Well, you can’t do musicals and not include plays. So here is a list of the stuff that I saw last year that I liked. Please note that these are the shows that I enjoyed in the calendar year of 2011. Again, I am only one person, and you are free to disagree. This is America. More than half of these shows are closed or are closing soon. I hope you get to see something groovy here in New York, or wherever you live.
10. MOTHERF**KER WITH THE HAT The show with the title that you are not allowed to say without some sort of censor. This was a finely crafted modern piece of “Tight and Bright” theater. Bobby Cannavale and Chris Rock were just right as foils for each other. Yul Vazquez was the perfect comic support. Annabella Sciorra and Elizabeth Rodriguez were the tough women who kept everyone in check.
9. JERUSALEM and LA BETE These shows tied for this spot. I cannot decide how to split the brilliance of Mark Rylance. His opening 15-20 minutes of La Bete were legendary. His genius in Jerusalem is what snagged the 2012 Best Actor Tony. He seems like a handful off stage, but onstage, he is all about the craft. He is the consummate actor.
8. THE WHIPPING MAN This Off Broadway treat by Mathew Lopez, featuring Andre Braugher, Andre Holland, and Jay Wilkinson provided one of the most interesting perspectives that I have ever seen involving Judaism and Slavery. This is a play that was cheated out of a Broadway transfer, but I know that slavery and poor race relations are hard to sell because of the limited run of THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS.
7. THE MOUTAINTOP Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett on a Broadway stage is all that needs to be said. These professionals take a fascinating look, via playwright Katori Hall, at the night before the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. The performances are solid. There were a few anachronistic liberties taken, but I have to admit that I enjoy when a play brings out my large hat wearing church ladies, too.
6. RELATIVELY SPEAKING is a comedy of 3 One Act Plays by Ethan Coen, Elaine May and Woody Allen. It features a large cast of film/TV and stage veterans including Marlo Thomas, Julie Kavner, Grant Shaud, Steve Guttenberg, and a great mixed supporting cast . The show has so many great laughs, and in some cases, the laughs are coupled with some nice emotions.
5. MAN AND BOY This short lived revival, featured Frank Langella, in one of those performances that showed his true commitment to his craft. The story may have taken place in the 1934, but the theme sure felt current. I have a feeling that his performance will be overlooked at the Tonys, but I might be wrong.
4. VENUS IN FUR is a delicious 2 person adventure that starts with a bang and keeps you riveted all the way through to the end. Nina Arianda and Hugh Dancy give tour de force performances. You will leave captivated . I hope this show makes it to at least the nominations.
3. STICK FLY is a witty, slightly urban romp through relationships. This play features another predominantly African-American cast with some TV and film cache’ Tracie Thoms, Mekhi Phifer, and Dule Hill, in a setting that only few African Americans will ever visit, Martha’s vineyard, but with problems to which ALL of us can probably relate in one way or another. The breakout person to watch is Condola Rashad. She has some great teachers in her family. Her mother is Tony Award Winning Actress, Phylicia Rashad, and her aunt is Award winning choreographer/actress/director/producer Debbie Allen, and don’t forget her cousin Vivian Nixon, currently in Memphis.
2. GOOD PEOPLE Another contemporary piece with a power house of a cast, headed by Oscar winner Frances McDormand who won a Tony for this role. It is a story that moves with believable consequences. Oscar Winner Estelle Parsons, along with Rene Elise Goldsberry, did not disappoint in their supporting roles. I am almost sure that this play will be performed all over the country.
1. THE NORMAL HEART I sat in the rear mezzanine for this show, and just like anyone in the orchestra, I was overcome with the power of Larry Kramer’s masterpiece. It truly held up in its Broadway revival. Enough so, it took home a 2011 Tony for Best Revival of a Play, and Best Featured Actor/Actress Tony awards for John Benjamin Hickey and Ellen Barkin. Barkin’s second act monologue is probably one of the most satisfyingly dramatic moments in theater.
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