Top 5 of 2011: Theater

Date: 2011.12.28 | Category: Theater | Tags:

1. “Tales of the City,” A.C.T.: After I mentioned how much I loved this show, a couple people have challenged me, asking why I loved it so much. OK, so it was not universally beloved. And I can’t quite put into words why it affected me as much as it did. But I cherished every single second of A.C.T.’s original adaptation of Armistead Maupin’s serial. I had never read the books or seen the TV series, and found myself captivated by the sudsy twists and turns in the stories of Mary Ann, a young Midwesterner who moves to Baghdad by the Bay in the mid-1970s, her delightfully eccentric landlady Anna Madrigal, and the rest of their crew. My only regrets are that I didn’t discover it earlier in the run, so I could have seen it a couple more times (I did manage to go twice, and enjoyed it even more the second time); and that the Scissors Sisters’ fabulous tunes haven’t made it onto a soundtrack album yet. Will the musical have a life beyond its San Francisco summer run? Only time will tell, but I hope so; there’s a reason Maupin’s “Tales” have endured, and continued to attract new fans, for almost four decades now.

2. “Phaedra,” Shotgun Players: Shotgun had another ambitious year, presenting five commissioned, world-premiere shows, prompting the Chron‘s Robert Hurwitt to give them his “most improved” award for 2011. Which I don’t quite get, since he put three of their plays on his 2010 ten-best list. Shotgun has been operating at a consistently high level since I became a season ticket holder seven years ago, and “Phaedra,” written by Adam Bock, was (to me, at least, though several local reviewers seem to agree) the clear stand-out of their season. Which is not to say that the other plays weren’t exciting, but three of the five struck me as being very good plays that could easily become great plays with a little more seasoning. (One of them I didn’t care for at all. And no, I’m not going to say which one.) Their current production, “God’s Plot,” is a solid, entertaining, thought-provoking three-and-a-half-star show that stands an excellent chance of becoming a four-star show by the end of its run because playwright/director Mark Jackson is still tinkering with it — not an unexpected development for a brand-new play. But Bock’s passionate “Phaedra” emerged fully formed and perfect. A modernization of the Greek myth, “Phaedra” told the story of a woman in love with her stepson, and kept audiences on the edge of their seats. During the play’s climax, you could practically feel the crowd holding its collective breath. It was a magical experience.

3. “Metamorphosis,” Aurora Theatre: Speaking of Mark Jackson, one of the hardest-working men in Bay Area showbiz, he hit a home run with this adaptation (by David Farr and Gísli Örn Gardarsson) of Franz Kafka’s famous story about a man who wakes up one morning and finds he’s turned into a cockroach. Wisely, the actor playing Gregor (the compelling Alexander Crowther) was not dressed in a cockroach costume; instead, he somehow managed to move around the stage in a way that made you realize he was different. The ever-inventive Nina Ball’s brilliant set placed Gregor’s bedroom at an extreme angle, forcing him to skitter around, clinging to the askew furniture.

4. “The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs,” Berkeley Rep: A new Mike Daisey monologue is always cause for delight and anticipation. He did two shows at Berkeley Rep earlier this year: “The Last Cargo Cult” and his acclaimed, controversial show about the cult of Apple. He was booked to perform it in New York when Jobs died shortly before the play was about to open. Did the show go on? Of course it did, as well it should have; the show is not really about Jobs, it’s about Daisey’s own relationship with Apple products, and how that relationship shifted when he learned more about how those shiny, gorgeous objects are manufactured. One of Daisey’s earlier monologues is called “How Theater Failed America,” but as a performer, Daisey is well nigh infallible, an artist working at the peak of his powers. (Its New York run at the Public Theatre has recently been extended.)

5. “Ruined,” Berkeley Rep: This play was not an easy sell — “Hey, let’s go see a show about women who have been raped and mutilated during the war in the Congo!” — but it was one of the most powerful pieces of theater I’ve ever witnessed. The Pulitzer Prize-winning script by Lynn Nottage introduces us to several women who work at a brothel, presided over by the tough and charismatic Mama Nadi, who does what she has to do to survive hard times. Yes, at times it was difficult to sit through, but only because Nottage did her job so well, making us care so much about her characters (though there were some lighter moments, and a few appealing musical numbers, to ease it along). An unforgettable show, and one I’m very glad I decided to see.

Honorable mentions: Berkeley Rep sure had a good year; Anna Deavere Smith’s “Let Me Down Easy” was another strong contender, and Rita Moreno’s “Life Without Makeup” was a lot of fun (though I guess Joe & I may be the only people who found the Rep’s highly praised “The Wild Bride” a bit slight). I am very glad I got the chance to see Boxcar Theatre’s take on “Little Shop of Horrors” before The Man shut it down. “The Drowsy Chaperone” is one of those plays I’ve wanted to see for a while, and I finally got my chance, thanks to Hillbarn Theatre on the Peninsula; what a delightful, devilishly clever musical it is (Marin’s 6th Street Playhouse is presenting it next month). Sleepwalkers Theatre’s outstanding production of J.C. Lee‘s “The Nature Line” introduced me to an exciting young playwright I want to hear more from. And the Lamplighters‘ exquisitely rendered versions of Gilbert & Sullivan (take that, Guthrie!) always make me happy and grateful to live in the Bay Area.