Time Picks Billy Elliot As Year's BestCalling it a "show that that really earns its cheers and tears," even though "the cast and production don't quite measure up to the brilliant London original,"
Time magazine's theatre writer Richard Zoglin names
Billy Elliot - The Musical as the year's number one musical or play. (Meanwhile, the Associated Press'
Michael Kuchwara also included
Billy Elliot on his top ten list.)
Below are Zoglin's other picks and my running commentary:
2.
Hair -- I missed the Central Park version, but hope to catch it come February at Broadway's Al Hirschfeld.
4.
The Visit -- Hurrah!
I loved this production last Memorial Day while at the DC area's Signature Theatre. When will it finally receive a well-deserved New York City run?
5.
Black Watch -- This ranks as my biggest disappointment of the year, not because I didn't like it, but because I was unable to see it. Shame on me.
8.
Blasted -- Blasted! I missed this one, too! But it's still playing at the SoHo Rep.
10.
Farragut North -- Hey, I tried to get tickets, but the show sold out on me!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: All My Sons, Best Of Lists, Billy Elliot The Musical, Black Watch, Blasted, Farragut North, Hair, Reasons To Be Pretty, South Pacific, The Little Mermaid, The Visit, Time
What? No Whingers?Surely, there must be some oversight.
The UK's
Guardian has come out with its "list" of "
The World's 50 Most Powerful Blogs," and there's no
West End Whingers in sight.
Never mind, apparently, that even the
Guardian's own
Chris Wilkinson writes about them in his column:
The West End Whingers were so prepared for the show to be bad that, in emulation of the great critic himself, they had bought nightgowns and nightcaps in order to drift off in the cosy warmth of the theatre.
I mean, how influential is
that?!
There are few theatre bloggers who receive mainstream media attention on either side of the Atlantic quite the way Andrew and Phil do.
I demand a recount!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Best Of Lists, Blogs, Guardian, West End Whingers
ModFab: The Jury Is InGabriel at
Modern Fabulousity tallies up the
top ten theatrical productions of the past year, along with
television and
heroes, with more to come.
For the top theatrical picks of 2007, Gabriel assembled a jury comprised of Aaron Riccio (
That Sounds Cool/
Show Showdown), David Bell (
Show Showdown), Ludlow Lad (
Off-Off Blogway), Patrick Lee (
Just Shows To Go You/
Show Showdown), himself and yours truly. Even though I usually wait until the end of the theatrical season to provide my top ten lists, I was honored to be asked to share my favorites for this calendar year.
You'll note that my personal top pick,
August: Osage County comes in at number two overall, but even Gabriel singles it out as his own number one show.
Thanks Gabriel. Looking forward to seeing the rest of the ModFab Best!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: August Osage County, Best Of Lists, Blogs, Broadway, Modern Fabulousity, Off-Broadway
August: Best Time Of The YearThe more appropriate title for this story really would be
August: Osage County is
Time's "Best of the Year," but no matter.
The point is that the theatre critic for the venerable news magazine has selected my personal favorite show of the past year as
his top choice for theatre. I couldn't agree more.
But the list itself is a bit suspect to be honest. I know everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, including Richard Zoglin, but c'mon.
I'll give Zoglin a pass on
The Farnsworth Invention and I may even agree with him on
Pygmalion, but how could the Broadway revival of
Grease possibly make any discerning critic's list? Zoglin says, "Even with reality-TV stars, a stylish, happy, underappreciated revival."
Still, it's in his top
ten?
Do
Grease and
best go together like rama lama lama ke ding a de dinga a dong?
Zoglin's full top ten list for 2007 includes:
#1 -
August: Osage County#2 -
Journey's End#3 -
Fuerzabruta
#4 -
The Overwhelming#5 -
Wooster Group's Hamlet
#6 -
Pygmalion
#7 -
Grease#8 -
The Farnsworth Invention#9 -
Eurydice#10 -
Intimate ExchangesOf these shows, only the Broadway shows,
Fuerzabruta and
The Overwhelming remain open
(Pygmalion's limited run closes tomorrow).
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: August Osage County, Best Of Lists, Broadway, Grease, Pygmalion, The Farnsworth Invention, Time
