OUR best of 2013 lists — Page 2

I haven't seen Fun Home yet so that will not be on my list. Here it is! These are in no order:
Pippin
Kinky Boots
Vanya and Sonia
Murder Ballad
Matilda
After Midnight
Glass Menagerie
Lucky Guy
A Christmas Story (Saw it in Boston)
Book of Mormon (Saw it in April for first time)

Most disappointing- Motown
Pleasantly surprised- Pippin

I'm surprised no one has listed A Gentleman's Guide To Love And Murder!

Updated On: 12/11/13 at 08:06 AM

The best things I saw in 2013 were:

Zachary Quinto's performance in THE GLASS MENAGERIE
The entire experience of NATASHA PIERRE AND THE GREAT COMET OF 1812
TWELFTH NIGHT
OLD HATS at Signature with Bill Irwin and David Shiner

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In no particular order:
1) Fun Home
2) Julie Tayamor's Midsummer Nights Dream
3) Here Lies Love
4) Murder Ballad
5) Pippin
6) Waiting for Godot
7) Twelfth Night
Matilda
9) Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
10) The Glass Menagerie

In no particular order

The Donmar's Julius Caesar
Kinky Boots
The Nance
Pippin
Matilda
Trip to Bountiful
Talley's Folley
Glass Menagerie
Waiting for Godot
Orphans
Here Lies Love
Vanya Sonia Masha & Spike

We all know how cruel the theatre gods can be,--- like 40 years worth of cruel-- but they can sometimes be kind as well. They showed unusual largesse this year by allowing us to revisit some treasures from the past, and these provided the best evenings of the year. My two favorite shows both bore the word "happy" in their titles, and happy they certainly made me. Anita Loos's delightful and charming Happy Birthday, done by the always expert Tact Company, was pure ambrosia. Happy Hunting at the York was a rollicking romp that put all our current musicals to shame.

The other revivals that stood out were Donnybrook!; Juno and the Paycock; The Glass Menagerie; The Trip to Bountiful; The Film Society, with excellent performances by Euan Morton and Roberta Maxwell; and The Detour.

Among the new pieces, my favorites were Horton Foote's The Old Friends, wonderfully acted, and Martha Clarke's exquisite Chéri.

59 E 59 had several worthwhile plays: Two Point Oh, with a noteworthy performance by Jack Noseworthy; Jericho; and Ghetto Babylon.

By far the best new musical, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder was clever and winning. As a specialty piece, Nutcracker Rouge was amusingly outré.

Other new works I enjoyed were Nikolai and the Others, splendidly acted; A Kid Like Jake; Gorilla; and Hit the Wall.

These shows helped reaffirm the value of going to the theatre.

I'll do a top five:

1. Fun Home (Public Theater)
2. Passion (Classic Stage Company)
3. The Landing (VIneyard Theater)
4. The Nance (Lincoln Center Theater; Belasco Theater)
5. The Glass Menagerie (Booth Theater)

One commercial for-profit Broadway show (and not a musical or new play, at that) says a lot about the state of the commercial Broadway theater.

Updated On: 12/22/13 at 06:43 PM

My Top 10 Favorite of 2013 (Not in a particular order):
1. Kinky Boots
2. Matilda
3. The Trip to Bountiful
4. First Date
5. Pippin
6. Evita (National Tour)
7. Disaster
8. Big Fish
9. The Glass Menagerie
10. Chaplin (Saw it at the beginning of 2013)

Just counting those that opened this year, here are my top 13 of 2013:

After Midnight
Billy Crystal: 700 Sundays
Buyer and Cellar
Fun Home
Matilda
Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
Passion
Pippin
The Apple Family Plays
The Glass Menagerie
Twelfth Night
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Violet

A little late, but here's mine:

1. TWELFTH NIGHT
2. A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
3. JEKYLL & HYDE
4. THE TWO-CHARACTER PLAY
5. AFTER THE FALL
6. BAD JEWS
7. THE GOOD PERSON OF SZECHWAN
8. RICHARD III
9. MARIE ANTOINETTE
10. THE NANCE


Link

Updated On: 12/28/13 at 04:36 PM

My Favorites of the shows that opened this year, more or less in order:

1. Aladdin (pre-Broadway tryout in Toronto) - by far my favorite this year. Amazing dancing and choreography, singing and music and orchestrations, costumes, staging, lighting and sets, acting, book, new songs. Just all-around a pure delight.

2. Pippin - wonderful performances and great integration of show with circus theme
3. If/Then (pre-Broadway tryout in DC) - great singing and acting from entire cast with Idina Menzel a particular stand-out, lots of great songs
4. Les Miserables (pre-Broadway tryout in Toronto) - my three favorite performances in this production were from Earl Carpenter as Javert, Ramin Karimloo as Valjean, and Melissa Neill as Eponine, only 1 of whom is transferring with the show to Broadway. Earl Carpenter's gorgeous singing alone was worth the price of admission.
5. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike - very funny, esp. DHP's monologue
6. Matilda - uplifting story
7. Glass Menagerie - memorable performance by Cherry Jones - first time Amanda has been likeable in any production that i have seen.
8. Far From Heaven - Kelli O'Hara singing. 'nuff said
9. A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder - clever and funny
10. Big Fish - heartwarming tearjerker

Updated On: 12/29/13 at 12:22 AM

I saw Great Comet and Beautiful yesterday, so now I am done for the year.
My Top 10 (in no particular order):
Matilda, Pippin, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Murder Ballad, Here Lies Love, If/Then (DC), Fun Home, Great Comet of 1812, Glass Menagerie, and Honeymoon in Vegas (Papermill).

re: "Im surprised about GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE..."

I'm not. It was a twee romp for the geriatric crowd. I'm all for old throwbacks, but I laughed twice-- once at Jefferson Mays in one of his ridiculous hats when he played the old British woman, and once when...oh wait, never mind. I only laughed once.