In 2024 Stage Door received 145,138 pageviews from 65,160 unique visitors from 154 countries. Of the unique visitors 66.3% were from Canada and 19.0% from the US.

The company with the largest number of entries in the top 50 is the Stratford Festival with 11, followed by the Shaw Festival with 6, Canadian Stage with 4 (counting The Inheritance as 2) and Cirque du Soleil, Crow’s Theatre and the Blyth Festival each with 3 (counting The Donnellys as 3).  Coal Mine Theatre, the Foster Festival and Mirvish tied at 2 each.

As usual there was a wide range of genres represented in the top 50. Beside plays were musicals (3), circus (3), opera (1), operetta (1), performance (1) and magic (1). Of the 50 shows, 24 were presented in Toronto.

The list is often affected by the news. This year both Donald Sutherland and Maggie Smith passed away. Enigma Variations from 2000 is my only review of Mr. Sutherland on stage. The Lady in the Van also from 2000 is my only review of Dame Maggie on stage.

Dates are given in parentheses for pre-2024 reviews or to distinguish double reviews. - The Editor

1. Zone (2012) by Marcel Dubé, Théâtre français de Toronto & Théâtre La Catapulte, Toronto 

2. Legoland (2004) by Jacob Richmond, Atomic Vaudeville, Toronto

3. Something Rotten! by Wayne Kirkpatrick & Karey Kirkpatrick, Stratford Festival, Stratford

4. London Assurance (2006) by Dion Boucicault, Stratford Festival, Stratford 

5. Cymbeline by William Shakespeare, Stratford Festival, Stratford

6. Ubu and the Truth Commission (2015) by Jane Taylor, Canadian Stage, Toronto

7. Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare, Stratford Festival, Stratford

8. The Flick (2019) by Annie Baker, Outside the March & Crow’s Theatre, Toronto

9. O Christmas Tea (2022) by Aaron Malkin & Alistair Knowles, James & Jamesy, Toronto

10. Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 by Dave Molloy, Crow’s Theatre & The Musical Stage Company, Toronto

11. La Cage aux Folles by Jerry Herman, Stratford Festival, Stratford

12. Slava’s Snowshow (2018) by Slava Polunin, Show One Productions, Toronto

13. Wendy and Peter Pan by Ella Hickson, Stratford Festival, Stratford

14. The Rez Sisters (2021) by Tomson Highway, Stratford Festival, Stratford

15. Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen, Stratford Festival, Stratford

16. Echo by Mukhtar Omar Sharif Mukhtar, Cirque du Soleil, Toronto

17. Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Human Heart by Reginald Candy, Shaw Festival, Niagara-on-the-Lake

18. London Assurance (2024) by Dion Boucicault, Stratford Festival, Stratford

19. Corteo (2018) by Daniele Finzi Pasca, Cirque du Soleil, Toronto

20. The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? by Edward Albee, Stratford Festival, Stratford

21. Serving Elizabeth (2021) by Marcia Johnson, Stratford Festival, Stratford

22. Rope (2019) by Patrick Hamilton, Shaw Festival, Niagara-on-the-Lake

23. The Inheritance, Parts 1 & 2, by Matthew López, Canadian Stage, Toronto

24. Snow in Midsummer by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig, Shaw Festival, Niagara-on-the-Lake

25. Witness for the Prosecution by Agatha Christie, Shaw Festival, Niagara-on-the-Lake

26. Gloria (2022) by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, ARC with Crow’s Theatre, Toronto

27. Playing Shylock by Mark Leiren-Young, Canadian Stage with Starvox Entertainment, Toronto

28. One Man, Two Guvnors by Richard Bean, Shaw Festival, Niagara-on-the-Lake

29. The Student Prince by Sigmund Romberg, Toronto Operetta Theatre, Toronto

30. Here on the Flight Path (2016) by Norm Foster, Foster Festival, St. Catharines

31. Accolade by Emlyn Williams, Bill Kenwright Ltd, Windsor, GBR

32. A Hundred Words for Snow (2020) by Tatty Hennessy, Here For Now Theatre, Stratford

33. Enigma Variations (2000) by Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt, Mirvish Productions, Toronto

34. The Donnellys: A Trilogy (2023) by James Reaney, Blyth Festival, Blyth

35. The House That Will Not Stand by Marcus Gardley, Shaw Festival, Niagara-on-the-Lake

36. The Minutes by Tracy Letts, Theatre Aezir, London, ON

37. Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen, Coal Mine Theatre, Toronto

38. Faust (2007) by Charles Gounod, Canadian Opera Company, Toronto

39. Champions of Magic (2018) by Alex Jarrett, Starvox Entertainment, Toronto

40. Infinite Life by Annie Baker, Coal Mine Theatre, Toronto

41. Cock by Mike Bartlett, Talk Is Free Theatre, Barrie    

42. Things I Know to Be True (2018) by Andrew Bovell, Frantic Assembly & State Theatre Company South Australia, London, GBR

43. The Thanksgiving Play by Larissa FastHorse, Mirvish Productions, Toronto

44. The Ladies Foursome (2021) by Norm Foster, Foster Festival, St. Catharines

45. Four Minutes Twelve Seconds by James Fritz, Studio 180, Toronto

46. The Lady in the Van (2000) by Alan Bennett, Robert Fox Productions, London, GBR

47. Punk Rock (2018) by Simon Stephens, The Howland Company, Toronto

48. Craze by Rouvan Silogix & Rafeh Mahmud, Tarragon Theatre & Modern Times Stage Company with Theatre ARTaud, Toronto 

49. Alegría: In a New Light (2019) by Franco Dragone, Cirque du Soleil, Toronto

50. Three Sisters by Inua Ellams, Soulpepper Theatre Company & Obsidian Theatre Company, Toronto

Photo: Mark Uhre as Nick Bottom and the ensemble in Something Rotten! at the Stratford Festival © 2024 Ann Baggeley.