The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

 

T. Oliver Reid (Drop Me Off in Harlem)

T. Oliver Reid (Drop Me Off in Harlem)

 

 

On The Town

On The Town

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The professional and discerning reviewers that make up the backbone of TheaterPizzazz have weighed in with their TOP 5 PICKS in THEATER and CABARET for 2014.

 THEATER PICKS:

Sandi Durell

Our Lady of Kibeho

The Curious incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical

Disgraced

It’s Only a Play

Runners Up: Sticks and Bones – Encores! ‘The Band Wagon’ – Deliverance – A Gentlemen’s Guide. . .

Brian Scott Lipton

Between Riverside and Crazy

Side Show

Sticks and Bones

Violet

You Can’t Take It With You

Samuel L. Leiter

Outside Mullingar

An Octoroon

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

On The Town

Allegro

Joe Clarke

King Lear: Shakespeare in the Park

Here Lies Love

The Killer

Theater for a New Audience – Tamburlaine

Much Ado About Nothing: Shakespeare in the Park

Runners Up:  The Seagull (Bedlam),  Lypsinka: The Boxed Set

Michall Jeffers

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. Hands down the best drama of 2014; will probably be remembered as the production which launched the career of the phenomenally gifted Alex Sharp.

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder. Best musical, blessed with a book that was clever and vastly entertaining, and a cast that could do no wrong

Aladdin. Finally, the Disney musical we’ve been waiting for; smart, funny, flashy, and thoroughly enjoyable.

Beautiful The Carol King Musical. Jessie Mueller brought all-encompassing heart and glowing talent to a cavalcade of hits and heartaches about modern music’s finest female singer/songwriter.

The Elephant Man. Bradley Cooper’s performance alone was enough to put this show on the list; add the delicacy of Patricia Clarkson and the directing skill of Scott Ellis, and this is an outstanding  production  to recommend to theater lovers.

Bonus: 2014 saw successful revivals of two musical theater classics, due largely to  outstanding performances by Alan Cumming in Cabaret and by Ramin Karimloo in Les Miserables.

Sonia Roberts

Tristan & Yseult – Kneehigh (St. Ann’s Warehouse)

Beertown – dog & pony dc (59E59 Theaters)

Broken City – PopUP Theatrics (the underground zero festival)

My Daughter Keeps Our Hammer (The Flea)

Potion – (Stolen Chair Theatre Company)

Elizabeth Ahlfors

Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime

Cripple of Inishmann

Cabaret

On the Town

Disgraced

Eric J. Grimm

The Woodsman, Strangemen & Co., 59e59

The Turn of the Screw, Everyday Inferno, Morris-Jumel Mansion

Uncanny Valley, Contemporary American Theatre Festival, 59e59

The Junket, Culture Project, Lynn Redgrave Theater

Since Africa, The Red Fern Theater Company, 14th St. Y

Mari Lyn Henry

Audra McDonald in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill

All The Way

The Maids – Cate Blanchett

Disgraced

Just Jim Dale

Myra Chanin

The McGowan Trilogy

The Jewish Chronicles

Theater 2020 – Candide

All The Way

Alan Ayckbourn’s Farcicals

Joe Regan Jr.

Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol.  Actor Equity benefit of first stage production of cartoon.  All star cast and 27 piece orchestra with Jule Styne overture

Side Show – Gorgeously sung, directed and acted.  Glad there will be a CD.

On the Town – Great revival with another big orchestra playing the Bernstein music.  And lots of sex in this one too!

Fatal Weakness – Revival of George Kelly’s last play was given a superb production by the Mint Theatre

Jon Peterson “And He Wrote Good Songs” – Peterson’s one man bio musical on Newley was a brilliant tour de force.

Runner up – Simon Green and David Shrubsole’s “So This Then Is Life,” extraordinary autobiographical show using poetry and song in stunning way.

Joel Benjamin

Everything That Rises Must Converge – Compagnia de’Colombari

On the Town

You Can’t Take It With You

In Fields Where They Lay – Dreamscape Theatre Company

Rollo’s Wild Oat – Metropolitan Playhouse

Marcina Zaccaria

Nella Tempesta

Mapmaker’s Opera

Generations

The Library

To The Bone

 

CABARET PICKS:

Sandi Durell

Ann Hampton Callaway – Turning Points (54 Below)

Marilyn Maye/Bucky Pizzarelli (Iridium Jazz Club)

Marilyn Maye –Tribute to Johnny Carson (54 Below)

Christine Ebersole “Big Noise from Winnetka” (54 Below)

Lucy Arnaz – Café Carlyle

Paulanne Simmons

Ute Lemper “Last Tango in Berlin” – sexy and smart

Carole J. Bufford “Shades of Blue” – a new look at an old theme

Barb Jungr “Hard Rain” – Boy Dylan and Leonard Cohen in the meeting of great music

T. Oliver Reid “Drop Me off in Harlem” – a splendid musical trip into the past

Peter Haas

Carol J. Bufford (54 Below) – “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”

T. Oliver Reid – “Drop Me Off in Harlem”

Barbara Brussell (Don’t Tell Mama)

Jane Monheit, Billy Stritch, Jim Caruso – “Hollywoodland” (Birdland)

Lauren Fox & Ritt Henn “Ghosts of Love” (Stage 72)

Marilyn Lester  

Drop Me Off in Harlem – T. Oliver Reid

I’ve Still Got My Health – Jack O’Brien (54 Below)

On The Air: Songs for Marian McPartland – Stacy Sullivan

The Act (54 Below)

From Joplin to Jarrett: 115 Years of Piano Jazz – Jon Weber (Metropolitan Room)

Elizabeth Ahlfors

Marilyn Maye New Years Eve (any year) – Metropolitan. Room

Gabrielle Stravelli – Metropolitan Room

Joyce Breach – Moments Like This

KT Sullivan and Jeff Harnar Sing Sondheim

Baby Jane Dexter – Rules of the Road (Metropolitan Room)

Myra Chanin

Jeremy Jordan – 54 Below

Fyvish Finkel –  54 Below

Amanda McBroom and George Ball – 54 Below

My Son the Waiter, A Jewish Tragedy – Stage 72 (The Triad)

Eric Michael Gillett – The Amanda McBroom Project (Beechman Theatre)

Joe Regan, Jr.

Baby Jane Dexter The Rules of the Road Part 3 – Despite a freak accident Dexter gave a funny, dramatic, musical performance.

Richard Holbrook – Comeback of the year with his Astaire and Christmas Show. Never sung better.

Peggy King and All Star Jazz Trio –  King proved that she still is in great voice and is a force of nature.

Bob Merrill at 54 Below  – All star tribute but especially because of Mimi Hines who fifty years later still goes effortlessly for the high note.

Adam R. Shapiro “Normal” – Great bio musical about Shapiro and his participation on “Normal Heart” film

1st runner up Sin Twisters with divas Gillette and Fuller

Joel Benjamin

Paolo Szot – 54 Below

Anita Gillette – Metropolitan Room

Alex Rybeck Songbook – 54 Below

Natalie Douglas does Dolly Parton – Birdland

Randy Graff – 54 Below

Christopher Sieber – 54 Below

Judy Kaye – 54 Below

(sometimes it’s difficult to pick only 5)

HAPPY HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU AND YOURS AND A PEACEFUL 2015 FOR ALL . . . FROM ALL OF US AT THEATERPIZZAZZ.COM