Here's my Top 25 picks for Theatre of the Decade (in alphabetical order):
A Chorus Line (Curran Theater - San Francisco 2006, Schoenfeld Theater - Broadway 2006)
A Streetcar Named Desire (Donmar Warehouse - London 2009)
Avenue Q (John Golden Theatre - Broadway (finally saw it in 2006))
Ballet Shorts - Emergence, Glass Pieces, 24 Preludes by Chopin, Rooster, Watch Her, The Fiddle and the Drum (National Ballet of Canada at Four Seasons Performing Arts Centre - Toronto 2007-2009)
Billy Elliot (Victoria Palace Theatre - London 2005)
Black Watch (Varsity Arena - Toronto 2008, St Ann's Warehouse - Brooklyn 2008)
The Car Man (Old Vic Theatre - London 2001)
Cirque Du Soleil - Ovo (Le Grande Chapiteau - Toronto 2009)
Company (Barrymore Theatre - Broadway 2007)
De La Guarda/FuerzaBruta (Daryl Roth Theatre - New York 2000/2008)
Giant (Signature Theatre - Arlington, VA 2009)
Hair (Delacorte Theatre - Central Park New York 2008, Al Hirschfeld Theatre - Broadway 2009)
The History Boys (Broadhurst Theatre - Broadway 2006)
The Importance of Being Earnest (Stratford Festival Theatre - Stratford, ON 2009)
The Italian Straw Hat (National Ballet of Canada at Four Seasons Performing Arts Centre - Toronto 2008)
Kiss of the Spiderwoman (Signature Theatre - Arlington, VA 2008)
La Boheme (Broadway Theatre - Broadway 2002)
Metamorphoses (Circle in the Square Theatre - Broadway 2002)
Next Fall (Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Playwrights Horizons - Off-Broadway 2009)
Parade (Donmar Warehouse - London 2007, Mark Taper Forum - Los Angeles 2009)
Passing Strange (Belasco Theatre - Broadway 2008)
Ragtime (Kennedy Centre - Washington, DC and Neil Simon Theatre - Broadway 2009)
Ruined (Manhattan Theatre Club at NY City Centre Stage 1 - New York - Off-Broadway 2009)
Spring Awakening (Eugene O'Neill Theatre - Broadway 2007)
Urinetown (Henry Miller's Theatre - Broadway 2001, CanStage Bluma Appel Theatre - Toronto 2004)
The Top 25 Theatre of the Decade In More Detail (as well as the Best New Musicals, and Worst of the Decade) continued below:
A Chorus Line (Curran Theater - San Francisco 2006, Schoenfeld Theater - Broadway 2006)
Music by Marvin Hamlisch, Lyrics by Edward Kleban, Book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante, Originally Directed, Choreographed and Conceived by Michael Bennett, Revival Directed by Bob Avian and Choreography Re-staged by Baayork Lee
Original San Francisco Review, Original New York Review

A Streetcar Named Desire (Donmar Warehouse - London 2009)
Written by Tennessee Williams, Directed by Rob Ashford
Original Review

Avenue Q (John Golden Theatre - Broadway 2003 (Saw in 2006))
Music and Lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, Book by Jeff Whitty, Directed by Jason Moore, Choreographed by Ken Roberson
Original Review, National Tour Review

Ballet Shorts - Emergence, Glass Pieces, Watch Her, 24 Preludes by Chopin, Rooster, The Fiddle and the Drum (National Ballet of Canada at Four Seasons Performing Arts Centre - Toronto 2007-2009)
Emergence - Choreographed by Crystal Pite, Original Score by Owen Belton - Original Review
Glass Pieces - Choreographed by Jerome Robbins, Music by Phillip Glass - Original Review
Watch Her - Choreographed by Aszure Barton, Music by Lera Auerbach - Original Review
24 Preludes by Chopin - Choreographed by Marie Chouinard, Music by Frédéric Chopin - Original Review
Rooster - Choreographed by Christopher Bruce, Music by The Rolling Stones - Original Review
The Fiddle and the Drum - Alberta Ballet Company on Tour - Choreographed by Jean Grand-Maître, Music by Joni Mitchell - Original Review

Billy Elliot (Victoria Palace Theatre - London 2005)
Music by Elton John, Book and Lyrics by Lee Hall, Directed by Stephen Daldry, Choreographed by Peter Darling
Review from New York

Black Watch (Varsity Arena - Toronto 2008, St Ann's Warehouse - Brooklyn 2008)
Written by Gregory Burke, Director by John Tiffany
Original Toronto Review, Brooklyn Review

The Car Man (Old Vic Theatre - London 2001)
Choreographed by Matthew Bourne, Based on Georges Bizet's Carmen

Cirque Du Soleil - OVO (Le Grande Chapiteau - Toronto 2009)
Written, Choreographed and Directed by Deborah Colker
Original Review

Company (Barrymore Theatre - Broadway 2007)
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Book by George Furth, Directed by John Doyle,
Original Review

De La Guarda/FuerzaBruta (Daryl Roth Theatre - New York 2000/2008)
De La Guarda - Directed by Pichon Baldinu and Diqui James
FuerzaBruta - Created by Diqui James; music by Gaby Kerpel - Original Review

Giant (Signature Theatre - Arlington, VA 2009)
Music and Lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa, Book by Sybille Pearson, Based on the novel by Edna Ferber, Directed by Jonathan Butterell. Choreographed by Ernesto Alonzo Palma
Original Review

Hair (Delacorte Theatre - Central Park New York 2008, Al Hirschfeld Theatre - Broadway 2009)
Music by Galt MacDermott, Book and Lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni, Directed by Diane Paulus, Choreographed by Karole Armitage
Public in the Park Review, Broadway Review

The History Boys (Broadhurst Theatre - Broadway 2006)
Written by Alan Bennett, Directed by Nicholas Hytner
Original Review

The Importance of Being Earnest (Stratford Festival Theatre - Stratford, ON 2009)
Written by Oscar Wilde, Directed by Brian Bedford
Original Review

The Italian Straw Hat (National Ballet of Canada at Four Seasons Performing Arts Centre - Toronto 2008)
Choreography by James Kudelka, Music by Michael Torke, Libretto by Timothy Luginbuhl (Based on the play by Eugene Labiche and Marc Michel)
Original Review

Kiss of the Spiderwoman (Signature Theatre - Arlington, VA 2008)
Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb, Book by Terrence McNally Based on the novel by Manuel Puig, Directed by Eric Schaeffer, Choreographed by Karma Camp
Original Review

La Bohème (Broadway Theatre - Broadway 2002)
Music by Giacomo Puccini, Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica, Directed by Baz Luhrmann

Metamorphoses (Circle in the Square Theatre - Broadway 2002)
Written and Directed by Mary Zimmerman, Based on the myths of Ovid

Next Fall (Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Playwrights Horizons - Off-Broadway 2009)
Written by Geoffrey Nauffts, Directed by Sheryl Kaller
Original Review

Parade (Donmar Warehouse - London 2007, Mark Taper Forum - Los Angeles 2009)
Music and Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, Book by Alfred Uhry, Directed and Choreographed by Rob Ashford
Original London Review and Los Angeles Review

Passing Strange (Belasco Theatre - Broadway 2008)
Music and Lyrics by Stew, Book by Stew and Heidi Rodewall, Directed by Annie Dorsen, Choreographed by Karole Armitage
Original Review

Ragtime (Kennedy Centre - Washington, DC and Neil Simon Theatre - Broadway 2009)
Music by Stephen Flaherty, Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, Book by Terrence McNally, Based on the novel by E.L. Doctorow, Directed and Choreographed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge
Original Reviews

Ruined (Manhattan Theatre Club at NY City Centre Stage 1 - New York - Off-Broadway 2009)
Written by Lynn Nottage, Directed by Kate Whoriskey

Spring Awakening (Eugene O'Neill Theatre - Broadway 2007)
Music and Lyrics by Duncan Sheik, Book by Steven Sater, Directed by Michael Mayer, Choreographed by Bill T. Jones
Original Review, 2nd Review, 3rd Review, 4th Review, 5th Review, 6th Review, and 7th Review w/ new cast including Hunter Parrish, National Touring cast Review with Parry Sherman and Matt Doyle, National Touring Cast w/ Kyle Riabko Review

Urinetown (Henry Miller's Theatre - Broadway 2001, CanStage Bluma Appel Theatre - Toronto 2004)
Music by Mark Hollmann, Lyrics by Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis, Book by Greg Kotis, Directed by John Rando, Choreographed by John Carrafa

Best New Musicals
Already Mentioned:
Avenue Q
Billy Elliot
Giant
Passing Strange
Spring Awakening
Urinetown
Others:
The Last Five Years
Grey Gardens Act 2
13
[title of show]
A Catered Affair
Altar Boyz
The Visit
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
In the Heights
Xanadu
High School Musical
The Full Monty
Jersey Boys
The Drowsy Chaperone
Best New Plays
Already mentioned:
The History Boys
Next Fall
Ruined
Others:
August: Osage County
The 39 Steps
Wig Out
Scorched
Copenhagen would have made my list but even though it was part of the 2000 season in NYC, I saw it in London in 1998.
The Worst Theatre of the Decade
It's great going to the theatre a lot, but it also means you see some clunkers. Here were the 5 worst:
1. Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage (Royal Alexandra Theatre, Toronto, 2008) - Just plain lazy and godawful. And I LOVED the movie. The stage show could have been cheesily fun, instead it was dreadful and painful to watch, and strangely, flatter than the movie. The absolute worst theatre experience since Starlight Express and an embarrassment to the word "Stage".
2. Cooped (Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, 2008) - The comedy troop Spymonkey from the UK brought their latest show to Toronto and it was just not my humour. Nor anybody elses. I will give them credit though for stopping the show to stare at a person who got up and walked out. That was actually really funny. I should have followed that guy though. At least it would have given the show another laugh.
3. We Will Rock You (Canon Theatre and Panasonic Theatre, Toronto, 2008, 2009) - The songs from Queen actually sound pretty good when theatricalized, but the story built around it deserves to be trashed like a rock stars hotel room. Ben Elton deserves all the blame here for an idiotic story with cheap laughs and an over-the-top staging that made me feel embarrassed for the actors on stage.
4. Misery (Bluma Appel Theatre at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 2008) - A pointless translation of the Stephen King book and film into a stage play that plodded along so slowly on a cheap looking set that by the time the intensity was supposed to climax, the audience could only laugh at the ridiculousness happening on stage, with bad special effects and all.
5. Fire (Bluma Appel Theatre at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 2008) - This revival of a Canadian musical that is a sort of not-so-thinly veiled account of Jerry Lee Lewis was somehow a hit with critics and audiences but I thought it was boring and cliched with over-the-top performances and some eye-rolling scenes.
Big Disappointments/Overrated Theatre of the Decade
Adding Machine - Most critics and bloggers love this musical, and I LOVED the concept, but music that is supposed to sound awful with characters who are supposed to be annoying is just plain awful and annoying. I did love the sets though.
Grey Gardens Act 1 - I know that it needs to set up the normalcy of the piece and throw in the JFK references to truly add dimension to the whole show and give the musical a greater contrast to the big change in Act 2, but did it have to be that boring and that long? One scene would have sufficed to set things up, but by re-enacting a typical parlour room drama for an entire long first act only gives us less time for the brilliant second act.
The Color Purple - I didn't hate it but I just didn't think it was that great, and it should have been more memorable with catchier songs.
The Producers - A lot of people laughed a lot. I didn't. (Tho I saw the replacements for Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick and I think that made a huge difference).
Shrek - This could have been great, but instead felt like a corporate machine trying to milk money from Broadway. It's too bad since there was a tiny bit of inspired cleverness to the book and staging, but alas, it felt flatter than the cartoon it was based on.
Spamalot - Like The Producers, by the time I saw it, it was already the replacement cast, who strangely all looked and sounded a LOT like the originals (David Hyde Pierce, Tim Curry etc), but it felt like a carbon copy cast doing a carbon copy show and considering all the hype and awards, didn't live up to any of it. Mildly entertaining but that's about it.
Take Me Out - I guess hearing about a play about a closeted baseball player coming out built my expectations too much, but I found the new play almost pedantic and definitely not worth any of the hoopla (or awards). It was a nice play, but I felt it had nothing really new to say, despite the subject matter.
Wicked - I hated it the first time I saw it but have eased up with a second viewing, though I still think the ensemble songs are ridiculously staged and sung, and the book still seems to choppy.
Young Frankenstein - I laughed even less here than I did at The Producers in a show that dared to charge a top price ticket of $450. I felt bad for the talented cast and if anybody came out of this unscathed, it was Christopher Fitzgerald who managed to mine the few laughs from the show by carrying the weight of it all, all on his shoulders (can't remember which side though, it kept switching).
______________________________________
Decadeworthy - The Best of 2000-2009 Lists: Coming soon
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 2009 Lists: Coming soon
Best of Music 2009
Best of Television 2009
Best of Stage 2009
Best of Movies 2009
Previous Best-of Lists:
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
I saw Cate Blanchett and Rachel Weisz do their productions of "Streetcar". I saw Cate do it in New York while i saw Rachel do it in England and i will say that Rachel's production was far better in terms of performance and production. Cate Blanchett's production was in my opinion a bit stuffy and Blanchett lacks Weisz's sense of fire and humanity.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry I missed Urinetown. But I'm excited because I realized that The Car Man is available on DVD! It's coming from Netflix this week and I can't wait to see it!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about Spamalot and Young Frankenstein. A few laughs but that's about it.
And thanks for encouraging/prodding me to see Black Watch. It was definitely one of my best theatre experiences, too! So inventive and real.
Great list. I haven't seen all of these, but I loved so many of these, like Avenue Q, Black Watch, Company, Hair, Passing Strange, Ragtime, Spring Awakening, and Urinetown. I also saw Parade at the Mark Taper Forum in October and I thought it was so well done, if extremely depressing. I do have to say, I saw We Will Rock You in London and I really enjoyed myself, even if or maybe because the story is ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I'm not the only one who thought the Donmar's ASND was superior to the more buzzed about Cate Blanchett one. (Cate was great but the whole production seemed designed as a star piece for her as opposed to properly presenting the play).
ReplyDeleteI actually loved Blanchett's Streetcar and was absolutely floored by it! She really delved deep into the character and brought out an inner strength that I haven't seen portrayed in Blanche yet. It was truly unique. I was so emotionally invested in this production as I felt Liv's set was so incredibly intimate and engaging. Instead of having the stage open and spacious, I felt this set allowed the audience to focus more on the drama instead of extraneous frills this production usually is associated with. I completely disagree with your assessment that Liv's interpretation was more intellectual, I actually felt it was more emotional, raw & naked than you've imply. But everyone will go into this production with preconceptions and expectations of what they want to see and Liv & Cate's obviously didn't meld with yours. I loved what this entire cast did with the material and don't think I'll ever see something as brilliant again in my life! It's a shame you weren't along for the ride.
ReplyDeleteIt will be great to watch Billy Elliot,i have bought tickets from http://ticketfront.com/event/Billy_Elliot-tickets looking forward to it.
ReplyDelete