10 BEST THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS OF 2019

In order of preference, my 10 favorite theatrical productions (which consists of 5 musicals and 5 plays, and of those 7 were new works, 3 were revivals) of 2019 are:

1.  THE SOUND INSIDE [Broadway]

2.  OCTET [Signature Theatre]

3.  GREATER CLEMENTS [Lincoln Center Theater]
      

4.  LEHMAN TRILOGY [Park Ave Armory]

5.  LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS [Westside Theater]

6.  OUR DEAR DEAD DRUG LORD [WP Theater]

7.  JAGGED LITTLE PILL [Broadway]

8.  ANTIGONE [Shizouka Perf Arts Ctr @ Park Ave Armory]

9.  SIX [Chicago Shakespeare Company]

10. IN THE HEIGHTS [Dallas Theater Center]

Honorable Mentions: FIRES IN THE MIRROR [Signature Theater]; MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING [Public Theater- Shakespeare In Park]; STRANGE LOOP [Playwrights Horizons]; TWELFTH NIGHT [Dallas Theater Center]

Best Performances of the Year: Edmund Donovan in GREATER CLEMENTS;  Mary Louise Parker  in THE SOUND INSIDE;  Simon Russell Beale in LEHMAN TRILOGY; Danielle Brooks in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING; Michael Benjamin Washington in FIRES IN THE MIRROR

“Jagged Little Pill” Is the Best Jukebox Musical to date

KenderTheater (‪@KenderTheater‬)

12/16/19, 5:25 AM

"Jagged Little Pill" is by far the best new musical of the season thus far, and the best integration of existing pop songs with an original book I have seen. The book is solid, music & cast are great, and the show is both thoughtful and moving. Bravo ‪@jaggedmusical‬

“Greater Clements” Is A Devastatingly Great Play

KenderTheater (‪@KenderTheater‬)

12/13/19, 11:36 PM

Samuel D Hunter's “Greater Clements”  ‪@LCTheater‬ is a devastatingly great play that movingly explores the imperfect but beautiful humanity of characters rarely depicted on stage. Judith Ivey and Edmund Donavan are astoundingly good in their lead roles and are well supported by the balance of the fine cast.  For me, the three hour running time flew by, as I felt personally invested in these lovingly depicted residents of a small Idaho mining town that is as down on its luck as its residents.  Mr. Hunter is among my favorite contemporary playwrights, and he once again delivers another powerful, emotionally searing work with this excellent play.

“Our Dear Dead Drug Lord” Is Exciting, Funny & Smart

KenderTheater (‪@KenderTheater‬)

12/12/19, 10:33 PM

Alexis Scheer’s new play “Our Dear Dead Drug Lord”  ‪@WPTheater‬ is an exciting, relevant, funny & smart new play that heralds the arrivals of enormously promising young theatrical talent in its excellent writer, director & cast. The play keeps subverting one’s expectations as it progresses, starting out in comedic form and slowly but surely tackles serious social issues in a unique and thoughtful way.  It is hard to say anything further about this play without spoiling the experience for those who have yet to see it, so I won’t saying anything more than do not miss ‪@druglordplay‬ which runs through Jan 5th.

Adrienne Warren Elevates “Tina”

KenderTheater (‪@KenderTheater‬)

10/29/19, 10:42 AM

‪@TinaBroadway‬ sports a pedestrian bio-musical book, but the truly incredible star making performance of #AdrienneWarren as Tina makes for a musically entertaining evening.

“Soft Power” Is An Audacious Musical of The Moment

KenderTheater (‪@KenderTheater‬)

10/28/19, 9:59 AM

"Soft Power" ‪@PublicTheaterNY‬ is a conceptually bold, expertly performed new musical by David Henry Hwang that serves as both a cautionary tale and rousing call to action.  I greatly admire the form breaking style, which melds satire with sincere commentary, which is difficult to successfully pull off.  While there are admittedly some odd moments that don't quite work, overall Hwang succeeds.  He is well served by the musical pastiche-styled  Jeanine Tesori score, which works as both homage and a sonic balm to the ears.  

“Little Shop” Is Pure Joy

KenderTheater (‪@KenderTheater‬)

10/27/19, 5:49 PM

The new off-Broadway mounting of "Little Shop of Horrors" now playing at the Westside Theatre Upstairs is an absolute joy from start to finish.  Jonathan Groff is perfect as Seymour and Christian Borle is hysterical in multiple roles, most notably as Orin, the sadistic dentist.  This production also has the most talented and well utilized "Ronnette chorus" I have seen to date.   I love everything about this Michael Mayer directed revival, and despite having seen this show in too many iterations to count, this production feels new, fresh and timely.

A Disappointing “Inheritance”

While ambitious in scope and length, Matthew Lopez' 2 part, seven hour play "The Inheritance" is not a particularly good play. The acting is uneven, the characters are largely unbelievable or underdeveloped, there is undue reliance on narration and it feels more emotionally manipulative than genuine.  There is little depth or nuance to this play, which is overly melodramatic and trying to masquerade as more more literary than the writing merits.  Overall, a major disappointment that tells more than it shows.

Mesmerizing Ambiguities Abound In the Brilliant “Sound Inside”

Adam Rapp's "The Sound Inside" is brilliantly written, astutely directed by the master of restraint David Cromer & perfectly acted by Mary-Louise Parker and Will Hochman.  This is an intelligent and mesmerizing tale whose mysterious ambiguity will haunt me for weeks.   Don't miss this fine play in this flawless production that left me completely gobsmacked.

Not Much New to See In “The Michaels”

KenderTheater (‪@KenderTheater‬)

10/23/19, 10:50 PM

The sense of thematic deja vu I had viewing "The Michaels" ‪@PublicTheaterNY‬ convinced me that I may well have had my fill of Richard Nelson's Rhinebeck set Chekovian plays. This is his least successful use of that style and setting.

Joshua Henry Soars In “The Wrong Man”

KenderTheater (‪@KenderTheater‬)

10/23/19, 6:23 PM

The storyline may be slight, but a powerful & moving drama nevertheless emerges in the sung through "The Wrong Man" ‪@mcctheater‬ thanks to fine staging, beautiful ‪@traviswall‬ choreography & an astoundingly powerful & gorgeously sung performance by ‪Joshua Henry.

An Astonishing “Antigone” From Japan

Greek tragedies are replete with demonstrative emotions.  By contrast, Japanese theatrical styles are, in my experience, typically on the cooler ends of the emotional spectrum.   As a result, I had my doubts when buying my ticket to Director Satoshi Miyagi’s take on “Antigone” as presented by his Shizuoka Performing Arts Center which is now playing at the Park Avenue Armory through October 6.  But the concept seemed intriguing enough that I thought it was worth seeing, if only for the novelty of the approach.

I am pleased to report that this must see production of “Antigone” is an astonishing melding of Greek & Japanese themes and styles that left me gobsmacked and deeply moved.   Beautifully staged in the immense Armory Drill Hall space, this show provides an ample feast for the eyes, ears and minds of its viewers.  The staging is artfully composed, the movements are expertly precise and the music hypnotically merges with the action on stage.

What is especially surprising is how timely this show feels given its themes on abuse of power and the tension between the state and moral authorities.  Indeed, one cannot escape drawing parallels between this work and the whistleblower developments in Washington over the past week.  But of course, these themes are ones Sophocles was writing about almost 2500 years ago, and this production serves as a powerful reminder of the immutable essences of human nature that were expertly explored by our theatrical ancestors.

“Moulin Rouge” Is An Emotionally Hollow Jukebox Musical

‪"Moulin Rouge: The Musical" ‬is a vapid, overwrought jukebox musical with serious attention deficit issues whose embarrassingly cliched book is emotionally hollow at its core. Yes, it looks good & is technically proficient, but all of that is in service of lots of sound & fury signifying nothing.  There is not an ounce of chemistry between any of the actors on stage, and little snippets of pop songs do not make for an engaging score.

The show seems to be selling well at premium prices, and the audience response at the performance I attended sounded largely positive, which I fear will only encourage Broadway producers to back shows with flashy production values regardless of their meaningless books.  I hope that this show is not representative of the future of Broadway theater; if it is, I am very worried about that future.

On a more positive note, my return visit to Folksbiene's Yiddish language (with subtitles) "Fiddler On The Roof", now at the beautifully appointed Stage 42, was as rewarding as my first visit to this impeccable revival.  Even if you think you do not need to see another "Fiddler" in your lifetime, trust me - you need to see this production.

I also enjoyed several recent off Broadway plays, with my favorite amongst this group being Bess Wohl's intelligent and moving new play "Make Believe," which intelligently explores the impact of childhood neglect on adult behaviors.  "Make Believe" is given a stellar production at Second Stage Theater, and features one of the finest groups of child actors I have seen on stage.

I also found much to admire in the Public Theater's second summer Shakespeare In The Park production "Coriolanus."  Granted this production did not solve some of the inherent problems with the play as written, but the excellent lead performances from Jonathan Cake and Kate Burton made for an illuminating evening.  The Public's production of Louis Alfaro's "Mojada," a contemporary take on "Medea" focusing on US immigration issues, was also largely rewarding and well worth seeing.

Finally, going in I had low expectations for Hailey Pfeiffer's "Moscow, Moscow, Moscow, Moscow, Moscow," a farcical riff on Chekhov's "Three Sisters."  Admittedly, farce is usually not a style of theater that works for me.  But the committed and excellent cast had me laughing throughout and provided thoughtful commentary on contemporary mores.  My low expectations were greatly exceeded.

“Six” Fires On All Cylinders

KenderTheater (‪@KenderTheater‬)

7/26/19, 10:47 PM

New musical "Six" ‪@chicagoshakes‬ with actors playing the pop infused wives of Henry 8 is a hugely entertaining, witty and expertly executed show that is sure to be a big hit in Boston and then on Broadway. #sixchicago

"Father Comes Home From The Wars" Deserves A Hero's Welcome at African American Rep

KenderTheater (‪@KenderTheater‬)

7/20/19, 11:13 PM

Do not miss Susan-Lori Parks' brilliant play "Father Comes Home From The War Parts 1,2 & 3" in its beautifully rendered Dallas regional premiere production ‪@AARTheater‬. This is a challenging play to produce and ‪@AARTheater‬ does this outstanding play proud with a cast, direction and staging that effectively explore and honor the complex and timely themes in Ms. Parks' play.