THEATRE NEWS: BEST ON STAGE, 2011

JOHN COULBOURN - QMI Agency
28 DEC/11

Before we pack away the tinsel and get on with the business of filling up a whole new calendar, let's savour the things that decked our theatrical hall and made this a year to remember. Herewith, in no particular order, are productions that caught my eye, my heart and my imagination over the past year. Hopefully, one or two of them touched yours as well:

1. The Last 15 Seconds: Kitchener-Waterloo's MT Space's compelling piece of movement theatre, about a suicide bomber and the man he killed, exploded on the Theatre Passe Muraille stage and was gone before most people realized it was there. Pity, both for a hugely talented company and for those who missed them.

2. TopDog/Underdog: Nigel Shaun Williams and Kevin Hanchard teamed up with director Philip Akin to make Suzan-Lori Parks' compelling yarn of two black brothers one of the most riveting productions of the Shaw Festival's 60th anniversary season, remounted with equal power at the Theatre Centre.

3. Tout comme elle (Just Like Her): Theatre offerings at Luminato have been a little hit 'n' miss — and with 50 of our finest actresses on stage, under the direction of Brigette Haentjens, Louise Dupré's play (translated by Erin Moore) was definitely one of the hits.

4. Ruined: Obsidian's Philip Akin and playwright Lynn Nottage proved an explosive combination once again in this Pulitzer Prize-winning play set in the heart of the war-torn Congo, featuring a superb cast, headed by the always-memorable Yanna McIntosh.

5. Cat On A Hot Tin Roof: After Stratford's 2005 production, some thought Tennessee Williams' most enduring drama might have reached its best-before date. But with Eda Homes at the helm, the Shaw proved there's plenty of life left in it, thanks to performers such as Moya O'Connell, Gray Powell, Jim Mezon and Corrine Koslo.

6. The Normal Heart: Larry Kramer's look at the early days of the AIDS epidemic has lost none of its power in the almost 30 years since it was written — and if Studio 180's Joel Greenberg came up a little short on Kramer's monumental rage in his production, it still packed a wallop and gave us a look at what history might judge to be the birth of a gay nation.

7. Orfeo ed Euridice/Iphigenia in Tauris: When it comes to truly fine opera productions, the Canadian Opera Company proved it was all Greek to them. In the end, trying to say which of Glück's masterworks showcased the talents of director Robert Carson to best advantage was just too hard — so you decide.

8. Jesus Christ Superstar: Some questioned Des McAnuff's decision to program this Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice artifact at the Stratford Festival — until they saw the crackerjack production he put together. Currently Broadway-bound by way of the LaJolla Playhouse, it's earning a chorus of Hallelujahs there.

9. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland: The National Ballet of Canada teamed up with Britain's Royal Ballet and choreographer Christopher Wheeldon and ended up packing a whole lot of modern-day wonder in Lewis Carroll's classic tale.

10. Red: A few critics sneered at the "middle-brow" level discourse in John Logan's Tony Award-winning script about painter Mark Rothko — but when Canadian Stage teams up actors such as Jim Mezon and David Coomber, under the direction of Kim Collier, middle-brow is just another word for brilliant.

Deluxe in the Redux: Still great the second time around: 2 Pianos 4 Hands, Onegin, The Shape Of A Girl, Assassins, The President.