Stageworthy: The Best of Stage 2013

So I managed to hit 111 shows in 2013. Not quite as much as 2012, or 2011, but still had a grand time. Saw some great stuff, some good stuff, and of course a few clunkers, but all in the hopes of seeing a show that inspires, that electrifies the mind and the heart, and this year I've chosen 15 shows that did just that.

I also saw some repeats from previous years that have evolved and improved and landed on the list. I also saw some pretty universally critically acclaimed shows that I just didn't get. I saw some great newcomers (see Breakthrough Performances) and I got to see folks like Judi Dench, Tom Hanks, Helen Mirren, James McAvoy, Daniel Radcliffe, Ben Whishaw, Imelda Staunton, Toby Jones, Scarlett Johansen, William Petersen, Robert Sean Leonard and Bette Midler take the stage. Some to great effect (see Great Performances) and some that I sadly forgot about until I started compiling my list of all the shows I saw in 2013 (at the end of this post).


Here's the Best of Stage 2013:

1. Come From Away (Musical) - Studio Theatre at Sheridan College Theatre - Oakville, ON
Music, Lyrics and Book by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, Driected by Brian Hill

                          

A musical about a Canadian community that comes together to help unexpected visitors during a time of tragedy sounds slightly hokey. A musical about the tragedy of 9/11 sounds simply horrific and misguided. And yet, Irene Sankoff and David Hein have written a truly harrowing, cathartic, and celebratory musical about tragedy and the prevailing human spirit. A musical about loss and love, about trust and new friendships, about unimaginable horrors and our deepest fears, Hein and Snakoff manages to send shivers and tears while finding moments of joy and humour in the true story of the time the world descended upon Gander, Newfoundland when dozens of airplanes got diverted on the morning of September 11th, 2001. With gorgeous music and songs in this low key staging with the promising students of Sheridan College Theatre, and directed with an effecting simplicity by Brian Hill, Come From Away is an emotionally stunning new piece of musical theatre.



2. The Flick (Play) - Playwrights Horizons - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY
Written by Annie Baker, Directed by Sam Gold

                          

Three employees of an old, practically defunct cinema spend their days cleaning up after each screening, chatting away, picking up popcorn, discussing their favourite flicks, or anything else that might come to mind, and sometimes, they just work in silence. In Annie Baker's play The Flick, this goes on for three hours, and it is FASCINATING. With a set (by David Zinn) of cinema seats that almost reflect the seats at Playwrights Horizons, and a naturalistic tone set by Sam Gold and from great performances from Louisa Krause, Matthew Maher and Aaron Clifton Moten, The Flick gives a full dimensional slice-of-life moment as cinema moves to a digital realm and as people learn to readjust to a new format.



3. Pippin (Musical Revival) - A.R.T. at Loeb Drama Center - Boston, MA
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, Book by Roger O. Hirson, Directed by Diane Paulus, Circus Creation by Gypsy Snider, Choreography by Chet Walker

                          

Pippin has always been a problematic musical and I still don't think it works in all aspects, but boy does Diane Paulus and Gypsy Snider sure razzle dazzle us and divert our attention away from the flaws inherent in the piece and give us a spectacular tale of a young man trying to find his way while being razzle dazzled by a superb leading player in Patina Miller. With a jaw dropping performance by Andrea Martin, and great help from Terrence Mann, Charlotte d'Amboise, Rachel Bay Jones, and an amazing ensemble of circus performers and dancers, this latest revival surrounds a genial Matthew James Thomas to give his Pippin the resonance and showmanship that makes this the new definitive version.



4. This is War (Play) - Tarragon Theatre - Toronto, ON
Written by Hannah Moscovitch, Directed by Richard Rose

                          

Hannah Moscovitch's searing new play about the lives that collide and unravel during war is both universal but ultimately feels intimate in Richard Rose's effective claustrophobic staging (in a effectively stifling theatre space/set by Camelia Koo. It may be war but this is what war does to the personal state of four individual soldiers and it may be more politically reverberating than any of the politics and politicians that caused it all in the first place.



5. Passion (Musical Revival) - Classic Stage Company - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Book by James Lapine, Directed by John Doyle

                          

Who knew a musical about a tragic romance could bring so much happiness? John Doyle brought a tight, dark and extremely moving piece to the intimate Classic Stage space with Judy Kuhn and Ryan Silverman sparking a passionate chemistry in two-thirds of this love triangle story. Amy Justman, the understudy who had to take over the role of Clara, was beautifully gripping in the third point in Passion.



6. Buyer & Cellar (Play) - Rattlestick Playwrights Theater - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY
Written by Jonathan Tolins, Directed by Stephen Brackett

                          

This may technically be a solo show but it definitely feels like Barbra Streisand is there with Michael Urie as he recounts this amazing (untrue) tale of working as the only sales clerk in Barbra Streisand's own personal mall, hidden beneath her home (true. Apparently). Urie has us in his hands as he secretly tells us about Alex's adventures in Streisandland and it's hilariously nutty and surprisingly moving, and Urie gives a energetic and loveable performance, voicing all the other characters in this tall-tale of celebrity homes.



7. Watershed and Being and Nothingness (Part 1) in Innovation (Ballet) - National Ballet of Canada at the Four Seasons for the Performing Arts - Toronto, ON - Original Review
Watershed - Choreographed by José Navas, Music by Benjamin Britten
Being and Nothingness (Part 1) - Choreographed by Guillaume Côté, Music by Philip Glass

                          

Innovation celebrated new works by Canadian choreographers over one night, and Watershed, by José Navas, and Being and Nothingness (Part 1), by Guillaume Côté, both took my breathe away in their beautiful simplicity and raw emotional movements that felt fresh and evocative.



8. Merrily We Roll Along (Musical) - Harold Pinter Theatre - West End - London, UK
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Book by George Firth, Directed by Maria Friedman

                          

Jenna Russell and Mark Umbers truly bring the tragedy, and the eventually the youthful joy, in Sondheim and Firth's backwards tale of the downfalls of fame and fortune, or in this case, the upwards trajectory of youthful hope and naivety, all bookended by an emotional reminder that the memory of that hope never fully disappears.



9. The Gay Heritage Project (Play) - Buddies in Bad Times Theatre - Toronto, ON
Created by Damien Atkins, Paul Dunn and Andrew Kushnir, Directed by Ashlie Corcoran

                          

Atkins, Dunn and Kushnir explored their own notions of what gay heritage means and created and performed this very entertaining and emotionally resonating history lesson that explores gay culture and our ties to its historic movement from the three actors points of views. And while admitting to their limitations (especially as gay, white, males in the gay community), their overview brings both questions, and hope to the future of gay culture.



10. After Miss Julie (Play) - Red One Theatre Collective at The Storefront Theatre - Toronto, ON
Written by Patrick Marber, Directed by David Ferry

                          

In the low ceiling space in the low rent space of The Storefront Theatre, a steamy seduction took place as the battle between lust and responsibility shapes the lives of three people as they manipulate their ways in search for a better life. All while trying to define what "better" means.



11. Pygmalion (Play Revival) - The Old Globe - San Diego, CA
Written by George Bernard Shaw, Directed by Nicholas Martin

                          

A delightful and layered Charlotte Parry takes on the fair lady's role in this faithful and haunting revival that has a staunch and sturdy Robert Sean Leonard as Henry Higgins.



12. Jabber (Play) - Young People's Theatre - Toronto, ON - Original Review
Written by Marcus Youssef, Directed by Amanda Kellock

                          

A seemingly simple moral tale of two teens from different cultures manages to twist and turn into a far more complex story as the characters reveal their secrets and souls that move beyond first impression stereotypes.



13. Kinky Boots (Musical) - Al Hirschfeld Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY
Music and Lyrics by Cyndi Lauper, Book by Harvey Fierstein, Directed and Choreography by Jerry Mitchell

                          

Imperfect and flawed, but shiny and sturdy, this underdog story became the underdog musical that turned into a big fun mainstream hit. In the move from its Chicago-tryout to Broadway (where I deemed it a musical to watch for on last year's list) some changes needed were made, some were not, but when the Cyndi Lauper songs own up to being written by Cyndi Lauper, the shows true heart shines through.



14. Here Lies Love (Musical) - LuEsther Hall at The Public Theater - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY
Music by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, Lyrics and Concept by David Byrne,  Additional Music by Tom Gandey and J Pardo, Directed by Alex Timbers, Choreography by Annie-B Parson

                          

A disco musical about Imelda Marcos? Not sure if the rise of Imelda from simple girl to power-hungry notoriety is a chilling tale that should be told in such an entertaining way, but damn, Alex Timbers and Annie-B Parson have inspired the most energetic cast to dance and sing their way around the dance floor. Ruthie Ann Miles builds both sympathy and sends shivers as she transforms from dancing queen to banned queen in a show where presentation and the participatory staging enhance the actual music and story.


15. The Valley (Play) - Tarragon Theatre - Toronto, ON - Original Review
Written by Joan MacLeod, Directed by Richard Rose

                          

A powerful examination of our society and individual responsibilities in protecting ourselves and each other. With ambitious questions, MacLeod is not always entirely successful but colliding issues around mental illness and police actions with the stories of four people in two different families hitting low points in their lives, makes for an intense and fascinating play, with a wonderfully utilized in-the-round staging by Rose.



Breakthrough Performances (in alphabetical order):

The cast of After Miss Julie: Claire Armstrong, Amy Keating, Christopher Morris

The cast of The Flick: Alex Hanna, Louisa Krouse, Matthew Maher, Aaron Clifton Moten

The cast of Here Lies Love: Renée Albulario, Melody Butiu, Natalie Cortez, Debralee Daco, Joshua Dela Cruz, Jose Llana, Kelvin Moon Loh, Jeigh Madjus, Ruthie Ann Miles, Maria-Christina Oliveras, Conrad Ricamora, Trevor Salter, Janelle Velasquez

The cast of Jabber: Ian Geldart, Mariana Tayler, David Sklar

Usman Ally in The Jungle Book
Charl Brown in Motown the Musical
Travis Cardona in This Heaven
Kevin Carolan in The Jungle Book
Brian Cross in The Snow Geese
Gabriel Ebert in Matilda
K. Todd Freeman in Fetch Clay, Make Man
Alexis Gordon in The Gravitational Pull of Bernice Trimble
Jeff Ho in Murderers Confess at Christmastime
Ramin Karimloo in Les Misérables
Cyrus Lane in Passion Play
Sydney Lucas in Fun Home
Kevin MacDonald in Macbeth and The Taming of the Shrew
Colin Mercer in The Valley
Jonny Orsini in The Nance
Peyson Rock in The Gravitational Pull of Bernice Trimble
Keala Settle in Hands on a Hardbody
Frankie Serach in The Landing
Ryan Silverman in Passion
Yvonne Strahovski in Golden Boy


Great Performances (in alphabetical order):

The cast of The Gay Heritage Project: Damien Atkins, Paul Dunn, Andrew Kushnir

Damien Atkins in Someone Else
Carly Bawden in Tristan & Yseult
Dale Boyer in Night of the Living Dead Live
Gavin Creel in The Book of Mormon
André De Shields in The Jungle Book
Sergio Di Zio in This is War
Bruce Dow in Pig
Jennifer Dzialoszynski in The Taming of the Shrew
Santino Fontana in Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella
Greg Gale in Macbeth and The Taming of the Shrew
Adam Garcia in Kiss Me Kate
Greta Hodgkinson in Being and Nothingness (Part 1)
Lisa Horner in Les Misérables
Toby Jones in Circle, Mirror, Transformation
Judy Kuhn in Fun Home and Passion
Ian Lake in This is War and The Valley
Nathan Lane in The Nance
Robert Sean Leonard in Pygmalion
Cassie Levy in Murder Ballad
Deirdre Lovejoy in Lucky Guy
Andrea Martin in Pippin
James McAvoy in Macbeth
Richard McCabe in The Audience
McGee Maddox in Swan Lake
Bette Midler in I'll Eat You Last
Patina Miller in Pippin
Helen Mirren in The Audience
Debra Monk in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Charlotte Parry in Pygmalion
Ben Platt in The Book of Mormon
Daniel Radcliffe in The Cripple of Inishmaan
Jenna Russell in Merrily We Roll Along
Cliff Saunders in Les Misérables
Alexandra Socha in Fun Home
Carly Street in Venus in Fur
Hugh Thompson in Macbeth
Mark Umbers in Merrily We Roll Along
Michael Urie in Buyer & Cellar
Courtney B. Vance in Lucky Guy
Hannah Waddington in Kiss Me Kate
Rachel York in Anything Goes
Xiao Nan Yu in Swan Lake


Here is every Stage Show I saw in 2013 in alphabetical order. All reviews are based on a 5 stars system (Workshop Labs, Readings, Concerts and Cabarets are not graded):

After Miss Julie (Play Revival) - Red One Theatre Collective at The Storefront Theatre - Toronto, ON - ****1/2

Aladdin (Musical) - Ed Mirvish Theatre - Toronto, ON - **1/2

The Alexis Lambright Tell-A-Thon: Combating Adult Virginity (Play) - FringeNYC at 440 Studios - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ***

All Tchaikovsky - Toronto Symphony at Roy Thompson Hall - Toronto, ON

Annie (Musical Revival) - Palace Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - Review ***1/2

Annie TYA (Musical Revival) - Young People's Theatre - Toronto, ON - Review ****

Anything Goes (Musical Revival) - Princess of Wales Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

The Assembled Parties (Play) - Manhattan Theater Club at the Friedman Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ***

The Audience (Play) - Gielgud Theatre - West End - London, UK - ****

Beautiful Thing (Play Revival) - Arts Theatre - West End - London, UK - ****

The Best Brothers (Play Revival) - Tarragon Theatre - Toronto, ON - Review ****

Big Fish (Musical) - Neil Simon Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - **1/2

The Bodyguard (Musical) - Adelphi Theatre - West End - London, UK - **

The Book of Mormon x3 (Musical) - Prince of Wales Theatre - West End - London, UK; National Tour at Princess of Wales Theatre - Toronto, ON; Bank of America Theatre - Chicago, IL - ****1/2

Bull (Play) - 59E59's Theater B - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ***

Buyer & Cellar (Play) - Rattlestick Playwrights Theater - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ****1/2

The Call (Play) - Playwrights Horizons' Peter Jay Sharp Theatre - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - Review **1/2

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

Carmina Burana - Toronto Symphony at Roy Thompson Hall - Toronto, ON

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Play Revival) - Richard Rodgers Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ****

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (Musical Revival) - Broadway Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ***1/2

Circle, Mirror, Transformation (Play) - Royal Court Theatre at Rose Lipman Building - London, UK - ***1/2

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Musical) - Theatre Royal Drury Lane - West End - London, UK - **

The Comedy of Errors (Play Revival) - The Public Theater at the Delacorte Theatre - New York City, NY - ***

Come From Away (Musical) x2 - Studio Theatre at Sheridan College Theatre - Oakville, ON & Panasonic Theatre (Reading) - Toronto, ON  - *****

The Cripple of Inishmaan (Play Revival) - Michael Grandage Company at Noël Coward Theatre - West End - London, UK - ***1/2

The Drowned Man: A Hollywood Fable (Play) - Punchdrunk and The National Theatre at Temple Studios - London, UK - Review ****

Eating Pomegranates Naked (Play) - SummerWorks at Lower Ossington Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***

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

Falsettos (Musical Revival) - Acting Upstage at Daniels Spectrum, Slaight Hall - Toronto, ON - ***

Far From Heaven (Musical) - Playwrights Horizons - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - **1/2

Fetch Clay, Make Man (Play) - NYTW - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ***1/2

First Date (Musical) - Longacre Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - **1/2

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

The Flood Thereafter (Play) - Canadian Stage Company at Berkeley Street Theatre - Toronto, ON - Review ***

Foreign Accent Syndrome (Musical Workshop) - At Ryerson University Theatre School - Toronto, ON

Fortune and Men's Eyes (Play) - Dancemakers and Center for Creation - Toronto, ON - ***

Fun Home (Musical) - Newman Theater at The Public Theater - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ****

Garden (Play Revival) - Trinity Repertory Company - Providence, RI - ***

The Gay Heritage Project (Play) - Buddies in Bad Times Theatre - Toronto, ON - ****1/2

Golden Boy (Play Revival) - Lincoln Center Theater at Belasco Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ****

The Gravitational Pull of Bernice Trimble (Play) - Factory Theatre and Obsidian Theatre - Toronto, ON - Review ***1/2

Hands on a Hardbody (Musical) - Brooks Atkinson Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ***

Here Lies Love (Musical) - LuEsther Hall at The Public Theater - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ****

House (Play Revival) - Trinity Repertory Company - Providence, RI - ***

I'll Eat You Last (Play) - Booth Theatre - Braodway - New York City, NY - ****

Innovation (Ballet) - National Ballet of Canada at the Four Seasons for the Performing Arts - Toronto, ON - Review ****1/2
Watershed - *****
Being and Nothingness (Part 1) - *****
Unearth - ****
...black night's bright day... - ***1/2

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

The Jungle Book (Musical) - The Goodman Theatre - Chicago, IL - ***1/2

Kinky Boots x2 (Musical) - Al Hirschfeld Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ****

Kiss Me Kate (Musical Revival) - The Old Vic Theatre - West End - London, UK - ****

The Landing (Musical) - Vineyard Theatre - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - **1/2

Les Misérables x2 (Musical Revival) - Princess of Wales Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

Lucky Guy (Play) - Broadhurst Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - **1/2

Macbeth (Play Revival) - Canadian Stage Company's Shakespeare in High Park Amphitheatre - Toronto, ON - Review ****

Macbeth (Play Revival) - Trafalgar Studios - West End - London, UK - ****

Marathon of Hope (Musical Workshop) - MacDonald Heaslip-Hall at Sheridan College Theatre - Oakville, ON

Matilda (Musical) - Shubert Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ***1/2

Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty: A Gothic Romance (Ballet) - A New Adventures Production at New York City Center - New York City, NY - Review **1/2

Merrily We Roll Along (Musical Revival) - Harold Pinter Theatre - West End - London, UK - ****1/2

Motown the Musical (Musical) - Lunt Fontanne Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ***1/2

Murder Ballad (Musical) - Union Square Theatre - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ***1/2

Murderers Confess at Christmastime (Play) - SummerWorks at Lower Ossington Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***

Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play (Play) - Playwrights Horizons - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - Review **

The Nance (Play) - Lincoln Center Theater at the Lyceum Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ***1/2

Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 (Musical) - Kazino in Chelsea - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ****

Needles and Opium (Play Revival) - Canadian Stage Company at Bluma Apel Theatre in the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts - Toronto, ON - **1/2

Newsies (Musical) - Nederlander Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ***1/2

Night of the Living Dead Live (Play) - Theatre Passe Muraille - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

The Old Friends (Play) - Signature Theatre in the Irene Diamond Theatre - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ***

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

On the Rocks (Musical) - Theatre Passe Muraille - Toronto, ON - ***

Passion (Musical Revival) - Classic Stage Company - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ****1/2

Peter and Alice (Play) - Michael Grandage Company at Noël Coward Theatre - West End - London, UK - ***

Picnic (Play Revival) - Roundabout Theater Company at the American Airlines Theater - Broadway - New York City, NY - ***1/2

Pig (Play) - Buddies in Bad Times Theatre - Toronto, ON - Review ***1/2

Pippin (Musical Revival) - A.R.T. at Loeb Drama Center - Boston, MA - ****1/2

The Power of Harriet T! (Play) - Young People's Theatre - Toronto, ON - Review ***

Pur ti Miro, No. 24, The Man in Black & Theme and Variation (Ballet) - National Ballet of Canada at the Four Seasons for the Performing Arts - Toronto, ON - ****

Pygmalion (Play Revival) - The Old Globe - San Diego, CA - ****1/2

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

Reasons to be Happy (Play) - MCC at Lucille Lortel Theatre - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ***

Repetitive Strain Injury (Play) - Company Kid Logic at Factory Theatre Studio - Toronto, ON - **

Slowgirl (Play) - Steppenwolf Theatre - Chicago, IL - ***

The Snow Geese (Play) - Manhattan Theatre Club at the Friedman Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - **1/2

Someone Else (Play) - Canadian Stage Company at Berkeley Street Theatre - Toronto, ON - ****

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

Talley's Folly (Play Revival) - Roundabout Theater Company at the Laura Pels Theatre in the Harold and Mirium Steinberg Center for Theatre - New York City, NY - **

The Taming of the Shrew (Play Revival) - Canadian Stage Company's Shakespeare in High Park Amphitheatre - Toronto, ON - Review ***

The Theory of Relativity (Musical) - Studio Theatre at Sheridan College Theatre - Oakville, ON - ****

This (Play) - Canadian Stage at the Berkeley Street Theatre - Toronto, ON - Review ***1/2

This Heaven (Play) - Belvoir Theatre - Sydney, NSW, AU - ***1/2

This is War (Play) - Tarragon Theatre - Toronto, ON - ****1/2

3 Kinds of Exile (Play) - The Atlantic Theater Company - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - **1/2

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

Tristan & Yseult (Play) - Kneehigh at Berkeley Repertory Theatre - Berkeley, CA - **1/2

The Valley (Play) - Tarragon Theatre - Toronto, ON - Review ****

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Play) - Lincoln Center Theater at the Golden Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ***

Venice (Musical Lab) - The Public Theater - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - **1/2

Venus in Fur (Play) - Canadian Stage Company at Bluma Apel Theatre in the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts - Toronto, ON - Review ****1/2

Winners and Losers (Play) - Crow's Theatre and Canadian Stage Company at Berkeley Street Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***

The Wizard of Oz (Musical Revival) - Ed Mirvish Theatre - Toronto, ON - Review **1/2

You're A Good Man Charlie Brown (Musical Revival) - Actor's Fund Benefit at the Baillie Theatre in the Young Centre for the Performing Arts - Toronto, ON

Zumanity (Circus) - Cirque du Soleil at New York New York Hotel and Casino - Las Vegas, NV - ****

_________________________________________
Best of 2013 Lists:
Best of Music
Best of Television 2012
Best of Stage 2012
Best of Movies 2011/12/13


Previous Best-of Lists: 

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

Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

More After the Jump...

A Friend Like Me? - Jabber - Play Review

Jabber - Young People's Theatre - Toronto, ON - ****1/2 (out of 5 stars)
Written by Marcus Youssef, Directed by Amanda Kellock
Runs until Dec. 7th 2013

                         

Fatima used to hang out with her hijab-wearing friends, dubbing themselves the "jabbers", but when a racist incident happens at her school, Fatima's parents panic and force her to move to a new school. At the new school, Jorah is a troubled and mysterious boy who is intrigued by the new Muslim girl at his school, where both keep bumping into each other at the Guidance Counsellor, Mr. E's, office. At least, that's what the play sets it up to be, introducing the story as actors playing the story.

Jabber sets itself up as a play for teens, but while it uses it's framing device and teen-speak tone to connect with its intended audience, it's unraveling complexity, slowly revealing the two main characters' individual emotions, problems, and thoughts, and the many issues teens deal with today, manage to draw us in. Everything is not as it first seems, and Youssef's play is wonderfully written to examine the assumptions and stereotypes we make, as well as the isolation and connections Canadian teens live through today, despite our facebook-connected world. While there are some moments that might not make sense, it actually comes into play later in the plot, also showing the realities of our human flaws, and not just some perfect moral tale told all neat and tidily.

Amanda Kellock's direction, and using a simple set (by James Lavoie) with some frames, chairs and a screen, is used to maximum effect, with a cast of three gamely presenting this as actors playing out a scenario.

Mariana Tayler is wonderful and believable as Fatima, the Muslim Canadian teen who isn't as shy as people assume her to be. Tayler's Fatima has a great chemistry with Ian Geldart's Jorah, who gives the misunderstood Jorah wonderful layers beneath the hooded "loner". David Skylar fills in the gap as Mr. E, as well as Melissa, another teen girl that goes to the school. Even Skylar's Mr. E, while attempting to be a calm counsellor, still has is own preconceived notions and imperfections. 

While the effective framing device still does first hint that the play might talk down to its teen audience, much like the subject matter, it uses it to revert your initial thoughts and twists and reels you into the story of these two teens' lives. Fatima, Jorah, even Mr. E, and Melissa, are fascinating characters that are far more complex than first-impressions would indicate, and Youssef (whose play Winners and Losers is playing down the street at Canadian Stage/Crow's Theatre) has written a wonderfully complex tale that doesn't feel like a lesson plan.


Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

More After the Jump...

Canadian Thanksgiving - Innovation - Ballet Review

Innovation - National Ballet of Canada at the Four Seasons for the Performing Arts - Toronto, ON - ****1/2 (averaged, out of 5 stars)
Watershed - Choreographed by José Navas, Music by Benjamin Britten - *****
Being and Nothingness (Part 1) - Choreographed by Guillaume Côté, Music by Philip Glass - *****
Unearth - Choreographed by Robert Binet, Music by Owen Pallett - ****
...black night's bright day... - Choreographed by James Kudelka, Music by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi - ***1/2
Runs until Nov. 28th 2013

                         

Like one of those chef tasting menus where you realize new exquisite flavours from the simplicity and freshness of basic ingredients, the National Ballet's Innovation program, with four new Canadian works, 3 making their world premieres, is a bountiful and filling assortment of ballet delights. Collectively, the works are another beautiful showcase of the ballet company's versatile and powerful ensemble. Canadian dance has much to be thankful for.

                         

Watershed, choreographed by José Navas, is like a ballet rehearsal beautiful lit by James F. Ingalls that displays the beauty of the corps ensemble and the unity AND individuality of the dancers. There are too many beautiful moments from it's large cast of dancers to specify any individual dancer as everyone does a stunning job here. The piece, that uses Britten's "Four Sea Interludes" from Peter Grimes, uses its simplicity as an asset, creating an emotionally swelling piece despite the lack of any narrative storyline. Navas says he "emphasize the simplicity of a gesture, not just its technical execution, but how one breathes life into it..." and one can feel the breathes emanating from the dancers as part of the piece's life force. An absolutely exquisite dance piece performed with passionate precision by the company.

Being and Nothingness (Part 1) choreographed by principal dancer Guillaume Côté, and danced by Greta Hodgkinson alone with gusto and fury, is a stunning addition to the National Ballet's repertoire. Alone under a pulsating single lightbulb, Hodgkinson jerks and flits in lonely despair to Philip Glass' "Metamorphosis I-V (4th Movement)" and it's heartbreaking and hypnotic. With a title that suggests there will be a part 2, it only suggests more exciting things to come from Côté the choreographer and not just the dancer.

                         

Unearth is a strange and seductive dance piece, with 14 dancers, a mix of principals and corps, showing the amount of talent from all levels of the company. Like aliens on a space mission, or even music and gold reflective costumes that evoke a lost episode of the original Star Trek show, the 14 dancers move about in odd jerky movements in between moments of smooth tranquility, odd body contortions in unison that look perfectly balanced. Against a giant white rock, evoking some distant planet surface, or even Ayers Rock, a grander presence amongst the range of dancers, dancers of different sizes and shapes, Binet's piece is a strange but satisfying composition that feels mystical and out of this world.

                         

... black night's bright day... feels mythological, with mini "stories" and moments with solos, duets and groups that evoke some sort of simple but grandiose tale. James Kudelka's piece has an abundance of beautiful and evocative moments, with haunting images that may have too much for clarity for this one piece, but when it works, it's a beautiful showcase for the company. With great solos by Piotr Stanczyk, Guillaume Côté, and Heather Ogden, and a beautiful debut by guest artist Svetlana Lunkina (from the Bolshoi Ballet), here paired with Côté, it's an embarrassment of riches that might work more with less, but when it also gets to showcase corps members like a captivating Lise-Marie Jourdain against company stars Ogden, McGee Maddox, Robert Stephen and Chelsy Meiss, one can forgive minor misgivings like that.


Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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Highs of Lows - The Valley - Play Review

The Valley - Tarragon Theatre - Toronto, ON - **** (out of 5 stars)
Written by Joan MacLeod, Directed by Richard Rose
Runs until Dec. 15th 2013

                         

When we expect our police to protect us, what do we actually mean? When someone is depressed or has a mental illness, what is our responsibility to them? Joan MacLeod's new play The Valley delves into these two simple-sounding-but-weighty questions when two families collide by chance on the Skytrain one night in Vancouver.

Dan (Ian Lake, This Is War), a Vancouver policeman, and wife Janie (Michelle Monteith) are new parents and while Dan is off at work, Janie struggles with being herself in motherhood. Up in the hills, single mother Sharron (Susan Coyle) dotes on grown loner son Connor as he goes to university in Calgary for his first semester. When Connor (Colin Mercer) returns at Thanksgiving, he is a shell of a man and Sharron has no idea how to deal with her son's newfound situation. With Connor remaining in Vancouver, he eventually finds a job, but an encounter with policeman Dan on his commute home changes the paths of both these families.

                         

The play is a fascinating set up that raises some fascinating questions about mental health, depression, our role(s) and responsibility towards someone with mental illness, and how our encounters with the police can be affected by it all. They are two huge issues to cover and while the melding of the two creates a great premise, the play understandably only scratches the surface as it tries to keep its focus on these four particular characters.

The cast is wonderful, with Colin Mercer managing to keep our empathy while his Connor tunnels into a dark despair that is frustrating for all those around him. Mercer's performance feels honest and grounded despite the different levels he must vary through the play. Ian Lake is a great anchor as the police officer, trying to keep things straight at home just as he's about to encounter Connor on that fateful night. Michelle Monteith has a inviting presence that lets us into her Janie's struggle and slow devolvement and only wish we got to dig even deeper into Janie's world (as much of the first act felt like Janie-as-seen-through-husband Dan's eyes). Susan Coyle has a innate sensitivity and grace that at times holds her back from truly showing the frustration her Sharron might be struggling with in understanding Connor, but it adds a warmth to the relationship that could have been played simply as dramatic tension.

Richard Rose's direction, putting the audience on both sides of the stage, and keeping the lights just bright enough that a self-awareness of the audience as a community watching, is a smart way to add another layer to the play. The four "stations" in the set, a bed, a dining table, a couch, and desk, most that double as multiple locations, keeps the fluidity between the two stories, with a grey circle at the centre of the stage marking the spot when the stories come together. Beautifully staged and mostly well paced, there are no deep valleys in the production of The Valley.


Photos by Cylla von Tiedemann
Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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Thank Heaven for Little Girls - Annie - YPT Toronto and Broadway - Musical Reviews

Annie TYA- Young People's Theatre - Toronto, ON - **** (out of 5 stars)
Music by Charles Strouse, Lyrics by Martin Charnin, Book by Thomas Meehan, Directed by Allen MacInnis, Choreographed by Nicola Pantin
Runs until Dec. 29th 2013

Annie - Palace Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ***1/2 (out of 5 stars)
Music by Charles Strouse, Lyrics by Marin Charnin, Book by Thomas Meehan, Directed by James Lapine, Choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler 
Runs until Jan. 5th 2014

My fear of little girls singing probably rivals Miss Hannigan's fear of little girls, so I was a bit apprehensive going into Annie this year for my first time (on stage), but the delightful and charming musical is the classic it is for its winning songs and its optimistic outlook and I came out both times humming the tunes with a sunny smile on my face (and I'm still singing it in my head right now).

Annie on Broadway manages to cast some terrifically talented little girls who manages to keep the annoying grating and mugging to a minimum while adults Faith Prince and Anthony Warlow keep command of the stage. Annie at Young People's Theatre uses young adults playing children but it is basically a non-issue with its very young looking cast, and instead, probably provides the most well sung bunch of orphans around. Add in Louise Pitre, Sterling Jarvis and a terrific cast of 14 in the condensed version of Annie (truncated for young audiences), and this simplified version remains a charmer.

                          

Annie at YPT Toronto sounds marvellous with Jenny Weisz (Sheridan Theatre's Come From Away) as its lead. With a group of adults-playing-children orphans (Jess Abramovitch, Mary Antonini, Jessie Cox, Ramona Gilmour-Darling, Natalia Gracious, Nicole Norsworthy), the orphanage sounded fantastic and in wonderful harmony.

                                      

Weisz manages to make us forget her real age with some wide-eyed optimism and her beautiful voice and considering most of Annie's lines are simple two word sentences, it's a great feat to keep her feeling real and naive without making her feel stupid. With a great Sterling Jarvis (Caroline, or Change) commanding the role of Oliver Warbucks, Weisz and Jarvis make for a genial pair and their duets sound terrific.

Shawna Van Omme is a lovely Grace, assistant to Warbucks, and is exactly the loving warm heart needed for that role. Richard Binsley is an amusing Roosevelt, while W. Joseph Matheson and Natasha O'Brien have a fun time in the creepy roles of Rooster and Lily St. Regis. (as well as doubling as Roosevelt's cabinet). Dale R. Miller and his beautiful voice fills in various roles nicely.

                          

Then there's Louise Pitre (A Year with Frog and Toad, Mamma Mia) who seems to be having a ball chewing the scenery as the scenery-chewing-character Miss Hannigan, the miserable and deceitful woman running the orphanage. Miss Hannigan's entrance is a little anti-climatic, and her punchlines don't always zing because of the underlining piano runs to emphasize them, but it's fun watching Pitre be deliciously horrible at the children and conniving with Matheson's rooster (and her real life partner).

While the singing in this production was top notch, it was underlined by some great choreography by Nicola Pantin. The staging was efficient on a beautifully versatile set by Teresa Pryzbylski and lighted by Michael Walton (although the opening number could have reframed Annie a tad better), and it made the Young People's Theatre stage look grande, especially in the Warbucks mansion scenes and "NYC" scenes. With the voices and harmony sounding so full, the musical arrangements by Diane Leah work well with a simple piano and wind instrument but one can only imagine what those singers could sound like with a full orchestra behind them!

                          

While the Young People's Theatre uses the "TYA" version of Annie, running approximately 80 minutes, I did not really miss much from the longer version (other than the final romantic development between Warbucks and Grace and a final invite for all the orphans to stay), but instead, we got all of our favorite songs without all the exposition and political elements snuck into the book scenes that probably goes way over the head of a large portion of Annie's audience. It was the best-of-Annie without feeling like a best-of collection, and still felt whole and complete.



                          

Having the full version is what sometimes stalls the Broadway version of Annie. While current Miss Hannigan Faith Prince (Guys & Dolls, A Catered Affair) is, like Pitre, a Broadway diva eating up the orphans with relish and evil sass (and some great comedic moments), and Anthony Warlow is a wonderful Warbucks, some uneven casting in other roles and some over-extended book scenes with some politically heavy story elements sometimes overtake the pleasure of the core story. Taylor Richardson makes a wonderful Annie, and her child cast mates of orphans are terrific. Jenni Barber (who is no longer with the show) was a great Grace, but some of the other cast members were almost mystifying. Still, the overall production, despite some tightening needed, is still an enjoyable Annie overall.

Photos of YPT Toronto production by Cylla von Tiedemann
Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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Duck Dynasty - Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty - Tchaikovsky Ballet Reviews

Swan Lake - National Ballet of Canada at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts - Toronto, ON - ****1/2 (out of 5 stars)
Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Choreography by James Kudelka
Runs until Nov. 17th 2013 and returns Mar. 8-16th 2014

Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty: A Gothic Romance - A New Adventures Production at New York City Center - New York City, NY - **1/2 (out of 5 stars)
Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Choreography by Matthew Bourne
Currently on tour. 


Perhaps I need to see Bourne's Sleeping Beauty again, because while there were enjoyable moments, and I will say the new twist on the story to modernize it was...um... interesting..., I did not feel connected to the piece and thought the choreography was not the most interesting dancing Bourne has done, and did not come close to the inventiveness and expressiveness of his Play Without Words or The Car Man. Maybe a second viewing might give me better insight, as my second time around to National Ballet of Canada's Swan Lake, a version choreographed by Canadian James Kudelka, struck me far more than my first viewing. Possibly knowing and understanding the story helped and let me enjoy the choreography unhindered by trying to figure out the classic story (that I had never seen up to that point), but this time around, I found the ballet classic simply beautiful and a great showcase piece for the members of the ballet company.

                         

So now that I fell in love with Kudelka Swan Lake choreography, with scenes to showcase the male ensemble corps in the first act, then the ladies get to impress as swans in the second. With this opening, the company chose to give the leads to rising star McGee Maddox as Siegfried, opposite Principal dancer Xiao Nan Yu, a pairing I was surprised at when first announced for Swan Lake, but in actual performance, works smashingly beautifully!

Xiao Nan Yu is a very strong, self assured dancer. I tend to think of her as the queen mother of sorts of the company, but often, I find her pairings a bit unbalanced because she IS so strong and confident, and a times overpowering her pairing. McGee Maddox, who is a sort of beast of ballet, a muscle framed hulking dancer, who looks more appropriate for the football field than in tights, is a unique star-in-the-making. Maddox, with his boyish matinee idol looks, and atypically large frame, looks like he would be weighted down by his muscles and yet dances with the grace of a feather and manages to float through the air as he jumps. The pairing of Maddox and Yu only strengthens each others best qualities (which they hinted at in Elite Syncopations, though I missed their previous pairings), and allows Yu to freely be as strong as she is, and she gives what may have been her best performance I have seen her do yet.

Yu's Odette, the White Swan, is strong, assured, and beautiful in her confidence. Not necessarily the frail swan waiting for her Prince, but this swan understands her grace and power and it nicely contrasts to Maddox's naive and melancholic Siegfried. We easily understand why the indifferent Prince would fall in love with the radiant swan Odette. Then when Yu becomes Odile, the Black Swan, she becomes confident in a different way. Yu's Odile is coy and seducing, and

                         

Meanwhile, the opening night cast, with nary a sight of the usual Principal stars Antonijevic, Ogden, Côté, Stanczyk, etc., was basically a great showcase for the upcoming stars of The National Ballet of Canada!

Tanya Howard as the Wench, Jillian Vanstone, Jenna Savella, Elena Lobsanova, and Tina Pereira as the Princesses, Nan Wang as Benno, Robert Stephen (who plays the Fool on other nights) in the male corps, Etienne Lavigne as Rothbart. The National Ballet of Canada's future is in great hands (or should that be pointed feet?)! The female corps seemed tighter than ever, while the men had great fun trying to amuse and brighten up the sullen Prince (and this time, beside Robert Stephen, I found Giorgio Galli particularly mesmerizing within the corps).


                         

Less mesmerizing was Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty, which had many great ideas and nice theatrical elements (including a somewhat creepy baby puppet to begin the prologue) but it all did not add up to enough of an emotional pull that usually dominates previous Bourne shows I've seen. I appreciate Bourne's effort to rework the simple story of Sleeping Beauty and give it an update and dramatic boost, but it seems to illicit more of a confused response. The subtitle A Gothic Romance brings Sleeping Beauty to modern times in the second act, as Sleeping Beauty has been sleeping for over a 100 years, but while having the young love meet before her sleep induced coma adds resonance to the love story, trying to keep it alive by turning the young man into a vampire, starts feeling more like a way to grab more demographics than trying to make the story make sense.

                         

There are some interesting ways Bourne has inserted unique characters for solos, including some "good" vampire/angels(?), and the costumes and sets by Lez Brotherston keep the visual interest alive, but overall, something about the production just did not quite awaken for me despite an attempt and shaking up the classic fairytale.


Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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Heavy Mental - The Gravitational Pull of Bernice Trimble - Play Review

The Gravitational Pull of Bernice Trimble - Factory Theatre and Obsidian Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***1/2 (out of 5 stars)
Written by Beth Graham, Directed by Philip Akin
Runs until Dec. 1st, 2013


I often complain that too many plays seem to be based around white families with drinking or drug problems and while they definitely mine some dramatic classics out of it (Long Day's Journey Into Night, August: Osage County), it is getting a bit repetitive. Watching The Gravitational Pull of Bernice Trimble, it dawned on me why the drinking and drug theme amongst a white family might be so popular, and not just as a default subject for a play. Perhaps there is a slight schadenfreude-ish nature to it, since watching Bernice Trimble, a play presented here by Obsidian Theatre in conjuction with Factory Theatre, a play about a black family dealing with their mother's deteriorating health issue, seems far more heartbreaking with its hopeless nature. Watching Bernice Trimble, the matriarch of the family, growing older and falling into her medical spells is scary and is easily recognizable to anyone who has dealt with elders in their family. Presented and written in such a realistic, matter-of-fact way brings it much closer to our own understanding, and it becomes a painful reminder of the infallible nature of our bodies and mind. While this production presents it happening to a black woman, it could really be any family of any colour or background. The play feels very Canadian, but quite universal.

                            

This is not to say drugs or drinking is funny or sympathetic, but whereas there might be hope in recovery, and sometimes played for laughs by white people in a play, Bernice Trimble is a heavy and saddening tale about the Trimble family, who happen to be black, and their hopeless fight against a deteriorating disease.

While the play is about an extremely depressing subject matter, Beth Graham's play manages to inject humour and light moments giving Bernice Trimble a needed balance to the weighty tale. There is a middle section where moments seem slightly stretched out, buying time and sympathy for the surrounding family before a third-act-reveal moves the play into its most devastating and interesting momentum. But at the heart of the story of Bernice Trimble, we still know little about Bernice herself, and the play spends a tad too much time in setting up the reveal. It however is the family and the cast that ground the play and make it as heartfelt as it is.

Karen Robinson (Stuff Happens) is Bernice Trimble and it is a heartbreaking performance of a woman experience early onset Alzheimers. Lucinda Davis (da Kink in my Hair) plays eldest daughter Sara, a non-stop talking new-mother who spreads her energy and voice in any room she's in. Both are great, and surround the middle child who becomes the centrepiece of the play as the narrator, and while the role is a bit too explanatory, it is encapsulated luminously by Alexis Gordon, who makes Iris Trimble, a nervous, fidgety, compassionate centre and caretaker to Bernice. Squaring off the family is newcomer Peyson Rock as youngest brother Peter, a quiet, introverted but soulful good son and Rock brings a soothing tone that adds some comic beats when placed against the hectic Sara or the intense darkness happening upon Bernice. Four beautiful performances of four very different characters of one family, on a stunning set by Camellia Koo.

The memory play about the loss of memory skills begins well with an engaging Gordon pulling us into her recount. While the play balances the tone quite well, with some light moments and comedic touches amongst a dark story, it could rebalance some of the moments with title character Bernice more in focus, including fleshing out more about Mr. Trimble. Still, the lovely cast pulls out the emotional punches of a loving family dealing with such a realistic bomb.

Photo by Joanna Akyol
Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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