The Best Shows of 2015: Part I

Despite the unseasonably warm weather New York City has been experiencing, it is in fact the end of December. With the new year just around the corner, it is time for me to look back and select my 10 favorite shows of 2015. The qualifications for making this list are simple: the production must have had its official opening night during the 2015 calendar year, and it must have been seen by yours truly. That means that certain praised productions are automatically ineligible, and therefore this should by no means be viewed as a comprehensive/final judgment on the quality of all theatre that happened this year.

With those caveats in place, here are 5 of the productions I enjoyed the most this year, with my Top 5 selections to follow in the next post:

10) Dames at Sea

Eloise Kropp and Cary Tedder dancing up a storm in Dames at Sea.

Given the lukewarm reviews and positively abysmal box office, I am clearly in the minority when it comes to my enjoyment of the first Broadway mounting of the 40-year-old Dames at Sea. And to be fair, I understand where a lot of the most common critiques of the show are coming from. It is unfailing earnest, often to the point of ridiculousness, but that's kind of the point. I think the problem with Dames is that it's spoofing a genre (1930s movie musicals) that isn't really in the public consciousness anymore, which automatically makes it feel dated and irrelevant to many. But that perception does nothing to take away from the polish and professionalism with which the cast delivers the delightfully daffy material, or the gee whiz excitement of seeing director/choreographer Randy Skinner creates some of Broadway's most thrilling tap routines with just 6 superbly dancers. And it certainly doesn't undermine the sheer comic brilliance of Lesli Margherita's performance as Mona Kent, whose work as a demanding diva is one of the most consistently hilarious performances of the year. Anyone with the slightest inclination to see the show should really make the effort to get out to the Helen Hayes Theatre before the final curtain falls this Sunday; you won't be disappointed.

9) Spring Awakening

Daniel N. Duran and Krysta Rodriguez in Deaf West's revival of Spring Awakening.

Unlike many people of my generation, I am not particularly enamored with Spring Awakening as a show. While the music has an undeniable if slightly repetitive beauty, once you get past the fact that such frank exploration of teenage sexuality is unusual in a musical the show really isn't saying anything all that insightful. And yet the current Deaf West revival of the 2007 Tony-winner is so viscerally impactful and unerringly gorgeous that a lot of the show's flaws fall away, leaving what may be the best possible version of the work. The addition of American Sign Language to the story creates an extra layer of purposeful abstraction that frees Spring Awakening from of the burden of being a book musical and turns it firmly into an expressionistic mood piece, a tonal shift that supports the script and music much better. You no longer have to intellectually understand what a "Mirror-Blue Night" is, because the accompanying visuals are so impactful they convey the feeling of that night for you. And when the cast of hearing and deaf actors comes together to sing/sign about how they're "Totally Fucked," even the most curmudgeonly of audience members will be right there with them, reliving the awkward frustration of their youth.

8) Fun Home

The cast of Fun Home on Broadway.

For me, Fun Home is actually a somewhat problematic production. All of the individual elements are stellar, from Jeanine Tesori's adventurous score to Lisa Kron's nuanced book to Sam Gold's first-rate direction. Then there are the first rate performances, which saw practically the entire cast nominated for Tony Awards and Michael Cerveris taking home Best Actor in a Musical for his revelatory, transformative performance as the protagonist's closeted gay father. And yet at the end of the evening, I wasn't nearly as moved as it seemed I should be. All of that said, I would be a fool to deny the artistic excellence of the production, to say nothing of its significance in the contemporary theatrical landscape. The show pushes the boundaries of what a commercial Broadway musical can be, tackling issues of sexuality and identity when they are at the top of the national consciousness while also providing a much needed, highly visible platform of the work of female writers. My heart of stone aside, the show certainly deserves all of the success it has found, and is definitely something any and all interested parties should check out.

7) The Iceman Cometh

Brian Dennehy and Nathan Lane in the BAM production of The Iceman Cometh.

Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh represents theatre at its most epic. This 4 act, nearly 5 hour long American tragedy is not for the faint of heart, requiring an extremely compelling and talented cast to maintain the audience's interest for the duration of its marathon runtime. This year's revival of the piece at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, starring Nathan Lane and Brian Dennehy, remained endlessly compelling right up to the bitter end thanks to the skill of the performers and the unwavering hand of director Robert Falls. While the entire ensemble was excellent, Lane and Dennehy were the standouts, with both actors at the top of their game and Lane in particular proving why he is one of the industry's most invaluable character actors. Lane's deeply felt portrayal of tragic jokester Hickey was an expertly handled balancing act between easygoing charm and frightening pathos, and should the briefly rumored Broadway transfer ever materialize it would almost certainly net the actor his 3rd Tony Award.

6) The Visit

The Visit on Broadway was every bit as bizarre as this picture suggests, and all the better for it.

By all rights, The Visit shouldn't exist. This problem-plagued musical, originally conceived as a vehicle for Angela Lansbury back in 2000 before being retooled for perpetual Kander and Ebb muse Chita Rivera, was revised multiple times following multiple out of town tryouts and false starts that continually delayed plans for a Broadway premiere. Add to the behind the scenes drama the seemingly off-putting subject matter (the world's richest woman returns to her hometown with two eunuchs in tow, offering to solve all the town's financial troubles in exchange for the execution of her former lover), and only a very brave group of producers would have even considered backing the eventual Broadway mounting. Thank goodness they did, for while the show failed to find any commercial success, it was so gloriously strange and surreal that it will certainly to stick with those lucky enough to see it for many years to come. Kander and Ebb's final score is not as instantly memorable as their work on Cabaret or Chicago but is their most artistically mature, and John Doyle's sparse production only sharpened and clarified the narrative's otherworldly feeling. Like Kander and Ebb's best work, The Visit refused to pander to its audience, instead consistently challenging its viewers while at the same time remaining decadently entertaining and thrillingly unpredictable.



Be sure to check back tomorrow for Part II of my list!

Epic Drama in Every Sense of the Word

Review: The Iceman Cometh

Nathan Lane (center) and the cast of the epic drama The Iceman Cometh at BAM

The unabridged, nearly 5 hour production of Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh currently playing the Brooklyn Academy of Music isn't for the faint of heart. Director Robert Falls' production, previously seen during a sold out, record setting run at Chicago's Goodman Theatre, is one of the most lovingly crafted and fully realized stagings of this epic length drama you're ever likely to see, and the phenomenal cast headlined by Nathan Lane and Brian Dennehy is unlikely to be equalled anytime soon. Which unfortunately means that any slow spots in the production (and there are a few)have to be attributed to the play's Pulitzer Prize-winning author, an undeniably great playwright who's well-known verbosity occasionally crosses the line here.

The play is set in a rundown New York City bar and boarding house, peopled by a varied assortment of drunks and layabouts who all harbor dreams of making something of themselves, although these dreams always seem to take a backseat to the group's desire to drink. The play's many denizens are gradually introduced over the course of the overlong first act, which is beautifully staged on Kevin Depinet's simple but evocative set (simple but evocative is an excellent description of the production philosophy in general). Everyone is eagerly awaiting the arrival of Hickey, a traveling salesman renowned for his jokester persona and generous bankrolling of the gang's alcoholism. But when Hickey finally makes his appearance, it quickly becomes clear to his friends that something has changed, and his previous happy-go-lucky attitude is now leavened with a more sinister undercurrent.

Those who aren't already familiar with Iceman probably shouldn't know much more than that, as much of the play's tension comes from trying to figure out what's motivating Hickey and reconciling the man we've been told about versus the man we actually see. But even those intimately acquainted with O'Neill's script will still find great pleasure in watching the subtleties of Hickey's interactions with the other patrons, especially as expertly embodied by this outstanding ensemble. Nathan Lane brings his sad clown routine to new heights as Hickey, simultaneously inviting and chilling as the enigmatic salesman. Lane is so charming that it makes his emotional manipulation and eventual abuse of the other characters all the more disconcerting, and his tour de force performance of Hickey's Act IV monologue (which takes up a large portion of the play's final hour) is Shakespearean in its scope and depth. Lane is best known for his multitudinous comedic gifts, but Iceman is yet another reminder that he can play grand tragedy with the absolute best of them.

Meanwhile Brian Dennehy, a longtime interpreter of O'Neill's work, is fascinatingly complex and opaque as Larry Slade, a former anarchist and the character most suspicious of Hickey's new attitude. World-weary and obstinate to a fault, Dennehy's Slade is perhaps the most complex and nuanced person in a play full of such characters, whose unassuming demeanor gradually morphs into a quiet strength as the rest of the cast slowly unravels around him. Dennehy completely disappears inside his performance, letting us see Slade in all his glorious contradictions, giving us a character whose outward strength is a mask for a deep-seated doubt he can barely hold at bay.

But Lane and Dennehy aren't acting in a vacuum, and it cannot be overstated how absolutely stellar the entire cast is. Everyone delivers utterly convincing performances, and even when tasked with sitting in silence each and every actor manages to convey volumes about their character's thoughts, feelings, and general state of being. The play's long length ensures that everyone gets several big moments, all of which hit with a conviction and weight so staggering you cannot help but become engrossed. Stephen Ouimette is devastating at bar owner Harry Hope, who endures the brunt of Hickey's mind games with a gradually escalating paranoia that is heartwrenching to watch. Patrick Andrews is excellent as young Don Parritt, a deeply conflicted former anarchist who seeks out Slade in hopes of advice and sanctuary. And as the most sympathetic of the three prostitutes staying at the saloon, Kate Arrington is a knockout.

So complete and convincing is every performance that you genuinely believe these characters have existed in this same bar for years, living richly detailed lives we are lucky enough to get a brief glimpse into. Falls has expertly orchestrated his cast into creating the kind of complete living, breathing world that every stage production strives for but only a select few achieve. This is an expertly executed production that makes a strong case for O'Neill's play as THE great American tragedy, albeit one in need of a few trims. It is a staging that is sure to be talked about for years to come, and those with the patience to sit through nearly 5 hours and 4 acts will find plenty to admire and appreciate. If you're going to make the trek to Brooklyn for theatre, The Iceman Cometh is as compelling a reason as any.