Tuesday, December 31, 2024

Stageworthy: Best of Stage 2024


Not counting shows I saw at amusement parks or on a cruise, saw 41 stage shows (42 times (saw one show twice)), plus 8 concerts (10 times, as in, saw Westlife 3x). Which is almost exactly the same as 2023, so if anything, I'm consistent. But long gone are the pre-pandemic days where I saw 150-200 shows a year. 

But alas, here's the best I've seen this year (plus all the shows I saw this year in a list at the bottom). 

Any shows (same production version) I had seen in previous years are ineligible for this year's list.


Here's the Best of Stage 2024:

1. Death Becomes Her - Lunt-Fontanne Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY
Music and Lyrics by Julia Mattison and Noel Carey, Book by Marco Pennette, Directed and Choreographed by Christopher Gattelli


Just an absolute blast of comedy and zingers to fun tunes in a musical adaptation that understood the assignment, knew exactly who their audience is, and nailed it with a shot gun. With an execution in wildly broad strokes from a bouncy Megan Hilty and a malleable Jennifer Simard, with a pretty (and pretty funny) Christopher Sieber, and a screamingly hilarious Josh Lamon, the show is plastered in an absolute ridiculous commitment from an over-the-top production that wears it's Broadway budget for all to see. Have not had this much fun on Broadway or any stage in a long time. 


2. Standing at the Sky's Edge - National Theatre at the Gilliam Lynne Theatre - West End - London, UK
Music and Lyrics by Richard Hawley, Book by Chris Bush, Directed by Robert Hastie


A musical about an apartment complex in three different timelines should not sound like a great musical but the way this complex musical interweaves it all, delving into the lives of three sets of people who live in the same apartment, was both riveting and heart wrenching. 


3. A Case For The Existence Of God - Coal Mine Theatre - Toronto, ON
Written by Samuel D. Hunter, Directed by Ted Dykstra


Samuel D. Hunter does it again. My favourite playwright at this time, and finally gets one of his plays mounted in Toronto, with the top notch duo of Mazin Elsadig and Noah Reid. Just another beautiful Hunter play about two single dads trying to survive and making a connection that defies their social and economic state. 


4. Big Stuff - Crow's Theatre in the Studio Theatre at Streetcar Crowsnest - Toronto, ON
Written by Matt Baram, Naomi Snieckus, Kat Sandler, Directed by Kat Sandler


Both a study on material culture and a personal journey for married-in-real-life couple Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus. Did I mention Big Stuff is also very funny? and brings the audience in on their insightful journey into all the stuff we connect to and how it affects our souls? An absolute charmer of a play that you will not want to throw out. 


5. Giant - Royal Court Theatre - Jerwood Theatre Downstairs - London, UK
Written by Mark Rosenblatt, Directed by Nicholas Hytner


John Lithgow as Roald Dahl during the time he gets accused of anti-semitism. Quite the giant play of ideas, ideologies, politics, and human interactions, with the giant presence of Lithgow as Dahl guiding us with his words to give us a glimpse behind the mind of a beloved writer. 


6. The Witches - National Theatre Olivier Theatre - London, UK
Music and Lyrics by Dave Malloy, Book and Lyrics by Lucy Kirkwood, Directed by Lyndsey Turner


Ended the year with Giant, a play about Roald Dahl, but started the year with The Witches, a new musical by Dave Malloy and Lucy Kirkwood, who seemed to have a blast with this stage adaptation. Just a big fun, sometimes creepy, always funny show that swirls together the perfect quirky Malloy tunes to the oddities into Dahl's world. 


7. What You Won't Do For Love - Why Not Theatre at Upper Canada College - Toronto, ON 
Created by Drs. Tara Cullis, Dr. David Suzuki, Ravi Jain, and Miriam Fernandes, Directed by Ravi Jain


Miriam Fernandes interviewed the famed Dr. David Suzuki and his wife Drs. Tara Cullis about their relationship, their love, the foundation she founded with his name, and turned it into a verbatim play with the esteemed couple playing themselves. Mix in videos behind them, it feels like an experimental structure that ultimately uses the couple's love as a backdrop to the environmental issues they have fought for their entire lives. Oddly loving and romantic for a piece that basically outlines the destruction of the planet by us humans, the sweetness and the genuine love and efforts by Suzuki and Cullis, with keen interest by Fernandes and her husband (in Toronto played by actor Jeff Irving), keep the play both hopeful despite outlining grave concerns about the future of our planet. 


8. "Oh, Mary!" - Lyceum Theater - Broadway - New York City, NY
Written by Cole Escola, Directed by Sam Pinkleton


Just absolutely f%$king ridiculous and yet not ridiculous enough. But then that ending. The whole thing is one of the stupidest and silliest things I had seen on stage, let alone a Broadway stage, and I'm happy it's a huge hit and that it will probably win all the play awards this spring.


9. Playing Shylock - Canadian Stage Company at the Berkeley Street Theatre - Toronto, ON
Written by Mark Leiren-Young, Directed by Martin Kinch


Saul Rubinek plays Saul Rubinek playing Shylock in The Merchant of Venice, in these times, and then goes OFF! In what becomes a more personal play, mixed in with some meta-theatrical plotting, the play is both a fun rumination on his career, his Jewishness, and how it all intertwined. 


10. The Notebook - Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY
Music and Lyrics by Ingrid Michaelson, Book by Bekah Brunstetter, Directed by Michael Greif and Schele Williams


I liked this when I saw it but assumed I'd forget about it soon after. Instead, it's stayed in my mind and kept with me more and more. The Notebook made... notes... on my mind! Plus my young Noah, Benji Santiago (probably one of the best voices I've heard on that NY weekend trip this side of Joshua Henry or Brent Comer) and middle Noah Ryan Vasquez managed to make me forget wet Ryan Gosling, so that's SOMETHING. But yah, I'm kinda surprised this snuck up on me in my memory to land the 10 spot on this list! 


Solid Revivals:

Guys & Dolls - Bridge Theatre - London, UK

Ragtime - Encores at New York City Center - New York City, NY



Breakthrough Performances (in alphabetical order):

Francesca Amewudah-Rivers in Romeo & Juliet
Jonathan Bentley as Jimmy in Standing at the Sky's Edge
Chrissie Bhima in The Witches
Valentin Chetverkin in Cirque Du Soleil Mad Apple
Brent Comer in The Outsiders 
Aidan deSalaiz as Albin in La Cage Aux Folles
Mya Fox-Scott as Joy in Standing at the Sky's Edge
Domhnall Herdman in Emma 
George Ioannides in Guys & Dolls 
Anita Majumder in Interior Design
Hannah Mamalis in Emma 
Heeyun Park in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
Tyler Pearse in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
Benji Santiago in The Notebook
Jason Schmidt in The Outsiders
Ryan Vasquez in The Notebook
Anna Zavelson in The Notebook



Great Performances (in alphabetical order):

Casts of:
Mazin Elsadig and Noah Reid in A Case For The Existence Of God
Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus in Big Stuff

Aurora Browne in The Bidding War
Evan Buliung in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
Cole Escola in "Oh, Mary!"
Izad Etamadi in The Bidding War
Henry Firmston in Something Rotten!
Joel Harper-Jackson in Standing at the Sky's Edge
Joshua Henry in Ragtime
Megan Hilty in Death Becomes Her
Ramin Karimloo in A Face in the Crowd
Andy Karl in Teeth
Katherine Kingsley in The Witches
George Krissa in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
Josh Lamon in Death Becomes Her
Caissie Levy in Ragtime
John Lithgow in Giant
Alyse Alan Louis in Teeth
Laura Pitt-Pulford in Standing at the Sky's Edge
Fiona Reid in The Bidding War
Conrad Ricamora in "Oh, Mary!"
Ben Levi Ross in Ragtime
Saul Rubinek in Playing Shylock
Christopher Sieber in Death Becomes Her
Jennifer Simard in Death Becomes Her
Steven Sutcliffe in The Bidding War
Michael Therriault in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Brandon Uranowitz in Ragtime
Eric Woolfe in Macbeth: A Tale Told By an Idiot


____________________________________________________

Here is every Stage Show I saw in 2020 in alphabetical order. All reviews are based on a 5 stars system (Workshop, Labs, Readings, Concerts and Cabarets are not graded):

42nd Street (Musical Revival) - Princess of Wales Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

A Case For The Existence Of God (Play) - Coal Mine Theatre - Toronto, ON - ****1/2

A Face in the Crowd (Musical) - Young Vic Theatre Main House - London, UK - ***1/2

Age is a Feeling (Play) - Soulpepper Theatre Company in the Michael Young Theatre at the Young Centre - Toronto, ON - ***

Aladdin (Muiscal) - National Tour at Princess of Wales Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***

The Bidding War (Play) - Crow's Theatre in the Guloien Theatre at Streetcar Crowsnest - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

Big Stuff (Play) - Crow's Theatre in the Studio Theatre at Streetcar Crowsnest - Toronto, ON - ****

Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Musical) - Young People's Theatre Mainstage - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

Al Ducharme (Comedy) x2 - The Theatre
Arte (Circus/Musical) x2 - The Theatre
Decadence (Circus) - Eden Club
Dreams (Circus) - Eden Club
Elements (Circus/Musical) x 2 - The Theatre
The Jazz Joint (Circus) - The Club
Matt Johnson (Magic) x2 - The Theatre
Paradise (Circus) - Eden Club
Roy Tan (Concert) - The Theatre
Stage Door (Musical) - The Theatre
Suzanna Smith (Concert) - The Theatre

Cirque Du Soleil Mad Apple (Circus) - New York-New York Theatre at New York-New York Resort and Casino - Las Vegas, NV - ***1/2

Cirque Du Soleil Michael Jackson One (Circus) - Michael Jackson One Theatre at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino - Las Vegas, NV - ***

Come From Away (Musical) - Royal Alexandra Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***** (Best of Stage 2015)

Dallas Smith with Nate Haller (Concert) - HISTORY - Toronto, ON 

Death Becomes Her (Musical) - Lunt-Fontanne Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ****1/2

Emma (Play) - Abbey Theatre - Dublin, IE - ***1/2

Evil Dead the Musical (Musical) - Randolph Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***

Giant (Play) - Royal Court Theatre - Jerwood Theatre Downstairs - London, UK - ****

Guys & Dolls (Musical Revival) - Bridge Theatre - London, UK - ****

In Seven Days (Play) - Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company in the Greenwin Theatre at Meridien Arts Centre - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

Interior Design (Play) - Tarragon Theatre Mainstage - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

Janet Jackson: Together Again Tour (Concert) - Scotiabank Arena - Toronto, ON

La Cage Aux Folles (Musical Revival) - Stratford Theatre Festival in the Avon Theatre - Stratford, ON - ***

The Last Timbit (Musical) - Elgin Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***

Les Misérables (Musical Revival) - National Tour at Princess of Wales Theatre - ***

Life of Pi (Play) - National Tour at CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***

Macbeth: A Tale Told By An Idiot (Play Revival) - Eldritch Theatre's Red Sandcastle - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

Mamma Mia (Musical) - North American National Tour - CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre - Toronto, ON - ****

Moulin Rouge! (Musical) - National Tour at CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre - Toronto, ON - **1/2

Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 (Musical) - Crow's Theatre in the Guloien Theatre at Streetcar Crowsnest - Toronto, ON - ***1/2


Niall Horan: "The Show" Live on Tour (Concert) - Scotiabank Arena - Toronto, ON

Nick Carter: Who I Am Tour (Concert) - The Opera House - Toronto, ON 

The Notebook (Musical) - Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ****

"Oh, Mary!" (Play) - Lyceum Theater - Broadway - New York City, NY - ****

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

Playing Shylock (Play) - Canadian Stage Company at the Berkeley Street Theatre - Toronto, ON - ****

Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) (Play) - CAA Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***

Ragtime (Musical Revival Concert) - Encores at New York City Center - New York City, NY - *****

Romeo & Juliet (Play Revival) - The Duke of York Theatre - West End - London, UK - **1/2

Something Rotten! (Musical Revival) - Stratford Theatre Festival in the Festival Theatre - Stratford, ON - ***

Standing at the Sky's Edge (Musical) - National Theatre at the Gilliam Lynne Theatre - West End - London, UK - ****1/2

Stravinsky's Pulcinella (Concert) - Toronto Symphony Orchestra at Roy Thompson Hall - Toronto, ON

Teeth (Musical) - New World Stages - Stage 1 - New York City, NY - ***1/2

Tina (Musical) x2 - National Tour at CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***

Tinker's Toy Factory (Circus/Musical) x? - Canada's Wonderland's Winterfest in the Canterbury Theatre - Vaughan, ON

Universal Child Care (Musical) - Canadian Stage Company at the Berkeley Street Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

Westlife: The Hits Tour - A St. Patrick's Day Special (Concert) x3 - Meridian Hall - Toronto, ON

What You Won't Do For Love (Play) - Why Not Theatre at Upper Canada College - Toronto, ON - ****

The Witches (Musical) - National Theatre Olivier Theatre - London, UK - ****

Women at Play(s) 6 (Plays) - Red Sandcastle Theatre - Toronto, ON
Her Crown
Christmas at the Roadside Diner
Mary and Her Jar of Jam
Filters
The Trial of Rosie McDougall
U Can't Touch This

Virginia to Vegas: The Greatest Hits Tour (Concert) - Biltmore Theatre - Oshawa, ON


__________________________________________________________________
Previous Best-of Lists:

Best of 2023 List:

Best of 2021/2022 List:

Best of 2020 List:
Best of Stage 2020

Best of 2019 List:
Best of Stage 2019

Best of 2018 List:
Best of Stage 2018

Best of 2017 List:
Best of Stage 2017

Best of 2016 List:
Best of Stage 2016

Best of 2015 List:
Best of Stage 2015

Best of 2014 List:
Best of Stage 2014

Best of 2013 List:
Best of Stage 2013

Best of 2012 Lists:
Best of Music 2012
Best of Stage 2012

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


Photo of A Case for the Existence of God by Cylla von Tiedemann
Photos of Big Stuff and Playing Shylock and What You Won't Do For Love by Dahlia Katz
Photo of Death Becomes Her by Matthew Murray and Evan Zimmerman 
Photo of Giant by Manuel Harlan
Photo of The Notebook by Julieta Cervantes
Photo of "Oh, Mary!" by Emilio Madrid
Photo of Standing at the Sky's Edge by Brinkhoff-Moegenburg
Photo of The Witches by Marc Brenner

Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com







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Sunday, December 31, 2023

Stageworthy - Best of Stage 2023

If you don't count the shows I saw at amusement parks (and the ones at Canada's Wonderland, Cirque Ambient in the summer, and Tinker's Toy Factory and Four Drummer's Drumming at Winterfest, we're actually VERY good!), then I saw 41 stage shows plus 9 concerts. Seeing things 52 times total (once you count repeats). Granted a few shows we're just repeats from previous years (A Streetcar Named Desire starring Patsy Ferran and Paul Mescal, Groundhog Day starring Andy Karl, etc) so I still have not see as many new shows as I did in pre-pandemic years. 

Still, while I saw less shows than normal, I think I got more discerning choosing which shows to attend, so felt like overall everything I saw this year was very good, with very few shows that disappointed. 


Any shows (same production version) I had seen in previous years are ineligible for this year's list.
For previous years Best of Stage Lists:



Here's the Best of Stage 2023:

1. The Master Plan - Crow's Theatre in the Guloien Theatre at Streetcar Crowsnest - Toronto, ON
Written by Michael Healey, Directed by Chris Abraham

               


2. Prodigal - The Howland Company in association with Crow's Theatre in the Guloien Theatre at Streetcar Crowsnest - Toronto, ON
Written and Directed by Paolo Santalucia 



3. The Land Acknowledgment, or As You Like It - Crow's Theatre at CAA Theatre - Toronto, ON
Created and Written by Cliff Cardinal, Co-conspirator Chris Abraham



4. the hooves belonged to the deer - Tarragon Theatre Mainstage - Toronto, ON
Written by Makram Ayache, Directed by Peter Hinton-Davis



5. King Gilgamesh & The Man of the Wild - Soulpepper Theatre Company in the Baillie Theatre at the Young Centre - Toronto, ON
By Ahmed Moneka, Jesse Lavercombe, and Seth Bockley, Directed by Seth Bockley



6. I Love the Smell of Gasoline - Nightwood Theatre at Aki Studio - Toronto, ON
Created by Claren Grosz, Co-Directed by William Dao and Claren Grosz




Solid Revivals:

Cabaret - Lido 2 Paris - Paris, FR

Pygmalion - Old Vic Theatre - London, UK



Breakthrough Performances (in alphabetical order):

Andrew Chown in Bad Roads
Trevor Coll in Rock of Ages
Jonathan Cullen in Rock of Ages
Katherine Gauthier in Bad Roads
Mei Mac in untitled f*ck m*ss s**gon play
Andrea Macasaet in Rent
Jade McLeod in Jagged Little Pill
Dan Mousseau in Prodigal
J Antonio Rodriguez in Hadestown
Nabil Traboulsi in Martyr



Great Performances (in alphabetical order):

The cast of A Strange Loop: Nathan Armarkwei-Laryea, Danny Bailey, Kyle Birch, Eddie Elliott, Sharlene Hector, Tendai Humphrey Sitima, Yeukayi Ushe  

The cast of the hooves belonged to the deer: Makram Ayache, Noor Hamdi, Ryan Hollyman, Adrian Shepherd-Gawinski, Eric Wigston, Bahareh Yaraghi 

The cast of The Master Plan: Christopher Allen, Ben Carlson, Philppa Domville, Peter Fernandes, Tara Nicodemo, Yanna McIntosh, Mike Shara

The cast of Prodigal: Michael Ayres, Veronica Hortiguela, Cameron Laurie, Dan Mousseau, Nancy Palk, Rick Roberts, Hallie Seline, Meghan Swaby, Shauna Thompson, Jeff Yung

The cast of Things I Know To Be True: Alanna Bale, Michael Derworiz, Christine, Horne, Daniel Maslany, Tom McCamus, Seana McKenna

The cast of Vierge: Yvonne Addai, JD Leslie, Kudakwashe Rutendo, Shauna Thompson

Bertie Carvel in Pygmalion 
Steffi Didomenicantonio in Rock of Ages
Patsy Ferran in Pygmalion
Jesse Lavercombe in King Gilgamesh & The Man of the Wild
Ahmed Moneka in King Gilgamesh & The Man of the Wild
Erica Peck in Rent
Ron Pederson in Chaos Menu: Disorder Up! 
Julie Reiber in Jagged Little Pill
Lee Siegel in Rent
Tom Weston-Jones in untitled f*ck m*ss s**gon play
Eleanor Worthington-Cox in The Secret Life of Bees



____________________________________________________

Here is every Stage Show I saw in 2020 in alphabetical order. All reviews are based on a 5 stars system (Workshop, Labs, Readings, Concerts and Cabarets are not graded):

Ain't Too Proud (Musical) - CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre - Toronto, ON - **1/2

An Evening with Audra McDonald (Concert) - Toronto Symphony Orchestra at Roy Thompson Hall - Toronto, ON

A Strange Loop (Musical) - National Theatre at Barbican Theatre - London, UK - ****

A Streetcar Named Desire (Play Revival) - Almeida Theatre - London, UK - ****

A Wrinkle in Time (Play) - Stratford Theatre Festival in the Avon Theatre - Stratford, ON - **1/2

Bad Roads (Play) - Crow's Theatre in the Studio Theatre at Streetcar Crowsnest - Toronto, ON - ****

Boy George & Culture Club: The Letting It Go Show (Concert) - Budweiser Stage - Toronto, ON
Opening Acts Howard Jones, Berlin

Cabaret (Musical Revival) - Lido 2 Paris - Paris, FR - ****1/2

Chaos Menu: Disorder Up! (Comedy) - The Second City Toronto Mainstage - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

Charlie Puth: The 'Charlie' Live Experience (Concert) - Budweiser Amphitheatre - Toronto, ON

Chris, Mrs. (Musical) - Winter Garden Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***

Dancing in the Street: The Music of Motown (Concert) - Toronto Symphony Orchestra at Roy Thompson Hall - Toronto, ON

The Darkest Dark (Play) - Young People's Theatre Mainstage - Toronto, ON - ***

Dean Brody & Friends Present The Brodeo (Concert) - Budweiser Amphitheatre - Toronto, ON
Opening Acts Tyler Joe Miller, Nate Smith, Griffen Palmer, Meghan Patrick

Deon Cole: My New Normal Tour (Comedy) - OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino - Niagara Falls, ON

Dierks Bentley: Gravel and Gold Tour (Concert) - Budweiser Amphitheatre - Toronto, ON
Opening Act Jordan Davis

English (Play) - Soulpepper Theatre Company in the Baillie Theatre at the Young Centre - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

Girls & Boys (Play) - Here For Now Theatre at Crow's Theatre in the Studio Theatre at Streetcar Crowsnest - Toronto, ON - ****

Groundhog Day (Musical) - Old Vic Theatre - London, UK - ****1/2

The Guide to Being Fabulous (Musical) - Soulpepper Theatre Company in the Michael Young Theatre at the Young Centre - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

Hadestown (Musical) - Royal Alexandra Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

Hamilton (Musical) - Peggy National Tour at Princess of Wales Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

the hooves belonged to the deer (Play) - Tarragon Theatre Mainstage - Toronto, ON - ****

I Love the Smell of Gasoline (Play) - Nightwood Theatre at Aki Studio - Toronto, ON - ****

In Dreams (Musical) x2 - CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***

Jagged Little Pill (Musical) - Princess of Wales Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***

Jonas Brothers: The Tour (Concert) - Rogers Centre - Toronto, ON 
Opening Act Lawrence

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Musical Revival) x2 - Princess of Wales Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***

King Gilgamesh & The Man of the Wild (Play) - Soulpepper Theatre Company in the Baillie Theatre at the Young Centre - Toronto, ON - ****

The Land Acknowledgment, or As You Like It (Play) - Crow's Theatre at CAA Theatre - Toronto, ON - ****1/2

Les Belles-Soeurs (Play Revival) - Stratford Theatre Festival in the Festival Theatre - Stratford, ON - **

Maggie (Musical) - Theatre Aquarius - Hamilton, ON - ***1/2

Martyr (Play) - ARC at Native Earth Performing Arts in Aki Studio - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

The Master Plan (Play) - Crow's Theatre in the Guloien Theatre at Streetcar Crowsnest - Toronto, ON - ****1/2

Mozart & Rachmaninoff (Concert) - Toronto Symphony Orchestra at Roy Thompson Hall - Toronto, ON

Pressure (Play) - Royal Alexandra Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

Prodigal (Play) - The Howland Company in association with Crow's Theatre in the Guloien Theatre at Streetcar Crowsnest - Toronto, ON - ****1/2

Pygmalion (Play Revival) - Old Vic Theatre - London, UK - ****

Rent (Musical Revival) - Stratford Theatre Festival in the Festival Theatre - Stratford, ON - ***1/2

Return to Grace (Musical) - OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino - Niagara Falls, ON - **1/2

Rock of Ages (Musical Revival) - Elgin Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***

The Secret Life of Bees (Musical) - Almeida Theatre - London, ON - ****

Six (Musical) - Royal Alexandra Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

Skyline's The Limit (Comedy) - The Second City Toronto Mainstage - Toronto, ON - ***

Spamalot (Musical Revival) - Stratford Theatre Festival in the Avon Theatre - Stratford, ON - ***

Things I Know To Be True (Play) - CAA Panasonic Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***

untitled f*ck m*ss s**gon play (Play) - Young Vic Theatre - London, UK - ***1/2

Vierge (Play) - Factory Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

Women at Play(s) 5 (Short Plays) - Red Sandcastle Theatre - Toronto, ON 
The Caved That Hummed a Song
Eminent Domain
Falling Upwards
Missing You
Women of the Highlands
Woodcocks

Yerma (Play Revival) - Coal Mine Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

__________________________________________________________________
Previous Best-of Lists:

Best of 2021/2022 List:

Best of 2020 List:
Best of Stage 2020

Best of 2019 List:
Best of Stage 2019

Best of 2018 List:
Best of Stage 2018

Best of 2017 List:
Best of Stage 2017

Best of 2016 List:
Best of Stage 2016

Best of 2015 List:
Best of Stage 2015

Best of 2014 List:
Best of Stage 2014

Best of 2013 List:
Best of Stage 2013

Best of 2012 Lists:
Best of Music 2012
Best of Stage 2012

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



Photo of the hooves belonged to the deer by Cylla Von Tiedemann
All other photos by Dahlia Katz



Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com





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Saturday, December 31, 2022

Stageworthy - Best of Stage 2021 & 2022

Because these lists are based on my own arbitrary rules anyways, I had decided to combine my list from 2021 and 2022 since I'm still easing into going back to see live shows on stage. 

In the last 2 years, I went to see live stage shows 72 times (of 66 individual shows including concerts). With 8 shows in 2021 and 64 shows in 2022. 





Here's the Best of Stage 2021 and 2022:

1. The Last Return - Druid at Gate Theatre - Dublin, IE
Written by Sonya Kelly, Directed by Sara Joyce


It starts with what feels like bad expository writing until you realize what Sonya Kelly is doing in her absurdist comedy about people waiting in line for the last return ticket at the theatre. So yes, I'm putting this wild ride of a theatrical play about trying to get into a show, at the top of my list of the best shows on stage. 



2. Alice in Wonderland - Bad Hats Theatre at Soulpepper Theatre Company in the Michael Young Theatre at the Young Centre - Toronto, ON
Adapted by Fiona Sauder, Music by Landon Doak and Victor Pokinko, Directed by Sue Miner, Dramaturgy by Matt Pilipiak


Bad Hats Theatre has yet again turned a children's classic that is one of my least faves, and with some ingenious creativity, original catchy songs, and a cast brimming with hearts and humour, turned in an original version of Alice in Wonderland. 



3. & Juliet - Princess of Wales Theatre - Toronto, ON
Book by David West Read, Music by Max Martin and Friends, Directed by Luke Sheppard


If you think Shakespeare needed more Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys songs in them, well I did too. What a blast, with a Broadway-bound cast that squeezed in all those Max Martin songs with just the right cheeky humour that finally understood the Shakey assignment. 



4. Red Velvet - Crow's Theatre in the Guloien Theatre at Streetcar Crowsnest - Toronto, ON 
Written by Lolita Chakrabarti, Directed by Cherissa Richards


This play had made its rounds in theatres around the world after a London debut a decade ago, and for good reason. An immensely entertaining imagined play about the true events of Black actor Ira Aldridge as he makes a name for himself in the acting world, particularly when he takes the role of Othello in 19th century London. 



5. Kamloopa (Play) - Soulpepper Theatre Company and Native Earth Performing Arts in the Michael Young Theatre at the Young Centre - Toronto, ON
Written and Directed by Kim Senklip Harvey


While it ends as a road trip play, the first act is grounded in an apartment with three young Indigenous women trying to make their way in our current world in this freshly funny and sneakily heartfelt play. 



6. Best of Enemies - Young Vic Theatre - London, UK
Written by James Graham, Directed by Jeremy Herrin


This time, it's 1968 and William F Buckley and Gore Vidal are debating about the next US Presidential election. Considering I knew nothing of these two, Graham is an expert in taking real life political moments and dramatizing them into entertaining and enlightening plays, with this latest, directed with efficient flair by Herrin. 



7. Carousel - Regent's Park Open Air Theatre - London, UK
Music by Richard Rodgers, Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Directed by Timothy Sheader


The Rodgers and Hammerstein classic that usually isn't one of my faves, directed here by Sheader in a magical night out in the open air that somehow made clearer the magic of this musical theatre classic. The chemistry between Carly Bowden and Declan Bennett, and Bennett's Billy Bigelow that actually felt troubled, sharpened Rodgers' story, making the ultimate ending all the more heartbreaking. 



8. (Tie) Modern Classics Revivals
Doubt: A Parable - Breaking and Entering Theatre in The Church of the Holy Trinity - Toronto, ON
Written by John Patrick Shanley, Directed by Stewart Arnott

The Weir - Abbey Theatre - Dublin, IE
Written by Conor McPherson, Directed by Catriona McLaughlin



Somehow I had never seen these two modern classics until these two revivals. With Doubt: A Parable done by a new local Toronto theatre company performed in an actual church, while The Weir haunted the Abbey Theatre starring Brendan Coyle in the older role after having been in the original production as the barkeep. Both beautiful productions with terrific casts showing why these modern classics are great plays deserving to be modern classics






Breakthrough Performances (in alphabetical order):

Philippe Arroyo in & Juliet
Gabrielle Brooks in Get Up Stand Up!: The Bob Marley Musical
Lorna Courtney in & Juliet
Carly Mercedes Dyer in Anything Goes
Oyin Oladejo in Is God Is
Declan Spaine in Get Up Stand Up!: The Bob Marley Musical
Ben Jackson Walker in & Juliet
Kaitlyn Yott in Kamloopa


Great Performances (in alphabetical order):

The cast of Doubt: A Parable: Deborah Drakeford, Brian Bisson, Emma Nelles, Kim Nelson

The cast of The Last Return: Anna Healy, Bosco Hogan, Fionn Ó Loingsigh, Rebecca O'Mara, Naima Swaleh

The cast of The Weir: Jolly Abraham, Peter Coonan, Brendan Coyle, Sean Fox, Marty Rea

Karl Ang in Cockroach
Jonathan Bailey in Cock
Matt Baram in Indecent
Carly Bawden in Carousel
Declan Bennett in Carousel
Paul Bettany in The Collaboration
Yolanda Bonnell in Kamloopa
Katie Brayben in Tammy Faye
Ronnie Burkett in Little Dickens
Ellen Denny in Red Velvet
Ayesha Dharker in Chasing Hares
Jake Epstein in Boy Falls From the Sky
Patsy Ferran in A Streetcar Named Desire
Alexis Gordon in Room
Jonathan Gould in Indecent
Kit Harrington in Henry V
Cush Jumbo in Hamlet
Allan Louis in Red Velvet
Paul Mescal in A Streetcar Named Desire
Hadyn Oakley in Anything Goes
Jeremy Pope in The Collaboration
Andrea Rannells in Tammy Faye
Amelia Sargisson in Red Velvet 
Vanessa Sears in Alice in Wonderland and Is God Is
Charlie Stemp in Mary Poppins
Anjana Vasan in A Streetcar Named Desire
Betsy Wolfe in & Juliet


____________________________________________________

Here is every Stage Show I saw in 2020 in alphabetical order. All reviews are based on a 5 stars system (Workshop, Labs, Readings, Concerts and Cabarets are not graded):

& Juliet (Musical) x2 - Princess of Wales Theatre - Toronto, ON - ****1/2

Alice in Wonderland (Musical) - Bad Hats Theatre at Soulpepper Theatre Company in the Michael Young Theatre at the Young Centre - Toronto, ON - ****1/2

Angels' Atlas & Soul & Serenade (Ballet) - National Ballet of Canada at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts - Toronto, ON - ****

Anything Goes (Musical Revival) x2 - Palace Theatre - Manchester, UK - ***1/2

A Streetcar Named Desire (Play Revival) - Almeida Theatre - London, UK - ****

Back to the Future The Musical (Musical) - Adelphi Theatre - West End - London, UK - ***1/2

Bad Parent (Play) - Soulpepper Theatre Company in the Michael Young Theatre at the Young Centre - Toronto, ON - ***

Best of Enemies (Play) - Young Vic Theatre - London, UK - ****

Billionaire Boy (Musical) - Liverpool Empire - Liverpool, UK - **1/2

Blindness (Play) - Princess of Wales Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

Boy Falls From the Sky (Musical) - Royal Alexandra Theatre - Toronto, ON - ****

Carousel (Musical Revival) - Regent's Park Open Air Theatre - London, UK - ****

Carson and Taylor Promise To Do A Bunch of Flips (Play) - Toronto Fringe Festival at Ada Slaight Hall in Daniels Spectrum - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

Charlie Puth: One Night Only (Concert) - Massey Hall - Toronto, ON

Chasing Hares (Play) - Young Vic Theatre - London, UK - ***1/2

Chicago (Musical Revival) - Stratford Theatre Festival in the Festival Theatre - Stratford, ON - ***1/2

Choir Boy (Play) - Canadian Stage Company in the Bluma Appel Theatre at Meridian Hall - Toronto, ON - ****

The Choir of Man (Musical) - Avalon Theatre at Fallsview Casino Resort - Niagara Falls, ON - ***

Cock (Play Revival) - Ambassadors Theatre - London, UK - ***1/2

Cockroach (Play) - Tarragon Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***

The Collaboration (Play) - Young Vic Theatre - London, UK - **

Come From Away (Musical) x2 - Royal Alexandra Theatre - Toronto, ON - *****

'da Kink in my Hair (Play Revival) - Bluma Appel Theatre at Meridian Hall - Toronto, ON - ****

Double Murder (Dance) - Hofesh Shechter Company at Home - Manchester, UK - ****
Clowns - ****
The Fix - ****

Doubt: A Parable (Play Revival) - Breaking and Entering Theatre in The Church of the Holy Trinity - Toronto, ON - ****1/2

Fisherman's Friend the Musical (Musical) - Royal Alexandra Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***

Gay for Pay with Blake & Clay (Play) - Crow's Theatre in the Studio Theatre at Streetcar Crowsnest - Toronto, ON - ****

Get Up Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical (Musical) - Lyric Theatre - West End - London, UK - ***1/2

Hamlet (Play Revival) - Young Vic Theatre - London, UK - **

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Play) - CAA Mirvish Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

Henry V (Play Revival) - Donmar Warehouse - London, UK - ***1/2

Imagine Dragons: Mercury Tour (Concert) - Rogers Centre - Toronto, ON

Indecent (Play) - Studio 180 at CAA Theatre - Toronto, ON - ****

Is God Is (Play) - Canadian Stage Company in the Berkeley Street Theatre - Toronto, ON - ****

Jesus Christ Superstar (Musical Revival) - Princess of Wales Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Musical Revival) x2 - Princess of Wales Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***

Josh Groban: Harmony Tour (Concert) - Budweiser Stage - Toronto, ON

Kamloopa (Play) - Soulpepper Theatre Company and Native Earth Performing Arts in the Michael Young Theatre at the Young Centre - Toronto, ON - ****

The Last Return (Play) - Druid at Gate Theatre - Dublin, IE - *****

Little Dickens - Canadian Stage Company in the Berkeley Street Theatre - Toronto, ON - ****

Mandy Moore: In Real Life Tour (Concert) - Danforth Music Hall - Toronto, ON

Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All! (Concert) - Scotiabank Arena - Toronto, ON 

Mary Poppins (Musical) - Prince Edward Theatre - West End - London, UK - ***1/2

Mean Girls (Musical) - Princess of Wales Theatre - Toronto, ON - **

The Miser (Play Revival) - Stratford Theatre Festival in the Festival Theatre - Stratford, ON - ***

National Ballet's Sharing the Stage (Ballet) - Harbourfront Centre Concert Stage - Toronto, ON

OneRepublic: Never Ending Summer Tour (Concert) - Budweiser Stage - Toronto, ON

Orphan Song (Play) - Tarragon Theatre Mainspace - Toronto, ON - ***

Post-Democracy (Play) - Tarragon Theatre Mainspace - Toronto, ON - ***

Public Enemy (Play) - Canadian Stage Company in the Berkeley Street Theatre - Toronto, ON - ****

Red Velvet (Play) - Crow's Theatre in the Guloien Theatre at Streetcar Crowsnest - Toronto, ON - ****

Rent (Musical Revival) - The Burloak Theatre Group at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts - Oakville, ON

Room (Play) - Princess of Wales Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***1/2


Sarah McLachlan (Concert) - Budweiser Stage - Toronto, ON

The Shark is Broken (Play) x2 - Royal Alexandra Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***

Singin' in the Rain (Musical Revival) x 2 - Princess of Wales Theatre - Toronto, ON - ****

Sister Act (Musical) - Palace Theatre - Manchester, UK - **1/2

Six Chick Flicks Or A Legally Blonde Pretty Woman Dirty Danced On the Beaches While Writing A Notebook On The Titanic (Play) - Toronto Fringe Festival at the Tarragon Theatre Mainspace - Toronto, ON - ****

Snow White (Play) - Young People's Theatre on the Ada Slaight Stage - Toronto, ON - ****

Statistics (Musical) - Toronto Fringe Festival at Ada Slaight Hall in Daniels Spectrum - Toronto, ON - **1/2

Tammy Faye (Musical) - Almeida Theatre - London, UK - ****

The Weir (Play Revival) - Abbey Theatre - Dublin, IE - ****

Welcome Back to the Future (Comedy) - The Second City - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

Where the Blood Mixes (Play) - Soulpepper Theatre Company and Native Earth Performing Arts in the Michael Young Theatre at the Young Centre - Toronto, ON - ****

Wildfire (Play) - Factory Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***


__________________________________________________________________
Previous Best-of Lists:

Best of 2020 List:
Best of Stage 2020

Best of 2019 List:
Best of Stage 2019

Best of 2018 List:
Best of Stage 2018

Best of 2017 List:
Best of Stage 2017

Best of 2016 List:
Best of Stage 2016

Best of 2015 List:
Best of Stage 2015

Best of 2014 List:
Best of Stage 2014

Best of 2013 List:
Best of Stage 2013

Best of 2012 Lists:
Best of Music 2012
Best of Stage 2012

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


Photo of The Last Return by Ste Murray
Photo of Alice in Wonderland and Doubt: A Parable by Dahlia Katz
Photo of Red Velvet by John Lauener
Photo of Kamloopa by Tim Matheson
Photo of Best of Enemies by Wasi Daniju
Photo of Carousel by Johan Persson
Photo of The Weir by Ros Kavanagh
Photo of & Juliet from press materials.


Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com


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Posted by Vance at Saturday, December 31, 2022 1 Commentworthy

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