WSJ's Terry Teachout Takes a Look at America's 'Favorite Plays'

In a story in Saturday's edition of the Wall Street Journal, drama critic Terry Teachout compiles a list of the 11 plays that rendered the most productions between 2000-01 and 2009-2010.

The list includes:

1. "Proof," by David Auburn (54 productions).

2. "Doubt," by John Patrick Shanley (48 productions).

3. "Art," by Yasmina Reza (45 productions).

4. "The Drawer Boy," by Michael Healey (36 productions).

5. "Rabbit Hole," by David Lindsay-Abaire (33 productions).

6. "Wit," by Margaret Edson (29 productions).

7. "I Am My Own Wife," by Doug Wright (26 productions).

8. "Crowns," by ReGina Taylor (26 productions).

9. "Intimate Apparel," by Lynn Nottage (25 productions).

10. (tie). "The Glass Menagerie," by Tennessee Williams, and "The Laramie Project," by Moisés Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project (23 productions each).

From this list, compiled with data from American Theatre's annual lists, Teachout draws a few conclusions about the stage of American theatre and its audiences, "Six of the 11 plays-"Doubt," "I Am My Own Wife," "Intimate Apparel," "The Glass Menagerie," "Proof" and "Wit"-are all distinguished pieces of writing, while the rest are at least respectable. Only one, "The Laramie Project," is an explicitly political play-and none is a musical. ("Crowns" is a play with music, not a musical comedy.) This suggests that, Broadway producers notwithstanding, American theatergoers are not know-nothing neanderthals but intelligent people who are prepared to spend time and money grappling with straight plays that are artful, thoughtful and well written."

To read the rest of the story in the Wall Street Journal, please click here.