SOB's Best & Worst Of 2006-07 Theatre SeasonWhile Broadway's 2006-07 theatre season technically ended last week with the opening of
110 In The Shade, tomorrow's much-anticipated Tony Award nominations ostensibly keep the season alive. And the stunning June 10 climax of who'll take home the
American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards medallions -- named for actress, director and producer
Antoinette Perry -- really provides the appropriate capper for an equally stunning year in theatre.
As
I noted a year ago Saturday, shortly after beginning Steve On Broadway (SOB), I’ve never known exactly why theatre seasons throughout the United States typically end in late spring/early summer, although it may have something to do with the American propensity for finally getting outside to enjoy the warmer summer months than be cooped up in some theatre.
But whatever the reason, as this current season winds down and major productions for the upcoming year are being announced, it gives writers like me the opportunity to talk about the past year in review. And just as I offered my
SOB's Best & Worst of 2005-06, today marks the day that I'm launching my annual rundown of the shows and performances I enjoyed the most -- not just on Broadway, but throughout my travels stretching from Sydney to London.
During the 2006-07 Theatrical Season, I’ve had an opportunity to see 77 productions. Not only did I see plays and musicals on Broadway, as well as in the aforementioned Sydney and London, but there were stops along the way in such places as Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, San Diego, Washington DC and Westport CT.
Since my theatregoing ways have more to do with selecting shows that I think I'll actually like than simply seeing everything, I'm pleased to note that I enjoyed most of what I saw. And even if there were some that I notoriously panned, I always tried to find at least something positive to say about them.
In the run-up to the 2007 Tony Awards, I’ll be writing about my choices for the best and worst of the season, not just from New York, but from wherever my travels took me. Whether or not you agree, I cordially invite you to offer your feedback on each selection and tell me why you wholeheartedly agree or think I'm all wet.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories: Labels: Broadway, London, Musical, Play, SOB's Best of 2005-06, SOB's Best of 2006-07, Theatre, Theatre Discussions, Tony Awards, Tony Nominations
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #1 – Theater Of The New Ear (Royce Hall, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA)
Any filmgoer who has watched in awe (or for the less fortunate, in exasperation) as one of gifted screenwriter Charlie Kaufman’s twisted movies unfolds -- usually inside-out, upside-down and sprinkled with a dash of
surrealilty -- knows that his captivating storytelling is
never dull. As movies like “Being John Malkovich” and the brilliant “Adaptation” demonstrate, the story lines are often grounded in some semblance of fact.
It was with this wild anticipation that I took in
Theater Of The New Ear early last fall at UCLA’s Royce Hall. The performance’s TONE was set with the come-on, “Leave your eyes at home.” With a radio-like production quality, its cast members sat on an unadorned stage reading scripts of two “sound” plays as Foley artist Marko Costanzo magically transported the audience beyond the limits of their imaginations.
But with a stellar cast that included Jennifer Jason Leigh and Daniel Thewlis (together in "Anomalisa"), as well as Peter Dinklage, Hope Davis and Meryl Streep (together in "Hope Leaves The Theater"), it was foolhardy to even attempt diverting one’s eyes from the stage.
Because of the chance that these fascinating plays for the ear could be produced again for future audiences to enjoy, I’ll spare you all but the basic plotlines. Although your best bet for experiencing the performances may be on radio (Sirius had previously aired the production).
"Anomalisa" is essentially a story about a self-help guru (Thewlis) who travels to Ohio to speak before his legions of fans, only to get boozed up and entwined with a disfigured woman named Lisa (Jason Leigh) with whom he falls in love.
The lines of reality and fiction are blurred to their ultimate and most satisfying degree in "Hope Leaves The Theater." The title, of course, refers in part to Hope Davis, who -- like Dinklage and Streep -- portrays an assortment of characters including herself in an amazingly funny, nuanced romp. Part of the fun is seeing these immensely gifted actors also playing members of the audience, including Davis’ hilarious and self-obsessed Louise, whose ringing cell phone serves as the catalyst for Streep -- as Streep -- to go ballistic in a fashion that would make any regular theatregoer proud. This dizzying, frenetic play left me downright giddy and more than sufficiently underscores why Streep remains the preeminent actress of our times.
While Charlie Kaufman is credited for writing "Hope Leaves the Theater," “newcomer” Francis Fregoli is billed as the writer and director of "Anomalisa." However, it’s not beyond the stretch of the imagination to ponder whether Kaufman himself wrote and directed; after all, the program states that Fregoli "is the pen-name of an established writer, who wishes to remain anonymous." Right. And given the fact that Kaufman himself is proclaimed dead in "Hope Leaves The Theater," one can be forgiven for automatically making the assumption that our “deceased” playwright still revels in playing with his audience.
Whatever the case, the excellent
Theater of the New Ear with music by Carter Burwell is an expertly-written and exceptionally-acted theatrical experience unlike any other. That’s why out of the 54 productions I saw over the past twelve months, I enthusiastically rank it as
the singular
Best Show of the 2005-06 Theatrical Season.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #2 – Guys And Dolls (Piccadilly Theatre, London, UK) (May 26, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #3 – Hedda Gabler (Brooklyn Academy of Music – Harvey Theatre, New York, NY) (May 25, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #4 – A Blameless Life (Steppenwolf Garage, Chicago, IL) (May 24, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #5 – Reeling (The Children’s Theatre Company, Minneapolis, MN) (May 23, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #6 – “MASTER HAROLD”…And The Boys (Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, IL) (May 21, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #7 – Love Song (Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, IL) (May 19, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #8 - Billy Elliot The Musical (Victoria Palace Theatre, London, UK) (May 18, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #9 - The Well-Appointed Room (Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, IL) (May 17, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #10 - Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Eugene O'Neill Theatre, New York, NY) (May 15, 2006)
The SOB Five "Worst" of 2005-06 (May 12, 2006)
SOB's Best and Worst of 2005-06 Theatre Season (May 12, 2006)
Labels: California, Carter Burwell, Charlie Kaufman, Los Angeles, Meryl Streep, Play, SOB's Best of 2005-06, Theater Of The New Ear
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #6 – “MASTER HAROLD”…And The Boys (Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, IL)
In seeing
“MASTER HAROLD”…And The Boys – Athol Fugard’s intensely personal autobiographical account of growing up as a wealthy white boy in South Africa -- it’s perhaps a little too easy for American audiences to dismiss this apartheid-era drama with detached ignorance as some relic from another culture and time. Despite the play’s distant locale, it serves as a stark reminder that the United States’ shameful Jim Crow age wasn’t that long ago either. Fortunately, for many history-deprived Chicagoland high school students whose schools participate in Steppenwolf for Young Adults -- an outstanding outreach program to local schools -- they had the opportunity to see a display of raw emotion that exemplified some of period's the racial inequality. If only racial inequality
were a thing of the past.
Steppenwolf ensemble member K. Todd Freeman’s passionate, yet rapid-paced direction of this classic play demonstrated just how manic codified racism could be, especially in undercutting civil and even seemingly loving friendships between individuals of different color. One has to wonder how incredibly agonizing it must have been for Fugard to bare his soul and his own shameful actions from his youth by exploring his relationship (as Hally, portrayed by Nick Ferrin) -- with his family’s trusted keeper and confidante, Sam, played with a rare dignified eloquence by Cedric Young, and Willie, who despite the soft-spoken nature of his character portrayed by Kenn E. Head, demonstrated his heart and heartbreak with each sweep of his broom.
While Sam provided Hally with a level of unspoken mentoring that his own father was unable to offer, it was breathtakingly halting to witness how quickly the young man turned hostile against Sam when any sign of his own supposed superiority was remotely questioned.
While this version of
“MASTER HAROLD” …And The Boys enjoyed only a brief reign last fall, its profound and poignant message has remained with me enough to make this number 6 on my SOB Best of 2005-06 Theatrical Season list. (Again, in the interest of full disclosure, I am a proud member of Steppenwolf’s Auxiliary Council Board of Governors.)
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:SOB's Best of 2005-06: #1 - Theater Of The New Ear (Royce Hall, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA) (May 30, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #2 – Guys And Dolls (Piccadilly Theatre, London, UK) (May 26, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #3 – Hedda Gabler (Brooklyn Academy of Music – Harvey Theatre, New York, NY) (May 25, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #4 – A Blameless Life (Steppenwolf Garage, Chicago, IL) (May 24, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #5 – Reeling (The Children’s Theatre Company, Minneapolis, MN) (May 23, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #7 – Love Song (Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, IL) (May 19, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #8 - Billy Elliot The Musical (Victoria Palace Theatre, London, UK) (May 18, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #9 - The Well-Appointed Room (Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, IL) (May 17, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #10 - Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Eugene O'Neill Theatre, New York, NY) (May 15, 2006)
The SOB Five "Worst" of 2005-06 (May 12, 2006)
SOB's Best and Worst of 2005-06 Theatre Season (May 12, 2006)
Labels: Chicago, K. Todd Freeman, Master Harold And The Boys, Play, Revival, SOB's Best of 2005-06, Steppenwolf
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #7 – Love Song (Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, IL)Though no song is ever sung, John Kolvenbach’s
Love Song deserves to be heard and seen. In fact, it is in essence sweet music for the soul. The production had its world premiere this spring at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre, with performances continuing there for a limited time.
Love Song centers around a troubled man in a dark retreat from the world. With delirious precision, Ian Barford plays Beane, whose lonely, depressed existence is punctuated only by his occasional visits with his devoted sister, Joan (portrayed by the lovely Molly Regan) and her often contrarian husband Harry (played by Francis Guinan).
Under Austin Pendleton’s expert direction, Beane’s hapless life appears to take a momentous turn for the better when he meets and falls for Molly, a mystifying woman played with sensual ferocity by Mariann Mayberry (Barford and Mayberry are pictured above). Suddenly, Beane exudes a spring-like buoyancy and emerges from his own personal darkness. Indeed, Beane’s fresh hunger for love and thirst for living initially alarm Joan and Harry. Yet despite their concern, they themselves catch Beane’s contagious love bug, surprising themselves with a newfound level of affection and intimacy of their own.
Long Song provides other crucial twists and turns, but none of them are as touching or as honestly portrayed as the real love ultimately shared between Beane and his sister. Kolvenbach’s expert writing leaves us with the hope that love, whether real or imagined, has the power to reinvigorate and illuminate life itself.
This production moved me so profoundly that I eagerly saw
Long Song twice to catch all its subtle nuances. I heartily recommend it. That’s why it is at #7 on my SOB Best of the 2005-06 Theatrical Season list. (In the interest of full disclosure, I am a proud member of Steppenwolf's Auxiliary Council Board of Governors)
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets. Related Stories:SOB's Best of 2005-06: #1 - Theater Of The New Ear (Royce Hall, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA) (May 30, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #2 – Guys And Dolls (Piccadilly Theatre, London, UK) (May 26, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #3 – Hedda Gabler (Brooklyn Academy of Music – Harvey Theatre, New York, NY) (May 25, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #4 – A Blameless Life (Steppenwolf Garage, Chicago, IL) (May 24, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #5 – Reeling (The Children’s Theatre Company, Minneapolis, MN) (May 23, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #6 – “MASTER HAROLD”…And The Boys (Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, IL) (May 21, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #8 - Billy Elliot The Musical (Victoria Palace Theatre, London, UK) (May 18, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #9 - The Well-Appointed Room (Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, IL) (May 17, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #10 - Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Eugene O'Neill Theatre, New York, NY) (May 15, 2006)
The SOB Five "Worst" of 2005-06 (May 12, 2006)
SOB's Best and Worst of 2005-06 Theatre Season (May 12, 2006)
Labels: Chicago, John Kolvenbach, Love Song, Play, SOB's Best of 2005-06, Steppenwolf
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #8 - Billy Elliot The Musical (Victoria Palace Theater, London, UK)"Electricity." That's not only how both the movie and stage
Billy Elliots describe their feeling when dancing -- it's also what enraptured audiences are experiencing when stepping inside the London's Victoria Palace Theatre to witness the best original musical of the 2005-06 season.
Billy Elliot The Musical shines.
Forget the drubbing that Sir Elton John's musical
Lestat took. Clearly, his work on
Billy Elliot The Musical came from the heart. The score, with lyrics by Lee Hall (who also wrote the original screenplay for the 2000 movie), climbs throughout the show until it simply soars. And then there's the awe-inspiring dancing that amazes, thanks to brilliant choreography by Peter Darling and the production's incomparable, young talent. Although I only saw one of the three rotating Billys (I saw the magnificent George Maguire), I was blown away by his natural grace. He and his teenage castmates made their moves look so easy.
For anyone who does not know the story -- helmed on film and again on stage by Stephen Daldry --
Billy Elliot is about a young boy growing up alienated from his widowed father, a striking miner. Set in 1984 against a turbulent northern England backdrop, Billy's father thinks his son is dutifully taking boxing classes, when in reality, Billy has followed his heart and passion studying dance. Showing enormous promise, Billy secretly practices for an audition at the Royal Ballet School only to be found out by his father.
Billy Elliot is rich with layered story-telling about the pivotal choices made in life, and is ultimately a celebration of individuality. Just as the score builds, so does the exquisite plot.
Fortunately, it looks as though American audiences will be able to experience
Billy Elliot stateside in the next couple years. But since so many British imports are dramatically altered, often for the worse, I heartily recommend making the journey to London's Victoria Palace to see this inspirational production. (And a side note, the Victoria Palace will forever be in my heart as the venue where I saw my very first Broadway musical,
Annie, way back in 1979.) For all these reasons,
Billy Elliot The Musical ranks eighth on my SOB Best of 2005-06 Theatre list.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:SOB's Best of 2005-06: #1 - Theater Of The New Ear (Royce Hall, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA) (May 30, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #2 – Guys And Dolls (Piccadilly Theatre, London, UK) (May 26, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #3 – Hedda Gabler (Brooklyn Academy of Music – Harvey Theatre, New York, NY) (May 25, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #4 – A Blameless Life (Steppenwolf Garage, Chicago, IL) (May 24, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #5 – Reeling (The Children’s Theatre Company, Minneapolis, MN) (May 23, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #6 – “MASTER HAROLD”…And The Boys (Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, IL) (May 21, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #7 – Love Song (Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, IL) (May 19, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #9 - The Well-Appointed Room (Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, IL) (May 17, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #10 - Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Eugene O'Neill Theatre, New York, NY) (May 15, 2006)
The SOB Five "Worst" of 2005-06 (May 12, 2006)
SOB's Best and Worst of 2005-06 Theatre Season (May 12, 2006)
Billy Elliot in Triplicate on First Birthday (May 9, 2006)
Critics Sink Their Fangs Into Lestat (April 26, 2006)
Labels: Billy Elliot The Musical, Elton John, London, Musical, SOB's Best of 2005-06
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #9 - The Well-Appointed Room (Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, IL)Over the past ten years, Richard Greenberg has become one of the most prolific and respected playwrights of our time. Just recently, his 1996 Pulitzer Prize-nominated
Three Days of Rain made its way to the Broadway stage with a certain well-publicized high-profile cast. But beyond Broadway, he’s launched several new works including this year’s world premiere of
The Well-Appointed Room at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre. Evocative of
Three Days of Rain in that it traces two story lines through the same setting using its actors in multiple roles, the newer, sometimes explosive piece also carefully weaves a subtle tapestry that covers the most significant event in recent American history: the terrorist acts of September 11, 2001.
While Greenberg’s original script for
The Well-Appointed Room actually included three acts, the two that remain are quite distinctive from each other with seemingly little in common save for the New York City apartment setting and effective use of Steppenwolf ensemble members Tracy Letts and Amy Morton. The first act begins with Letts as a happily oblivious husband who is confronted by his wife Natalie (with bags packed), infuriated by his pretentious ignorance toward all pain he has created within his relationship. Natalie’s pointed tongue ultimately eviscerates her husband, who never saw the lashing coming. The rather breathtakingly short act ends with wife leaving husband.
The second act revolves around Mark, a young man played by Josh Charles (known to most audiences for his work on television’s “Sports Night”), who makes an immediate bond with the audience. He shares his story of finding Gretchen -- played with great emotional depth by Kate Arrington -- falling in love with her and trying to build a life together in that same well-appointed room from Act One, albeit some time later. The act evolves around a backdrop that focuses on where they were on 9/11, as well as by Gretchen’s mysterious behavior after taking a walk away from that room.
While I can’t pretend to know exactly what Greenberg intended to serve as the common thread between the two dramatically divergent acts, my instincts tell me that it is 9/11 itself. I can tell you that I walked away from this fascinating performance haunted by the broken relationship from the first act. It resonated with me as a metaphor for the strained ties between the United States and much of the world. Letts’ character, so caught up in himself, arrogantly ignored all the warning signs until it was simply too late to repair any of the damage he unwittingly and blithely inflicted. Interestingly enough, the second act – which specifically called out the horrific events of 9/11 – ended up serving as a more hopeful salve, that maybe it wasn’t too late for us after all.
As I’ve mentioned in earlier postings in the interest of full disclosure, I’m a proud member of Steppenwolf’s Auxiliary Council’s Board of Governors. But trust me, this richly textured play stands on its own merits. With moving performances by the entire cast, exquisite direction from Steppenwolf co-founder Terry Kinney and a truly poignant story,
The Well-Appointed Room is my selection for ninth place on my “Best of 2005-06” list. Should it come to a theatre near you, I encourage you to make a point of seeing it.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:SOB's Best of 2005-06: #1 - Theater Of The New Ear (Royce Hall, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA) (May 30, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #2 – Guys And Dolls (Piccadilly Theatre, London, UK) (May 26, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #3 – Hedda Gabler (Brooklyn Academy of Music – Harvey Theatre, New York, NY) (May 25, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #4 – A Blameless Life (Steppenwolf Garage, Chicago, IL) (May 24, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #5 – Reeling (The Children’s Theatre Company, Minneapolis, MN) (May 23, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #6 – “MASTER HAROLD”…And The Boys (Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, IL) (May 21, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #7 – Love Song (Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, IL) (May 19, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #8 - Billy Elliot The Musical (Victoria Palace Theatre, London, UK) (May 18, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #10 - Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Eugene O'Neill Theatre, New York, NY) (May 15, 2006)
The SOB Five "Worst" of 2005-06 (May 12, 2006)
SOB's Best and Worst of 2005-06 Theatre Season (May 12, 2006)
Labels: 9/11, Amy Morton, Chicago, Richard Greenberg, SOB's Best of 2005-06, Steppenwolf, Terry Kinney, The Well Appointed Room, Tracy Letts
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #10 - Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Eugene O'Neill Theatre, New York, NY)Although Stephen Sondheim's musicals often get the bad rap that they're inaccessible, this third Broadway mounting of his classicly dark tale of a vengeful barber named Sweeney Todd works extraordinarily well on many counts and is quite tasty, almost in spite of the subject matter.
First, the import helmed by John Doyle strips the show down to its bare essentials and requires each cast member to play a musical instrument. Rather than distract from the performances, the on-stage orchestrations add more depth -- even though the original rationale for this type of staging was to contain production costs.
Second, the cast is sublime. I've long been an ardent admirer of Patti LuPone. While I've seen her in three other productions (including the brilliant Broadway revival of Noises Off in 2002), this marked my first opportunity to see her perform in a Broadway musical. Not only does she provide a delectable, vampy take on the downright demented Mrs. Lovett, but she also adds to the orchestrations by playing percussion and tuba! Michael Cerveris -- who won a Tony for his portrayal of John Wilkes Booth in 2004's remarkable Assassins -- provides a creepily sympathetic take on the demon barber himself. Other cast members, including Manoel Felciano and Lauren Molina simply captivate.
But the best reasons for seeing this show are the score and story themselves. The scandalous twist at the end helps turn this feast for the eyes and ears into a tragedy, yet with Sondheim tunes as merry as "A Little Priest" and "God, That's Good," the audience has a deliciously invigorating means of getting there.
Fortunately, audiences still have an opportunity to take in this already classic retelling of Sweeney Todd. But best get tickets before the crush of demand from its certain Tony Award nominations, including its probable lock on Best Musical Revival. It's tenth on my list of the Best of 2005-06.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.
Related Stories:
The Tonys: If I Could Vote....for Best Revival of a Musical (June 4, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #1 - Theater Of The New Ear (Royce Hall, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA) (May 30, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #2 – Guys And Dolls (Piccadilly Theatre, London, UK) (May 26, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #3 – Hedda Gabler (Brooklyn Academy of Music – Harvey Theatre, New York, NY) (May 25, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #4 – A Blameless Life (Steppenwolf Garage, Chicago, IL) (May 24, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #5 – Reeling (The Children’s Theatre Company, Minneapolis, MN) (May 23, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #6 – “MASTER HAROLD”…And The Boys (Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, IL) (May 21, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #7 – Love Song (Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, IL) (May 19, 2006)
O-Kaye Given to Temporary LuPone Replacement (May 18, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #8 - Billy Elliot The Musical (Victoria Palace Theatre, London, UK) (May 18, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #9 - The Well-Appointed Room (Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, IL) (May 17, 2006)
The SOB Five "Worst" of 2005-06 (May 12, 2006)
SOB's Best and Worst of 2005-06 Theatre Season (May 12, 2006)
Labels: Michael Cerveris, Musical, Noises Off, Patti LuPone, Revival, SOB's Best of 2005-06, Stephen Sondheim, Sweeney Todd, Tony Nominations
SOB's Best and Worst of 2005-06 Theatre SeasonI’ve never known exactly why theatre seasons throughout the United States typically end in late spring/early summer. Perhaps it’s because a large segment of the potential audience opts for outdoor activities rather than the confines of a theatre. Whatever the case, I will shortly be writing about my best and worst theatre experiences of the past twelve months, particularly now that the official Broadway season is over – that is, with the sole exception of June’s Tony Award ceremonies.
During the 2005-06 theatrical season, I’ve had the wonderful fortune of seeing 54 productions in far ranging venues stretching from San Diego to London, with stops along the way in such theatrical hotspots as Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and of course, New York. On the whole, I truly enjoyed most of the performances I saw – if not for the story or subject matter, at least for the fine actors and actresses I’ve been blessed to see. But likewise, there are those shows that I simply can’t get out of my mind – not because they were great, but because they were so awful or fell short so, well, dramatically.
In the run-up to the 2006 Tony Awards, I’ll be writing about my choices for the best and worst of the season. You may vehemently disagree and take issue with my selections; if you do, I invite you to engage me in a civil dialogue with your comments.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:SOB's Best of 2005-06: #1 - Theater Of The New Ear (Royce Hall, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA) (May 30, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #2 – Guys And Dolls (Piccadilly Theatre, London, UK) (May 26, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #3 – Hedda Gabler (Brooklyn Academy of Music – Harvey Theatre, New York, NY) (May 25, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #4 – A Blameless Life (Steppenwolf Garage, Chicago, IL) (May 24, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #5 – Reeling (The Children’s Theatre Company, Minneapolis, MN) (May 23, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #6 – “MASTER HAROLD”…And The Boys (Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, IL) (May 21, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #7 – Love Song (Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, IL) (May 19, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #8 - Billy Elliot The Musical (Victoria Palace Theatre, London, UK) (May 18, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #9 - The Well-Appointed Room (Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, IL) (May 17, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #10 - Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (May 15, 2006)
The SOB Five "Worst" of 2005-06 (May 12, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Musical, Play, SOB's Best of 2005-06
