Best of Stage 2009
I went to a stage show a total of 112 times in 2009! Beating my 2008 record of 96 times. (For me, stage includes plays, musicals, fringe shows, cabaret, ballet, opera and the SYTYCD tour)
Though those 112 times were actually for 92 different productions, and only 83 of them were brand new to me. (I saw the tour of Spring Awakening a lot, plus repeated a few other shows I saw before).
Meanwhile, as my own rule, only new shows I've seen are eligible to be on the list (shows that are new to me, even if they opened in previous years).
So Hair and Parade are ineligible because I've already seen their earlier incarnations before their 2009 transfers (plus both already landed on previous years Best of Stage lists). I saw Broadway's West Side Story and Next to Normal in their pre-Broadway DC runs and Broadway's 9 to 5 in L.A. all in 2008.
This was also a year of big stars. More and more are going to the stage. Either back to it, or to prove themselves. Amongst those that I saw were James McAvoy, Dame Judi Dench, Rosamund Pike, Graham Norton, Anne Hathaway, Jude Law, Gina Gershon, John Stamos, Nathan Lane, John Goodman, Cate Blanchett, Rachel Weisz, Oliver Platt, Craig Bierko, Lauren Graham, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Hugh Jackman, Daniel Craig. Some were quite amazing. Some were not. Though more often than not, the "famous" actors were actually impressive, though probably because this year, most of that list are film/tv actors that started off from the stage in the first place.
But alas, here's my compilation of my 2009 Stage experiences (with the full list of all productions after the Top 15).
Here's the Best of Stage 2009:
1. Ragtime (Eisenhower Theatre in the Kennedy Centre - Washington, DC and Neil Simon Theatre - Broadway - New York, NY)
Music by Stephen Flaherty, Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, Book by Terrence McNally, Based on the novel by E.L. Doctorow, Directed and Choreographed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge
Original Reviews
It may be an epic re-telling of the turning of the last century, but the massive themes of the human spirit remain just as relevant in this first decade of our current century. The musical has always been one of my favorites, but Marcia Milgrom Dodge strips the show down to its iron work bones and heightens the humanity in the piece in a revival no less extravagant thanks to a multi-set stage and some superb performances including Quentin Earl Darrington, Bobby Steggert and Christiane Noll as Coalhouse Walker Jr, Younger Brother and Mother (respectively). The DC presentation also had amazing newcomer Jennlee Shallow as a heartbreaking Sarah and Manoel Felciano as a savvy Tateh who exuded a simmering chemistry with Noll's Mother.
2. Giant (Signature Max Theatre - Arlington, VA)
Music and Lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa, Book by Sybille Pearson, Based on the novel by Edna Ferber, Directed by Jonathan Butterell. Choreographed by Ernesto Alonzo Palma
Original Review
A quiet intimate epic musical 4 hours long, telling the tale of a Texan rancher Bick as he woos his lady, the family the make, and the interloper Jed, all as it weaves through decades of Texas and the historical changes (and the Mexican integration). Based on the book by Edna Ferber (made more famous by the movie), this new musical is more chamber in style but epic in scope, with luscious yet accessible music by Michael John LaChiusa a stylishly directed by Jonathan Butterell. Ashley Robinson and Lewis Cleale (above with Morgan) are fantastic as Jed and Bick, while Betsy Morgan shines as the woman in the heart of it all.
3. A Streetcar Named Desire (Donmar Warehouse - London, UK)
Written by Tennessee Williams, Directed by Rob Ashford
Original Review
Everyone talked about Cate Blanchett and the Sydney Theatre Company doing this play, but it was the little seen (mainly due to the TINY size of the theatre) Donmar production that blew me away, with a superb Rachel Weisz leading an impeccable ensemble that truly worked great together in perfect balance. Elliot Cowan defined "sexy beast" while Ruth Wilson nailed the uneasy balance of being Stella. Rob Ashford and set designer Christopher Oram made the New Orleans story come alive and you could truly feel the steaming heat and the sweat pouring out of these characters as the friction builds in that tiny apartment.
4. Next Fall (Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Playwrights Horizons - Off-Broadway - New York, NY)
Written by Geoffrey Nauffts, Directed by Sheryl Kaller
Original Review
Two unlikely men fall in love in this small and intimate new play that moves beyond stereotypes (or twists it at least) and into this very funny, very compelling drama that moves to Broadway this coming Spring. A perfect cast of character actors (full of people you've all seen before but have no idea what their names are, including Patrick Breen, Patrick Heusinger, Connie Ray, and Maddie Corman) breathes life into this smart and wonderful new play by Naugffts, cleverly economically directed by Kaller.
5. The Importance of Being Earnest (Avon Theatre- Stratford Festival - Stratford, ON)
Written by Oscar Wilde, Directed by Brian Bedford
Original Review
A smart AND frothy production that pits Brian Bedford in serious drag as Lady Bracknell against Mike Shara and Ben Carlson's Algernon and John (Jack) Worthing (respectively) in the delightful comedy of mistaken identity and class. Director Bedford knows the importance of balancing all the right elements together in perfect harmony to create comic perfection in this absolutely splendid revival at Stratford. (Rumour has it that it may be moved on further in a transfer of some sorts, and hopefully that is true, and if it isn't, maybe this will start that rumour to make it true).
6. National Ballet of Canada's Emergence and Watch Her (Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts - Toronto, ON)
Emergence - Choreographed by Crystal Pite, Original Score by Owen Belton - Original Review
Watch Her - Choreographed by Aszure Barton, Music by Lera Auerbach - Original Review
Two exciting new commissions in their world premiere presentations solidified two young Canadian choreographers as world-class dance creators. Emergence was a buzz of frantic energy, an explosive look into the microcosmic world of insects and their rhythms and social patterns became beautiful and awkward body movements swelling across the stage. Watch Her set a stoic tone as emotions creep through across a grey Stalin-esque world. Two very different pieces and visions, but one very exciting new direction for Canadian ballet.
7. Cirque Du Soleil - OVO (Le Grande Chapiteau - The Portlands, Toronto, ON)
Written, Choreographed and Directed by Deborah Colker
Original Review
Cirque shows are always dazzling and surreal with their strange "storylines" and mood music but OVO is their first show directed by a dance choreographer and a female and it brings a warm clarity to the Cirque brand. It's probably the most literal show I've seen from Cirque with the story of the insect world and an egg, but Colker also manages to smoothen the entire series of circus acts to flow nicely from one showpiece to another with a dance choreography that unites all the acts and characters together, making OVO feel fully whole from all the Cirque shows I've seen.
8. Ruined (Manhattan Theatre Club at NY City Centre Stage 1 - Off-Broadway, New York, NY)
Written by Lynn Nottage, Directed by Kate Whoriskey
I think I sat through the entire play clutching my seat in fear. It was exhausting and literally breathtaking but Nottage's intense story was gripping and ultimately emotionally cathartic. The horrors of violence and the suffering some must endure to stay alive bring foreign politics into understandable human terms in Whoriskey's enlightening production.
9. Twelfth Night - (Delacorte Theatre - Central Park, New York, NY)
Written by William Shakespeare, Directed by Daniel Sullivan
Original Review
Anne Hathaway leads a starry cast including Raúl Esparza, Audra MacDonald, Hamish Linklater, Stark Sands, Julie White, Jay O. Sanders and David Pittu under the starry night of the Public in the Park's annual Shakespeare presentation and the joyous cast fought through the rainy summer to present a most delightful Night.
10. Toronto Fringe Festival - As You Puppet (Palmerston Library Theatre - Toronto, ON) and Morro and Jasp Do Puberty (Tarragon Theatre Extraspace and Berkeley Street Theatre Upstairs - Toronto, ON)
As You Puppet Written by William Shakespeare, Adapted by Jane McClelland and Mike Petersen, Directed by Ken MacDougall and Tom McHale
Morro and Jasp Do Puberty Created by Heather Marie Annis, Byron Laviolette and Amy Lee, Directed by Byron Laviolette
Original Reviews
Two utterly delightful Fringe shows that while simple in concept, had boundless ideas and hilarity to spare. Morro and Jasp, a clowning pair usually performing to children, have grown up and hit "that stage in life" and learn to deal with puberty in all it's horror and humour. As You Puppet is As You Like It performed by puppets, or actually, stuffed toys brilliantly manipulated and voiced to feel more real and with better Shakespearean performances than some human counterparts. Without dumbing the text down, the puppets manage to tell the wonderful story to both children and adults alike in an entertaining and extremely funny way.
11. Our Town (Barrow Street Theatre - Off-Broadway - New York, NY)
Written by Thornton Wilder, Directed by David Cromer
12. The Norman Conquests Trilogy: Table Manners, Living Together, Round and Round the Garden (Circle in the Square Theatre - Broadway - New York, NY)
>Written by Alan Ayckbourn, Directed by Matthew Warchus
Original Review
While individually the plays are amusing, as a whole, the three plays piece together into a comic tour-du-force that manages to yield heartache and soul searching amongst the hilarity. The sum is definitely more impressive than its part as jokes set up in other plays are rewarded in another, and to watch the energetic cast zoom through the trilogy in a day long marathon is thrilling in its sense of achievement.
13. Fences (Huntington Theatre at Boston University Theatre - Boston, MA)
Written by August Wilson, Directed by Kenny Leon
My first experience with August Wilson's 10 cycle play was deeply moving and rewarding, with Kenny Leon directing a patient and quietly subtle show with a magnificent cast. It may not be A-list star power (as Denzel Washington and Viola Davis will revive this play on Broadway with Leon again directing) but John Beasley (Everwood), Crystal Fox (In the Heat of the Night), Bill Nunn (Spider-Man) and company are powerful enough to give Wilson's work a truly emotional punch.
14. Finian's Rainbow (St. James Theatre - Broadway, New York, NY)
Music by Burton Lane, Lyrics by E.Y. Harburg, Book by E.Y. Harburg & Fred Saidy, Adapted by Arthur Perlman, Directed and Choreographed by Warren Carlyle
Original Review
An utterly ridiculous story with Leprechauns, a pot of gold, a racist Southern Senator, Irish immigrants living in the South, and a dancing mute somehow makes this revival of an old OLD musical utterly entertaining and delightful. A superb cast lead by the glorious Kate Baldwin (She Loves Me), the shagworthy Cheyenne Jackson (Xanadu, 30 Rock), the lovable Christopher Fitzgerald (Minsky's) and the spunky Jim Norton (The Seafarer) sing a luscious set of songs that create a dreamy colourful silly musical.
15. War Horse (National Theatre in the West End - New London Theatre - London, UK)
Based on a novel by Michael Morpurgo, Adapted by Nick Stafford, Directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, In association with the Handspring Puppet Company
Original Review
The story is plain and simple. It's about a horse, in the war (WW1). Yup, the title says it all, but somewhere along the sweeping earnest epic narrative, it won me over and the story about a boy in search of his horse in the war became somehow transcendent. The amazing puppetry and the scope of the show helped!
Breakthrough Performances:
Quentin Earl Darrington and Jennlee Shallow in Ragtime
Betsy Morgan in Giant
Elliot Cowan in A Streetcar Named Desire
Patrick Heusinger in Next Fall
Condola Rashad in Ruined
McGee Maddox in the National Ballet of Canada
Aidan deSaliz, Stephen Roberts, Jeigh Madjus in Altar Boyz (Toronto)
Kit Harrington in War Horse
Ben Lewis in Dog Sees God (Toronto)
David Hein and Kyle Orzech in My Mother's Lesbian Jewish-Wiccan Wedding
Jon Michael Hill in Superior Donuts
Demond Green, Matthew Saldivar, Daren A. Herbert and Jamie McKnight in The Toxic Avenger (NYC and Toronto)
Jason Babinsky in The Full Monty
Here is every Stage Show I saw in 2009 in alphabetical order. All reviews are based on a 5 stars system (Cabarets and workshops not given grades):
33 Variations (Play) - Eugene O'Neill Theatre - Broadway, New York, NY - (Review ***)
A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum (Musical Revival) - Avon Theatre - Stratford Festival, ON - (Review ***1/2)
Altar Boyz (Musical) - Toronto Centre for the Performing Arts Studio Theatre - Toronto, ON - (Review ****)
A New Brain (Musical Revival) - Acting Up Stage at the Berkeley Street Theatre - Toronto, ON - (Review ***)
An Evening With Ewalt and Walker: Just A Couple Of Dudes Who Like To Write Songs (Cabaret) - Playwrights Horizon - New York, NY - (Review)
The American Plan (Play Revival) - Manhattan Theatre Club at The Samuel J. Friedman Theatre - Broadway, New York, NY - (Review ***1/2)
A Steady Rain (New Play) - Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre - Broadway - New York, NY - (***)
A Streetcar Named Desire (Play Revival) - Donmar Warehouse - London, UK - (Review ****1/2)
A Streetcar Named Desire (Play Revival) - Sydney Theatre Company at the Eisenhower Theatre in The Kennedy Centre - Washington, D.C. - (Review ***)
As You Puppet (Play Revival) - Toronto Fringe Festival at the Palmerston Library Theatre - Toronto, ON - (Review *****)
Auguts: Osage County (Play) - Canon Theatre - Toronto, ON - (****)
The Bacchae (Play Revival) - Delacorte Theatre - Central Park - New York City, NY - (Review **)
Bare (Musical) - Hart House Theatre - Toronto, ON - (Review **)
Bare’s Big Broadway Bender Cabaret (Cabaret) - Buddies in Bad Times Theatre - Toronto, ON - (Review)
Blithe Spirit (Play Revival) - Shubert Theatre - Broadway, New York, NY - (Review ***1/2)
The Boys in the Photograph (Musical) - Royal Alexandra Theatre - Toronto, ON - (Review **)
Bye Bye Birdie (Musical Revival) - Henry Miller's Theatre - Broadway - New York, NY - (Review ***)
Candida (Play Revival) - Burning Passions Theatre in the Toronto Fringe Festival at Innis Town Hall - Toronto, ON - (Review ****)
Cannibal: The Musical (Workshop Musical) - The Walmer Centre - Toronto, ON
Carmen & Skin Divers (Ballet - Mixed Program) - The National Ballet of Canada - The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts - Toronto, ON - (Review *** - averaged from:
Skin Divers - ***1/2
Carmen - ***)
Cirque Du Soleil's OVO (Circus) - Le Grand Chapiteau - The Port Lands - Toronto, ON - (Review ****1/2)
The Civil War (Musical Revival) - Ford's Theatre - Washington D.C. - (Review **1/2)
The Color Purple (Musical) - Canon Theatre - Toronto, ON - (Review **1/2)
Dido and Aeneas (Opera) - Underground/Opera at the Winchester Street Theatre - Toronto, ON - (Review ****)
Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead (Play) - Six Degrees - Toronto, ON - (Review ****)
Exit the King (Play Revival) - Barrymore Theatre - Broadway, New York, NY - (Review ****)
Fences (Play Revival) - Huntington Theatre at Boston University Theatre - Boston, MA - (****)
ff8th/plays (Workshop Plays) - Oakwood Library Theatre - Toronto, ON
The Fiddler on the Roof (Musical Revival) - Canon Theatre - Toronto, ON - (***)
Finian's Rainbow (Musical Revival) - St. James Theatre - Broadway, New York, NY - (Review ****)
The Four Temperaments & Watch Her & Glass Pieces (Ballet - Mixed Program) - The National Ballet of Canada - Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts - Toronto, ON - (Review **** - averaged from:
The Four Temperaments - ***
Watch Her - ****1/2
Glass Pieces - *****)
The Full Monty (Musical Revival) - The Paper Mill Playhouse - Milburn, NJ - (Review ***1/2)
Giant (New Musical) - Signature Max Theatre - Arlington, VA (Greater D.C.) - (Review *****)
God of Carnage (New Play) - Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre - Broadway, New York, NY - (Review ***)
Guys and Dolls (Musical Revival) - Nederlander Theatre - Broadway, New York, NY - (Review ***)
Hair (Musical Revival) x2 - Al Hirschfeld Theatre - Broadway - New York, NY - (Review *****)
Hamlet (Play Revival) - Donmar in the West End - Wyndham Theatre - London, UK - (Review ****)
The Harder They Come (Musical) - Canon Theatre - Toronto,ON - (**)
Head First (Performance) - Femmes Des Feu in the Toronto Fringe Festival at the Theatre Passe Muraille Mainstage - Toronto, ON - (Review ***1/2)
Hipcheck The Musical (New Musical) - toronto Fringe Festival at the Robert Gill Theatre - Toronto, ON - (Review ***1/2)
Human Anonymous (New Play) - The Next Stage Theatre Festival (Fringe Toronto) - Factory Theatre - Toronto, ON - (Review **** )
The Importance of Being Earnest (Play Revival) - Avon Theatre - Stratford Festival, ON - (Review ****1/2)
Innovation (Ballet - Mixed Program) - The National Ballet of Canada - Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts - Toronto, ON - (Review ***1/2 - averaged from:
IN COLOUR - ***
Emergence - *****
DEXTRIS - ***1/2)
Jersey Boys (Musical) - Toronto Centre for the Performing Arts - Toronto, ON - (Original Review ****)
Just East of Broadway (New Musical) - Toronto Fringe Festival at the George Ignatieff Theatre - Toronto, ON - (Review ****)
La Cage Aux Folles (Musical Revival) - Playhouse Theatre - London, UK - (Review ***1/2)
Let Me Down Easy (New Play) - Second Stage Theatre - Off-Broadway - New York, NY - (***1/2)
Like Father, Like Son? Sorry (New Play) - Toronto Fringe Festival at the Factory Theatre Mainspace - Toronto, ON - (Review ***)
Love Is A Poverty You Can Sell: A Special Cabaret Homage to the Music and Musical Influence of Kurt Weill (Cabaret) - Soup Can Theatre at the Bread & Circus - Toronto, ON - (Review )
Lysistrata (Play Revival) - Eyewitness Theatre UK in the Toronto Fringe Festival at the Theatre Passe Murraille Mainstage - (Review ***)
Madame de Sade (Play Revival) - Donmar in the West End - Wyndham's Theatre - London, UK - *** (Review ***)
Mary Stuart (Play Revival) - Broadhurst Theatre - Broadway - New York,NY - (****)
Medea (Play Revival) - Canon Theatre - Toronto, ON - (Review ***)
Memphis (New Musical) - Shubert Theatre- Broadway - New York, NY - (Review ***1/2)
Minsky's (New Musical) - Ahmanson Theater - Los Angeles, CA - (***1/2)
Morro and Jasp Do Puberty (New Play) x2 - Toronto Fringe Festival at the Tarragon Theatre Extraspace - Toronto, ON - and - Berkeley Street Theatre Upstairs - Toronto, ON - (Review *****)
Moving Along (New Play) - Toronto Fringe Festival at the Tarragon Theatre Mainspace - Toronto, ON - (Review ***1/2)
My Mother's Lesbian Jewish-Wiccan Wedding (New Musical) x2 - Toronto Fringe Festival at the Bread & Circus - Toronto, ON - and - Panasonic Theatre - Toronto, ON - (Review ****)
Nebraska The Musical (New Musical) - Toronto Fringe Festival at the Theatre Passe Murraille Mainstage - Toronto, ON - (Review ***)
Next Fall (New Play) - Naked Angels at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre (at Playwrights Horizons) - Off-Broadway, New York, NY - (Review ****1/2)
The Norman Conquests Trilogy (Play Revivals) - Circle in the Square Theatre - Broadway - New York, NY - (Review **** - averaged from:
Table Manners - ***1/2
Living Together - ***
Round and Round the Garden - ****)
The Nutcracker (Ballet) - The Moscow Ballet at Casino Rama Entertainment Centre - Oshawa, ON - (**1/2)
Our Town (Play Revival) - Barrow Street Theatre - Off-Broadway - New York, NY - (****1/2)
Parade (Musical Revival) - Donmar Warehouse at the Mark Taper Forum - Los Angeles, CA - (Review *****)
Pippin (Musical Revival) - Mark Taper Forum - Los Angeles, CA - (Review ***)
Ragtime - Eisenhower Theater - The Kennedy Center - Washington, D.C. and Ragtime - Neil Simon Theatre - Broadway - New York, NY - (Review *****)
Rock of Ages (New Musical) - Brooks Atkinson Theatre - Broadway, New York, NY - (Review **1/2)
Romeo and Juliet (Ballet) - The National Ballet of Canada - Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts - Toronto, ON - (Review ***)
The Royal Family (Play Revival) - Manhattan Theatre Club at The Samuel J. Friedman Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - (Review ***)
Ruined (New Play) - Manhattan Theatre Club at NY City Centre Stage 1 - Off-Broadway - New York, NY - (****1/2)
Scorched (Play) - Tarragon Theatre Mainstage - Toronto, ON - (****)
See What I Wanna See (Musical Revival) - Signature's Ark Theatre - Arlington, VA (Greater D.C.) - (Review ***)
Show Boat (Musical Revival) - Signature Max Theatre - Arlington, VA (Greater D.C.) - (Review ***)
Sleeping Beauty (Ballet) - The National Ballet of Canada - Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts - Toronto, ON - (Review ***)
Soulful Messiah (Ballet) - Ballet Creole at the Fleck Dance Theatre - Toronto, ON - (**1/2)
The Sound Of Music (Musical Revival) x2 - The Princess of Wales Theatre - Toronto, ON - (Review ****1/2)
So You Think You Can Dance Canada Season 2 Tour (Dance) - Air Canada Centre - Toronto, ON - (***)
Spring Awakening (Musical) x13 - National Tour - Canon Theatre - Toronto, ON (x12) - (Review - Matt Doyle and Perry Sherman as Melchior in Toronto, Review - Kyle Riabko as Melchior in Toronto, Review in Toronto ****1/2)
Stuff Happens (Play Revival) - Studio 180 at The Royal Alexandra Theatre - Toronto, ON - (Review ***1/2)
Superior Donuts (New Play) - Music Box Theatre - Broadway - New York City, NY - (Review ***1/2)
The Temperamentals (New Play) - Off-Broadway - New York, NY - (***1/2)
Three Days of Rain (Play Revival) - Apollo Theatre - London, UK - (Review ***)
Tin Pan Alley Rag (Musical) - Roundabout's Laura Pels Theatre at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre - Off-Broadway, New York, NY - (Review **1/2)
The Toxic Avenger Musical (New Musical) x3 - New World Stages - Off-Broadway - New York, NY - and - Danforth Music Hall - Toronto,ON - (NY Review ***)
True Love Lies (New Play) - Factory Theatre Mainstage - Toronto, ON - (***1/2)
Twelfth Night (Play Revival) - Delacorte Theatre - Central Park, New York, NY - (Review ****)
The Understudy (New Play) - Roundabout's Laura Pels Theatre at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre - Off-Broadway, New York, NY - (Review ***1/2)
Waiting For Godot (Play Revival) - Studio 54 - Broadway, New York, NY - (Review **1/2)
War Horse (Play) - National Theatre in the West End - New London Theatre - London, UK - (Review ****)
West Side Story (Musical Revival) - Festival Theatre - Stratford Festival, ON - (Review ***)
We Will Rock You (Musical) - Panasonic Theatre - Toronto, ON - (Original Review *1/2)
The Wiz (Musical Revival) - Encores Summer Stars at New York City Center Mainstage - Off-Broadway, New York, NY - (Review **1/2)
Zisele (Play) - Tel Aviv's Beit Lessin Theatre at the Jane Mallett Theatre - St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts - Toronto, ON - (Review ***1/2)
______________________________________
Best of 2009 Lists: Coming soon
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
Previous Best-of Lists:
Best of 2008 Lists:
Best of Music 2008
Best of Television 2008
Best of Stage 2008
Best of Movies 2008
Best of Television Fall '07 - Winter '08 List
Best of 2007 Lists:
Best of Music 2007
Best of Television 2007
Best of Movies 2007
Best of Stage 2007
Best of 2007 (The Final Wrap Up)
Best of Television Fall '06 - Winter '07 List
Best of 2006 Lists:
Best of Music 2006
Best of Television 2006
Best of Movies 2006
Best of 2006
Best of Television Fall '05 - Winter '06 List
Best of 2005 Lists:
Best of Television 2005
Best of Movies 2005
Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com
More After the Jump...
Every season deepened the family drama about a successful surgeon and his two kids that he tries to know better after moving to the small town of Everwood, CO. Everwood managed to balance both a light and fun tone with deeper and more emotionally dark issues, all with characters we learned to love, and managed to cobble together one of the most satisfying finales despite having the show cancelled unceremoniously at the last minute. 
A mystery film noir done for the high school set but was not for the high schooler, with the dark cases and witty repartees, Kristen Bell led a terrific cast in a sleuth show that constantly surprised with twists and turns that were both fun and actually puzzling. 
Comfort TV at it's finest, and fastest with the witty banter between the close mother and daughter relationship of Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, but the power in the Gilmore Girls was that it was really a 3-generations relationship with grandmother Emily. The quirky townsfolk of Stars Hollow just romanticized small town living to its finest. 
