The Best Shows of 2016: Part I

As we approach the end of a calendar year which has seen plenty of political upheaval and more than a few untimely celebrity deaths, it feels even more necessary to remember all the good that 2016 had to offer. On this blog, that means looking back on the best shows of 2016, those productions which moved, challenged, and entertained us while also showcasing the abundance of talent in New York City.

In order to be eligible for inclusion, a production must have had its official opening night in 2016, and it must have been seen by yours truly. And since I have neither the means nor the time to see everything which premieres in a given year, there will obviously be some worthy omissions from this list, so don't take a show's exclusion as indication that I didn't like it. (Except Falsettos; while I don't think it's a bad production, I honestly don't understand why this clunkily constructed musical is causing such a fuss among critics.)

Here are the first 5 of my Top 10 Shows of 2016; the rest will follow shortly!

10) Eclipsed

Lupita Nyong'o and Zainab Jab in the Broadway production of Eclipsed.

The 2015-2016 Broadway season was heralded for its diversity, both onstage and off, and there were few more compelling examples of that diversity than Eclipsed. Written, performed, and directed by women of color, Danai Gurira's play brought a fresh and authentic perspective to the story of women struggling to survive during the Liberian Civil War. And while the women's circumstances were often harrowing and deadly serious, Gurira's play was also incisively funny and ultimately hopeful, refusing to allow its characters to become victims of their circumstances. Expertly portrayed by stunningly accomplished group of actresses (including Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong'o in a thrilling Broadway debut), the wives at Eclipsed's center emerged as powerful and intelligent women who each found their own ways of coping with the horrors which surrounded them. It demonstrated just how much giving underrepresented perspectives a voice can invigorate the American theatre, and one can only hope that Broadway will continue to support this kind of probing work.

9) In Transit

Margo Seibert, Moya Angela, and the company of In Transit.

Every year I seem to have a soft spot for at least one show that is dismissed by critics and the audience at large. And while In Transit is by no means the best show I've ever seen ignored by the theatre community at large, it has a lot more to offer than most reviews would lead you to believe. For one, the a cappella score lends the musical a sound unlike any other, a deceptively complex composition with multi-layered harmonies and carefully crafted vocal lines. The performances are all charming, and the characters show us an underexplored facet of the human experience: the transition from the idealistic, impassioned twenties to the more measured but no less intense thirties. The show's New York specific humor and beast of a score will like hold this show back from having much of a life outside of the city, which is unfortunate but perhaps fitting for a show where the setting is as much a character as any of the people in the narrative.

8) The Woodsman

The Off-Broadway company, both human and puppet, of The Woodsman.

At some point, almost everyone who sees enough theatre will start to decry the lack of originality, bemoaning the abundance of "safe" productions with traditional structures and narratives. Shows like The Woodsman prove there is still plenty of invention to be found for those willing to seek it out, offering one of the most thrillingly theatrical experiences of the year. Using very little dialogue, this one-act prequel to the Wizard of Oz was story theatre at its best, utilizing sound, puppetry, and wildly inventive stagecraft to tell the story of how the Tin Man lost his heart. The seamless ensemble, led by the show's writer and director James Ortiz, transported the audience to a dark yet entrancing corner of the merry old land of Oz while tapping into primal emotions which transcend mere words. Thankfully this delightful production was recorded for posterity, and can be streamed right now from BroadwayHD.

7) American Psycho

Benjamin Walker (center) and the cast of American Psycho.

One of the most divisive productions of the year, those who saw American Psycho either really loved it or really didn't. I happen to fall into the former category, being completely smitten by how brazenly the show flaunted the conventions of Broadway to tell the story of ladder climbing serial killer Patrick Bateman. Benjamin Walker was absolutely sensational as the murderous title character, creating a perfectly controlled facade only to let it crumble piece by piece as Bateman became more and more detached from reality. How this actor failed to score a Tony nomination is beyond me, but it is one of the great oversights of the 2016 awards season. Combine Walker's excellence with stunning set and projection design, pitch perfect satire of 80s consumerism (embodied to perfection by Morgan Weed's delightfully shallow Courtney), and a pulsating electronic score by Duncan Sheik and you have one of the most memorable musicals of the year. A show that deliberately pushed so many buttons was always facing an uphill battle towards commercial success, but this wonderfully inventive show has all the makings of a cult hit that will be discovered and loved by theatre aficionados for years to come.

6) Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812

Josh Groban and the Broadway cast of Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812.

Honestly, I would have loved to rank this as the best show of the year, as I did the Off-Broadway production in 2013. Unfortunately, the Broadway transfer of Dave Malloy's 19th century Russian fantasia Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 isn't quite as magical in its bigger home, but it remains one of the most jaw-droppingly inventive musicals of the decade. Once again director Rachel Chavkin and set designer Mimi Lien have created an immersive world for this sung-through tale of intrigue and seduction to take place in, utilizing every available inch of the heavily renovated Imperial Theatre to further the illusion of being in a different time and place. The score is a dizzying collection of seemingly disparate elements, effortless interwoven by Malloy to create something wholly original and unlike anything to grace the Broadway stage. The performances are all quite good, including recording superstar Josh Groban in his Broadway debut. Perhaps most exciting of all is the fact that such innovation is being rewarded not just with critical praise but packed houses, which will hopefully encourage even more musical experimentation in the future.

Be sure to check back at the end of the week for my Top 5 Shows of 2016!

A Powerful Drama from Underrepresented Voices

Review: Eclipsed

Pascale Armand, Lupita Nyong'o, and Saycon Sengbloh in the Broadway production of Eclipsed.

With diversity of representation such a prominent topic in the entertainment industry right now, Eclipsed certainly comes at a fortuitous time. Not only does this new play feature a cast comprised entirely of black actresses, but both playwright Danai Gurira (an award-winning writer best known as the actress who plays Michonne on AMC's The Walking Dead) and director Liesl Tommy are also women of color. Having a high profile Broadway production told from this viewpoint is certainly worth celebrating, but shouldn't overshadow the fact that the main selling point Eclipsed is its status as an excellently scripted and acted drama, tackling a subject rarely explored in American theatre.

The show takes place in 2003 Liberia, towards the end of the country's decades-long civil war (a concise and incredibly helpful program insert describes the history of the conflict so anyone can follow along). The story centers around the multiple wives of an unseen war general, all of whom have been taken against their will and are attempting to make the best of their situation. Their carefully established equilibrium is thrown into chaos with the addition of a fifteen-year-old girl to their ranks, providing an entry point for the play to explore the many facets of this tragically common situation.

The most striking thing about Gurira's writing is that she neither shies away from nor dwells on the women's harrowing circumstances. Systematically raped and abused from a young age, the women never devolve into mere victims, even though they are so oppressed they fear using their given names; the wives refer to one another as Numbers 1 through 4, indicating the order in which they came into the general's life.

Despite this unnerving set of circumstances, Gurira's play contains large amounts of humor and even hope. We see the extreme emotional cost of their experiences, but we also see the wives looking for ways to make the best of the cards they've been dealt. One wife tries her best to work within the system, while another becomes a soldier so the men are forced to see her as an equal rather than an object. Each choice is presented as valid, and Gurira shows a large amount of compassion and respect for all of her characters.

The play's five women are brought to engrossing life by a fine company of actresses, headlined by Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong'o as the latest addition to the general's harem, known only as The Girl. Nyong'o is just as captivating onstage as she is onscreen, and she charts her character's complex emotional journey with supreme honesty and clarity. This Girl makes some shocking choices over the course of the play, but Nyong'o makes you believe every one of them, while at the same time projecting the character's gnawing doubt and increasing fear. It is a captivating Broadway debut, and hopefully this Mexican-Kenyan actress will find the time to make regular visits to the Great White Way between her various film projects.

Saycon Sengbloh is sensational as Wife #1, bringing a fascinating weight and authority to her world-weary head wife. Having dealt with the general's abuse the longest, Sengbloh projects a caustic outer layer while simultaneously displaying the deep wells of compassion that cause Wife #1 to treat the the other wives with a maternal sense of kindness. One of the play's most moving scenes is when Sengbloh's character learns to write her name; during that moment you can see on Sengbloh's face the joy of a thousand possibilities opening up, as Wife #1 realizes she can do more than she ever thought possible. Pascale Armand provides much of the play's comic relief as the pregnant Wife #3, but is also at the center of perhaps the most devastating moment when forced to explain her supremely conflicted feelings about the baby inside her.

Zainab Jah has the most overtly antagonistic role as Wife #2 (although it is clear throughout that the unseen men are the real villains of the piece), and she exudes massive amounts of swagger as a rebel soldier who has had a falling out with the rest of the wives. Yet Jah remains distinctly feminine throughout, and makes a convincing argument that picking up a gun is the only way to make men respect her in such a patriarchal society. Wife #2 is a complex and often off-putting character, but Jah shows us enough of her inner turmoil to make her understandable and even sympathetic. Rounding out the cast is veteran actress Akosua Busia as Rita, a member of a women's peace group who is the first to show the general's wives that there are more options available to them than they previously thought.

Director Liesl Tommy brings an insightful eye to the proceedings, making excellent use of what initially appears to be a limited set by Clint Ramos (as the evening goes on, the depth and versatility of Ramos' design becomes apparent). Tommy guides all of her actresses to fully realized, immensely interesting performances while avoiding the temptation to allow the kind of showy, scenery chewing histrionics that too often accompany these types of dramas. Tommy's strong grasp of the play's mood and tone is elevated by Jen Schriever's dynamic lighting, along with Broken Chord's original music and sound design.

Like the best dramas, Eclipsed doesn't beat its audience over the head with symbolism or heavy-handed preaching. But it does present plenty of food for thought, filled with images and ideas that will remain with you long after the performance ends. Gurira's writing is insightful and most importantly real, and it provides a perfect springboard for this fabulous collection of actresses to bring this powerful piece to life. Anyone interested in thought-provoking theatre should see this play; those who care about diverse representation should make it a priority, as Ecplised is a perfect example of the new and interesting works that can result from artists with different backgrounds than the norm.