Best miking / non-miking I've heard in the last twenty years was The Fantasticks. The actors wore nothing, and from my front row center seat I could hear no amplification whatever throughout the show. Every actor's voice came from that actor, whether close or distant, and every one of them knew how to project. A rare treat that added immeasurably to the experience of the show.
I need to find this, but I remembering reading somewhere that the people in the booth are controlling something besides lights, and that there are, in fact, hidden mics (in the low ceiling?), very strategically placed and used very subtly for the benefit of those in the more distant seating areas. If that's the case, then so be it, but in my perfect seat (thank you, TDF and the nice lady in the box office) I hadn't heard anything so beautiful and natural in years.
