With my theatre-going year over, here is a list of my favourite
productions of 2011. The Top Ten, The Runners Up and the Honourable Mentions
are all listed in alphabetical order. In years past, I’ve ranked my top ten or
twenty shows. This year I decided I wouldn’t put myself through that kind of
torture.
Without any further ado, my favourite shows of 2011...
THE TOP 10
Boxman – If Theatre
Daniel Keene plus Matt Scholten – an unbeatable combination. Again.
Christina: A Story with Music –Attic Erratic
This moving and haunting tale of lost love was beautifully realised by
writer/actor/composer Tom Pitts and director Celeste Cody. And the set, the
set! Amazing.
Clybourne Park - Melbourne Theatre Company
A smart and funny satire on racial politics and real estate. A
companion piece to the classic A Raisin in the Sun, it was fully deserving of
its Pulitzer Prize.
Delectable Shelter - The Hayloft Project
After last year’s one-two punch of Thyestes and The Nest, this is the
only Hayloft Project show to surface in Melbourne in 2011. It was a very strong
post-Apocalyptic comedy and a reminder that no one quite makes shows like
Hayloft.
The Economist – MKA
A thrilling and even-handed treatment of the real-life story of Anders
Breivik. Writer Tobias Manderson-Galvin and director Van Badham – and the whole
MKA team – should be very proud of this work. And MKA should be proud of their
entire output in 2011.
Hamlet - Melbourne Theatre Company
After seeing a very strong production of Hamlet in DC last year, Simon
Phillips’ production with Ewen Leslie in the lead blew every other version of
Hamlet I’ve seen out of the water. From set to costume to some of the finest
performers in Australia, this was an amazing night of theatre.
Little Match Girl – Malthouse
I have seen and loved Melissa Madden Grey and her alter-ego Meow Meow before, but
this brilliantly ecelectic, wonderfully evocative show pushed her crazy cabaret envelope and was one of the absolute
highlights of Malthouse’s 2011.
Skinhouse – Quiet Little Fox
What baggage do you carry with you when you retire from prostitution?
And how does that affect the people you live with and your loved ones? Kristina
Benton and Fleur Kilpatrick relived their real lives night after night is this
warm and raw two-hander.
Tis Pity She's A Whore - Malthouse
Marion Potts directed my two favourite Malthouse shows this year and
while I think Whore was flawed, it was so rich and multi-layered, beautifully
designed and with such powerhouse performances, it has stuck in my mind all
year. An incredible achievement.
Undine – Four Larks
After they won a few Green Room awards, I knew I had to find my way to
Four Larks’ next show – which proved only as difficult as seeing a show in an
undisclosed location can be! They call their shows “junkyard operas” but they
are exquisitely rendered and beautifully composed an executed – a very, very
long way from junk. Excited for their Malthouse show in 2012.
THE RUNNERS UP
The Bald Soprano – Threshold
A tight, on-the-ball production of Ionesco’s absurdist comedy.
Bombshells – Lil’ Frenchy Legs
A spectacular trio of female actors completely embodied Johanna
Murray-Smith’s six sharply drawn monologues for women.
Circle Mirror Transformation – Melbourne Theatre Company
An insider comedy that lets outsiders in, this beautiful little script
illuminated the question of when life changes and how we change with it.
Crossed – If Theatre
Matt Sholten brings Chris Summers’ wild and moving, energetic and
confronting six-hander to life in an almost unrecognisable Courthouse Theatre.
A Donkey and a Parrot
Sarah Hamilton has penned a beatiful ode to her family and their
history and brings to life many generations of their wonderful tale in this
exquisite one-woman show.
A Golem Story – Malthouse
Proving to be one of the strongest young voices on the Australian
stage, Lally Katz’s smart recreation of the Jewish tale of the golem in Prague
received a stunning production that won’t soon be shifted from my mind.
Hairspray
From the sublime to the ridiculously fun, this musical based on the John
Waters classic is a top-tapping digital wonder – with a really strong message
in there about acceptance of all kinds.
The Hatpin
A dark, moody musical based on an horrific tale from Sydney’s colonial
past, James Millar and Peter Rutherford’s show finally made its way to
Melbourne this year. An absolute treat.
In the Next Room (or, The Vibrator Play) - Melbourne Theatre Company
What begins as almost silly – its premise really milks the cheap laughs
in act one – evolves into rich and poignant study of relations and
relationships on a set that slowly opens up to reveal hidden depths barely
glimpsed at the start.
Prodigal
Dean Bryant and Matt Frank’s first musical is revived ten years later –
reminding us that we all must start somewhere (in the play’s case, the NSW
coastal town of Eden) and once we grow up and move out, we can become
extraordinary. But that usually means going home again, a theme Bryant &
Frank would again explore in their more recent show, Once We Lived Here.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
Batt on a Hot Tin Roof - Adelaide Cabaret Festival
The Importance of Being Earnest – Melbourne Theatre Company
Shopping Centres and Gutters
Sleepyhead - MKA
The Terminativity – Bella Union
The Unexpected Variety Show
*
And that's it for seeing theatre in 2011. There might be another post about making theatre before the year is out, but until then, have a Merry Christmas and see you in the theatre in 2011.
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