MargoChanning's Best of 2006

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 3:21pm

Sorry this is so late, but I've been having major computer problems all week and had to reconstruct some of this list when the file it was in became corrupted (so there may be a few inadvertent omissions here and there).

This was an inordinately busy year for me theatregoing-wise, not only including Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off Broadway and different festival productions, but also over a dozen productions I saw on trips to London, Chicago and DC. Altogether I saw about 115 different shows (plus 5 repeat trips to shows -- usually for shows I first saw Off-Broadway and then moved to Broadway with certain changes in cast or text). That's a record for me (and one I don't plan on trying to top in 2007 -- I think that's too many shows for ANYONE to try to see in a year...... I'm tired).

As usual, most of my top picks came from the not-for-profit realm in the US or from the subsidized British theatre (I think BILLY ELLIOT was the only purely commercial entry in my top ten). This isn't intentional, but generally, for me, year-in year-out, the most challenging, thought-provoking, risk-taking, and just plain interesting stuff comes from the non-commercial world.

And a note about the Top Ten -- while most of the list was easy for me to decide on, the last one or two spots were very difficult as I went back and forth between several different choices. On another day, I could certainly see me choosing to demote a couple of productions from the Top Ten and replace them with shows on the Honorable Mention list. I enjoyed and would recommend any of the shows on the Honorable Mention list to anyone -- while I thought all had certain flaws (some more than others), they all were very worthwhile theatregoing experiences that I'm glad I had.

I've also chosen to be over-inclusive rather than under- inclusive, so as not to omit quality work for arbitrary reasons (like trying to keep to a certain limited number of Honorable Mentions or Notable Performances).

Anyway -- for what it's worth -- here are my lists (all lists alphabetical):


TOP TEN:

BILLY ELLIOT (West End) -- While Elton John's score is a bit uneven (though mostly quite good) and Peter Darling's choreography (though mostly terrific) could have been more inventive in certain places, overall this was the most thrilling new musical I saw this year. Director Stephen Daldry and bookwriter and lyricist Lee Hall somehow were able to seemlessly tell the story of a little boy's desire to dance against a backdrop of political and economic struggle and make it all deeply compelling.

THE COAST OF UTOPIA by Tom Stoppard (Lincoln Center Theatre) -- Stoppard's epic play of ideas involving the Russian intelligensia of the 19th century isn't quite perfect (and is only two-thirds complete), but Jack O'Brien and his designers provide a sweeping visual canvas that's often thrilling to behold and his enormous accomplished cast manage to bring to life these fascinatingly imperfect idealists who created a spark that changed the world.

LES FRERES CORBUSIER (off-off-Broadway/various locations) -- From HEDDATRON (an inventive deconstruction of Hedda Gabler which featured among other things, robots kidnapping a housewife and forcing her to perform scenes from the play) to HELL HOUSE (a "theatre verite" presentation of an actual Christian Fundamentalist Hell House that managed to provide insight without self-conscious irony) to A VERY MERRY UNAUTHORIZED CHILDREN'S SCIENTOLOGY PAGEANT (a side-splittingly earnest children's nativity pageant -- with actual children -- about the glories of L. Ron Hubbard and his Scientology church), Les Freres Corbusier was the most consistently original, intelligent and entertaining troupe in town. I look forward to seeing what they come up with next.

THE LIEUTENANT OF INISHMORE by Martin McDonagh (Broadway/Atlantic Theatre) -- Violent, bloody and absurd, this dark comedy about terrorists with a soft spot for cats was probably my favorite new play.

THE LIFE OF GALILEO by Bertolt Brecht (The National Theatre – UK) -- Brecht's thought-provoking masterpiece about the clash between faith and reason received a flawless, dazzling production from London's National Theatre, helmed by Howard Davies and starring the magnificent Simon Russell Beale. It was not only the best production I saw this year, it is one of the highlights of my entire theatregoing life.

MOTHER COURAGE by Bertolt Brecht (NY Shakespeare Festival) -- Director George Wolfe, translator Tony Kushner, composer Jeanine Tesori and that incandescent goddess Meryl Streep combined forces to present a stunning take on this still all-too-relevant epic on the horrors of war.

THE PAIN AND THE ITCH by Bruce Norris (Playwrights Horizons) -- This disturbingly dark satire on the emptiness of upper middle class liberal values and mores received a first class production from director Anna D. Shapiro and one of the finest ensemble casts of the season. The best new American play I saw this year.

SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine (West End/Menier Chocolate Factory) -- Sleek and minimalist, yet emotionally powerful, this simple, potent production of the Sondheim/Lapine masterpiece really got under my skin and struck me to the core.

TWELFTH NIGHT by Shakespeare (Brooklyn Academy of Music/Cheek By Jowl) -- Bursting with visual eloquence and performed with stunning fluidity by an all-male, all-Russian company, Declan Donnellan's production managed to deftly display not only all of the play's humor, but also had an affecting undercurrent of melancholy. Though the play was performed in Russian (with English surtitles), through their well-modulated, but animated physicality and highly expressive manner, the wonderful ensemble managed to bring the story and the characters to life with more lucidity and coherence than in most of the many English-language productions of the play I've seen over the years.

WOYZECK by George Buchner (St. Ann’s Warehouse/The Gate Theatre UK) -- A highly stylized, viscerally engaging presentation of the landmark Buchner work felt like a some sort of surrealist fever dream that continued to haunt me long after the final image. Kudos to young American director Daniel Kramer and the sensational actor Edward Hogg in a tour de force performance.


HONORABLE MENTION:

A Chorus Line (Broadway)
All the Way Home (Connelly Theatre)
All’s Well That Ends Well (Theatre For A New Audience)
Candy and Dorothy (Theatre Three)
Company (Broadway/Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park)
Durango (The Public Theater)
Frost/Nixon (Donmar Warehouse -- UK)
Grey Gardens (Playwrights Horizons)
The History Boys (Broadway/National Theatre -- UK)
Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (The Zipper Theatre)
Nixon’s Nixon (MCC Theatre at the Lucille Lortel)
Rock ‘N Roll (West End/Royal Court)
Seven Guitars by August Wilson (Signature Theatre)
Spring Awakening (Broadway/Atlantic Theatre)
[title of show] (Vineyard Theatre)
The Voysey Inheritance (Atlantic Theatre)


NOTABLE ENSEMBLES:

The History Boys
The Life of Galileo
The Pain and the Itch
The Scene
SubUrbia
Twelfth Night


NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

Vanessa Aspillaga (Clean House)
Brooks Ashmanskis (Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me)
Gerry Bammon (Nixon’s Nixon)
Christine Baranski (Mame, Regrets Only)
Samuel Barnett (The History Boys)
Simon Russell Beale (The Life of Galileo)
Cate Blanchett (Hedda Gabler)
Danny Burstein (The Drowsy Chaperone)
Anna Camp (The Scene, columbinus)
Leon Cooke (Billy Elliot)
Billy Crudup (The Coast of Utopia)
Sinead Cusack (Rock ‘N Roll)
Jim Dale (Threepenny Opera)
Tyne Daly (Rabbit Hole)
Frances de la Tour (The History Boys)
Sally Dexter (Billy Elliot)
Christine Ebersole (Grey Gardens)
Jennifer Ehle (The Coast of Utopia)
Raul Esparza (Company)
Daniel Evans (Sunday in the Park with George)
Ralph Fiennes (Faith Healer)
Sutton Foster (Drowsy Chaperone)
John Gallagher (Rabbit Hole, Spring Awakening)
Vincent Gatton (Candy and Dorothy)
Domhnall Gleeson (The Lieutenant of Inishmore)
Richard Griffiths (The History Boys)
Jessica Hecht (The House in Town)
Edward Hogg (Woyzeck)
Jane Houdysell (The Pain and the Itch)
Zeljko Ivanek (The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial)
Peter Francis James (Stuff Happens)
Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon)
Cyndi Lauper (Threepenny Opera)
Megan Lawrence (The Pajama Game)
Beth Leavel (The Drowsy Chaperone)
Patti LuPone (Gypsy)
Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone)
Ian McDiarmid (The Faith Healer)
Steve Mellor (Nixon’s Nixon)
Lea Michelle (Spring Awakening)
Donna Murphy (The Public Sings concert)
Bill Nighy (The Vertical Hour)
Cynthia Nixon (Rabbit Hole)
Brian O’Byrne (The Coast of Utopia)
Nancy Opel (My Deah)
Jane Pfitsch (Company)
Lily Rabe (Heartbreak House)
Gloria Reuben (Stuff Happens)
Reg Rogers (The Pain and The Itch)
Brian Charles Rooney (Threepenny Opera)
Roslyn Ruff (Seven Guitars)
Jenna Russell (Sunday in the Park with George)
Rufus Sewell (Rock ‘N Roll)
Tony Shaloub (The Scene)
Michael Sheen (Frost/Nixon)
Sloane Shelton (Candy and Dorothy)
Martin Short (Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me)
Michael Stuhlbarg (The Voysey Inheritance, Measure for Pleasure)
Meryl Streep (Mother Courage and Her Children, The Public Sings concert)
Jason Tam (A Chorus Line)
Kate Valk (The Emperor Jones)
Zoe Wannamaker (Awake and Sing!)
Christopher Evan Welch (The Pain and the Itch, The Scene)
Philip Whitchurch (Billy Elliot)
David Wilmot (The Lieutenant of Inishmore)
Mary-Louise Wilson (Grey Gardens)
John Lloyd Young (Jersey Boys)


NOTABLE SOLO PERFORMANCES

Daniel Beaty (Emergen-SEE!)
Ed Harris (Wrecks)
Leslie Kritzer (Patti LuPone at Les Mouches)
Brad Louryk (Christine Jorgensen Reveals)
Nilaja Sun (No Child… )









http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/margochannings_best_of_2006_1.htm

Updated On: 1/5/07 at 03:21 PM

[Becoz_i_knew_you21]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 3:23pm

I love your list Margo

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 3:24pm

No Julie White?

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 3:25pm

Nice to see Threepenny and Mother Courage up there. I wish I were in London to see Galileo.

2006 was definitely the year of Brecht - especially for me.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 3:26pm

White was on last year's list (when LITTLE DOG was still at Second Stage and made my Honorable Mention List).

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 3:26pm

Whew!

[devonian.t]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 3:28pm

Delighted to see so much from the West End!

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 3:31pm

I wish I could have seen more in the West End (and the rest of the UK). I was very impressed with just about everything I saw and it made me want to figure out how to get to London much more frequently in the future.

[purpleprince101]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 3:33pm

thanks margo

[Raviolisun]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 3:35pm

That's a great list. I hope someday I can see that much in a year.

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 3:39pm

Impressive list Margo, as always, very well-written. Thank you.

[morosco]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 3:40pm

Margo...you are an absolute treasure to this board! Seeing 115 shows as diverse as your list is remarkable.

[Becoz_i_knew_you21]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 3:40pm

Margo have you ever written for the New York Times?
Updated On: 1/5/07 at 03:40 PM

[Craig]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 3:40pm

Margo-

I'm with you in regards to the West End. It took me the longest time to get to London this first time. I was blessed in having time to see a bunch of shows while there as well - but I eagerly await my next visit.

And Billy Elliot is one of the best shows I have seen not only this past year.. but for a few years. As I wrote in my article upon my return from the West End, I'm intrigued to see how they handle the show here in the states.

[soulman83]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 4:24pm

Margo, I didnt notice anything about Color Purple. Was there nothing to love? No Felicia Fields?

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 4:28pm

Margo's Best of 2005 - Felicia Fields and Elisabeth Withers-Mendes (The Color Purple)

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 4:32pm

I saw The Color Purple last year and included LaChanze, Felicia Fields and Elisabeth Withers-Mendes on my "Notable Performances" list.

I did see it again this year (when the family was in town) and Kenita Miller was on for LaChanze. She was quite good and I suppose I could have included Miller on this year's list.
http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/the_best_of_2005.htm

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 4:44pm

Why was John Lloyd Young on the 2006 list? Shouldn't he have been on the 2005 list?
Updated On: 1/5/07 at 04:44 PM

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 4:47pm

I didn't see JERSEY BOYS until February of this year.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 4:48pm

Poor Margo - he tries to do the right thing and we all snipe at him!

*pours Margo a nice stiff martini*

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 4:50pm

Seriously.

Margo - if you can't do something right, you may as well not do it at all.

So nice to see Cyndi Lauper, Rooney, and Dale on the list. Go Threepenny!

Posted: 1/5/07 at 4:50pm

im so thrilled that you gave love to Leslie Kritzer & Cyndi Lauper!

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 4:51pm

Aw, thanks I needed that.

*Margo guzzles it down, olives and all, in one gulp*

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 4:52pm

That's it, you're not getting another one.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 1/5/07 at 4:54pm

Wow...you waited 5 months to see Jersey Boys? I just figured that you always saw shows in previews.