MY BAY AREA TOP 10 (OKAY 11) THEATRE LIST OF 2009

***UPDATED JANUARY 3

My, my, my. Where has the year gone to? This year I saw dozens of shows, but only a few really hit a chord with me. Those shows are:


1. MAURITIUS * MAGIC THEATRE
A brilliant, funny thriller that had me on the edge of my seat. A terrific ensemble of actors and a riveting performance by Rod Gnapp makes this my favorite play of 2009.




2. AMERICAN IDIOT * BERKELEY REP
Before it heads to Broadway, the music of Green Day, the energy of that ridiculously talented cast, led by the delicious John Gallagher Jr, and that amazing set rocked Bay Area audiences. Without a doubt my favorite musical of the year.








3. AIN’T NOTHING BUT THE BLUES * THEATREWORKS
There are a lot of these musical reviews out there - shows where the singing is the main attraction, but I can't recall any I have seen this year that had such an impact on me. This show reminded me that musicals don't always need a fancy set or a complicated story, sometimes it's all about the music and singing. Because "singing is not just about singing" - it's about emotion baby. My friends Alison Ewing, James Iglehart (before he headed back to Broadway) and especially my Goddess C. Kelly Wright (who gave me the shivers with her rendition of I Got a Spell On You) brought the emotion and a lot of powerhouse vocals to the blues.

4. METAMORPHOSES * PEAR AVENUE THEATRE
I was riveted by this incredible production, its terrific ensemble cast (including my friend Shannon Stowe) and the guts of Pear Avenue Theatre to put on this show - swimming pool and all. Jeanie Forte's delicate direction shined in this incredible undertaking.





5. THE WHO’S TOMMY * COASTAL REPERTORY THEATRE
I was in awe of my friend Michael Lederman's direction of this show. I told him when I saw the show that it was truly inspiring. From the moment that kick-ass band started, Michael took the audience on a ride. Kudos to that amazing company of actors, dancers, singers, musicians and circus performers who made that night a very memorable theatre experience for me.





6. SOUVENIR * A.C.T.
Funny, touching and a rare gem of a play with two brilliant performances by Judy Kaye & Donald Corren. Two person shows are not easy to do but these two brilliant performers brought out the best in each other.

7. ALWAYS, PATSY CLINE * SAN JOSE STAGE COMPANY
In the past few years I have rarely missed a show at San Jose Stage not just because more than any other theatre group I have worked for, they will forever be my theatre family but because of the incredible work that happens there. Out of all the shows I saw there this year, this little gem of a musical led by Judith Miller's heartbreaking portrayal of Patsy Cline was my favorite.





8. THE LIEUTENANT OF INISHMORE * BERKELEY REP
I went to see this show to see my friend Danny Krueger's equity debut (his scene was amazing)and I left with one of the coolest theatre matinees I have ever been to. Bloody, disgusting, vulgar and I loved every minute of it. Long live Wee Tomas.

9. MACBETH * SHOTGUN PLAYERS
This really belongs in the 2008 list but I didn't see the show until January of this year. Blythe Foster's Lady M was a force of nature and keep your eye on this phenomenal actress, her performance in Faust was award worthy. Craig Marker was a fine Macbeth and this production was stunning in every way.





10. WICKED * BEST OF BROADWAY
Even though I have seen the show 3 times, for some reason I felt like I rediscovered the show all over again thanks to the amazing Teal Wicks who showed me that Elphaba does not need to riff high F's to make Elphaba fly.

11. THE KING & I * Broadway By The Bay

While playing the piano tonight at Max's I came across my score for The King & I and I remembered how beautiful BBBAY's production of this show was and how much it moved me. I can't believe I how forgot to mention it in my list. Mark Hanson's incredible orchestra, Dennis Lickteig's brilliant direction and stunning performances from Jackie McSwanson, Jared Lee & Susan Himes Power made this one of my favorite shows of the year and one of my all-time favorite productions that I have ever seen at BBBAY.

What were some of your favorite Bay Area production of 2009?

WIN SOME, LOSE SOME

Ah, the month of November just rolled on by, didn't it? As I write this I am fighting this awful flu that's had me home bound for the past three days and it looks like it's here to stay for a while. When I get sick - I get SICK. I realized that I hadn't blogged in a while, mostly because there's been not much to blog about. My production of Once Upon a Mattress opened and closed, and I gotta say, it was a very successful effort for all involved. This was the first time that Hillbarn Theatre, Hillsborough Rec and Crocker School partnered to do a show and the outcome was pretty amazing. I was blessed with a fabulous team that helped me make these middle schoolers shine.

While in tech for Mattress I flew to LA to audition for a production of Sweeney Todd. I would love to play the Beadle again (I can sing the role sooo much better now) but alas I didn't get it. What bugs me about auditions in LA is that they let you know right away if you're called back or not. They deliberate for 2 minutes and then they tell you if they need to see you again which normally would be fine if I was 20 minutes from my house and not 500 miles away. I must say, I kicked ass in that room. I asked if I could sing an aria in Spanish (the haunting zarzuela No Puede Ser) and I was allowed to sing the entire piece, but no cigar at the end. It would have been great, but that's the actors's life. Win some, lose some.

I managed to squeeze in some shows in November, including the lovely production of Holiday Memories at Coastal Rep which featured my friend Scott Solomon. My beloved Linda Hoy played Sook in the production at TheatreWorks a few years ago and I am so saddened that I never got to see Linda perform this role on stage. On a few of our wonderful talks, she spoke fondly of her love for this play.

I also caught a couple of my Hillbarn Conservatory students in their high school productions of The Producers (which was pretty amazing) and Urinetown, which got me really excited about next year. The amazing Dottie Lester-White will be choreographing my production and I am already starting to pick the rest of my production team. Can't wait!!!!

I also caught The Seafarer at San Jose Stage which featured my friends Colin Thomson, Randy King, and Kevin Blackton (who surprised the hell out of me with this delicious role - he plays The Devil) and was directed by the wonderful Kimberly Mohne-Hill. Kim was one of my teachers at NDNU and it was so wonderful to see her directorial debut at The Stage. Yeah girl power! I highly recommend this show.

On Friday I was supposed to go see the fabulous Barbara Cook perform with the SF Symphony but she has cancelled due to illness. Speaking of cancellations, I had to cancel my New York trip because I am in the process of trying to purchase a new car. As I write this, I should have been in New York trying to calm down from seeing Gavin Creel in Hair. I gave my tickets to a couple of New York friends, and I hope they enjoy the shows I was supposed to see. Like I said, win some, lose some.

2009 has been an interesting year full of these win some, lose some times but I am optimistic that 2010 has a lot more wins in store. Let us hope.

Cheers,

Martin