Theatre: My Top Ten Of 2011
Did you think I’d let the year elapse without a few Top Ten lists? Starting with my favorite productions in theatre. In alphabetical order.
1) “Blood and Gifts” — Lincoln Center Theater turned this superb play (pictured) by J. T. Rogers into not only compelling drama but a reminder of how much of our “war on terrorism” originated in Afghanistan in the 1980s. A first-rate ensemble memorable for Jefferson Mays’ turn as a British agent.
2) “Bonnie & Clyde” — As usual, it was all too easy to disparage a musical written (in part) by Frank Wildhorn. But I found the production — on Broadway but not pitched shamelessly to the tourist trade — to be perfectly scaled for the story it had to tell (about the famous American outlaws) and to feature two highly attractive leads in Laura Osnes and Jeremy Jordan.
3) “Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway” — He’s having even more fun than the audience. If you are not utterly charmed than you don’t have a heart.
4) “How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying” — A Broadway revival starring Daniel “Harry Potter” Radcliffe, who was criminally overlooked for a Tony nomination. The early 60s message about corporate ladder climbing may be a little pat (I’m “Mad Men”-ed out) but the singing and dancing were infectious.
5) “The Normal Heart” — An electric ensemble brought to vivid life this 1985 play by Larry Kramer about the AIDS epidemic and the political indifference surrounding it. John Benjamin Hickey and Ellen Barkin won Tonys for their performances, and Joe Mantello, as the main character (a Kramer stand-in), was also terrific.
6) “Once” — A December opening off-Broadway brought an immediate announcement of a transfer early in 2012 to the Great White Way. This musical is based on the 2006 movie about a Dublin musician and the young Czech woman who inspired him. Quiet and tastefully adapted for the stage, the production may not be surefire for midtown Manhattan audiences (it’s not sexy like “Rent” or “Spring Awakening,” and lacking in a “name” actor). But it’s quality stuff.
7) “Other Desert Cities” — Jon Robin Baitz, author of many engaging dramas, made his Broadway debut the day before his 50th birthday. And what a present he gave us! A story about a couple of Reagan-era Hollywood Republicans who have retreated to Palm Springs and their liberal daughter who has tossed a bomb into their midst in the form of a family memoir. The best ensemble in town: Stockard Channing, Stacy Keach, Rachel Griffiths, Judith Light, and Thomas Sadoski/Matthew Risch.
8) “Porgy and Bess” — This Diane Paulus production of the Gershwin/DuBose Heyward opera made its debut at ART in Boston in August and is in preview performances on Broadway. Audra McDonald and Norm Lewis made a fine pair of leads, and the music is as transporting as ever.
9) “Sons of the Prophet” — The Roundabout Theater in New York presented a heart-catching production of Stephen Karam’s play about a young Pennsylvania man and the family suffering he endures. Santino Fontana gave one of the year’s stand-out performances.
10) “War Horse” — This National Theatre of Great Britain production, recast for Lincoln Center Theater in New York, was theatrical magic. Somewhat different from the Spielberg movie which, like the play, is based on a novel by Michael Morpugo, the show displayed spectacular life-size horse puppets by Handspring Puppet Company. It’s a World War One story interpreted a high-spirited team of actors who are every bit as athletic as the Packers or the Heat. (More so!)
