Danceworthy: Tina Pereira

National Ballet of Canada First Soloist Tina Pereira is taking on the lead role of Carmen, in a new expanded full length version running at The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts this June 5th - 16th (with Tina Pereira performing the role of Carmen on performances June 6, 8, and 9th at the 2pm matinees). I spoke with Tina about taking on the iconic role of Carmen

Tapeworthy: Congrats on getting the principal role in the iconic role of Carmen, so how are you feeling?

Tina Pereira: It’s a pretty amazing role so so far so good!

Tapeworthy: And with such an iconic role, and the National Ballet still has a rotating cast of dancers that performs it, when you’re rehearsing and preparing the role, does the choreographer sort of just place the steps and movements for you, or how much of yourself do you get to put into this kind of performance?

Tina: That’s actually a good question. A lot of it is set for you but I think if a choreographer have different expectations and some are more specific with what they want, and others are more, it’s just good to see what you could bring to the character and to the role. And especially with Davide Bombana [choreographer of Carmen], if you even look at the casting, with me, Heather [Ogden] and Greta [Hodgkinson], we’re all so completely different in every single way, that also lets you know that he’s really looking for your individually interpretation of Carmen.

So for me, I think once he does set the material, then I feel free to add little things that maybe I would do as Carmen that wouldn’t be the same as the other girls and I think he would appreciate that.

Tapeworthy: Yah, like the emotional arcs and your take of the character yourself itself?

Tina: Yah and she’s such a strong character that you do want it to look authentic. So if that’s why he gives that sort of leeway, it’s because if you do something that, not everything looks the same on everybody, and If you do something that really suits you, or suits the character, it doesn’t necessarily mean that anybody else would feel the same way, or [feel] as comfortable doing what you do.

Tapeworthy: In rehearsing for Carmen, have you discovered anything about yourself?

Tina: (laughs) Yah, actually, I’m pretty much smack in the heart of that right now, that discovery process, because so far we’ve just been learning the new material, and just on Friday it was the first time we’ve tried to piece everything together. And today is the first time I’m having my first work-through. So I’ve spent time this weekend trying to find those moments, but I think it’s a process, and I’m still trying to remember some of the new parts of the choreography, so it’s not quite gelled but I hope after this rehearsal, and I have another run-through on Friday, so between these two times, I’m going to get a really good sense of what I want to do with the character.

Tapeworthy: You and the company are also preparing for the mixed program as well (June 19-23), and you dancers do this all the time and in such close proximity in timing, and they usually are such a different type of ballet, do you enjoy it or is it just crazy?

Tina: I think a little both. I went into this process expecting it to be a little crazy, I’ve done a lot of work on my own and I know there’s just not a lot of time so I have to take a lot of initiative upon myself to really know my material and if that means going home and just reviewing something, just so that I can use the rehearsal time wisely to do everything well instead of trying to remember all the choreography.

So I think at some point when you know you have a heavy load you have to take a lot of responsibility for it.

But as far as [also preparing for the mixed program], I think sometimes it’s hard to go from extremely classical to contemporary but I think at first it was hard but now I’m sort of more used to it. What’s different about it is that you can go into one rehearsal and be wearing pink tights and pink shoes and then go into another rehearsal and be in bare legs and flesh shoes. So sometimes you don’t have time change so if I’m doing Carmen with pink shoes and pink tights, which I had to do once, it feels very bizarre (laughs). I feel like I have to be ten times the character because it feels completely wrong.

Tapeworthy: Going on that, I noticed you have a love for fashion with your blog Ballerina Couture, did you want to speak more about that, and if you were planning to pursue a mix of ballet and fashion more in the future?

Tina: Yah, I definitely am! I just sort of stumbled upon it. I started with a blog and then I started to sew and then kind of fused the two and have a plan to make a leotard line. But that was more when the season isn’t so busy, but as for right now, Ballerina Couture is on a very big hold!

But in the future it’s definitely something, and anytime I have spare time, I love to be learning about fashion.

Tapeworthy: Now that you’ve gotten the role of Carmen, are there any dream roles you would love to play? Or any ballets you would love to perform in that you haven’t yet?

Tina: There are so many and we do have so many in our rep that I would like to do but that’s a hard question!

Tapeworthy: Is there a favorite ballet you just love watching as an audience member?

Tina: Onegin! I love Onegin. I could watch that over and over and cry every time.

Tapeworthy: Yes, that’s a beautiful one! To go off topic, I know you train so properly and have such incredible proper diets; do you have any favorite splurge foods you enjoy?

Tina: Believe it or not I’m a vegetarian and I love to eat healthy. Well I guess every once in a while I’ll have some junk food and if there’s a birthday I kind of love cake (laughs) but I don’t really crave junk on a normal basis.

Tapeworthy: What do you think about shows like So You Think You Can Dance and the popularity of dance in reality TV?

Tina: I think it’s amazing since there are so many people with a passion for dance, and I think a lot of people have grown up and danced at one point, or had a sister or a friend that was in dance and really enjoyed it, but to have a career in it, ballet or musical theatre have been the only venues for that, so for shows like that to spread the popularity of dance, I think is really good, and it’s not like they’re just doing Jazz dancing, there’s everything nowadays, from Hip-Hop to Bollywood, so it’s really nice that all these others interests are being exposed and becoming more mainstream, because a lot of people really do enjoy it, it just hasn’t been as accessible.

Tapeworthy: How did you start dancing? I know you came from Trinidad, when did you come to Canada, and did your love for ballet start there or here?

Tina: Here, I moved to Canada when I was 3 so I started dancing when I was 5 and my family lived in Mississauga so I just started at a local dance school from the age of 5 until the age of 12, which is when I went to the National Ballet School but I danced pretty much everything offered to me. So I have some experience with Jazz and Tap and Acrobatics and Lyrical dancing.

Actually one of the people I first started off dancing with was a runner up on the American So You Think You Can Dance and choreographs and he was a judge on the show so he’s now established himself very much in the So You Think You Can Dance world. Ironically enough.

Tapeworthy: Just for fun, what’s the last song you played on your iPod.

Tina: Oh boy, (thinks) I can’t remember but I like anything that makes me dance and anything with a good beat and that makes me move. I love Amy Winehouse’s “Valerie”. Happy music. I like Happy music!

Tapeworthy: Between Carmen and the modern dances, do you have a preference? Do you enjoy both types?

Tina: I’ve trained my whole life and we’ve trained every day in ballet school to be classical dancers but if I had a choice, I wouldn’t choose classical or modern, I would choose character work. I love more than anything is when I can portray a character. It’s the most fulfilling thing, and regardless of how hard or how easy it is, being in the zone of somebody else is just the most rewarding thing for me.

I think especially when you have a challenging role that is on pointe, and just to be in the character, is massive enough.



Interview edited for length.
Photos: Tina Pereira by Sian Richards.
Tina Pereira and Artsits of the ballet in rehearsals, by Christopher Wahl,
Tina Pereira with Jonathan Renna. Photo by Daniel Neuhas
Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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The Grey Area - Race and The Call - Play Reviews

Race - Canadian Stage at Bluma Appel Theatre in the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts - Toronto, ON - **1/2 (out of 5 stars)
Written by David Mamet, Directed by Daniel Brooks
Runs until May 5th 2013

The Call - Playwrights Horizons' Peter Jay Sharp Theatre - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - **1/2 (out of 5 stars)
Written by Tanya Barfield, Directed by Leigh Silverman
Runs until May 19th 2013. Review based on early preview.


It may be 2013 but the colour of your skin still factors into the life you can and will lead in America. While daily life may not have as many overt incidences of racism or stereotyping as America's sordid past (the Civil War, the Scottsboro Boys, Malcollm X), countless new news stories (like the tragic death of Trayvon Martin) and political issues (like the absurdity in the importance in seeing Obama's birth certificate) keep the issues of being Black in America as a constant simmering issue.

Two recent new dramas attempt to discuss the issues of race in modern America, with Mamet dramatizing things in his usual hot-button scandal laced ways, while Tanya Barfield gently brings the subtle issues of race in a drama about a white yuppie couple who decide to adopt a baby from Africa after their Black lesbian friends return from a trip to Africa.

There are interesting points in David Mamet's Race, now playing at Canadian Stage, with some pointed statements that make for typical juicy quotable Mamet fare but the plot lacks enough bite to truly be controversial or incendiary. The story revolves around a pompous and rich White man Charles Strickland who is accused of raping a Black woman. Strickland hires a team of lawyers that include White laywer Jack Lawson, a Black lawyer Henry Brown, and a younger Black female lawyer, one who seems a match to the supposed victim. The set up, while not unlike a typical episode plotline on The Good Wife, Boston Legal, or The Practice, still has many interesting facets to explore, with issues of White privilege versus the expectations and struggles Blacks must overcome to succeed in America. Unfortunately, the more interesting points are rolled into a typical courtroom case as the lawyers discuss the legal tactics and points that may or may not help their own careers.

The cast has heralded attention for beloved former-Beverly Hills 90210-teen-idol Jason Priestley's presence on the Toronto stage. While Priestley, as Lawson, still seemed to be fitting into his stage shoes, his innate likability made me root for him and while there were some projection problems, I enjoyed his presence and would like to see him do more theatre in the future. However, with Stratford vets Nigel Shawn Williams as Brown, and Cara Ricketts as young lawyer Susan, things are quite unbalanced as Williams and Ricketts easily control the stage in terrific controlled performances in roles that are more archetypes and plot points than actual characters. The biggest deficit though is Matthew Edison as Strickland. Edison is far too likeable and soft to be playing what is supposed to be a pompous rich jerk and the whole plot that hinges on his character doesn't seem to propel itself from Edison's genial nature.

Still, I'm curious to hear what others have to say about Mamet's Race debate. I only wish the play about being Black and White in America had more colour to it.

In The Call, a new play running at Playwrights Horizons (in a co-production with Primary Stages), White couple Annie (Kerry Butler, Xanadu) and Peter (Kelly AuCoin) announce to their Black lesbian friends Rebecca (Eisa Davis, Passing Strange) and Drea (Crystal A. Dickinson, Clybourne Park) that they are going to adopt a baby. When their local first choice doesn't work out, a recent trip by Rebecca and Drea to Africa puts an idea into Annie and Peter who starts the process of adopting a baby from Africa. As the decisions takes hold, issues of a White couple raising a Black baby arrises, although the controversial sparks you would think would arise from their friends don't, as Rebecca and Drea are pretty supportive with the idea. It's other factors that puts doubt into the group, but ultimately, things begin to unravel when a backstory of an almost unrelated nature break things apart. Without revealing the twist, it sort of feels like it comes out of nowhere to add dramatic shock to the story when the initial idea hasn't been fully mined yet.

Add in an so-nice-he's-odd African neighbour, who insists that Annie and Peter go through with the adoption while asking them to bring shipments of donations to Africa at the same time, and The Call sort of falls off the rails when it tries to stuff too many possible controversies without really delving in fully into any one in particular. Major decisions seem glossed over and simply become assumed plot points, while the African neighbour Alemu (Russell G. Jones) seems to spout out prophetic Oprah-like wisdom.

The cast tries to inject as much realism into the promising play, with the most compelling and subtle performances from Eisa Davis, Crystal A. Dickinson and Kelly AuCoin, but the attempt to tie a shocking past to the story rings false and unnecessary for a story already so filled with so many complications and issues.


I appreciated the attempts at thought provoking plays potentially with flaming controversy with the still-hot button issue of race in contemporary America. While there are interesting points and great potential in set ups for Race and The Call, both plays, despite some great performances, aren't quite as scathing as the premise sets up for. Some plot points don't quite add up, and it takes away from the possible truth the plays reaches for. Still, they are the types of plays that cry out to be discussed afterwards and I'm incredibly curious to hear what others have to say about them, and wonder if the colour of my own skin (and that I am neither Black nor White) may have anything to do with my reactions to the play.

Photos of Race by David Hou
Photo of The Call by Jeremy Daniel
Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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This is Middle Age - This - Play Review

This - Canadian Stage at the Berkeley Street Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***1/2 (out of 5 stars)
Written by Melissa James Gibson, Directed by Matthew Jocelyn
Runs until April 13th 2013

This is about this and that. This is about a group of middle aged long-time friends; one who has just lost her husband and trying to move on while caring for an unseen 9 year old; a married couple with a newborn baby; and the token gay friend. This is when they have dinner party and a French Doctor-without-borders joins them and games get misinterpreted which leads to a series of events that start disassembling the group, the marriage, the friendships, all while the French interloper observes as an outsider.

The strong cast of five is stellar with the material. With Yanna McIntosh (everything, including Speaking in Tongues) and Jonathon Young (Tear the Curtain!, Studies in Motion) as the couple dealing with a new baby as well as a new development, while Alon Nashman (Scorched) is wonderfully nurturing and yet pointedly hilarious as Alan, the gay friend with a highly evolved memory. Christian Laurin's Jean Pierre may be the least developed character and is used more as a plot device, but Laurin's   reactions and his final diatribe is so spot on that it explains his existence.

Meanwhile, while it isn't quite as evident as first, since the ensemble works so well together, This becomes truly a piece for Laura Condlin as Jane, the widower being emotionally bounced around while trying to make it through the day as a mother, friend, person.

Matthew Jocelyn opens up the play on Astrid Janson's open set that strips the Berkeley Street Theatre to its bare bones and keeps the lights on the entire theatre while situating some of the audience members onto the stage area, with the actors moving in and out of the audience. While I appreciated the concept, I only wish the audience seating were brought into the stage a bit even more, and close up the performance space a little more to get this closeness effect I believe they were trying to achieve. Still, the bare stage with minimal props lets the drama unfold and reveal itself in the same simplicity as the set harks to.

Gibson's play is often funny between bouts of awkward situations presented as the mess of real life as it invades upon these middle aged friends. While the French character Jean Pierre sometimes feels shoehorned in to move certain plot points, and while the gay friend sometimes feels like the token gay friend in a sitcom, there are still many moments of truths that sear through the play, that ultimately is much ado about ... this... or that.

Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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Le Pain and Suffering - Les Misérables - BluRay/DVD Review

Les Misérables - BluRay and DVD (includes Digital Copy and Ultraviolet)
Available Mar. 22nd 2013

Lots have been said about the film when it came out in cinemas. Between the raves, the backlash, the backlash on the backlash, and the backlash on the backlash on the backlash, somewhere in between, is probably where I land on with the film. A film based on the famous musical by Alain Boubil and Claude Schönberg that I like, but don't think, like many fans, is the best musical ever or some orgasmic response. Still, it's a musical with stunning music that we all know by now, and while there is a level of respect for the original musical (which I have seen on stage several times), translating a musical to film is a totally different game. One that sometime succeeds (Chicago, Hairspray) and sometimes fails (Rent, Nine).

Director Tom Hooper makes some bold choices, and I admire his vision in trying to give us a realistic vision of the despair and emotional heartbreaks in Les Misérables, with live sung-through performances that ante up the dramatic acting at the sake of perfect singing. The "realistic" singing didn't bother me as much as it seems to have bothered many out there. I was fine with sacrificing being perfectly in key for
acting.

It was the technical elements that bothered me most about the film, including the camerawork and the stage-looking set design that countered the realistic tone Hooper seemed to be going for. However the shaky cam that is nauseating on the big screen is, while still an unnecessary creative choice, is less bothersome on the small screen in the BluRay/DVD release of Les Mis. The music still sounds great, but now I only wish some of the plotholes were smoothed out between the stage and filming. What one can excuse on stage with theatrical elements, seems to feel very jumpy, or cheesily overdramatic on film (like the whole purpose of Inspector Javert and his motivations).

Still, the performances, from Oscar winner Anne Hathaway, to Hugh Jackman, to Eddie Redmayne, Aaron Tveit, Colm Wilkinson, Daniel Huttlestone, and so on, are stellar, and despite which way you sway on Russell Crowe's singing, he gives Inspector Javert the heft and a nice counterpoint to Jackman.

The BluRay/DVD set includes features on Victor Hugo's original masterwork, on creating the sets for the film, plus a full commentary with director Tom Hooper.

Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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Contestworthy: Ann on Broadway!

Holland Taylor is on Broadway this season as ANN, about the feisty Texas governor Ann Richards! Now in previews at Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theater, and officially opening this Thursday, March 7th! And guess what? I have a pair of tickets to give away to a lucky reader/follower!

Written AND performed by Emmy Award winner Holland Taylor (Two and A Half Men, The Practice) in "a no-holds-barred portrait of Ann Richards, the legendary Texas Governor. The new play brings us face to face with a complex, colorful and captivating character bigger than the state from which she hailed".

Playing to sold-out audiences in Texas, and winning critical acclaim in Chicago and at the Kennedy Center in Washingon, DC., The Lincoln Center Theatre now brings Ann to New York for a limited run.


To enter the Ann on Broadway contest:

- Email me at tapeworthycontest at gmail dot com with the answers, your name and city. Please subject the email: ANN ON BROADWAY CONTEST 

- Answer these trivia questions:
1) Holland Taylor has had an illustrious career in film, theatre and television, but in what film did she play a stern law professor?

2) Ann Richards was ultimately beaten in an election for Texas Governorship by which candidate, who she called "some jerk" at one point in the campaign?

3) Holland Taylor have starred in numerous television shows. Name 2 shows and their respective co-stars who will also appear on Broadway this season.


- Contest closes at 11:59pm EST on Friday, March 8th 2013. A winner will be randomly picked from all correct entries received.

- For ONE BONUS Entry: Share the contest on twitter and include your twitter handle and twitter post in the email.
- For ANOTHER BONUS Entry: Share the contest on Facebook on Public setting and include a link to your Facebook page in the email.


- Tapeworthy is not responsible for the prize. Voucher issued by ANN on Broadway includes 2 tickets to the show on Broadway for a date of your choice (subject to availability). Travel is not included in the prize.  You must present your confirmation to the Box Office when you pick up your tickets. Once an order is confirmed, it cannot be changed. Tickets can ONLY be picked up on the day of the performance. Tickets must be picked up at the Box Office no later than 30 minutes prior to show time or your tickets WILL be released for resale. Released tickets cannot be rescheduled.
Prize has no monetary value and cannot be resold to another party.

- Only one winner will be chosen.
I will ask for further details if you are the winner. Only the one winner will be contacted.

Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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Road to Freedom? - The Power of Harriet T and The Wizard of Oz - Theatre Reviews

The Power of Harriet T! - Young People's Theatre - Toronto, ON - *** (out of 5 stars)
Written by Michael Miller, Directed by Tanisha Taitt
Runs until Feb. 22nd 2013

The Wizard of Oz - Ed Mirvish Theatre - Toronto, ON - **1/2 (out of 5 stars)
Music by Harold Arlen, Lyrics by E.Y. Harburg, Original Background Music by Harold Stothart, Additional Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Lyrics by Tim Rice, Adapted and Directed by Jeremy Sams

Watching children's theatre, or theatre appropriate for young people, always seems to demand whether judgement should be graded on a curve, and whether it works as a show for the intended, or for all. While I wouldn't want to diminish theatre for young people as any lesser of an artform, the demands towards a younger audience need to address a difference in concentration levels, and an understandable language level, all preferably without underestimating their intelligence and without talking down towards them. What works for young minds may not live up to an adults, and vice versa, but I would like to think that if a show works, it still works.

Two of Toronto's latest theatrical shows that are marketing to a younger audience seemed to have caused various degrees of restlessness in the youngsters at my viewing though also seemed to entertain them on various levels, while my adult mind probably overanalyzed the show more than it should have.

The Power of Harriet T! is the powerful tale of Harriet T., a Black slave who recounts her struggles with her nasty White owner, and her escape via the underground railway to the north and eventually Canada. It is an important historical tale that provides the stage with some haunting imagery, as directed by Tanisha Taitt on Kimberly Purtell's (purposefully) imbalanced set. While the tale may pull no big surprises in the story to the adults in the room (though still no less disturbing), it certainly seemed shocking to the young audience who seemed to justly react to the racism and unjust actions on stage as Harriet T. endured her slave life in the South. Miller's play doesn't pull any theatrical punches and sometimes the dialogue seemed a tad simplified, but it leaves the power of the story, and of the human struggle as its main focus, and that is powerful in itself.

The new revised version of the classic film The Wizard of Oz is brought to you by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and various producers including Warner Brothers, all happily looking to bringing the classic movie to the stage. While I never really thought of The Wizard of Oz film as a musical, it does have numerous songs that have become legendary and classics in the pop culture canon. To fill out a stage musical, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice have slipped in many of their own songs into the story of Dorothy and her trip to Oz. Unfortunately, while the road on the Yellow Brick Road has some fun times, the show felt pedestrian, and decent at best.

Lisa Horner does a cackling job hamming it up as The Wicked Witch of the West, while Jamie McKnight and Mike Jackson are wonderfully amusing as The Scarecrow and Tin Man, respectively. Cedric Smith plays the Wizard of Oz with the right amount of thundering misaligned authority. The ensemble seems to be made up of some wonderfully attractive and abled dancers, but who seem wasted here dancing Arlene Phillips' clunky and embarrassing choreographed moves (and I only wished they could be doing the show Chicago instead).

While I did not think Danielle Wade was terrible as Dorothy, I also did not find her central enough to be the focus of the show, despite this being her story. Meanwhile, the dog playing Toto received the biggest applause and you can take that however you want.

There seemed to be a lack of that special magic in this theatre endeavor that made the original movie such a piece of cinematic history. The new songs add very little to the proceedings other than padding out the story, and the use of projections didn't blend very seamlessly into Robert Jones' impressive sets on some occasions. Still, there are moments of joy within the stage show, despite finding myself bored much of the time, and the cast does what it can with the classic material and tries to breathe some depth into a show that is still looking for its own heart.


Photo of The Power of Harriet T! by Mark Seow
Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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Stageworthy: The Best of Stage 2012

159 shows in 2012! My new record (beating 2011 by 1)! In Toronto, New York, London, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Sydney, Niagara-On-the-Lake, Stratford, Las Vegas, Chicago, and Montréal.

151 individual shows from those 159 times. Shows I've seen in previous years are ineligible (including 2011 faves Once, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Godspell, and 2007 favorite Traces) and while new versions of some previous favorites (2009's Giant, 2010's Leap of Faith, and a 2011 workshop of On A Clear Day You Can See Forever), with new directors, premiered in 2012 (and thus would be eligible), the new versions were sadly inferior to the original versions I saw.

Anyways, the list of EVERYTHING I saw this past year is at the end of the post, and here are my picks for the year.

Here's the Best of Stage 2012:

1. Cirque du Soleil's Amaluna and Iris and O
Amaluna (Circus) - Cirque du Soleil's Le Grand Chapiteau at The Quays - Montreal, QC - Original Review - and at The Port Lands - Toronto, ON - Original Review
Director of Creation: Fernand Rainville, Directed by Diane Paulus
Iris (Circus) - Cirque du Soleil at The Dolby Theatre - Los Angeles, CA
Director of Creation: Jean François Bouchard, Written and Directed by Philippe Decouflé
O (Circus) - Cirque du Soleil at Bellagio - Las Vegas, NV - Original Review
Directed by Franco Dragone

I had a bit of a Cirque kick this year, seeing 7 different Cirque shows 8 times. And while they were all good, the newest Cirque show, Amaluna, and one of Cirque's earliest Vegas entries O, simply blew me away. Living up to the hype and the already-heightened expectations, both shows raised the bar and then jumped (or tossed or trapezed or flung) way over it. Amaluna had the benefit of Diane Paulus' storytelling framework to unify the female empowering themes, while Franco Dragone's Vegas classic is simply mesmerizing in its haunting and astounding lyrical imagery. Meanwhile, Iris is a beautiful homage to its Hollywood home, with some inventive mix of Cirque's usual tricks rolled into the history of filmmaking.


2. Matthew Bourne's Play Without Words (Dance Play Revival) - New Adventure in association with National Theatre at Sadler's Wells - London, UK - Original Review
Devised by Matthew Bourne based on the Joseph Losey film The Servant, Music by Terry Davies

A dance play sans words that has more to say than many shows. Bourne's clever use of multiple actors playing the same role simultaneously conveys the idea of choreography, multiple emotions and multiple time frames. The revival feels fresh and invigorating, with a haunting jazz score by Terry Davies lead by originating cast member Richard Winsor. The sex and lust that gets cut with vengeance between the classes is played out on a beautiful stage set by Lez Brotherston.


3. Death of a Salesman (Play Revival) - Ethel Barrymore Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - *Biased Review*
Written by Arthur Miller, Directed by Mike Nichols

On the original Joe Mielzner set, with the original score by Alex North, Mike Nichols and a superb cast took us back in time to experience Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. Andrew Garfield, in an amazing Broadway debut, went toe to toe with a broken down Willy Loman inhabited by Philip Seymour Hoffman. Newcomer Finn Wittrock more than holds his own as Happy, while Linda Emond is rapturous as the lady of the house trying to keep things together. The entire cast, down to the smallest roles, are filled with extraordinary performances that layer the dream play with the haunting haze Miller created.


4. Posh (Play) - The Royal Court Theatre at The Duke of York's Theatre - West End - London, UK
Written by Laura Wade, Directed by Lyndsey Turner

Bad British boys behaving badly, and never has it been more fun and thrilling, or more damaging, to the unlucky owners of a local restaurant. Wade's play has a grand time both laughing with and laughing at these posh Oxford school boys on their annual night of debauchery, as they exude their upper class status while throwing money in the face of the local working class. Turner maintains a zippy freshness in the age old war of the classes, the secrets and clubs we keep, and what we think money can buy. The play also finally justifies the existence of LMFAO's song "Sexy and I Know It" (in a hilarious a cappella version used in the show).


5. Hairspray (Musical Revival) - The Max at Signature Theatre - Arlington, VA (Greater Washington D.C.) - Original Review
Music by Marc Shaiman, Lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman, Book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, Based on the 1988 film Hairspray by John Waters, Directed by Eric Schaeffer, Choreographed by Karma Camp and Brianne Camp

An exuberant and bouncy revival of the sweet musical that pushes the emotional heart of the show in this big show at the very small Signature Theatre. The original was never my favorite, but Schaeffer has directed such a joyous and moving musical, with a stupendous lead in Carolyn Cole, that I've had to rethink the entire show itself. With a fabulous cast with many of Signature's regular roster, and a beautiful set by Daniel Conway, the show defines Big Blonde and Beautiful!


6. The Golden Dragon (Play) - Tarragon Theatre - Toronto, ON
Written by Roland Schimmelpfennig, Translated by David Tushingham, Directed by Ross Manson

A cast of 5 (and a terrific cast at that) portrays multiple characters in a tale around The Golden Dragon Chinese Restaurant, with storylines threading in and out as actors switch roles that defy their race or gender. Schimmerlpfennig feels like a new and modern story of a traditional folktale, with humour, drama, horror all mixed in just the right amount for a perfectly blended taste. Manson, setting the show in the round, has stirred up a delicious theatrical meal that is both hearty and flavourful.


7. Iceland (Play) - Summerworks at Lower Ossington Theatre - Toronto, ON
Written by Nicolas Billon, Directed by Ravi Jain

How do three very different individuals in Toronto, each giving us the audience their own monologue, have anything to do with each other, let alone explain the title of this play? Billon's new play (being remounted at Factory Theatre in 2013) cleverly weaves three different personal stories that connects on a more global scale, sometimes to tragic results, sometimes filled with schadenfreude. Of course, it probably depends on who you identify with more, but a brilliant cast and taut direction by Jain keeps this simple production feel otherworldly.


8. Tribes (Play) - Barrow Street Theatre - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - Original Review
Written by Nina Raines, Directed by David Cromer

A deaf grown son lives with his hearing family but finally discovers his own world when he meets a girl with early hearing-impairment. There are some fascinating issues unraveling in Nina Raines' play, and while sometime things feel a bit overdone with every family member having overly quirky and pressing attributes, Cromer balances it with clever and tight staging in-the-round in the tiny Barrow Street Theatre, with surtitles and a sound design that gives us an idea of the hearing-impaired world. Russell Harvard is terrific in the lead of this ensemble drama and helps ground the play from its overly manic elements.


9. Dogfight (Musical) - Second Stage Theatre - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY
Music and Lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Book by Peter Duchan, Based on the film written by Bob Comfort, Choreographed by Christopher Gattelli, Directed by Joe Mantello

When three Marines plan a night of debauchery on the eve of deployment, they devise a nasty game that cruelly humiliates the most "dog" girls they can pick up, it's hard to have any sympathy for the guys. But when the ringleader Eddie (Derek Klena) begins developing actual feelings for his "pick" Rose (a revelatory Lindsay Mendez), deeper emotions and issues evolve. Mantello directs a slick but sweet and heartfelt musical that digs deep into some dark and ugly attitudes, and a lot rides on Klena's believability in his internal struggle and changing attitude, but Klena won me over in a subtle performance that matched Mendez's optimistic but secretly intelligent and strong-willed Rose. Pasek and Paul's music is one of the catchiest and strongest new musical entries in recent years.


10. The Little Years - Tarragon Theatre - Toronto, ON - Original Review
Written by John Mighton, Directed by Chris Abraham

When an intelligent girl is born in small-town Ontario in the wrong time, the devastating results, despite the best efforts of a sister-in-law, is not enough to combat a path setforth by the sting of her mother's words and the expectations of a patriarchal world. Abraham's beautiful production in Tarragon's reconfigured space (by Julie Fox), with Kimberly Purtell's smart lighting and Thomas Ryder Payne's composition and sound design adds to Mighton's intelligent and thoughtful play.


11. Cock (Play) - The Duke - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY
Written by Mike Bartlett, Directed by James MacDonald

Cory Michael Smith, Jason Butler Smith and Amanda Quaid go head to head in full on rounds of cock fighting in a play about... well... one young man's decision to dump his older boyfriend and then ends up falling in love with a woman... only to second guess his decisions. MacDonald's intense setting (in a theatre created to be a cockfight ring) is perfect for the little rounds of wars Bartlett has strung together. While a 3rd act when a 4th interloper interrupts the bouts of battle rounds doesn't quite work, the three main characters quick feet and rapid zingers are just reactions to the internal struggles each one finds themselves in in the war of love and relationships. Bartlett brings up intriguing questions and the cast keeps the ambiguity and subtlety in check in a show brazen with big ... uh... bold... ideas.


12. Gatz (Play) - Elevator Repair Service at Newman Theatre at The Public Theatre - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY
Text by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Directed by John Collins

Who knew a complete reading of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic book The Great Gatsby, live on stage, could be such a thrilling ride? The story of Gatsby, Daisy and Tom Buchanan comes alive through the odd happenings in a boring office as a bored office worker begins reading the book, when slowly, office workers begin mimicking characters in the book and the dazzling world of Jay Gatsby fills the grey office with a world of wonder, and ultimately a haunting ending. Elevator Repair Service's creative storytelling idea doesn't always work in every passage but ultimately, this is not a bad dream.


13. National Ballet of Canada's Hamlet and The Seagull and Chroma and Song of a Wayfarer
Hamlet (Ballet) - National Ballet of Canada at Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts - Toronto, ON - Original Review
Choreographed by Kevin O'Day, based on William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Music by John King The Seagull (Ballet) - National Ballet of Canada - Four Seasons Center - Toronto, ON - Original Review
Choreographed and Designed by John Neumeier, After the play by Anton Chekhov, Music by Dmitri Shostakovich, Evelyn Glennie, Pyotr Iliych Tchaikovsky and Alexander Scriabin
Chroma and Song of a Wayfarer (Ballet) - National Ballet of Canada - Four Seasons Center - Toronto, ON - Original Review
Chroma - Choreographed by Wayne McGregor, Music by Joby Talbot and Jack White III
Song of a Wayfarer - Choreographed by Maurice Béjart, Music by Gustav Mahler 

Ballet versions of Checkhov's The Seagull and Shakespeare's Hamlet? Losing the text yet not losing the language, the dance versions of two classic plays seems only to heighten the emotions without losing any of the plot or the point (while, dancing, on point!). The contemporarily modern productions, including Chroma and modern classic Song of a Wayfarer are a perfect showcase for the company and its dancers, which keeps things fresh and bold.


14. Stephen Sondheim revivals of Sweeney Todd and Sunday in the Park with George
Sweeney Todd (Musical Revival) - Adelphi Theatre - West End - London, UK - Original Review
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Book by Hugh Wheeler based on the book by Christopher Bond, Directed by Jonathan Kent
Sunday in the Park with George (Musical Revival) - Chicago Shakespeare's Courtyard Theatre - Chicago, IL
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Book by James Lapine, Directed by Gary Griffin

While Sweeney Todd and Sunday in the Park are often mentioned as favorite Sondheim shows, mine are Into the Woods and Company. However, two new productions prove that they indeed are some of Sondheim's best. Jason Danieley is wonderful contemplative and dashing as George Seurat and George in Gary Griffin's beautiful production manages to finally click with me and all the elements, the sarcasm, the portrayal of life in the art world, and art in life, seemed to be balances with just the right touch.

Over in London, a chilling Sweeney Todd led by Michael Ball in the title role in a production that is dank and dirty and wonderfully funny and satiric without losing any grime or emotional heft. Ball is terrific but the show finally clicks into its mad insanity with Imelda Staunton's Mrs. Lovett. Staunton captures the mad humour, the controlling obsessiveness, the wild heartache with such exuberance and evil glee that her Mrs. Lovett is possible one of the best performances I have ever seen. Period.


15. Cinderella (a RATical retelling) (Musical) - Young People's Theatre - Toronto, ON - Original Review

Written by Mike Kenny, Original Music by Jason Jestadt, Directed by Allen MacInnis

A delightful twist on the classic tale with the fabulous cast doubling as the narrator rats as well as Cinderella's evil family as Steffi D's charming Cinderella gets to go to the ball and meets her Prince in a wonderfully independent way. Cute songs, a cast that turns in performances worthy of a Shakesperean effort, and a show that doesn't talk down to the its audience, this new RATical retelling is RATically awesome.


16. Singin' in the Rain (Musical Revival) - Palace Theatre - West End - London, UK - Original Review
Music and Lyrics by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Field, Based on the MGM Film, Choreographed by Andrew Wright, Directed by Jonathan Church

Let's face it. Seeing people dance in the rain live on stage is just pure fun and the gimmick totally works. It helps that this classic film is so beloved, and with game performances, especially from lead Adam Cooper, and a hilarious Katherine Kingsley as the horrible Lina Lamont. Seeing Daniel Crossley's Cosmo Brown perform "Make 'em Laugh" live is simply astounding and the whole show has an old-school Hollywood joy that recent stage efforts have had a hard time duplicating.


17. One Man, Two Guvnors (Play) - Music Box Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - Original Review
Written by Richard Bean, Based on the play The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni, Music by Grant Olding, Directed by Nicholas Hytner

What a silly silly show. With little depth and barely a story this should be completely forgettable. Yet it's totally the point and James Corden and a zany cast go all out in milking the laughs, while a skiffle band The Craze play wonderful songs in between scenes. It's all quite the mishmash resulting in one of the most fun times at the theatre in a long long time with too many laugh-out-loud moments to count.


18. Proud (Play) - Berkeley Street Theatre Upstairs - Toronto, ON
Written by Michael Healey, Directed by Miles Potter

The controversial comedy about Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is less controversial and far funnier than the controversy would lead you to believe. In a make-believe world (or is it?), Michael Healey's Stephen Harper is a numbers nerd whose policies are explained less as an evil megalomaniac (as I believe) and more because he's a nerd. In comes a new MP from Quebec who wins on a surprise landslide (pretend if those NDP winners in Quebec were actually from the Cons) and things start to shake Harper's government. Maev Beaty is hysterical as the naive new MP, while the play is clever in twisting the realities and our perceptions of our politicians and having some fun with it all.


19. The Whale (Play) - Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Playwrights Horizons - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY
Written by Samuel D. Hunter, Directed by Davis McCallum

The whale metaphor doesn't quite pay off at the end, but up until then, Davis McCallum's swealtering production is a fascinating portrait into the life of a very large man, his caretaker, his estranged daughter and a Mormon on his mission. Shuler Hensley gives a devastating performance, with Cory Michael Smith, Tasha Lawrence and Rebecca Henderson wonderfully aiding alongside. A wonderfully suffocating set by Mimi Lien, and some tricky lighting design by Jane Cox enhance the themes  in Hunter's interesting new play.


20. Without You (Musical) - Panasonic Theatre - Toronto, ON
Written by Anthony Rapp, Directed by Steve Maler

Anthony Rapp's beautiful deeply personal musical memoir of his experience with Rent and his relationship with his mother. It might be the Renthead in me, or my on-going crush on Rapp that began during those Rent days, but this wonderfully intimate solo show (Rapp is back up with a band) feels so personal that it feels like it's on a different plane.


Most Promising Shows: 

Come From Away (Musical) - An excerpt shown at the Canadian Music Theatre Project - Panasonic Theatre - Toronto, ON
A new Canadian musical from the creators of My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding about 9/11. Yes. 9/11. And it was one of the most thrilling, moving experiences I had in the theatre and this was all solely based on a staged reading performed by Sheridan College Theatre students. A full staging will be performed by Theatre Sheridan in Feb. 2013.

Kinky Boots (Musical) - Bank of America Theater - Chicago, IL
A musical adaptation based on the little British film of the same name, it's far from perfect and still in need of some major cuts and editing (particularly the first three songs), but when Cyndi Lauper stops trying to write musical theatre songs and writes songs in her own style, the musical, with a funny book from Harvey Fierstein, hits its stride and becomes a joyous show that has the potential to become a new classic. Despite the flaws, I ran back to see it again and loved it despite everything, and hopefully the creative team will recognize the problems before it moves to Broadway in Mar. 2013,

Through the Gates (Musical) - Musical Works in Concert at Summerworks at The Theatre Centre - Toronto, ON
A beautifully luscious score from Scott Christian is promising for this exotic tale based on the story of Buddha's youth. While the book needs to lighten up and restructure itself, the bones to the story and the wonderful music give hope to a something enlightening and special.



Breakthrough Performances (in alphabetical order):

The Mechanicals in A Midsummer Night's Dream: John Cleland, Mark Crawford, Richard Lee, Pierre Simpson

The cast of Forbidden Broadway: Alive and Kicking: Natalie Charlé Ellis, Scott Richard Foster, Jenny Lee Stern, Marcus Stevens

The cast of Iceland: Claire Calnan, Christine Horne, Kawa Ada

The cast of Ignorance: Nicolas di Gaetano, Viktor Lukawski, Trevor Leigh

The cast of Posh: Max Bennett, Leo Bill, Pip Carter, Jolyon Coy, Richard Goulding, Edward Killingback, Harry Lister Smith, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Charlotte Lucas, Joshua Maguire, Tom Mison, Jessica Ransom, Steffan Rhodri, Simon Shepherd

The cast of Potted Potter: Daniel Claskson and Jefferson Turner

Nick Blood in Backbeat
Charlie Brady in Xanadu
Tom Chambers in Top Hat
Oliver Chris in One Man, Two Guvnors
David Christo in Ajax (por nobody)
Carolyn Cole in Hairspray
Liza Colón-Zayas in Water by the Spoonful
Carmen Cusack in Sunday in the Park with George
Tom Edden in One Man, Two Guvnors
Annie Funke in If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet
Gil Garratt in The Game of Love and Chance and A Midsummer Night's Dream
Natasha Greenblatt in The Never Ending Story
Zabryna Guevara in Water by the Spoonful
Russell Harvard in Tribes
Melody A. Johnson in Miss Caledonia
Katherine Kingsley in Singin' in the Rain
Derek Klena in Dogfight
Billy Magnussen in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Ava Jane Markus in Terminus
Rob McClure in Chaplin the Musical
Jessica Moss in Was Spring
Alfredo Narciso in Red Dog Howls
Daniel Pagett in Help Yourself
Dawn Petten in Tear the Curtain!
Johnny Rabe in A Christmas Story: The Musical
Da'Vine Joy Randolph in Ghost
Lara Jacobs Rigolo in Amaluna
Amy Rosoff in Assistance
Sarah Sherman in A Midsummer Night's Dream
Pamela Sinha in The Little Years
Summer Strallen in Top Hat
Carly Street in Bloodless: The Trial of Burke and Hare
Raviv Ullman in Russian Transport
Tim Walker in Help Yourself
Adrienne Warren in Bring It On
Erin Weaver in Xanadu
Adam Wilson in Terminus


Great Performances (in alphabetical order):

The cast of Cinderella (a RATical retelling): Steffi DiDomenicantonio, Matt Brown, Dmitry Chepovetsky, DeAnn deGruijter, Élodie Gilette, Amy Lee, Richard Lee

The cast of Death of a Salesman: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Andrew Garfield, Linda Emond, Finn Whitrock, Bill Camp, Molly Price, John Glover, Fran Kranz, Remy Auberjonois, Glenn Fleshler, Stephanie Janssen, Kathleen McNenny, Elizabeth Morton.

The cast of The Golden Dragon: David Fox, Lili Francks, Tony Nappo, Anusree Roy, David Yee.

The cast of I Love You Because: Jeff Madden, Elena Juatco, Jay Davis, Gabi Epstein.

The cast of The Mystery of Edwin Drood: Stephanie J. Block, Will Chase, Gregg Edelman, Jim Norton, Chita Rivera, Andy Karl, Jessica Mueller, Betsy Wolfe, Nicholas Barasch, Peter Benson, Robert Creighton, Alison Cimmet, Kyle Coffman, Nick Corley, Janine DiVita, Jenifer Foote, Justin Greer, Shannon Lewis, Kiira Schmidt, Spencer Plachy, Eric Sciotto, Jim Walton.

The cast of Torch Song Trilogy: David Badella, Sara Kestleman, Joe McFadden, Tom Rhys Harries, Perry Millward.

The cast of Working: Marie-France Arcilla, Joe Cassidy, Donna Lynne Champlin, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Nehal Joshi, Kenita Miller

Guillaume Côté, Magee Maddox and the National Ballet of Canada Company in Hamlet, Chroma, Song of a Wayfarer and The Seagull.

Annaleigh Ashford in Dogfight and Kinky Boots
Kate Baldwin in The Music Man and Giant
Maev Beaty in Proud
Christian Borle in Peter and the Starcatcher
Justin Bott in Blood Ties
Philip Boykin in The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess
Jason Butler Harner in Cock
Kathleen Chalfant in Red Dog Howls
Adam Cooper in Singin' in the Rain
James Corden in One Man, Two Guvnors
Jason Danieley in Sunday in the Park with George
Danny Devito in The Sunshine Boys
Erin Dilly in A Christmas Story: The Musical
Arlene Duncan in Caroline, Or Change
Jonathan Goad in Speaking in Tongues
Ari Graynor in The Performers
Jake Gyllenhaal in If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet
Michael Healey in Clybourne Park and Proud
Shuler Hensley in The Whale
Megan Hilty in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Bethany Jillard in The Little Years
Rebecca Naomi Jones in Murder Ballad
Spencer Kayden in Don't Dress for Dinner
Celia Kenan-Bolger in Peter and the Starcatcher and Merrily We Roll Along
Diane Lane in Sweet Bird of Youth
Tracy Letts in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Audra MacDonald in The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess
Tatiana Maslany in Other People
Yanna McIntosh in Speaking in Tongues
Sheila McCarthy in The Arsonists
Lin-Manuel Miranda in Merrily We Roll Along
Lindsay Mendez in Dogfight
Lauren Molina in Marry Me a Little
Eric Morin in A Midsummer Night's Dream
Donna Murphy in Into the Woods
Cynthia Nixon in Wit
Nova Y Payton in Hairspray
Darren Pettie in Detroit
Irene Poole in The Little Years
Billy Porter in Kinky Boots
Anthony Rapp in Without You
Richard Roxburgh in Uncle Vanya
Stark Sands in Kinky Boots
Scott Shepherd in Gatz
Christopher Sieber in La Cage Aux Folles
Imelda Staunton in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Sarah Stiles in Into the Woods
Katie Thompson in Giant
Richard Winsor in Play Without Words
Shawn Wright in The Arsonists


Here is every Stage Show I saw in 2012 in alphabetical order. All reviews are based on a 5 stars system (Workshop Labs, Readings, Concerts and Cabarets are not graded):

Absent Friends (Play Revival) - Harold Pinter Theatre - West End, London, UK - **1/2

A Christmas Carol (Play Revival) - Soulpepper in the Baillie Theatre at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts - Toronto, ON - **1/2

A Christmas Story (Musical) - Lunt-Fontanne Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ***

Ajax (por nobody) (Play Revival) - Summerworks at The Theatre Centre - Toronto, ON - ****

Alice in Wonderland (Ballet) - National Ballet of Canada at Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

Alligator Pie (Musical) - Soulpepper in the Michael Young Theatre at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts - Toronto, ON - Review ***

Amaluna (Circus) x2 - Cirque du Soleil's Le Grand Chapiteau at The Quays - Montreal, QC - Review ****1/2 - and at The Port Lands - Toronto, ON - Review *****

A Man and Some Women (Play Revival) - Shaw Festival's Court House Theatre - Niagara-On-the-Lake, ON - **1/2

American Beauty Live (Reading) - tiff at Ryerson Theatre - Toronto, ON

A Midsummer Night's Dream (Play Revival) - Canadian Stage at Shakespeare in High Park - Toronto, ON - Review ****

The Arsonists - Canadian Stage at the Bluma Appel Theatre in the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts - Toronto, ON - Review ****

Assistance (Play) - Playwrights Horizons - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ***1/2

Backbeat (Musical) - Royal Alexandra Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***

Gore Vidal's The Best Man (Play Revival) - Schoenfeld Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - Review ***

Bloodless: The Trial of Burke and Hare (Musical) - Theatre20 at the Panasonic Theatre - Toronto, ON - Review ***1/2

Blood Ties (Musical Workshop Lab) - Summerworks at The Theatre Centre - Toronto, ON

The Blue Dragon (Play) - Royal Alexandra Theatre - Toronto, ON - **

Bring It On (Musical) x2 - Ed Mirvish Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***

Camp Schecky (Play) - Fringe Toronto on a Bus - Toronto, ON - ***

The Canadian Music Theatre Project (Musical Workshop Lab) - Panasonic Theatre - Toronto, ON - Includes excerpts from Central Park Tango (Musical) and Come From Away (Musical)

Caroline, or Change (Musical) - Acting Upstage at the Berkeley Street Theatre - Toronto, ON - ****

Chaplin the Musical (Musical) - Barrymore Theatre - Broadway, New York, NY - Review ***

Chroma and Song of a Wayfarer and Elite Syncopations (Ballet) - National Ballet of Canada at Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts - Toronto, ON - Review ****

Cinderella (A RATical Retelling) (Musical) - Young People's Theatre - Toronto, ON - Review ****1/2

Closer Than Ever (Musical Revival) - York Theatre - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ***

Clybourne Park (Play) - Studio 180 and Canadian Stage Company at Berkeley Street Theatre - Toronto, ON - Review ****1/2

Clybourne Park (Play) - Walter Kerr Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ****

Cock (Play) - The Duke - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ****1/2

The Columnist (Play) - Manhattan Theater Club at Samuel J. Friedman Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - Review **1/2

The Common Pursuit (Play Revival) - Roundabout Theatre Company at the Laura Pels Theatre in the Harold and Mirium Steinberg Center for Theatre - New York City, NY - **1/2

Constellations (Play) - Royal Court Theatre at The Duke of York's Theatre - West End - London, UK - ***1/2

Cruel and Tender (Play) - Canadian Stage Company at Bluma Appel Theatre in the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts - Toronto, ON - Review **1/2

Death of a Salesman (Play Revival) - Ethel Barrymore Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ****1/2 *Biased Review*

Detroit (Play) - Playwrights Horizons - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ***

Dogfight (Musical) - Second Stage Theatre - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ****1/2

Don't Dress For Dinner (Play Revival) - Roundabout Theater Company at the American Airlines Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ***

End of the Rainbow (Play) - Belasco Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - Review *1/2

Forbidden Broadway: Alive and Kicking (Musical) - 47th Street Theatre - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ****

The Game of Love and Chance (Play Revival) - Canadian Stage Company at Bluma Appel Theatre at the St. Lawrence Centre - Toronto, ON - Review ***

Gatz (Play) - Elevator Repair Service at Newman Theatre at The Public Theatre - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ****1/2

Gay Nerds (Play) - Fringe Toronto at Factory Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Musical Revival) - Encores! at New York City Center - New York City, NY - ****

Giant (Musical) - Newman Theatre at The Public Theatre - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ***

Ghost (Musical) x2 - Lunt-Fontanne Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ***

Godspell (Musical Revival) - Circle in the Square Theatre – Broadway - New York City, NY - ****

Golden Child (Play Revival) - Signature Theatre in The Griffin at The Pershing Square Signature Center - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ***

The Golden Dragon (Play) - Tarragon Theatre - Toronto, ON - ****1/2

Grace (Play) - Cort Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ***

Hairspray (Musical Revival) - The Max at Signature Theatre - Arlington, VA (Greater Washington D.C.) - Review ****1/2

Hamlet (Ballet) - National Ballet of Canada at Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts - Toronto, ON - Review ****1/2

Harvey (Play Revival) - Roundabout Theatre Company at Studio 54 - Broadway - New York City, NY - ***

Hay Fever (Play Revival) - Noel Coward Theatre - West End - London, UK - ***1/2

Help Yourself (Play) - Fringe Toronto at George Ignatieff - Toronto, ON - ****

Hiding Words (for you) (Play) - Enwave Theatre - Toronto, ON - **1/2

How I Learned to Drive (Play Revival) - Second Stage Theatre - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ****

How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Musical Revival) x3 - Al Hirschfeld Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ****1/2 *Biased Review*

How To Train Your Dragon Live (Play) - Rogers Centre - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

Hypnogogic Logic (Play) - Next Stage at Factory Theatre - Toronto, ON - **1/2

Iceland (Play) - Summerworks at Lower Ossington Theatre - Toronto, ON - ****1/2

If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet (Play) - Roundabout Theatre Company at the Laura Pels Theatre in the Harold and Mirium Steinberg Center for Theatre - New York City, NY - ***1/2

Ignorance (Play) - Canadian Stage at Berkeley Street Theatre - Toronto, ON - Review ****

I Love You Because (Musical) - Angelwalk Theatre at the Studio Theatre in the Toronto Centre for the Arts - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

Into the Woods (Musical Revival) x2 - The Public Theatre at the Delacorte Theatre - Central Park - New York City, NY - ***1/2

I on the Sky (Play) - DynamO Théâtre at Young People's Theatre - Toronto, ON - Review ***1/2

Iris (Circus) - Cirque du Soleil at The Dolby Theatre - Los Angeles, CA - ****1/2

The Judy Monologues (Play) - Fringe Toronto at Annex Theatre - Toronto, ON - **

KÀ (Circus) - Cirque du Soleil at MGM Grand - Las Vegas, NV - Review ****

Kinky Boots (Musical) x2 - Bank of America Theater - Chicago, IL - ***1/2

La Cage Aux Folles (Musical Revival) - Royal Alexandra Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***

Leap of Faith (Musical) - St. James Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - Review ***

Legally Blonde (Musical) - Lyric Theatre - Sydney, AU - ***

The Little Years (Play) - Tarragon Theatre - Toronto, ON - Review ****1/2

Long Day's Journey Into Night (Play Revival) - Soulpepper at Bailie Theatre in Young Centre - Toronto, ON - ***

Look Back in Anger (Play Revival) - Roundabout Theatre Company at the Laura Pels Theatre in the Harold and Mirium Steinberg Center for Theatre - New York City, NY - *1/2

The Beatles LOVE (Circus) - Cirque du Soleil at The Mirage - Las Vegas, NV - Review ****

Matilda (Musical) - Cambridge Theatre - West End - London, UK - ***1/2

Marry Me A Little (Musical Revival) - Keen Company at The Clurman Theatre in Theatre Row - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ****

Medicine (Play) - Fringe Toronto at Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse - Toronto, ON - ***

Merrily We Roll Along (Musical Revival) - Encores! at New York City Center - New York City, NY - ***1/2

Miss Caledonia (Play) - Tarragon Theatre - Toronto, ON - Review ****

Murder Ballad (Musical) - Manhattan Theatre Club in the Studio at Stage II in New York City Center - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - Review ***

The Music Man (Musical Revival) - Finchlander Theatre at Arena Stage - Washington, D.C. - Review ****

Mystère (Circus) - Cirque du Soleil at Treasure Island - Las Vegas, NV - Review ***1/2

The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Musical Revival) - Roundabout Theatre Company at Studio 54 - Broadway - New York City, NY - ***

The Neverending Story (Play) - Young People's Theatre - Toronto, ON - Review ***1/2

Nice Work If You Can Get It (Musical) - Imperial Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - Review **1/2

Noises Off (Play Revival) - The Old Vic at Novello Theatre - London, UK - Review **1/2

O (Circus) - Cirque du Soleil at Bellagio - Las Vegas, NV - Review *****

Of Mice and Morro and Jasp (Play) - Fringe Toronto at Tarragon Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

On A Clear Day You Can See Forever (Musical Revival) - St. James Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ***1/2

Once (Musical) - Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ****1/2

One Man, Two Guvnors (Play) - Music Box Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - Review ****

Outside People (Play) - Vineyard Theatre - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY- ***

Ordinary Days (Musical) - Angelwalk Theatre at the Studio Theatre at the Toronto Centre for the Arts - ***

Other People (Play) - The Tank Theatre at The Young Centre - Toronto, ON - Review ****

Pam Ann: Around the World (Play) - Panasonic Theatre - Toronto, ON - Review ****

Penny Plain (Play) - Factory Theatre - Toronto, ON - Review ***

The Performers (Play) - Longacre Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - Review ***

Peter and the Starcatcher (Play) - Brooks Atkinson Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - Review ***

Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular (Musical) - Phantom Theatre at the Venetian Resort - Las Vegas, NV - **1/2

Pippin (Musical Revival) - Menier Chocolate Factory - London, UK - ***

The Pirates of Penzance (Musical Revival) - Stratford Shakespeare Festival's Avon Theatre - Stratford, ON - Review **1/2

Matthew Bourne's Play Without Words (Dance Play) - New Adventure in association with National Theatre at Sadler's Wells - London, UK - Review *****

The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess (Musical Revival) - Richard Rodgers Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - Review **1/2

Posh (Play) - The Royal Court Theatre at The Duke of York's Theatre - West End - London, UK - ****1/2

Potted Potter (Play) x2 - Panasonic Theatre - Toronto, ON - Review ***

The Princess of Porn: A Musical (Musical) - Fringe Toronto at Randolph Theatre - Toronto, ON - **

Proud (Play) - Berkeley Street Theatre Upstairs - Toronto, ON - ****

Queen for a Day (Musical) - Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts - Richmond Hill, ON - ***

Ragtime (Musical Revival) - Shaw Festival's Festival Theatre - Niagara-On-the-Lake, ON - ***

Rare (Play) - Best of Toronto Fringe at the Studio Theatre in the Toronto Centre for the Arts - * 

Raw (Play) - Toronto Fringe at Robert Gill Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***

Red Dog Howls (Play) - New York Theatre Workshop - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ***1/2

Russian Transport (Play) - The New Group at the Acorn Theatre at Theatre Row - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ***

The Seagull (Ballet) - National Ballet of Canada - Four Seasons Center - Toronto, ON - Review  ****1/2

Seminar (Play) - Golden Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - **

Sharron Matthews - Christmas Cabaret (Cabaret) - Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts - Richmond Hill, ON

Singin' in the Rain (Musical Revival) - Palace Theatre - West End - London, UK - Review ****

Sister Act (Musical) - Ed Mirvish Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***

Some Enchanted Evening: The Songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein (Concert) - Toronto Symphony at Roy Thompson Hall - Toronto, ON - 

Speaking in Tongues (Play Revival) - Company Theatre at Berkeley Street Theatre - Toronto, ON - ****

Sunday in the Park with George (Musical Revival) - Chicago Shakespeare's Courtyard Theatre - Chicago, IL - ****1/2

The Sunshine Boys (Play Revival) - Savoy Theatre - West End - London, UK - **** *Biased Review*

Sweeney Todd (Musical Revival) - Adelphi Theatre - West End - London, UK - Review ****1/2

Sweet Bird of Youth (Play Revival) - Goodman Theatre - Chicago, IL - ***

The Taming of the Shrew (Play Revival) - Best of Fringe Toronto at the Studio Theatre in the Toronto Centre for the Arts - **

Tear the Curtain! (Play) - The Electrics Company Theatre at Canadian Stage's Bluma Appel Theatre in the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

Terminus (Play) - Summerworks at Factory Theatre Mainspace - Toronto, ON - ****

Through the Gates (Musical Workshop Lab) - Musical Works in Concert at Summerworks at The Theatre Centre - Toronto, ON

tick (Play) - Best of Fringe Toronto Kids - Theatre Direct at Wychwood Barns - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

Top Hat (Musical) - Aldwych Theatre - West End - London, UK - ****

Torch Song Trilogy (Play Revival) - Menier Chocolate Factory - London, UK - ***1/2

Traces (Circus) - Union Square Theatre – Off-Broadway - New York City, NY – (Original Review from Toronto ****1/2) - ****1/2

Tribes (Play) - Barrow Street Theatre - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - Review ****1/2

Uncle Vanya (Play Revival) - Sydney Theatre Company at New York City Center - New York City, NY - ****

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Play) - Mitzi Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center Theater - Off-Broadway - NewYork City, NY - ***

Viva Forever - Piccadilly Theatre - West End - London, UK - **

The Wakowski Bros. (Musical) - Fringe Toronto at St. Vlad's Theatre - Toronto, ON - **1/2

War Horse (Play) - The Princess of Wales Theatre - Toronto, ON - ****

Was Spring (Play) - Tarragon Theatre Extra Space - Toronto, ON - Review ***

Water by the Spoonful (Play) - 2econd Stage Theatre - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ****

The Whale (Play) - Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Playwrights Horizons - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ****

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Play Revival) - Booth Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ***1/2

Wit (Play Revival) - Manhattan Theatre Club at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - Review ****

With Love and A Major Organ (Play) - Fringe Toronto at Theatre Passe Muraille Backstage - Toronto, ON - ***

Without You (Musical) - Panasonic Theatre - Toronto, ON - ****

Working (Musical Revival) - Prospect Theater Company at 59E59 - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ****

Xanadu (Musical) - The Max at Signature Theatre - Arlington, VA (Greater Washington D.C.) - Review ****

Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (Musical) - La Jolla Playhouse at the Mandell Weiss Theatre - La Jolla, CA - ***1/2

You're A Good Man Charlie Brown (Musical Revival) - Stratford Shakespeare Festival's Avon Theatre - Stratford, ON - Review ***

Zapata! The Musical (Musical) - New York Musical Festival - The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center - New York, NY - Review *

Zarkana (Circus) - Cirque du Soleil at Radio City Music Hall - New York City, NY - Review ***1/2



_________________________________________
Best of 2012 Lists:
Best of Music 2012
Best of Television 2012
Best of Stage 2012
Best of Movies 2011/12


Previous Best-of Lists:

Best of 2011 Lists:
Best of Music 2011
Best of Television 2011
Best of Stage 2011


Best of 2010 Lists:
Best of Music 2010
Best of Television 2010
Best of Stage 2010
Best of Movies 2010


Best of 2009 Lists:
Best of Music 2009
Best of Television 2009
Best of Stage 2009
Best of Movies 2009


Decadeworthy - The Best of 2000-2009 Lists:
SYTYCDworthy (w/ Videos) - List Format
Theatre of the Decade
Best Films of the Decade
Favorite Films of the Decade
Television of the Decade
Television of the Decade - 1 Season Wonders


Best of 2008 Lists:
Best of Music 2008
Best of Television 2008
Best of Stage 2008
Best of Movies 2008
Best of Television Fall '07 - Winter '08 List


Best of 2007 Lists:
Best of Music 2007
Best of Television 2007
Best of Movies 2007
Best of Stage 2007
Best of 2007 (The Final Wrap Up)
Best of Television Fall '06 - Winter '07 List


Best of 2006 Lists:
Best of Music 2006
Best of Television 2006
Best of Movies 2006
Best of 2006
Best of Television Fall '05 - Winter '06 List


Best of 2005 Lists:
Best of Television 2005
Best of Movies 2005


Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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