【Dear Utol (2025): Week 7 Highlights 40】

In lots of different ways,Dear Utol (2025): Week 7 Highlights 40 2016 was ... far from ideal.

Which made various theatrical productions -- both serious and not so serious -- a welcome escape for many fans, whether that come in the form of taking in a show or listening to a cast album on repeat or marathoning YouTube clips in between rage-reading politics articles.

In no particular order, here are eight shows that soared in 2016 (to pre-empt angry emails, a reminder that the excellent Hamilton, which you spent most of 2016 listening to on repeat, opened on Broadway in 2015).

1. Dear Evan HansenBroadway's newest hit (it opened just a few weeks ago) stars Pitch Perfect's Ben Platt as an awkward and deeply anxious teen who gets caught up in a big lie following the death of a classmate. Soaring and sad, with music by La La Landduo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the show explores that all-too-familiar feeling of being an outsider in your world and what happens when you attempt to change that, in one troubling way or another.

2. WaitressBased on the 2007 film, this charming tale of the women who work in a small-town diner is sweet and heartbreaking. The real gem of the show is Sara Bareilles' lovingly crafted pop tunes, which are at turns playful dittys ("Never Ever Getting Rid of Me") and devastating ballads ("She Used to Be Mine"). It's about the fear that holds us back and what happens when circumstances force us to be brave instead.

3. Ride the CycloneComing off a hit Chicago run, Ride the Cycloneis a wonderfully darker version of Glee.It's about a group of teens (the jock, the gay theater star, the know-it-all) who die on a roller coaster and must compete in a contest in some kind of purgatory for the chance for one of them to come back to life. Despite everything the previous sentence suggests, it's witty and moving and manages to smartly grapple with questions both big -- the purpose of life -- and small: Like, omg, did I really die a virgin?

4. PrivacyWe all know our phones have all the evidence they need to destroy us. In this quirky and hilarious play starring Daniel Radcliffe, the role of privacy and disclosure -- especially in the context of romantic relationships -- is explored. Particularly engaging here is the role the audience (and their digital devices) plays in the show, from getting sent emails from the characters during the performance to a few lucky audience participants. I now know exactly how to check my current Uber rating. I dare say not many other theatrical works are teaching that.

5. The Robber BridegroomThis off-Broadway gem, directed in his standard whimsical, minimal style by Alex Timbers (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Peter and the Starcatcher), tells the tale of a man who is a gentleman by day and a Robin Hood-esque thief by night. He falls in love with a young maiden, and yes, subsequently shenanigans -- and great musical numbers -- ensue. Fans of bluegrass music should definitely check out this cast album on Spotify.

6. Bright StarAn intriguing mystery that takes place at times in both 1923 and the 1940s, Bright Starfeatures country and bluegrass music from Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, with a story by Martin. It was different than typical Broadway fare, but its quiet charm -- not to mention captivating star Carmen Cusack -- made for an enjoyable, unique experience.

7. Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812An electro-pop opera based on a section of War and Peace? It definitely shouldn't work, but the show -- now starring Josh Groban -- somehow does. It's gorgeous and surprising and immersive with an ending ready to make you cry. You don't need to be a Leo Tolstoy scholar to enjoy, but there are plenty of fun details for those that are.

8. PuffsNothing made me laugh this year like Puffs. Now, this show is for Harry Potter fans, so if that's not your thing (What is wrong with you, if I may ask?), try something else. But for anyone who is still hoping for a Hogwarts letter, this charming spoof about the secret power of being a Hufflepuff is sure to lovingly remind you of everything you treasure about J.K. Rowling's world -- even if it's gently making fun of parts of it in the process.

Disclosure: Mashable's Chief Operating Officer, Mike Kriak, is a producer for Dear Evan Hansen.