456582, I'm gonna go with productions I've seen in person.
Posted by Frank Longo, Thu Jun-11-09 11:12 AM
Most of the big things I've only seen videos of, but these are ten I've seen in person in the last few years that I've had enormous reactions to.
10. Iron Curtain- a musical that has not made it to B'way yet. I saw a reading last summer and thought it was brilliant. It's old school Broadway fun.
9. In Transit- another workshop I saw. If/when this makes it to B'way, it will be big on the level of Avenue Q or something like this. It's an acappella musical all about NYC, with intensely personal and incredibly catchy music.
8. Curtains- The last Kander/Ebb musical was a joy to watch. Not only was the dancing superb, the script was literally packed to the brim with one-liners.
7. The Pillowman- In Durham, NC, the professional independent theater Man Bites Dog did a brilliant production of this.
6. Waiting For Godot- The recent revival. It's the first time I've seen it where they made all of the humor work, and didn't merely emphasize all of the Drama (capital D).
5. Seventy Scenes of Halloween- In Durham, NC. Okay, I directed this one. So sue me. My actors were brilliant, and the play is one of my all-time favorites.
4. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf- The Kathleen Turner-Bill Irwin production. Turner was funny, but Irwin really made the play soar.
3. Rabbit Hole- The Goodman Theater production in Chicago. Perfectly staged and executed, had me in tears multiple times.
2. Company- The revival with Raul Esparza. It's a nearly impossible play to make work, but Esparza hit a chord with his portrayal of Bobby that literally no one else in the play's history has. Also, Doyle's style of the actors playing their own instruments, which seemed gimmicky in Sweeney Todd, works FLAWLESSLY here.
1. Sunday in the Park With George- The revival with Daniel Evans. The single most beautiful and inspiring stage production I've seen. Not only was it beautifully sung and acted, and not only is the show possibly my favorite ever, but they seamlessly blended real actors with special effects making it jawdropping without overshadowing the emotion.
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