The Best of 2009!

As 2009 comes to close, TheaterMania asked Editor in Chief Brian Scott Lipton, Managing Editor Dan Bacalzo, Associate Editor Andy Propst, and Contributing Writer David Finkle to choose his 10 best theatrical productions of the year. Their lists — each presented in alphabetical order — follow on these pages.

BRIAN SCOTT LIPTON’S TOP 10 OF 2009

A Streetcar Named Desire
Tennessee Williams’ drama about the fading Southern belle Blanche DuBois is among the most quintessentially American of plays, but it speaks to people everywhere, as proved by Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann’s clear direction and the work of a top-flight cast of Australian actors, led by the fascinating Cate Blanchett, the sexy and earthy Joel Edgerton, and the exquisitely balanced Robin McLeavy.

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
Alex Timbers and Michael Friedman’s remarkably inventive and often hilarious musical retelling of the life of America’s controversial seventh president – played with undeniable charisma by the handsome Benjamin Walker — was one of the year’s most original shows. Thanks to the Public Theater for giving us a second look in 2010!

Brighton Beach Memoirs
Is there a better director in America right now than David Cromer? The man who finally made me appreciate Our Town (which almost made this list) proved that Neil Simon was more than just than a laugh-machine with his sensitive and beautifully acted revival of Simon’s autobiographical coming-of-age play about a Brooklyn family facing the Depression. Its premature closing was practically a crime, and the fact that we never got to see the fabulous Laurie Metcalf in Broadway Bound was heartbreaking.

Hair
Diane Paulus‘ joyous reinvention of the great 1960s free-love, anti-war musical seemed tailor-made for Central Park – until it appeared miraculously even more at home in the confines of the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. As refreshing as the show’s score and message sounded, the true pleasure was in watching the exuberant tribe spread their sunshine on the stage — and all the way into the audience.

Humor Abuse
Proving again that he’s way more than a pretty face — and a flexible body — Lorenzo Pisoni took the solo show form to a higher level with this heartfelt and often hysterical reflection on his unusual and often difficult childhood as a circus performer (and child of circus performers).

Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher brilliantly brought out the nuances of this stunning work about the members of a Pittsburgh boarding house dealing with the aftermath of slavery, and the efforts of the exemplary cast, led by Tony Award winner Roger Robinson, added to the production’s resonance.

The Norman Conquests
Alan Ayckbourn’s trilogy of comedies about a family with very messy love lives provided over seven hours of nearly continuous laughs, thanks to the playwright’s singular ingenuity, Matthew Warchus‘ superlative direction, and a pitch-perfect cast of unbelievably energetic British actors.

Ruined
Lynn Nottage’s devastating look at the victims of sexual mutilation and rape in Africa – and the ability to maintain hope under the most horrifying of circumstances — was the year’s most potent drama, and the rare play worthy of the Pulitzer Prize. Equally important, the production, directed by Kate Whoriskey, was another shining example of the importance of true ensemble acting.

Twelfth Night
This Shakespeare in the Park mounting of the Bard’s classic comedy proved to be much more than just an exercise in star-gazing, thanks to fully realized and consistently engaging work by Anne Hathaway, Audra McDonald, Raul Esparza, Julie White, Hamish Linklater, Stark Sands, and especially, the invaluable David Pittu. If only it could have played on forever.

The Winter’s Tale
Sam Mendes miraculously solved the problems of Shakespeare’s so-called “problem play” in his carefully wrought production, which exquisitely balanced the show’s comedy and tragedy in just the right measure. Kudos as well to the sublime cast, led by Simon Russell Beale, Sinead Cusack, Rebecca Hall, and the hilarious Ethan Hawke.

Next Page: DAN BACALZO’S TOP 10 OF 2009