Best of Stage 2018

2018 total: 190 Shows (including repeats) in Toronto (and surrounding), London, New York City, San Francisco, and Dublin.

As with any lists, I have my own made up rules for basically is what I deem best things I saw on stage for my first time in 2018. A ridiculous notion since what is best anyways, but alas, my dying blog, my rules, and thus my list of favourites. And was is even "first time"?

Anyways, again, any shows (same production version) I had seen in previous years are ineligible for this year's list (including )
For previous years Best of Stage Lists:
Best of Stage 2017 (including Angels in America, Network)
Best of Stage 2016 (including Waitress, Cacti)
Best of Stage 2015 (including Come From Away, Hamilton, The King and I)
Best of Stage 2014 
Best of Stage 2013  
Best of Stage 2012
Best of Stage 2011 
Best of Stage 2010
Best of Stage 2009 (including Emergence)
Best of Stage 2008 
Best of Stage 2007


Alas, here's my take from everything "new" I saw this year. Felt like I saw a lot of good stuff this year, though I was also catching up with a lot of acclaimed shows from previous years so maybe it's why I felt there was an abundance of great things on stage this year:

Here's the Best of Stage 2018:

1. Lewiston/Clarkston - Rattlestick Playwrights Theater - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY
Written by Samuel D. Hunter, Directed by Davis McCallum

               

I saw a workshop reading last year so I was already prepped and yet Samuel D. Hunter still slays me every time with his brutally honest and simple plays about the heart and loneliness of a bunch of lost souls searching for something in the middle of America. Like many of Hunter's plays, we are again in Idaho, with two separate plays taking place in the twin cities of Lewiston and Clarkston, where famed explorers once found themselves, much as their distant descendants now feel lost in.

               

In Rattlestick's beautifully simple double bill, the two plays are presented in one evening where the tiny theatre space becomes first roadside fireworks stand in Lewiston, where an estranged granddaughter has returned to claim her land, then we find ourselves later in a Costco warehouse as a new Clarkston transplant works side by side with a local as both figure out their futures. Each play charming and haunting on their own, but the thematic lost and found bookends only adds to the layers in this theatrical double bill.



2. What The Constitution Means To Me - New York Theatre Workshop - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY
By Heidi Schreck, Directed by Oliver Butler

               

I'm not even American yet Heidi Schreck's play that sounded at first like it was going to be a lecture but then turns out to be so much more, managed to enthral me in the US Constitution. She turned her grade school obsession with the Constitution into this breakdown of US politics and the structure America has created (and why it basically feels like it is currently breaking down). Schreck's enthusiasm highlights why our civic duties are so important, while weaving in personal stories of her family as examples of how country and the men governing the country have failed her, her mother, her grandmother, and women and Americans in this pursuit of Happiness who might have a Life and Liberty.



3. The Runner - Human Cargo at Theatre Passe Muraille Mainstage - Toronto, ON
Written by Christopher Morris, Directed by Daniel Brooks

               

Gord Rand plays Jacob, a member of Z.A.K.A., an Orthodox Jewish volunteer force tasked to clean up the remains of Jews killed in accidents. While director Daniel Brooks puts Rand on a treadmill for the entire show, Rand's Jacob must contemplate the moral and ethical duties when he decides to save a woman's life. Shocking, exhausting, and harrowing, yet never running out of steam, this is an adrenaline rush in mind and body as it speeds through a vivid telling of a real life Z.A.K.A. member.



4. The Inheritance: Part 1 and 2 - Young Vic Theatre - London, UK, and Young Vic Theatre at the Noël Coward Theatre - West End - London, UK
Written by Matthew Lopez, inspired by the novel Howards End by E.M. Forster, Directed by Stephen Daldry

               

A two part play about gays in New York City that stretches over 7hours and yes, there will be comparisons and expectations but when you let it all go and accept The Inheritance for what it is, and what it does with its inherited expectations (and yes, it still basically a play about fit white gays), there is much to savour and enjoy in Matthew Lopez's modern day homage to Howards End. This is not about millennium approaching, this is the state of (middle-ish class white) gays in New York City now (or at least 2016 to 2017) and the situation gays have currently inherited, for better or for worse, and as a result of losing almost an entire generation while fighting for gay rights. Weaved into some pointed political speeches is a poignant melodrama that follows E.M. Forster's Howards End as an outline. While Forster himself becomes a character in this play that toys with structure, Daldry's lean production plays around with the framing device and double casting in its lean (in more ways than one) all-male cast (save for a late-in-the-game cameo by the sole female cast member who happens to be Vanessa Redgrave who was in the film adaptation of Howards End and it is noted in the play). Still, for everything the play is not, it is rich with humour and poignancy and fun references that made me recognize our own stories represented on stage and it was beautiful.



5. Betroffenheit - Kidd Pivot, Electric Company Theatre at Canadian Stage at the Bluma Appel Theatre in the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts
Written by Jonathon Young, Choreographed and Directed by Crystal Pite

               

Shocking, erratic, pounding, and ultimately heartbreaking, I was finally able to catch Jonathon Young's very personal, now very public piece on his own family tragedy. Yet in Crystal Pite's choreography, this dance piece with words is exciting and gripping and strangely beautiful and peaceful piece of art.



6. Straight White Men - 2nd Stage at the Helen Hayes Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY
Written by Young Jean Lee, Directed by Anna D. Shapiro

               

Finally a play about straight white men. Because we never knew them enough before. But no, Young Jean Lee's satire plays it basically... well... straight, with apparently a new framing device with the help of non-binary narrators who guide us into the poor ol world of four straight white men, as we study their behaviours as they interact with each other and see how they function in a world that seems catered to them. An entire company of, surprisingly, Broadway debuts (also with Stephen Payne, Josh Charles, Armie Hammer, and Paul Schneider), manages to keep the gentle satirical balance just right in Anna D. Shapiro's carefully calculated examination of an endangered species (or so the straight white men themselves seem to think). The brilliancy in Lee's satire is the group of straight white brothers and their father are not your easy targets but supposedly "woke" men who are actually "nice" guys, or try to be, but as one brother seems incapable of moving forward, the unraveling of the others in reaction starts showing what is behind a real man. Clever and funny in a gentle way (just like how straight white men need to be handled) and getting Josh Charles and Armie Hammer to dance is just bonus points.




7. Oklahoma! - St. Anne's Warehouse - Brooklyn, NY
Music by Richard Rodgers, Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, based on the play Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs, Directed by Daniel Fish, Choreography by John Heginbotham, New Music Arrangements by Daniel Kluger

               

Turning a joyous American classic into a soulful brooding dark sexy by flipping the lights off, or with differing line interpretations makes the inherent darker elements that were always in Oklahoma! make much more sense. With Jud as an incel of sorts brooding in his cabin and even Curly and Laurey being sexually frustrated in a constant yearning that the times had demanded, Daniel Fish has flipped a musical classic into an intimate, haunting study of the nostalgic America we remember and the reality of what his hidden away in the darker cracks of the land.



8. Good Morning, Viet Mom - Next Stage Festival at Factory Theatre Studio - Toronto, ON
Written by Franco Nguyen, Directed by Byron Abalos

               

Canadian born Franco Nguyen's trips back to Vietnam to visit his grandmother gives him new insight into his mom, who braved a new cold world to bring Franco up in Canada. From hilarious stories to moments of heartbreak and back, Nguyen's one-man solo show takes us on this personal journey that feels universal to any son trying to connect to his mother or anybody trying to connect to their immigrant parent.



9. Amadeus - National Theatre in the Olivier Theatre - London, UK
Written by Peter Shaffer, Directed by Michael Longhurst

               



10. Translations - National Theatre in the Olivier Theatre - London, UK
Written by Brian Friel, Directed by Ian Rickson

               



11. Unrelated London Revivals I Was Gonna Put In The Next 2 Spots And Then Realized Jonathan Bailey Was In Both
The York Realist - Donmar Warehouse - London, UK
Written by Peter Gill, Directed by Robert Hastie

Company - Gielgud Theatre - West End - London, UK
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Book by George Furth, Directed by Marianne Elliott

               
             
               



12. Bang Bang - Factory Theatre - Toronto, ON
Written and Directed by Kat Sandler

               



13. The Royale - Soulpepper Theatre Company in the Bailie Theatre at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts - Toronto, ON
Written by Marco Ramirez, Directed by Guillermo Verdecchia 

               



14. The Wild Duck - Almeida Theatre - London, UK
After Henrik Ibsen, In a new version created by Robert Icke

               



15. Girl From the North Country - The Old Vic at the Noël Coward Theatre - West End - London, UK
Music and Lyrics by Bob Dylan, Written and Directed by Conor McPherson

               



16. Family Circus  
Bromance - Barely Methodical Troupe at the New Victory Theater - New York City, NY
Created by Beren D'Amico, Louis Gift, and Charlie Wheeller, in collaboration with Director Eddie Kay

Réversible - Les 7 Doights De La Main/The 7 Fingers at CAA Theatre - Toronto, ON
Directed by Gypsy Snider

                              

               


17. Who Run The World? Girls
School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play - MCC Theater at The Lucille Lortel Theater - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY
Written by Jocelyn Bioh, Directed Rebecca Taichman

Usual Girls - Roundabout Theater Company's Roundabout Underground in the Black Box at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre
Written by Ming Peiffer, Directed by Tyne Rafaeli

The Code - Green Thumb Theatre in the Studio at Young People's Theatre - Toronto, ON
Written by Rachel Aberle, Directed by Patrick McDonald

Selfie - Young People's Theatre - Studio - Toronto, ON
Written by Christine Quintana, Directed by Stephen Colella

18. Bed and Breakfast - Soulpepper Theatre Company in the Bailie Theatre at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts - Toronto, ON
Written by Mark Crawford, Directed by Ann-Marie Kerr

19. Bunny - Tarragon Theatre - Toronto, ON
Written by Hannah Moscovitch, Directed by Sarah Garton Stanley

20. The Wedding Party - Crow's Theatre at Streetcar Crowsnest Guloien Theatre - Toronto, ON
Written by Kristen Thompson, Based on the characters created with Trish Lindström, Tony Nappo, Moya O'Connell, Tom Rooney, and Bahia Watson, Directed by Chris Abraham

Honourable Mentions:

A Christmas Carol - The Three Ships Collective with SoupCan Theatre at Campbell House Museum - Toronto, ON
With an original text by Justin Haigh, based on the the story by Charles Dickens, Directed by Sarah Thorpe

Catch As Catch Can - Page 73 at New Ohio Theatre - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY
Written by Mia Chung, Directed by Ken Russ Schmoll 

Good Grief  - Vineyard Theatre - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY
Written by Ngozi Anyanwu, Directed by Awoye Timpo

Robert. - Lark and Whimsy Theatre Collective at Toronto Fringe Festival in St. George The Martyr - Toronto, ON
Written by Briana Brown, Directed by Rob Kempson



Solid revivals of:

Anthony and Cleopatra - National Theatre's Lyttleton Theatre - London, UK
Written by William Shakespeare, Directed by Simon Godwin

Coriolanus - Stratford Shakespeare Festival in the Avon Theatre
Written by William Shakespeare, Directed by Robert Lepage

Fun Home - The Musical Stage Company at the CAA Theatre - Toronto, ON
Music by Jeanine Tesori, Book and Lyrics by Lisa Kron, based on the Graphic Novel by Alison Bechdel, Directed by Robert McQueen, Choreographed by Stephanie Graham

Hamlet - Tarragon Theatre - Toronto, ON
Written by William Shakespeare, Directed by Richard Rose

Julius Caesar - The Bridge Theatre - London, UK
Written by William Shakespeare, Directed by Nicholas Hytner

Krapp's Last Tape - Theatre Passe Muraille - Toronto, ON
Written by Samuel Beckett, Directed by Mac Fyfe

Lobby Hero - 2nd Stage at the Helen Hayes Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY
Written by Kenneth Lonergan, Directed by Trip Cullman

Long Day's Journey Into Night - Bristol Old Vic at Wyndham Theatre - West End - London, UK
Written by Eugene O'Neill, Directed by Richard Eyre

Mary Poppins - Young People's Theatre - Toronto, ON
A Musical based on the stories of P.L. Travers and the Walt Disney Film
Original Music and Lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, Book by Julian Fellowes, New Songs and Additional Music and Lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe
Co-Created by Cameron Mackintosh, Directed by Them Allison, Choreographed by Kerry Gage

Measure for Measure - Donmar Warehouse - London, UK
By William Shakespeare, Directed by Josie Rourke

The Music Man -  Stratford Shakespeare Festival in the Festival Theatre - Stratford, ON
Music, Lyrics, and Book by Meredith Wilson, Story by Meredith Wilson and Franklin Lacey, Directed and Choreographed by Donna Feore

Once On This Island - Circle in the Square Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY
Music by Stephen Flaherty, Book and Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, Directed by Michael Arden, Choreographed by Camille A. Brown

The Rocky Horror Show - Stratford Shakespeare Festival in the Avon Theatre - Stratford, ON
Music, Lyrics, and Book by Richard O'Brien, Directed and Choreographed by Donna Feore

To Kill A Mockingbird - Lincoln Center Theater at Shubert Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY
Written by Aaron Sorkin based on the book by Harper Lee, Directed by Bartlett Sher

Twelfth Night - The Public Theater at Young Vic Theatre - London, UK
Conceived by Kwame Kwei-Armah and Shaina Taub, Music and Lyrics by Shaina Taub, Directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah and Oscar Eustis

The Waverly Gallery - Golden Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY
Written by Kenneth Lonergan, Directed by Lila Neugebauer



Breakthrough Performances (in alphabetical order):

The cast of Bromance: Beren D'Amico, Louis Gift, Charlie Wheeller

The cast of The Code: Elizabeth Barrett, Nathan Kay, Mason Temple

The cast of Réversible: Maria Del Mar Reyes, Vincent Jutras, Jérémi Levesque, Natasha Patterson, Hugo Ragetly, Émilie Silliau, Julien Silliau, Emi Vauthey

The cast of School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play: MaameYaa Boafo, Latoya Edwards, Paige Gilbert, Joanna A. Jones, Abena Mensah-Bonsu, Mirirai Sithole, Myra Lucretia Taylor, Zenzi Williams

The cast of Straight White Men: Kate Bornstein, Josh Charles, Ty Defoe, Armie Hammer, Stephen Payne, Paul Schneider

Ngozi Anyanwu in Good Grief
Sheila Atim in The Girl From North Country and Othello
Jonathan Bailey in Company and TheYork Realist
Ben Batt in The York Realist
Kenton Blythe in The Princess of the Tower 
Gabrielle Brooks in Twelfth Night
Andrew Burnap in The Inheritance
Rachel Cairns in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Bunny and Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet
Belinda Corpuz in Prairie Nurse
Kelley Curran in Mother of the Maid
Edmund Donovan in Clarkston
Omari Douglas in Wise Children
Daniel Ellis in Risky Phil
Dylan Evans in Entrances and Exits
Sam Fogell in The Comedy About a Bank Robbery
Midori Francis in Usual Girls
Adam Gillen in Amadeus
Natalia Gracious in The Secret Garden
Gabe Grey in After Wrestling
Janelle Hanna in Prairie Nurse and Robert.
Joe Idris-Roberts in Pinocchio
Melissa James in Wise Children
Isabel Kanaan in Prairie Nurse
Arinzé Kene in Girl From the North Country
Hailey Kilgore in Once On This Island
Jesse LaVercombe in Bunny and Hamlet
Jeremy Legat in The Last Party
Samuel H. Levine in The Inheritance
Bonnie Milligan in Head Over Heels
Rachel Mutombo in Selfie
Bob Nasmith in Krapp's Last Tape
Franco Nguyen in Good Morning, Viet Mom
Jeremy Pope in Ain't Too Proud
Sam Reid in Girl From the North Country
Lauren Ridloff in Children Of a Lesser God
Heidi Schreck in What The Constitution Means To Me
Jack Shalloo in Girl From the North Country
Anthony Shim in After Wrestling
Ethan Slater in Spongebob Squarepants
Ordena Stephens-Thompson in Risky Phil and Harlem Duet
Benjamin Sutherland in The Secret Garden
Ephraim Sykes in Ain't Too Proud



Great Performances (in alphabetical order):

The cast of A Christmas Carol (The Three Ships Collective with SoupCan Theatre): Jim Armstrong, Makenna Beatty, Chloe Bradt, Alex Dallas, Christopher Fowler, John Fray, Tamara Freeman, Mike Hogan, Thomas Gough, Christopher Lucas, Margo MacDonald, Tiffany Martin, William Matthews, Amy Marie Wallace, Kholby Wardell

The cast of Anywhere: Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster, Cass Van Wyck

The cast of Bed and Breakfast: Gregory Prest, Paolo Santalucia

The cast of Catch As Catch Can: Jeff Biehl, Michael Esper, Jeanine Serralles

The cast of Clarkston: Heidi Armbruster, Edmund Donovan, Noah Robbins

The cast of Fun Home (Musical Stage Company): Evan Buliung, Laura Condlln, Cynthia Dale, Sara Farb, Hannah Levinson, Jasper Lincoln, Liam MacDonald, Eric Morin, Sabryn Rock

The cast of The Lehman Trilogy: Simon Russell Beale, Adam Godley, Ben Miles

The cast of Lewiston: Arnie Burton, Kristin Griffiths, Leah Karpel

The Tyrones in Long Day's Journey Into Night (West End): Matthew Beard, Jeremy Irons, Rory Keenan, Lesley Manville

The cast of Men on Boats (A.C.T. SF): Arwen Anderson, Rosie Hallett, Lisa Hori-Garcia, Libby King, Amy Lizardo, Sarita Ocón, Annemaria Rajala, Katherine Romans, Liz Sklar, Lauren Spencer

The cast of Morro and Jasp: Save the Date: Heather Marie Annis, Amy Lee

The cast of The Rocky Horror Show (Stratford): Dan Chameroy, George Krissa, Robert Markus, Trevor Patt, Erica Peck, Jennifer Rider-Shaw, Sayer Roberts, Steve Ross, and ensemble members Eric Abel, Gabriel Antonacci, Colton Curtis, Bonnie Jordan, Bethany Kovarik, Jason Sermonia

The cast of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Tooting Arts Club Off-Bway): Stacie Bono, Michael James Leslie, Zachary Noah Piser, John Rapson, Thom Sesma, Billy Harrigan Tighe, Sally Ann Triplett, Delaney Westfall

The main cast of To Kill a Mockingbird (Broadway): Gbenga Akinnagbe, Jeff Daniels, Gideon Glick, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Dakin Matthews, Will Pullen, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Stark Sands, Frederick Weller, Erin Wilhelmi, Danny Wolohan

The cast of The Wedding Party: Jason Cadieux, Virginia Griffith, Trish Lindström, Moya O'Connell, Tom Rooney, Kristen Thomson

Marc Antolin in Little Shop of Horrors
Brooks Ashmanskas in The Prom
Hayley Atwell in Measure for Measure
Quincy Tyler Bernstine in Our Lady of 121st Street
Sara Bareilles in Waitress
Maev Beaty in Bunny
Ashley Botting in Ashley with a Y
Gerard Carey in Twelfth Night
Lana Carillo in The Princess of the Tower
Adam Chanler-Berat in Saint Joan
Glenn Close in Mother of the Maid
Rosalie Craig in Company
Damon Daunno in The Lucky Ones and Oklahoma!
Robin De Jesús in The Boys in the Band
Raúl Esparza in The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
Ralph Fiennes in Anthony and Cleopatra
Freddie Fox in An Ideal Husband
Russell Harvard in I Was Most Alive With You
Shirley Henderson in Girl From the North Country
Daren A. Herbert in The Music Man
Ciarán Hinds in Girl From the North Country
Geordie Johnson in The Children
Dion Johnstone in The Royale
Debbie Kurup in Girl From the North Country
Beth Leaves in The Prom
Hannah Levinson in Fun Home and The Preposterous Predicament of Polly Peel
Caissie Levy in Frozen
Jeff Lillico in Bang Bang
Laura Linney in My Name Is Lucy Barton
Jack Lowden in Measure for Measure
Patti LuPone in Company
Elaine May in The Waverly Gallery
David Morrissey in Julius Caesar
Lucian Msamati in Amadeus
Michael Nathanson in Oklahoma!
Alex Newell in Once On This Island
Lesley Nicol in The York Realist
Sophie Okonedo in Anthony and Cleopatra
Laurie Paton in The Children
Gord Rand in The Runner
Noah Reid in Hamlet
Karen Robinson in Bang Bang
Sabyrn Rock in Fun Home and The Royale
Jenna Russell in Fun Home
Vanessa Sears in Mary Poppins
André Sills in Coriolanus
Kyle Soller in The Inheritance
Corey Stoll in Othello
Ali Stroker in Oklahoma!
Uma Thurman in The Parisian Woman
Grace Van Patten in Mother of the Maid
Tony Yazbeck in The Beast in the Jungle

____________________________________________________

Here is every Stage Show I saw in 2018 in alphabetical order. All reviews are based on a 5 stars system (Workshop Labs, Readings, Concerts and Cabarets are not graded):


A Christmas Carol (Play) - The Three Ships Collective with SoupCan Theatre at Campbell House Museum - Toronto, ON - ****

After Wrestling (Play) - Factory Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***1/2 (Review)

Ain't Too Proud (Musical) x2 - Princess of Wales Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***

A Kev 'n Cal Mystery (Play) - Toronto Fringe Festival at Annex Theatre - Toronto, ON - **1/2

Allelujah! (Play) - The Bridge Theatre - London, UK - ***1/2

Amadeus (Play Revival) - National Theatre's Olivier Theatre - London, UK - ****1/2

A Midsummer Night's Dream (Play Revival) - Canadian Stage Company in High Park Amphitheatre - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

A Monster Calls (Play) - The Old Vic Theatre - London, UK - ****

An American in Paris (Musical) - National Tour at Princess of Wales Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***

Angels in America Part One: Millennium Approaches and Part Two: Perestroika (Play Revival) - National Theatre at the Neil Simon Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ****1/2 (Best of Stage 2017)

An Ideal Husband (Play Revival) - Vaudeville Theatre - West End - London, UK - ****

Animal Farm (Play) - Soulpepper Theatre Company in the Bailie Theatre at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts - Toronto, ON - ****

Anna Karenina (Ballet) - National Ballet of Canada at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts - Toronto, ON - ****

Annie (Musical Revival) - Ed Mirvish Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***

Anthony and Cleopatra (Play Revival) - National Theatre's Lyttleton Theatre - London, UK - ****

Anywhere (Play) - Toronto Fringe Festival at Factory Theatre Studio - Toronto, ON - ****

Ashley with a Y (Musical) - Toronto Fringe Festival at Factory Theatre Studio - Toronto, ON - ****

A Very Very Very Dark Matter (Play) - The Bridge Theatre - London, UK - **1/2

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

The Beast in the Jungle (Play) - Vineyard Theatre - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ***1/2

Bed and Breakfast (Play) - Soulpepper Theatre Company in the Bailie Theatre at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts - Toronto, ON - ****

Bernhardt/Hamlet (Play) - Roundabout Theatre Company at the American Airlines Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - **1/2

Betroffenheit (Dance) - Kidd Pivot, Electric Company Theatre at Canadian Stage at the Bluma Appel Theatre in the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts - ****1/2

Bikeface (Play) - Toronto Fringe Festival at Annex Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***

The Boys in the Band (Play Revival) - Booth Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ***1/2

Bridget Everett (Concert) - JFL at the Winter Garden Theatre - Toronto, ON

Bromance (Circus) - Barely Methodical Troupe at the New Victory Theater - New York City, NY - ****

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

Cabaret (Musical Revival) - Fallsview Casino Resort Theatre - Niagara Falls, ON - ***1/2

Canadian Music Theatre Project (Musical Workshop) - Sheridan Theatre at Sheridan College - Oakville, ON
erik with a k (Musical)
In Real Life (Musical)
Kelly vs. Kelly (Musical)
Stars of Mars (Musical)

Cardinal (Play) - 2nd Stage in the Tony Kisser Theatre - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - *1/2

Carousel (Musical Revival) - Imperial Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - **

Catch As Catch Can (Play) - Page 73 at New Ohio Theatre - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ****

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Musical) - National Tour at Princess of Wales Theatre - Toronto, ON - ** (Review)

Charlie Puth: The Voicenotes Tour (Concert) - Budweiser Stage - Toronto, ON

The Children (Play) - Canadian Stage Company in the Berkeley Street Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

Children Of a Lesser God (Play Revival) - Studio 54 - Broadway - New York City, NY - ***

Clueless The Musical (Musical) - The New Group in The Griffin Theatre at the Pershing Square Signature Center - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - **1/2

The Code (Play) - Green Thumb Theatre in the Studio at Young People's Theatre - Toronto, ON - **** (Review)

The Comedy About A Bank Robbery (Play) - Criterion Theatre - West End - London, UK - ***1/2

Come From Away (Musical) x2 - Royal Alexandra Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***** (Best of Stage 2015)
Come From Away - Abbey Theatre - Dublin, IE - *****

Comfort Women (Musical Revival) - Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Playwrights Horizons - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - **

Company (Musical Revival) - Gielgud Theatre - West End - London, UK - ****1/2

Compulsion (Musical) - Toronto Fringe Festival at Factory Theatre - Toronto, ON - **

Coriolanus (Play Revival) - Stratford Shakespeare Festival in the Avon Theatre - ****

Dance Nation (Play) - Almeida Theatre - London, UK - ***1/2

Days of Rage (Play) - 2ndStage in the Tony Kiser Theater - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ***

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

The Dream and Being and Nothingness (Ballet) - National Ballet of Canada at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts - Toronto, ON - ***1/2
Being and Nothingness - ***
The Dream - ****

Dr. Silver: A Celebration of Life (Musical) - The Musical Stage Company at the Heliconian Hall - Toronto, ON - ***

Elton John: Farewell Yellow Brick Road (Concert) - Scotiabank Arena - Toronto, ON

Entrances and Exits (Improv Play) - Toronto Fringe Festival at Factory Theatre Mainstage - Toronto, ON - ****

Escape from Margaritaville (Musical) - Marquis Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - **

The Evolution of Mann (Musical) - the cell - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ***

The Fall (Play) - National Youth Theatre at Southwark Playhouse - London, UK - ***1/2

Fanny and Alexander (Play) - The Old Vic Theatre - London, UK - ***

Frozen (Musical) - St. James Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ***1/2

Fun Home (Musical Revival) - The Musical Stage Company at the CAA Theatre - Toronto, ON - ****

Fun Home (Musical) - Young Vic Theatre - London, UK - ***1/2

Gay Play Day - Pink Shows (Play) - The Alumnae Theatre Studio - Toronto, ON
Fade to Black (Play) - ***1/2
Labels (Play) - ***
Diamonds on Plastic (Play) - **
Point and Click (Play) - ***

Girl From the North Country (Musical) - The Old Vic at the Noël Coward Theatre - West End - London, UK - ****

Good Grief (Play) - Vineyard Theatre - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ****

Good Morning, Viet Mom (Play) - Next Stage Festival at Factory Theatre Studio - Toronto, ON - ****1/2

Grand Finale (Dance) - Hofesh Schecter Company at Canadian Stage Company in the Bluma Appel Theatre at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts - ****

The Grass is Greenest at the Houston Astrodome (Play) - Toronto Fringe Festival at Freedom Factory - Toronto, ON - ***

Hamilton (Musical) x2 - Victoria Palace Theatre - London, UK - **** (Best of Stage 2015)

Hamlet (Play Revival) - Tarragon Theatre - Toronto, ON - ****

Harlem Duet (Play Revival) - Tarragon Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***

Head Over Heels (Musical) - Hudson Theatre - Broadway - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

Hello, Dolly! (Musical Revival) x2 - Shubert Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ****

Idomeneus (Play) - Soulpepper Theatre Company in the Michael Young Theatre at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts - Toronto, ON - ***

Inescapable (Play) - Toronto Fringe Festival at Tarragon Theatre Mainspace - Toronto, ON -  **1/2

The Inheritance: Part 1 and 2 (Play) - Young Vic Theatre - London, UK - Part 1 x 2.3x, Part 2 x3,
Young Vic Theatre at the Noël Coward Theatre - West End - London, UK - Part 1 x1 - ****1/2

I Was Most Alive With You (Play) - Playwrights Horizons Mainstage - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ***

Jerry Springer the Opera (Musical Revival) - The New Group in the Linney Theatre at the Pershing Square Signature Center - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ***

Jimmy's Hall (Play) - Abbey Theatre - Dublin, IE - ****

Judas Star Supersong (Musical) - Toronto Fringe Festival at St. Stephen-in-the-Fields - Toronto, ON - **

Julie (Play) - National Theatre's Lyttleton Theatre - London, UK - ***

Julius Caesar (Play Revival) - The Bridge Theatre - London, UK - ****

The Jungle (Play) - Young Vic Theatre at the Playhouse Theatre - West End - London, UK - ****

The King and I (Musical Revival) - National Tour at Princess of Wales Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***1/2 (Best of Stage 2015)

Kiss of the Spider Woman (Play) - Menier Chocolate Factory - London, UK - ***1/2

Krapp's Last Tape (Play Revival) - Theatre Passe Muraille - Toronto, ON - ****

The Last Party (Musical) - Toronto Fringe Festival at Tarragon Theatre Mainspace - Toronto, ON - ***

Latin History for Morons (Play) - Studio 54 - Broadway - New York City, NY - ***1/2

The Lehman Trilogy (Play) - National Theatre's Lyttleton Theatre - London, UK - ****

Lewiston/Clarkston (Play Revival) - Rattlestick Playwrights Theater - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - *****

Light Shining in Buckinghamshire (Play Revival) - New York Theatre Workshop - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ***

The Little Matchgirl and Other Happier Tales (Play) - Shakespeare's Globe Theatre - London, UK - ***1/2

Little Shop of Horrors (Musical Revival) - Regent Park's Open Air Theatre - London, UK - ****

Lobby Hero (Play Revival) - 2nd Stage at the Helen Hayes Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ****

Long Day's Journey Into Night (Play Revival) - Bristol Old Vic at Wyndham Theatre - West End - London, UK - ****

The Lucky Ones (Musical) - Ars Nova at the Connelly Theatre - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ***

Made in Canada (Ballet) -  National Ballet of Canada at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts - Toronto, ON - ****
The Dreamers Ever Leave You - ***1/2
The Four Seasons - ****
Emergence - ***** (Best of Stage 2009)

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

Mary Page Marlowe (Play) - 2nd Stage at the Tony Kisser Theatre - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ***

Mary Poppins (Musical Revival) - Young People's Theatre - Toronto, ON - **** (Review)

Mean Girls (Musical) - August Wilson Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ***

Measure for Measure (Play Revival) - Donmar Warehouse - London, UK - ****

Men on Boats (Play) - A.C.T. American Conservatory Theater's Strand Theater - San Francisco, CA - ****

Voter's Choice: The Merchant of Venice (Play Revival) - Shakespeare's Globe Theatre - London, UK - ****

Miles for Mary (Play) - Playwrights Horizons in the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ***

Mlima's Tale (Play) - The Public Theater in Martinson Hall - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ****

The Monument (Play Revival) - Factory Theatre - Toronto, ON - **1/2

Mood Music (Play) - The Old Vic Theatre - London, UK - ***

Moonstruck (Play) - Toronto Fringe Festival at Tarragon Theatre Mainstage - Toronto, ON - **

Morro and Jasp: Save the Date (Play) - Toronto Fringe Festival at Tarragon Theatre Mainstage - Toronto, ON - ****

Mother of the Maid (Play) - The Public Theater in the Anspacher Theater - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ***1/2

The Music Man (Musical Revival) -  Stratford Shakespeare Festival in the Festival Theatre - Stratford, ON - ****

My Name Is Lucy Barton (Play) - The Bridge Theatre - London, UK - ***1/2

Mythos: A Trilogy - Gods. Heroes. Men (Play) - Shaw Festival in the Festival Theatre - Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON - ***1/2

Network (Play) - National Theatre's Lyttleton Theatre - London, UK - **** (Best of Stage 2017)

Oklahoma! (Musical Revival) - St. Anne's Warehouse - Brooklyn, NY - ****1/2

Once On This Island (Musical Revival) - Circle in the Square Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ****

One Small Step (Musical) - Toronto Fringe Festival at Randolph Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

Othello (Play Revival) - The Public Theater at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park - New York City, NY - ***1/2

Othello (Play Revival) x2 - Shakespeare's Globe Theatre - London, UK - ****

Our Lady of 121st Street (Play Revival) - Signature Theatre in The Diamond at the Pershing Square Signature Center - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ***1/2

The Overcoat: A Musical Tailoring (Musical) - Tapestry Opera and Vancouver Opera at Canadian Stage at the Bluma Appel Theatre in the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts - ***

The Parisian Woman (Play) - Hudson Theatre - Broadway - London, UK - **1/2

Paz de la Jolla & The Man in Black with Cacti (Ballet) - National Ballet of Canada at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts - Toronto, ON - ****
Paz de la Jolla - ****
The Man in Black - ****
Cacti - ***** (Best of Stage 2016)

Picnic in the Cemetery (Musical) - Canadian Stage at the Berkeley Street Upstairs Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

Pinocchio (Musical) x2 - National Theatre's Lyttleton Theatre - London, UK - *** (Review)

Prairie Nurse (Play) - Factory Theatre - Toronto, ON - ****

The Preposterous Predicament of Polly Peel (Musical) - Toronto Fringe Festival at Tarragon Theatre Mainspace - Toronto, ON - ***

The Princess of the Tower (Musical) - Toronto Fringe Festival at George Ignatief Theatre - Toronto, ON - ****

The Prom (Musical) - Longacre Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ***

Puffs (Play) - New World Stages in Stage 5 - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ***

The Red Shoes (Play) - The Gate Theatre - Dublin, IE - ***

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Play Revival) - Classic Stage Company - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - **1/2

Réversible (Circus) - Les 7 Doights De La Main/The 7 Fingers at CAA Theatre - Toronto, ON - ****

The Rink (Musical Revival) - Southwark Playhouse in The Large - London, UK - ***

Risky Phil (Play) - Young People's Theatre - Toronto, ON - **** (Review)

Robert. - Lark and Whimsy Theatre Collective at Toronto Fringe Festival in St. George The Martyr - Toronto, ON - ****

The Rocky Horror Show (Musical Revival) - Stratford Shakespeare Festival in the Avon Theatre - Stratford, ON - ****

Romeo and Juliet (Play Revival) - Canadian Stage Company in High Park Amphitheatre - Toronto, ON - ***1/2

The Royale (Play) - Soulpepper Theatre Company in the Bailie Theatre at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts - Toronto, ON - ****

Rumspringa Break! (Musical) - Next Stage Festival at Factory Theatre Mainstage - Toronto, ON - ****

The Runner (Play) - Human Cargo at Theatre Passe Muraille Mainstage - Toronto, ON - ****1/2

Saint Joan (Play Revival) - Manhattan Theatre Club at the Samuel Friedman Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ***

School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play (Play) - MCC Theater at The Lucille Lortel Theater - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ****

School of Rock (Musical) - National Tour at Ed Mirvish Theatre - Toronto, ON - **1/2

The Secret Garden (Play Revival) - Young People's Theatre - Toronto, ON - **** (Review)

Selfie (Play) - Young People's Theatre - Studio - Toronto, ON - **** (Review)

Sisters (Play) - Soulpepper Theatre Company in the Bailie Theatre at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts - Toronto, ON - ***

Skintight (Play) - Roundabout Theatre Company in the Laura Pels Theatre at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ***1/2

Smokey Joe's Cafe (Musical Revival) - Stage 42 - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ***

Spongebob Squarepants (Musical) - Palace Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ***1/2

Straight White Men (Play Revival) - 2nd Stage at the Helen Hayes Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ****1/2

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Musical Revival) - The Tooting Arts Club at the Barrow Street Theatre - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ****1/2

Swordplay: A Play of Swords (Play) - Sex-T-Rex at Next Stage Festival at Factory Theatre Mainstage - Toronto, ON - ***

Sylvia (Musical) - The Old Vic Theatre - London, UK - ***1/2

This Flat Earth (Play) - Playwrights Horizons Mainstage - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - ***

Thoroughly Modern Millie (Musical Revival) - Fallsview Casino Resort Theatre - Niagara Falls, ON - ***

To Kill A Mockingbird (Play Revival) - Lincoln Center Theater at Shubert Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ****

To Kill A Mockingbird (Play Revival) - Stratford Shakespeare Company in the Festival Theatre - Stratford, ON - ***1/2

Translations (Play Revival) - National Theatre in the Olivier Theatre - London, UK - ****1/2

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

True Crime (Play) - Crow's Theatre at the Streetcar Crowsnest Studio - Toronto, ON - ***

Twelfth Night (Musical) - The Public Theater at Young Vic Theatre - London, UK - ****

The Twilight Zone (Play) - Almeida Theatre - London, UK - ***

Usual Girls (Play) - Roundabout Theater Company's Roundabout Underground in the Black Box at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre - ****

Waitress (Musical) - Brooks Atkinson Theater - Broadway - New York City, NY - **** (Best of Stage 2016)

The Waverly Gallery (Play Revival) - Golden Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - ****

The Way Of The World (Play Revival) - Donmar Warehouse - London, UK - *

The Wedding Party (Play) - Crow's Theatre at Streetcar Crowsnest Guloien Theatre - Toronto, ON - ****

What I call her (Play) - Crow's Theatre at Streetcar Crowsnest Studio - Toronto, ON - ***

What The Constitution Means To Me (Play) - New York Theatre Workshop - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - *****

The Wild Duck (Play Revival) - Almeida Theatre - London, UK - ****

Wild Goose Dreams (Play) - The Public Theater in Martinson Hall - Off-Broadway - New York City, NY - **1/2

Wise Children (Play) - The Old Vic Theatre - London, UK - ***1/2

The Wizard of Oz: A Toto-ly Twisted Family Musical! (Musical Pantomime) - Ross Petty Productions in the Elgin Theatre - Toronto, ON - ****

The Wonder Pageant (Improv Play) - Coal Mine Theatre - Toronto, ON - ***

The York Realist (Play Revival) - Donmar Warehouse - London, UK - ****1/2

__________________________________________________________________
Previous Best-of Lists:

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 Amadeus by Marc Brenner
Photo of Bang Bang by Joseph Michael Photography
Photos of Bed and Breakfast, Bunny, and The Royale by Cylla von Tiedemann
Photo of Bettrofenheit by Wendy D
Photo of Bromance by Chris Nash
Photo of The Code by Leah Gair
Photo of Company by Brinkhoff Mogenburg
Photos of Girl from the North Country and The Wild Duck by Manuel Harlan
Photo of Good Morning, Viet Mom by Christine Urquhart
Photo of The Inheritance by Simon Annand
Photos of Lewiston/Clarkston by Sandra Coudert Graham
Photo of Oklahoma! by Teddy Wolff
Photo of Réversible by Chantal Lévesque
Photo of The Runner by Graham Isador
Photo of School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play by Craig Schwartz
Photo of Selfie by Ali Sultani
Photos of Straight White Men, Usual Girls, and What the Constitution Means To Me by Joan Marcus
Photo of Translations by Catherine Ashmore
Photo of The Wedding Party by Guntar Kravis
Photo of The York Realist by Johan Persson
Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

More After the Jump...

Code Grey - The Code - Play Review

The Code - Green Thumb Theatre in the Studio at Young People's Theatre - Toronto, ON - **** (out of 5 stars) 
Written by Rachel Aberle, Directed by Patrick McDonald
Runs until Dec. 14th 2018, continues on tour. 

               

The Code starts off with three friends in high school, 2 guys and 1 girl, as they react to a new school dress code policy. Through insinuations spreading through social media, Moira, is somehow blamed by the student body. In an attempt to clear her name, Moira, with the help of her best friends Simon and Connor, help start a protest, which unfortunately has unintended consequences which fracture the trio of friends. When Simon also learns his crush on Moira is not reciprocated, his reaction and actions causes a chain reaction that questions his loyalty and what true friendship ever is.

In the short span of the 55 minute play, Aberle manages to lay out some complicated issues in a very logical, plausible and realistic way, in a plot that twists and turns in its brief and efficient running time. Without clear answers, this issues driven play meant for teens, doesn't feel like a lesson plan but brings up interesting issues of loyalty, friendship, and more importantly, an ethics code especially in a world further complicated by social media and the internet.

In a particularly interesting, and often unexplored in a truly honest way in any play or show, Aberle delves into the "good guy" and the way men are often excused in their entitlement and terrible expectations just because they had acted as the "good guy" friend. When Simon finds out things are not going the way he had hoped, he does some terrible things. He isn't painted as an automatic villain, and still clings onto a good guy image, but Aberle lets things play out in a grey zone before we truly see what kind of man Simon really is, all while Moira learns of the reality of her friendship. The hidden misogyny and sexism, as well as male entitlement comes to light in this sharply written play as both Moira and Connor realize the broken trust as well as figuring out the next reactionary steps.

               

The cast from Vancouver, consisting of Elizabeth Barrett as Moira, Nathan Kay as Simon, and Mason Temple as Connor, are all terrific, and I hope to see more of these young actors on this side of Canada. With only a cast of three, we still feel the haunting wrath of this unseen student body, with McDonald efficiently directing the play in front of a simple brick wall and benches and some terrific lighting design (by Martin Conboy) that easily convey a school yard setting.




Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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Sugar Highs and Lows - Mary Poppins and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Musical Reviews

Mary Poppins - Young People's Theatre - Toronto, ON - **** (out of 5 stars)
A Musical based on the stories of P.L. Travers and the Walt Disney Film
Original Music and Lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, Book by Julian Fellowes, New Songs and Additional Music and Lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe
Co-Created by Cameron Mackintosh, Directed by Them Allison, Choreographed by Kerry Gage
Runs until Jan. 6th, 2019

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Princess of Wales Theatre - Toronto, ON - ** (out of 5 stars)
Music by Marc Shaiman, Lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, Book by David Greig based on the book by Roald Dahl, Directed by Jack O'Brien, Choreographed by Joshua Bergasse
Runs in Toronto until Jan. 6th, 2019, continues on tour.


A tale of two "family" musicals (based on films based on books) playing in Toronto, and while not quite the best of musicals or the worst of musicals, the fact that both are currently running during this holiday season makes for an interesting comparison of these London import. With one in a local production at YPT with its more limited budget yet with shear talent, exuberant energy, and clever designs, enlivens the new, slightly darker take on Disney's Mary Poppins (and slightly more in tune with the original Travers book). On the other end, the big budget national tour of the Broadway version of Warner Bros.' Charlie and the Chocolate Factory looks far more polished yet seems to miss the soul of Roald Dahl's book, and feels more like a corporate cash grab in a musical that just plods along and somehow continuously flattens any wonder and surprise in a story full of pure imagination.


               

Young People's Theatre's Mary Poppins has a beautifully imposing simple set of the Banks' house (designed by Brandon Kleiman) where the naughty Banks children drives out yet another nanny before the wind calls for Mary Poppins to appear. The new revised stage version by Julian Fellowes took Travers' darker tone and while it tries to deepen the issues with overworked Mr. Banks and his patriarchal authority, there is a bit of an uneven pacing with the tone that didn't work on Broadway and still does not, even in this shortened version. And while I can be nitpicky about the book, it's hard to complain about the famous Sherman Brother songs. While the new additions by Stiles and Drewe are not as familiarly ingrained in our heads as those from the film, they fit in quite seamlessly and have the same joyously cheeky tone.

               

Whatever qualms I still had with the revised stage version of the beloved Disney film, all is cured with a spoonful of sugar and a superb cast lead by superstar in the making Vanessa Sears (Brantwood, Kinky Boots Toronto) as Mary Poppins. Sears has just the right tone of stern authority, mischievous heart and then there is her soaring voice that flies higher than a magical umbrella could ever take a magical nanny. Sears is simply superb and supercalifragilisticexpialidocious as Mary and her performance alone would have made this production soar. Sears however is joined by Kyle Blair (A Man of No Importance) as Bert and Jewelle Blackman (We Will Rock You, Caroline or Change) as Mrs. Bank and while both have done well with stints at Shaw or Stratford, hearing their beautiful voices just reminded me that we don't see enough of Blair and Blackman in Toronto musical theatre. It's also always nice to see Shane Carty as Mr. Banks, and Kyle Golemba, amongst a uniformly excellent ensemble (all dressed beautifully by William Layton's costumes).



               

The best thing about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was on our night, Rueby Wood as Charlie Bucket. Everything else seemed like a fascinating mix of all the wrong ingredients in a miscalculation of what a corporation's idea in forming a musical. The amazing thing is this touring version, based on the Broadway production, is a complete retooling of the London production. Despite a new book, a new director (Sam Mendes out, Jack O'Brien in, tho maybe not for the better), new sets, and apparently new songs (I saw the London production but could not tell you what changed since the songs were so unmemorable then, and still are), this new Broadway version is actually somewhat of an improvement from London. So that's the golden ticket lining?

               

By mostly re-structure the musical book by introducing Willy Wonka right from the opening number, in doing so, adds to more problems for the book in other ways. From there, moments that should be inherently wondrous and climatic seem to fizzle with little fanfare (like when Charlie finally finds the winning Golden ticket) thanks to O'Brien's lacklustre direction and a "stripped down" set that relies heavily on projection screens (though when there are sets, it was an improvement over the busy but ugly London sets). The tone is still confused and doesn't know what to do with Dahl's darkness amongst the candy coated storyline and Shaiman and Wittman's derivative songs do not help sugar coat a show designed for families and kids but then brutally maul four of its child characters (played by young adults I guess to soften the blow). Dahl's story always had the nasty tone built in but is played off cheekily, and while the production sometimes approaches Dahl's imaginative level, like the Oompa Loompas, or the Veruca Salt squirrel scene which verges on the level of nuttiness that is both surreal and inspired, even if it ends in some horrific horror movie level ending. Unfortunately as a whole, the musical even dampens the only good song "Pure Imagination" (and the only song not by Shaiman and Wittman, taken directly from the film) with an uninspiring, unimaginative retelling of a beloved childhood book.



Photos of Mary Poppins by Cylla von Tiedemann
Photos of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Joan Marcus
Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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Taking a Deeper Look - Selfie - Play Review

Selfie - Young People's Theatre - Studio - Toronto, ON - **** (out of 5 stars)
Written by Christine Quintana, Directed by Stephen Colella
Runs until May 11th 2018

                    

Selfie is a self assured new play by Christine Quintana, apparently a rare success story of an unsolicited script that made it through all the levels to be fully staged at YPT. With #MeToo discussions being brought to light, the issues of he said/she said stories is presented here in such a grey zone, where intentions are good, and social media complicates things even further, that Quintana's play becomes ever more timely.

Sadly, the issues of consent, especially under the blurred haze of drunken alcohol, has always been an issue, but there is finally more public discussions and admittance to the occurrences. Quintana future complicates things by carefully laying out the relationships between 3 teenagers who all mean well, but whose hormone driven, socially awkward, naive confusion, splits off resulting in different people reacting to the situation very differently.

                    

Selfie follows Lily, her football star brother Chris, and Lily's best friend Emma. Lily is addicted to her Instagram, and each of the three presents themselves publicly far differently than how they are in real life. When Lily gets whiff that Emma has had a long-time crush on her brother, she tries to play matchmaker, setting off a series of events that culminates at a house party Lily and Chris throw. Quintana carefully sets us up, perhaps a bit too delicately, but we know exactly how each person feels. Until we don't, when Emma wakes us after the party confused. What should have played out like a romantic comedy begins to take a turn when Emma questions her own reaction, despite Chris having had the best intentions. It's an extremely delicate issue and deftly handled by Quintana, leaving us in the grey zone with only hints that pushes us to one side or another. It's less about taking sides, than it is about listening to Emma's story, but as in real life, the frustration of what to do next is palpable.

The cast, with Christopher Allen getting the unenviable job as Chris, Caroline Toal as Lily, and Rachel Mutombo as Emma, are uniformly excellent. A creative team of scenographer Claire-Allison Hill, projection designer Daniel Oulton, lighting designer Oz Weaver let the cast play out in a beautifully simple space, with a great way to represent social media in a theatrical setting. There are moments the pacing and the set up is held back to prevent us from getting to the moment that turn things around, but Allen, Toal and Mutombo are a pleasure to spend time with.


Photos by Ali Sultani
Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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Nervy Playmaker - Risky Phil - Play Review

Risky Phil - Young People's Theatre - Toronto, ON - **** (out of 5 stars)
Written by Paula Wing, Directed by Stewart Arnott
Runs until April 27th 2018

                                   

"Risky" Phil is a cautious young black teen who lives with his hairdresser Aunt Gigi, who has a deal to play hockey and attend practice if he continues helping around his aunt's salon. The set up does not even hint at the ensuing drama, deftly handled by the delicate hands of Paula Wing, with touches of comedy and lots of heart, when teens Risky Phil and his best friend Jamie each encounter life changing decisions that affect their own family dynamics.

Phil's absent father, who Phil did not even know existed, shows up unannounced looking for his dead mother, Aunt Gigi does everything to protect Phil from his unreliable father who has just finished rehab and is trying to make amends. Phil's one outlet of escape, his hockey practice with his best friend Jamie, but while Phil is committed to hockey, Jamie is more interested in eating and hanging out, much to the chagrin of Jamie's father, who is also their coach David. Meanwhile, David has just landed an opportunity of a lifetime to play pro-hockey in Estonia, a decision which would mean leaving Jamie and divorcing his mother while David pursue's his life-long dream.

                    

The parallel tracks of sons and absent fathers, one returning and one leaving, have heavy affects on the teen boys, still trying to navigate and understand the world they're in, but while Aunt Gigi is there, doling out advice that Phil doesn't particularly want to hear, she herself holds some secrets that will further affect her own relationship with Phil.

It's quite the risk for a young person's theatre to put on a play with such heavy themes but in the hands of Arnott, Wing and a terrific cast of five, Risky Phil the play feels heartfelt and is often funny (especially thanks to ace performances from Ordena Stephens-Thompson as Aunt Gigi and a very amusing Tal Shulman as Jamie). Brian Bisson as David and Jamie Robinson as Junior, Phil's biological father, each portray men whose selfish decisions ultimately affect their sons, but it's a testament to Bisson and Robinson that as frustrating these characters are, these fathers feel familiar and understandable in their own personal pursuits.

It's also nice to see a deliberate story of a black boy playing such a "Canadian" sport, and telling stories of his newly formed, if small and tight, family, played against Jamie and David's white family, and where race is integral to the story but not the crux of the drama. While the play had some pacing issues, despite some well choreographed scene changes, the stories of two different Canadian families  felt real and representative of families we see in the cities.

Finally, there's a terrific Daniel Ellis as Phil, who has the most dramatic heavy lifting, and keeps the centre of the play well balanced. Definitely not a cautious performance.


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

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Dazzled and Confused - After Wrestling - Play Review

After Wrestling - Factory Theatre Studio - Toronto, ON - ***1/2 (out of 5 stars)
Written by Bryce Hodgson and Charlie Kerr, Directed by Bryce Hodgson 
Runs until Mar. 18th 2018

To be honest, I have a limited understanding of mental health issues and have been trying to learn and be more open minded about issues surrounding mental health. It's quite the daunting issue and subject  and After Wrestling, a new play by Bryce Hodgson and Charlie Kerr, delves into the messy lives of four different people slowly intwined by a suicide.

The play slowly reveals itself in tidbits, in quick succession of scenes that add to the confusing mystery, only to later explain why certain characters felt uneven or unbelievable at first. It may be part of the structure to mirror the thinking of its confused characters, who try to deal with their friend's suicide. The living friends try to grapple with their own reaction and and their own mental stability while trying to understand what happened to their friend. The confusion adds to the frustrating nature of the play (though seemingly intentional), but the terrific cast lends credibility to elements that seem at first uneven (but is sometimes later explained).

While the show first seemingly wants to focus on siblings Leah and Hogan, who are both in different depressive and angry states, we are also introduced to Hogan's best friend Gibby in ghost form (but hilariously and fascinatingly done) who committed suicide. Meanwhile, Jaggy, a cop who saves Hogan from a breakdown, ends up asking out recluse Leah. The plot points speed by in the quick scenes but it's the discovery of the characters and their mindset that propels the play, even if we don't truly understand all that makes them up, which the characters themselves, probably are trying to figure out too.

While Charlie Kerr co-wrote the play, his Hogan seems the most underwritten, but is to Kerr's acting credit that we feel his anger and his reactions. As frustrating and annoying as Hogan's sister Leah's character can be, Libby Osler infuses a trapped and confused soul in Leah's toxic decisions. Osler brings us along for the ride, despite Leah constantly pushing against it, and against Jaggy, who seems smitten with her for his own reasons.

Anthony Shim is mesmerizing as Gibby, who appears to Hogan as a radio jockey and has some fun with his interplay with Hogan's mindset. Shim gets to have the most fun with the dead Gibby, which then adds to the truly shocking nature of seeing still-alive Gibby in a flashback in the time before his suicide. Numb to the world on the drugs doctors have prescribed him, Shim makes the days leading up to the suicide feel real and lived in, and reveals a whole other story behind Gibby's ghost we only get a faint whiff at that Leah and Hogan had been alluding to.

Jaggy, who is our intro into these three people in various mental states, has his own issues, but is also the positive light into Leah life (and somewhat by extension, Hogan's) and into this play, with his hobbies karaoke and wrestling partially giving the literal title to the play. It seems odd for what first seems like a side character, but the play dances best between Leah and Jaggy's building relationship, and is easily sustained with Gabe Grey's luminous performance.

The characters are fascinating, even if some of the plotting tends to contradict the characters (at first), and while this makes for dramatic plot reveals, it takes energy from the more fascinating aspects of the play and the characters we've been introduced to. The star-making cast keeps the story grounded in an exciting and promising production of this fascinating oddball play of oddballs trying to grapple with some serious issues.


Photos by John Gundy
Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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Knotty Children - The Secret Garden and Pinocchio - Theatre Reviews

The Secret Garden - Young People's Theatre - Toronto, ON - **** (out of 5 stars)
Written by Paul Ledoux, adapted from the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Directed by Allen MacInnis
Runs until Mar. 17th 2018

Pinocchio - National Theatre's Lyttleton Theatre - London, UK - ***1/2 (out of 5 stars)
Written by Dennis Kelly, with songs from the Walt Disney film by Leigh Harline, Ned Washington and Paul J. Smith, Directed by John Tiffany
Runs until Apr. 10th 2018

               

The latest stagings for some kids classics gets some extra layers that deepen the stories and bring back some complexity to stories that had been simplified over the years. Tales of naughty children in The Secret Garden is given some extra shading with the casting of an Indian Mary at the centre of Frances Hodgson Burnett's original story. While Mary had always been born in India, it was written as a British child born away and returns home after the loss of her parents, but with the switch in ethnicities, and returning to a relative's English household, thus making Colin part Indian as well, gives the story an added aspect of colonialism. Over at the National Theatre, a new version of Disney's second film Pinocchio by Dennis Kelly, accentuates the darkness and creepiness more in tune with the original Carlo Collodi than the Disney film. Kelly, who turned Roald Dahl's Matilda into a successful musical, seems in opposition to the Disney aesthetics. Kelly's version of Pinocchio definitely ramps up the naughty children and, while still keeping Pinocchio on Disney's strings by melding the classic songs from the film, into this darker, slightly more adult version, helmed by John Tiffany. It's kudos to Disney Theatricals for allowing their properties to be given this chance to grow up, but like their stage version of The Jungle Book helmed by Mary Zimmerman (which yielded a far more spiritual, zen version of that classic), it often makes for an odd entity under the guise of Disney.

               

YPT's The Secret Garden is a nice slow and patient version with a wonderful Natalia Gracious as Mary, with Gracious managing to make the precocious, entitled, and selfish Mary a worthy heroine when it could have easily been cloying or annoying. She's eventually joined by a lovely Vivien Endicott Douglass as Martha, a servant, and a charming Benjamin Sutherland as Dichon, the village boy Mary befriends as they discover the mysteries of the house and the secret garden within it. Jack Runeckles plays Colin, Mary's hidden sick cousin, who like Mary, acts like a naughty entitled brat, but whom Runeckles somehow manages to make likeable. Simon Branken is great as both Lord Craven and Dr. Craven, while Dan Lett and Sarah Mennell round out the adult help of the manor.

There is a peacefulness to the production on Teresa Przybylski's simple but effectively changing set, as the mystery of the manor as Mary adjusts to her new life in England is slowly revealed. The story feels like a slow burn, and the added switch in Mary's origin, which changes little in the overall story, gives the play some added diversity and brings into the question of Indian colonialism, and even giving it a bit of a switch here, where the Indian children end up being in a higher class system than the caucasian folks working around the manor. It also gives Colin's story a greater dimension, as his father ignores him particularly as a reminder to his dead Indian mother and their similar features.


               

In John Tiffany's staging of Pinocchio, a joyously charming Joe Idris-Roberts plays our wooden boy Pinocchio as a life-size boy, while Toby Olié's giant puppet heads on Bob Crowley's oversize sets (and costumes) creates an oversized adult world that Pinocchio years to become a part of. With Dennis Kelly's added twisted tone, and some mutations of some of the famous songs, including a reprise of a morphed version of "When You Wish Upon A Star" during Pinocchio's introduction to fame, reminds us that this lesson on becoming a real man is a bumpy, and episodic journey. It's part of the nature of Collodi's original story, but the episodic nature of Pinocchio's journey doesn't necessarily make for a smooth experience as a stage entity, but Tiffany and the stage magic he creates, certainly makes it for an entertaining experience. And with Idris-Roberts centre stage, he pulls our heartstrings without showing any of the threads.

Audrey Brisson is a female Jiminy Cricket, and David Langham plays the Sly Fox, as they guide, or manipulate Pinocchio through this journey of life, but while Brisson and Langham are terrific in their roles, the characters as written seem like they are on differing paths, with Jiminy sounding far too modern at times, while the Sly Fox's villainous streak seem divorced from the overall arch, despite having the plot points directly affected by his machinations. As I had similar problems with Kelly's book for Matilda, I found while he manages to convey the dark tone he's yearning for, the emotional points never quite come through as he's working hard to hit all the plot points, and in Pinocchio's case, all the numerous adventures and troubles the wooden boy falls into. The plot strings are pulled but alas, all the emotional strings are purely from the hands of Idris-Roberts, who reminded me of the innate charm of Daniel Radcliffe.



Photos of Pinocchio by Manuel Harlan 
Photo of The Secret Garden by Cylla von Tiedemann
Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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