Strangely, I found myself with zero straight plays on the list. This is likely due to two factors. 1.) Last season's plays weren't anything revolutionary. Act One almost put me to sleep, Mothers and Sons had great performances but could have dug deeper, Casa Valentina perhaps dug too deep and didn't know how to end. 2.) There have been too many plays this fall for me to keep track of. So perhaps they have all washed over me a bit, given the sheer number of them. Based on what I know about my own personal tastes, and the reviews it's gotten, Curious Incident... would stand a chance at making my list, but I haven't seen it yet. If anyone has tickets they'd like to give a broke actor, I'll happily be your first good deed of the New Year.
Those who failed to make the exclusive list, but are still among my favorites include On the Town (mostly for the choreography and orchestrations) and A Delicate Balance (mostly for the superb work by Glenn Close and Lindsay Duncan).
Without further ado: Sam's Top Five Broadway Productions of 2014.
5.) The Bridges of Madison County
Obviously this musical wasn't perfect. I couldn't have cared less about the supporting characters (Except Cass Morgan. She can stay). But Kelli O'Hara and Steven Pasquale were giving career best performances with some of the best songs Jason Robert Brown has ever produced. Out of all the cast albums from last season, this is the only one that is still on constant rotation. The vocals were absolutely insane, and I'd watch these two seduce one another with power ballads any day of the week. I expected to hate this one and it surprised the hell out of me.
It's a shame that this show can't find an audience. The revisions and design work have likely made this the best version of Side Show there will ever be. I'll be forever haunted by Bill Condon's staging, and the mind blowing performances by Erin Davie and Emily Padgett. If you have a chance to catch this before January 4th: GO. Then you can sing "I Will Never Leave You" in the shower each morning like i do. (Im totally auditioning for the next revival, which I can only imagine will be a gender-bender).
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. The reproduction of this award winning revival is still as potent as ever. Time has made Alan Cumming (if possible) even seedier and more seductive as the Emcee. Its a star turn for the ages, and even if you're one of "those" people griping about Roundabout being "lazy", seeing Cumming command the stage is absolutely worth every penny. New actors Danny Burstein (Herr Schultz), Linda Emond (Fraulein Schneider), and Gayle Rankin (Fraulein Kost) give impressive performances that keep the side stories fresh.
All hail Queen Audra. I am sometimes concerned for myself, because I love this woman more than is socially acceptable. But every time I watch her I am transfixed, and her Billie Holiday was no exception. She is a master of vocal and physical transformations. My jaw dropped when she exhaled her first note, and it stayed there for one classic jazz number after another. Her most impressive moment turned out to be the curtain call, where in one movement, we see the actress drop Billie and revert back to Audra. Mind. Was. Blown.
1.) Hedwig and the Angry Inch
This is as close as they come to a perfect production. Director Michael Mayer worked some hefty theatre magic to bring a show that oozed downtown grit into a big Broadway house ("Hurt Locker: The Musical" is by far the best theatre parody of the year, or maybe ever) . Neil Patrick Harris defied those who thought he wouldn't get feminine or rock enough, and basically had the Tony Award in his hand from the moment he was first lowered onto the stage. Rarely have I experienced such energy coursing through a theatre. This one deserves a long, healthy run. I can't wait to go back.
Murder for Two
I'm cheating a bit with this one because it opened in 2013. But I didn't see it until 2014, so deal. By far one of the most creative and entertaining pieces of theatre I've seen in a long while. Just two actors and one piano, the duo brings us through a comical whodunit by playing a slew of different characters, and banging out the entire score themselves. Jeff Blumenkrantz, who cycles through about a dozen suspects with just a simple gesture or tilt of a hat, had my stomach hurting from too much laughter. Thanks for the ab workout Murder for Two!
This is as close as they come to a perfect production. Director Michael Mayer worked some hefty theatre magic to bring a show that oozed downtown grit into a big Broadway house ("Hurt Locker: The Musical" is by far the best theatre parody of the year, or maybe ever) . Neil Patrick Harris defied those who thought he wouldn't get feminine or rock enough, and basically had the Tony Award in his hand from the moment he was first lowered onto the stage. Rarely have I experienced such energy coursing through a theatre. This one deserves a long, healthy run. I can't wait to go back.
Off-Broadway Shout Out
I'm cheating a bit with this one because it opened in 2013. But I didn't see it until 2014, so deal. By far one of the most creative and entertaining pieces of theatre I've seen in a long while. Just two actors and one piano, the duo brings us through a comical whodunit by playing a slew of different characters, and banging out the entire score themselves. Jeff Blumenkrantz, who cycles through about a dozen suspects with just a simple gesture or tilt of a hat, had my stomach hurting from too much laughter. Thanks for the ab workout Murder for Two!
Did your favorite show make the list? Or am I crazy and you're never coming to this blog again?
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