The Seat of Our Pants (Off-Broadway, Public)

Ethan Lipton adapts The Skin of Our Teeth

• Messy adaptation; initial musical promise “degenerates into an esoteric bar fight.”
• Poorly staged in the traverse format; music reminiscent of LaChiusa and Finn but ultimately “goes so far up its own butt.”
• “A lot of promise that ultimately leads to an illusion.” (28:42)
• “Ends with one of the hokiest finales.”
• Noted for a strong cast (Mikayla Diamond, Ruthie Ann Miles).

25. Art (Broadway revival)

Yasmina Reza; Corden, NPH, Cannavale

• “Missable and very forgettable… within weeks, people will forget it was on Broadway.” (36:40)
• Play’s satire feels dated (pre-9/11 tone), cast is largely on autopilot.
• “James Corden... unfortunately the best one in it.”
• “Not a mess, just very missable.”

24. Waiting for Godot (Broadway)

Beckett, w/ Keanu Reeves & Alex Winter

• “This is just not a play I enjoy very much. And Keanu Reeves is not an actor that I like.” (41:30)
• Matt finds Alex Winter a surprising emotional anchor.
• Strong design and atmosphere but the play remains a “chore.”

23. Queen of Versailles (Kristin Chenoweth version, Broadway)

• “Competently bad.” (47:30)
• Musical about Jackie Siegel and family’s “American royalty” palace-building reality.
• Main issue: Chenoweth’s need for audience approval undermines satire.
• Praises the score’s potential but calls the show tone-deaf and misguided.
• Anticipates possible Tony nomination for score and design; Chenoweth likely passed over.

22. Punch (Broadway, Manhattan Theatre Club)

• True-crime play about accidental manslaughter and rehabilitation.
• “Story itself is very compelling… Will Harrison does a lovely job, Victoria Clark is wonderful.”
• Directorial style (James Graham) keeps audience at arm’s length; only powerful moment is the family mediation scene.
• Likely to be forgotten by Tony time.

21. Chess (Broadway)

Lea Michele, Aaron Tveit, Nicholas Christopher

• “This is being billed as ‘the Chess that fucks.’” (59:40)
• Danny Strong’s rewritten book called out for “commentary narrator” (Bryce Pinkham) that undercuts drama.
• Musically strong vocals, especially Hannah Cruz as Svetlana (“Come sit by me!”)
• “Melodramatic musical theater score that head-butts itself constantly.”
• “You have to do something like Chess earnestly and know that it's ridiculous. This show wants to have it both ways and it doesn't do right by either.” (1:13:48)

The “Perfectly Fine” Shows (#20–#15)

20. The Baker’s Wife (Off-Broadway, Classic Stage Company)

• Classic Stephen Schwartz flop, “nice little show that is ultimately too long for the story it’s telling.”
• “Nothing you can do will ever really fix it.”
• Shout-out to Judy Kuhn.

19. Heathers (Off-Broadway, New World Stages)

• “Just doesn’t work for me.” (1:23:22)
• Finds the musical too softened and risk-averse compared to the edgy original film.
• “Best case for this show… strong cast.”

18. Ginger Twinsies (Off-Broadway, Orpheum)

• Parody of The Parent Trap, “85-minute fever dreamy Titanic meth mentality.”
• Kevin Zak directorial debut; “wonderful use of space and referential humor… but enjoyment depends on knowing/loving the source material.”

17. Slam Frank (Off-Broadway, Asylum)

• Satire of “woke” Hamilton-style Anne Frank musical.
• Points for cleverly exposing performative progressivism, but wishes the satire went harder and logistics of “show within a show” were tighter.

16. Bat Boy (NYCC Gala)

• “Carrie Butler was giving an extraordinary, phenomenal diva performance… Taylor Trensch was a strong Bat Boy.”
• Some new changes/lateral edits, but not all successful.
• “Show requires intimacy, which gets lost in a big house.”

15. Caroline (Off-Broadway, MCC)

• Story of a mom and her trans child returning home.
• Heartfelt and nuanced, “a very lovely play.”
• Minor issues with late-play plot twists.

Low-Mid: “Good Not Great” (#14–#11)

14. Bug (Broadway, Manhattan Theatre Club)

Carrie Coon, Cromer directs

• “Bug is a slow burn… this production leans into the play’s weaknesses.”
• Critique: Lacks edge, first act too quiet, tension missing until last 30 minutes.
• Carrie Coon shines regardless. Possible set and actress nominations.

13. Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York (Broadway)

• “It’s cute, not charming.” (1:51:32)
• Praises Sam Tutty, but finds the show overlong and the central romance unconvincing.
• Set and staging inventive but not enough to elevate the show above “fine.”

12. A Christmas Carol (Perlman Arts Center)

Jack Thorne/Matthew Warchus version

• “A very delightful afternoon… this is what a real director does.”
• Somewhat padded and act break comes at odd place, but revived by design and cast.

11. Prince Phagote (Off-Broadway, Studio Seaview)

• “Fascinating play about what if Prince George were gay.”
• Explores queerness, identity, and royal family.
• “Conversations are more interesting than the plot.”
• Highlights John McCrea and David Greenspan.

The Top 10 – “Standouts, Personal Faves, and Memorable Experiences”

10. Gotta Dance (NY Theatre Company, American Dance Machine)

[2:11:00]

• Dance revue featuring classic moments from Bennett, Fosse, Robbins, etc.
• “Shows you how shitty modern Broadway choreography is compared to the classics.” (2:13:00)
• Brings up Hitchcock’s suspense analogy for dance numbers: “You build and build until the explosion.”

9. Little Bear Ridge Road (Samuel Hunter/Joe Mantello)

• Quiet, “haunting” new play, strong acting from Laurie Metcalf.
• “Joe Mantello, you have a gorgeous eye.” (2:19:11)
• Play may struggle with word-of-mouth and ticketing, but earns a potential Best Play nod.

8. Ragtime (Broadway revival, Lear deBessonet)

• “Love to listen to, dry-eyed watching it.”
• Musical’s craftsmanship praised, but issue with overly neat adaptation and idealization of characters.
• “Product/victim of the decade it was written in.”
• Cast strong (Joshua Henry, Casey Levy), production “very ugly looking.”
• “Word of greatness is overstated, but it’s not a bad production.”

7. Queen of Versailles (Sherri Renee Scott first night, Broadway)

• Note: This spot is not about the show, but the experience of seeing Scott’s first performance.
• “It was magical… closest I’ll get to a Judy Garland at Carnegie Hall moment. The audience’s love was overwhelming.”
• Show remains a mess, but a uniquely wonderful audience-performer communion.

6. Meet the Cartosians (Second Stage)

• Play about an Armenian family, exploring “what is ethnicity, what is race, who decides?”
• Smart parallel between assimilation and exclusion, with a clever two-act time jump (1920s vs. present).
• “Very enjoyable, very funny and very smart… lets actors relish the meat of the piece.” (2:37:35)
• Ending maybe goes on too long.

Top 5 – “Really, Really Liked” (and Above)

5. Beau (Off-Broadway)

• New musical with “exciting score” and a “phenomenal” Matt Rodin.
• Warm Americana, though some story beats and themes underdeveloped.

4. Practice (Playwrights Horizons)

• Satire about a theatre-maker forming a troupe that unwittingly becomes a cult.
• First act “a powerful parallel of theatre and vulnerability,” though Matt was less pleased with the intentional cult reveal.
• Bold, smart, and “stays with you.”
• “Raises the question: does vulnerability open you up to growth or just make you easier to exploit?”

3. Liberation (James Earl Jones Theatre)

Written by Bess Wohl, starring Susannah Flood

• Memory play about a woman investigating her late mother’s 1970s feminist group.
• “What it does really well is constantly toy with desire for independence, fear of making a mistake, fear of not being supported in your mistake.”
• “Asks questions without answering them, gives us people, not chess pieces.”
• Messy in a good, human way.

Top 2 – “Best of the Season”

2. Marjorie Prime (Off-Broadway)

With June Squibb, Cynthia Nixon, Danny Burstein

• “A very human piece taking place in the near future where humans are now using AI almost as a coping mechanism.” (2:52:00)
• Delicate, moving exploration of memory, mortality, regret, and simulated companionship.
• “The play goes for the day-to-day, mundane tragedies of human life—and that’s what makes it powerful.”
• Strong focus on Nixon’s performance: “It’s hard to remember from 'And Just Like That', but Cynthia Nixon is a phenomenal actress and absolutely nails this show.”
• “Cuts you to your core, haunts you in quiet ways.”

1. Oedipus (Off-Broadway)

• Brief: “My favorite thing of the season and remains such.”
• Matt refers to his full review in a previous episode for details, but makes it clear no other production has affected him so deeply this year.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On “Chess” rewriting:
  “Danny Strong, I want to say fuck you for making me resent Bryce Pinkham coming on stage, because Bryce Pinkham is awesome… but he is stuck with the cringiest of jokes and being a fucking Reddit thread of a narrator.” (1:08:00)
• On Gotta Dance and Modern Choreography:
  “We haven’t had shit like this in so long. And I am tired of having to pretend that we do.” (2:16:50)
• On Sherri Renee Scott’s first Queen of Versailles:
  “It was magical… 1300 people solely there to witness an actress they love… It was all of us collectively there for her.”
• On Liberation and questions without answers:
  “Being a feminist means being independent. Being independent means you get to make your own choices. Making your own choices doesn't mean you're always right about your choices.”
• On Marjorie Prime’s resonance:
  “Delicate and haunting… it’s the little things you can relate to that cut you.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 04:00 — Housekeeping, listener mail
• 13:40 — Ranking methodology, first caveats
• 15:00–1:16:00 — Rankings 27 through 21, with expanded rants on “Chess,” “Seat of Our Pants,” “Queen of Versailles,” etc.
• 1:17:00–2:10:00 — Rankings 20 through 11
• 2:10:00–2:56:00 — Rankings 10 through 1, detailed discussion of “Gotta Dance,” favorite play and musical, liberation, Marjorie Prime, and Oedipus.

Final Notes and Recommendations

• Join the Broadway Breakdown Discord for more opinions, book club, and ticketing help.
• The next podcast episode will be a deep dive on the film "Chicago."
• If you enjoyed the podcast, leave a 5-star review ("I love reading your guys' reviews!”).

This episode is a passionate, detailed survey of the season’s new theatre offerings, hosted by New York’s most opinionated Broadway lover. Despite Matt’s foul-mouthed honesty, his infectious enthusiasm for smart, complex theatre (and a legendary diva or two) makes even the bad shows sound like a good time.