About Show-Score
Show-Score is an independent theatre reviews platform that connects audiences in New York City and London with shows they’ll love. Through trusted audience reviews, critics' reviews, and easy-to-use categories, Show-Score strives to help audiences discover the right shows for them.
Founded in 2015 by Tom Melcher and Deeksha Gaur, the site boasts 300,000 members who have collectively written close to 550,000 reviews of live theatre shows - this represents six times more theatre reviews than Facebook, TripAdvisor, and Yelp combined! Show-Score joined TodayTix Group in 2020.
Show-Score’s most active reviewers can earn a spot on our Leaderboard, create virtual scrapbooks of their theatre memories, and in the process, help audiences discover their next favorite show.
Our Founders’ Story
Tom Melcher and his family were avid theatre fans who saw hundreds of shows a year. Yet, figuring out what to see was a full-time job. There was no centralized list of everything running, it took hours of googling to track down reviews, and by the time a show was declared a hit, it was sold out.
As a theatre professional, Deeksha Gaur saw this challenge from the other side. Shoestring budgets and a decline in independent, third-party coverage left the fate of a show to inclinations of an ever-smaller number of critics. Word of mouth worked, but spread within existing circles. As a result, finding new audiences was a continuous challenge.
Show-Score was launched in 2015 with the goal of inviting audience members to write helpful reviews and presenting new audiences with all the information they would need to make the right decisions for them: clear listings, independent third-party reviews, and helpful categories for discovery.
Show-Score Reviews
Show-Score’s reviews are designed with one primary goal: helpfulness.
The most helpful reviews answer three questions:
- Did you like the show?
- What elements of the show resonated and what didn’t?
- Who might like the show and who would not?
That is why community members are invited to:
- Give the show a score from 0 - 100
- Choose (or write in) 5 words or phrases that describe the show’s elements that resonated the most
- Write 140 characters that start: See it if…
- Write 140 characters that start: Don’t see it if…
By writing a review, the community agrees to abide by our community agreements, and community members are invited to flag any reviews that don’t meet the site’s standards.
Audience Acclaimed
Audience Acclaimed status is a special distinction awarded to the best-reviewed shows. In order to qualify, shows must meet the following requirements:
- A consistent score of 86 or higher
- A minimum of 100 member reviews for Broadway or West End shows, or 50 reviews for Off-Broadway or Off-West End shows