that's great to hear because I'm dying to see Matilda and have heard so many good things about it. I've listened to the score so many times so it feels like i've seen it lol
My vote would also be for Matilda, actually! I'm so pleased to see that others said the same thing. I would give 2nd place to The Lion King, in my personal opinion.
Best is sort of difficult to pick with so many styles and options out there. But if I had to pick my personal favorites they would be Kinky Boots and Matilda. I have seen both more than once (the understatement of the year lol).
Since I don't live in New York, I never get to see everything, but out of the shows I have seen (whether on Broadway or on Tour) I'll say: Aladdin Beautiful: The Carole King Musical The Book of Mormon Jersey Boys The Lion King The Phantom of the Opera Wicked
"The city seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and the beauty in the world." - F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
Hard to answer because there are so many great shows currently opened, some for seemingly a thousand years, e.g., Phantom, Chicago; others for a week or two: YCTIWY and On the Town.
To me, the best show (based on how it moved me) is Les Mis, with a glaring exception. To me, Eponine has always been the soul of the show, and I thought Nikki James was terrible in the role, maybe the worst Eponine I have ever seen...so it had some impact.
I would probably say Cabaret is #2, despite Michelle Williams' performance choices (terrific actress, just did not like her interpretation).
I would pick Chicago as #3 but have to acknowledge that I have not seen it at the Ambassador in several years.
Something like 'Beautiful', which I really enjoyed, is not in the same league as any of these shows, although it is huge fun.
PS -- of the show opened for less than, arbitrarily, 18 months, I think Kinky Boots and Gentleman's Guide are the two best.
I would say Hedwig based on seeing Hedwig, but I didn't see Michael C Hall yet. I have heard he is having some trouble negotiating the heels and audio I have heard sounded a little pitch challenged...but I think that review was from the first night.
Second, Gentleman's Guide. I even saw the understudy and thought it was fantastic. You can't really go wrong with that!
Third, Book of Mormon while Nic Rouleau is still playing Elder Price.
A warning about Matilda...they have some sound problems there sometimes where you can't always understand the dialogue, especially the girls. I didn't like it. I'm not sure if it was that or the overhype. It isn't horrible but by a long shot isn't the best show out there.