Staging stories both touchingly serious and laughingly silly, here are the 2023 Orlando Sentinel honorees for best director of a musical as selected by theater critic Matthew J. Palm.

Although it’s impossible for one person to see every local production, as the Orlando Sentinel’s theater critic, each year I see a broad spectrum of dramas, comedies and musicals. The individuals selected by me for this 2023 theatrical honor roll, presented here alphabetically, elevated the theatrical arts. Go to OrlandoSentinel.com/entertainment to see the honorees in other fields, and check back on Dec. 21 to learn the Critic’s Pick in this category.

Alan Bruun

‘Something Rotten’ ♦ Victory Productions/Garden Theatre

In the perfectly paced “Something Rotten,” Alan Bruun brought to life the big set-piece numbers with flair while displaying a keen sense of the comic rhythm needed to keep the show’s silliness bubbling. Most impressively, in a cartoony show he carefully de-cartoonified the leading men whose bond forms the heart of the story.

Derek Critzer

‘Spring Awakening’ ♦ Theater West End

In a visceral production of “Spring Awakening” in the face of anti-LGBTQ legislation, Derek Critzer directed his Theater West End cast with a driving sense of urgency — as if time was running out to get the Tony-winning musical’s message across. This marks Critzer’s fifth appearance on the year-end honor roll.

John Gardiner

‘The Prom’ ♦ Theatre UCF

Director John Gardiner hit all the right moments, with both the flamboyant comedy of the Broadway actors and the sweetly poignant moments for young Emma. He got great physical work from his actors (a Crucifixion pose is particularly effective) and displayed a keen eye for detail (seeing a moment from the ill-fated Eleanor Roosevelt musical that kickstarts the plot was inspired).

Steve MacKinnon & Ke’Lee Pernell

‘The Little Mermaid’ ♦ Theatre at St. Luke’s

At Theatre at St. Luke’s , Steve MacKinnon and Ke’Lee Pernell did a lovely job creating thoughtful moments without being heavy-handed in “The Little Mermaid.” Not only did their staging plumb deeper waters than usual, it was an unusually elaborate technical production, which paid off without detracting from the emotion. This is MacKinnon’s sixth time on the Sentinel end-of-year honor roll, and Pernell’s second.

Shonn McCloud

‘Next to Normal’ ♦ New Generation Theatrical

Presented unconventionally at The Abbey, this“Next to Normal,” came out emotionally swinging and didn’t let up until the final note, thanks to superior work by director Shonn McCloud. He did a spectacularly thoughtful job of balancing the mood — in a musical about feeling out of balance — as he carefully made sure there were comic moments to entertain as well as tragic ones to inspire empathy. This is McCloud’s fourth time on the Sentinel honor roll; he won the Critic’s Pick last year for directing Winter Park Playhouse’s “Travelin’.”

Joshian Morales

‘Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill’ ♦ Orlando Shakes

It’s not easy to watch a person falling apart but in “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill,” director Joshian Morales kept the story of Billie Holiday real without letting it overpower the audience. That was due to his deft straddling of the very fine line between pathos and humor, a delicate balance that made the show all the stronger. Morales was the Critic’s Pick in this category in 2020 for his direction of “In the Heights” at Osceola Arts.

Joseph C. Walsh

‘Kinky Boots’ ♦ Orlando Shakes

Assembling a dynamo cast and making each onstage moment count, Joseph C. Walsh filled Orlando Shakes’ “Kinky Boots” with heart. He also kept the focus on the relationship between the two lead characters, carefully keeping the lessons learned from one from overshadowing the equally important lessons from the other. This is Walsh’s third appearance on the year-end honor roll. He was Critic’s Pick in this category in 2021 for his direction of “A Class Act” at the Garden Theatre.

Follow me at facebook.com/matthew.j.palm or email me at mpalm@orlandosentinel.com. Find entertainment news and reviews at orlandosentinel.com/entertainment.