NY1's Theater critic Roma Torre gives her top 10 Broadway shows of 2008 and notes some honorable mentions.

Maybe 2008 was the best of times for some, but on Broadway, more people thought it was the worst of times. The economy flopped, taking with it a slew of shows that in ordinary times might not have closed so quickly.

The highly-acclaimed “Gypsy” was among the latest casualties, announcing its final curtain call would be January 11, a full seven weeks ahead of schedule. On the Great White Way, 12 shows will end their runs in January.

Still, there was much to celebrate this year. While the following shows were not the top 10 of Broadway, they provided clear evidence that even though budgets were draining, the talent pool was overflowing.

Consider the directorial contributions that gave us the reinvented gems "The 39 Steps" and "Boeing Boeing" – with the latter featuring the masterful Mark Rylance, who piloted his way to a best actor Tony.

Hot on his heels were Laurence Fishburne’s one-man tour de force, “Thurgood,” and “Macbeth” with Patrick Stewart, who along with his badder half, played by Kate Fleetwood, gave killer performances and earned Tony nods this year.

The outstanding S. Epatha Merkerson came back to Broadway and earned her second nomination in “Come Back, Little Sheba.”

And at Tony time next year, don't be surprised to see Daniel Radcliffe of “Harry Potter” fame work his magic as the star of “Equus.”

The musically-gifted James Barbour delivered a personal best in “A Tale of Two Cities.” And “Shrek” had monstrously good performances from Brian d'Arcy James, Christopher Sieber and Daniel Breaker, as well as Sutton Foster as Princess Fiona.

But it took true Broadway royalty - Liza Minnelli - to blow the roof off the Palace, in “Liza’s At The Palace.”

The Top 10 Broadway Shows of 2008, in alphabetical order:

“All My Sons” - Arthur Miller's classic got a radical makeover courtesy director Simon McBurney.

“Billy Elliot” - All three of them helped to turn a London hit into a Broadway sensation.

“Gypsy” - Writer-director Arthur Laurents breathed new life into his baby with Patti Lupone's incomparable Mama Rose and fellow Tony winners Boyd Gaines and Laura Benanti.

“In The Heights” – First-timer Lin-Manuel Miranda (seen at right), a true Broadway baby, wrote and starred in this Tony-winning best musical.

“Passing Strange” – Stew created a great rocking musical that passed on much too soon.

“South Pacific” - A near-perfect production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's classic earned Broadway newcomer Paulo Szot a Tony.

“Speed-The-Plow” – Mercury-ridden Jeremy Piven did not last, but his Broadway debut alongside Raul Esparza and Elizabeth Moss sped this David Mamet one-act to box office glory.

“Sunday In The Park With George” – Stephen Sondheim's Pulitzer Prize-winning show was artfully brought to life.

“The Seagull” - Kristen Scott Thomas spread her wings in this glorious revival.

“{title of show}” - The quirkiest show of the year proved that a lot of talent, desire and empty pockets can still spin Broadway gold.