Last year, I saw a variety of sumptuous stage productions both in New York and right here in D.C., from the sublime to the simply delightful. One of them, "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” is still showing on Broadway and I highly recommend this to those of you who are making a trip to New York. Here is my list of the best shows of 2006.
1.
“Cabaret”- When this iconic musical premiered on Broadway in 1966, it won eight
Tony awards and has since enjoyed countless revivals. Last fall, Arena Stage’s
artistic director Molly Smith brought “Cabaret” back to Arena Stage as the
first show of the 2006-07 season. In Ms. Smith’s deft hands, she created
a stunningly dark production that was well-received by critics and audiences
alike. Meg Gillentine gave a multi-layered performance in the iconic role
of Sally Bowles.
2. “The 25th Annual Putnam County
Spelling Bee”- This quirky musical continues to delight audiences on
Broadway at the Circle In The Square theatre where it was been playing since
its premiere in May 2005.
Created by Tony Award- winning composer
composer and lyricist William Finn, Rachel Sheinkin, Rebecca Feldman, and
superbly directed by James Lapine, this hilarious tale tells of six outstanding
high school students competing for a major county spelling bee. It has an
exceptional cast such as Lisa Gaye Howard as former spelling bee champ
Rona Peretti, Barrett Foa as Insecure Leaf Coneybear and the richly talented
Fil-Am Jose Llana who continues to shine in his role as Chip Tolentino.
3. “She Loves Me”- “She Loves Me”
which first premiered on Broadway in 1963 was revived again at the Arena Stage
by director Kyle Donneley.
Created by Jerry Bock who wrote the music
and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, it is a poignant tale of two rival salespeople
George and Amalia in a 1930s Hungarian perfumerie who initially despise each
other, all the while writing love letters to secret pen-pals. Unbeknownst
that they’re writing to each other.
Sound familiar? It was the same
play which inspired the Jimmy Stewart"The Shop Around The Corner," Judy
Garland’s “In The Good Old Summertime" and the 1998 comedy “You’ve Got
Mail.” The lovely soprano Brynn O’Malley was compelling as the feisty
Amaila shining in her numbers “Vanilla Ice Cream" and “Where’s My
Shoe?,” and Kevin Kraft equally compelling as George They were surrounded by an
impeccable supporting cast Nancy Lemenager, Clifton Guterman, Sebastian La
Cause and Arena regular J. Fred Shiffman.
The ebullient score consists of gems such
as “Days Gone By,” “I Resolve," “A Trip To The Library,” and the title
song.
4. “My Fair Lady” - The
beloved Lerner-Loewe musical at the Signature Theatre was memorable not only
for its brilliance but also it was the very last production by Artistic
Director Eric Shaeffer at the converted garage on S. Four Mile Run where he put
up sterling productions for 13 years, before moving it to its current location,
a bigger two-story complex in
Shirlington Village.
5. “Thorougly Modern Millie”- This
2002 Tony Award-winner for Best Musical enjoyed a sucessful run at the Toby’s
Dinner Theatre in Columbia, Md.
E-MAIL: dino.62@hotmail.com
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