What are the greatest Eurovision stagings of all time?
I'm trying to come up with a top 10 specifically and I would like to hear what you guys think should make the list. I'm using the following criteria to define what a great staging is:
It has to be completely thought out, down to most camera angles and every other little detail. Ideally, it manages to tell a story or convey some sort of message through its three minute run time, by making use of every technical aspect available to the artist and the other creatives involved.
Alternatively, it can be a staging that set a new standard and that clearly influenced everything that comes after it. Think Latvia 2002 being the origin point of the at least half a dozend costume changes we still get every year to this day.
Another requirement is that the staging is tailor made to the singer's capabilities and uses their talents to their full potential, without overwhelming them with things to do and thus having their vocals suffer. So no Käärijä or Theo Evans for example.
These are the acts that immediately came to mind for me as potential candidates for the list:
-Bulgaria 2026
-Romania 2026
-Switzerland 2026
-Austria 2025
-Latvia 2025
-Switzerland 2024
-Ireland 2024
-Ukraine 2024
-Finland 2024
-Spain 2022
-Cyprus 2018
-Sweden 2015
-Latvia 2002
And here are some honorable mentions that are also great, but that almost definetly wouldn't make the list:
-Lithuania 2026
-Luxembourg 2025
-Croatia 2024
Obviously most of these are from the last few years, but that does make sense considering how sharply number and ambition of more complex and more thought-out stagins has grown in the very recent past. But I am also very much less versed in the earlier years of the contest, which is why I have so much less here.
If you have questions about why I have chosen any of these, I can give my reasoning in a comment.
I would love to hear which entries come to mind for you - especially ones not from this decade -, and which of my choices you might disagree with. It would also be really interesting to see anyones concrete top 10, with reasons given or without.
I think the staging game is where the contest is evolving by far the most currently, and every year we see more and more countries suddenly turn up with absolutely mind blowing stories told through props, camera angles, costumes and more. I'm convinced that if the UK had shown up with this years song and staging even just 5 years ago, they would have really stood out and done very well. That's why I find it so fascinating to take a look at this aspect of the contest at this point in time.