For many theater fans, 2024 was a year of second chances, as plays and musicals that had earned acclaim off-Broadway during the early months — or in some cases in 2023, such as the Tony Award-winning “Stereophonic” and “Job” — received additional, often higher-profile productions. It was also a promising year for musical theater, as several imaginative new works joined the usual stampede of pop hagiographies and fluffy movie adaptations on offer in and around Times Square.