BWW Reviews: GRIGWARE Picks His Best in LA Theatre for 2014

The Best in LA Theatre for 2014

There are undoubtedly other productions worthy of merit in 2014 which I did not cover. This list is based only on what I saw and reviewed.

(alphabetical listings; Equity, Equity-waiver & Non-Equity productions are mixed)

(artists performing outside LA may be included in performance categories)

BEST PRODUCTIONS

• Brief Encounter - Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
• Cabaret - Crown City Theatre
• Catch Me If You Can - Moonlight Amphitheatre, Vista
• Choir Boy - Geffen
• The Country House - Geffen
• Damn Yankees - 3D Theatricals
• Floyd Collins - La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts
• 4000 Miles - Sierra Madre Playhouse
• The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? - Los Angeles LGBT Center
• In the Heights - Cabrillo
• The Last Confession - Ahmanson
• Les Miserables - La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts
• Mystery of Edwin Drood - Actors Co-op
• Once - Pantages
• Putting It Together - Chromolume Theatre
• Ragtime - 3D Theatricals
• A Song at Twilight - Pasadena Playhouse
• A Streetcar Named Desire - Group rep
• Top Girls - Antaeus Company
• The Trip to Bountiful - Ahmanson
• The 25th Annual Putnum Country Spelling Bee - Kelrik Productions at the El Portal
• Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike - Mark Taper Forum
• Young Frankenstein - DOMA

BEST PRODUCTIONS - Dinner Theatre

• Candlelight Pavilion, Claremont: entire season
• Lawrence Welk Resort, Escondido: Anything Goes/Oklahoma!

FAVORITE CHRISTMAS SHOWS

• Fruitcake Follies 2014
• A Little House Christmas - Sierra Madre Playhouse
• Sleeping Beauty and Her Winter Knight - Pasadena Playhouse
• The Snow QUEEN - Troubies at the Falcon

UNIQUE or SPECIAL EVENTS

• Always Patsy Cline - El Portal Theatre
• An Evening with Arthur Duncan - Monroe Forum Theatre at the El Portal
• Harmony - Ahmanson Theatre
• Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin - Geffen
• Kritzerland Concert -Jerry Herman Tribute at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal
• L'il Abner - Bruce Kimmel director - LA City College
• Spirit of Ireland - Michael Ryan - University of LaVerne
• Striking 12 - Laguna Playhouse
• Tappin' Thru Life: An Evening with Maurice Hines - Wallis Annenberg Center

BEST DIRECTOR: PLAY

• David Hyde Pierce - Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike - Mark Taper Forum
• Stephen Sachs - My Name Is Asher Lev - Fountain Theatre

BEST DIRECTOR: MUSICAL

• Cate Caplin - Putting It Together - Chromolume
• Kristin Towers-Rowles - The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee - Monroe Forum at the El Portal

MOST PROMISING NEW MUSICAL

• Scary Musical the Musical - Richard Hochberg and Michael Paternostro - NoHo Arts Center

MOST PROMISING NEW PLAYS

• Conviction - Carey Crim - Rubicon Theatre, Ventura
• Wake - Carey Crim - Seaglass Theatre at the Fremont Theatre Centre

BEST ENSEMBLE: PLAY

• Amadeus - Ensemble Theatre, Santa Barbara
• Blithe Spirit - Ahmanson
• Choir Boy - Geffen
• The Country House -Geffen
• The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? - Los Angeles LGBT Center
• My Name Is Asher Lev - Fountain
• A Song at Twilight - Pasadena Playhouse
• Top Girls - Antaeus
• The Trip to Bountiful - Ahmanson
• Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike - Mark Taper Forum

BEST ENSEMBLE: MUSICAL

• The Andrews Brothers - Annenberg Theatre, Palm Springs
• Brigadoon - Music Circus, Sacramento
• Catch Me If You Can - Moonlight, Vista
• Damn Yankees - 3D Theatricals
• Mystery of Edwin Drood - Actors Co-op
• Ragtime - 3D Theatricals
• The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee - Kelrik at the El Portal
• Young Frankenstein - DOMA

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

• Michael Arden/Ciara Renee - The Hunchback of Notre Dame - La Jolla Playhouse
• Frances Barber - What the Butler Saw - Mark Taper Forum
• James Barbour - Les Miserables - La Mirada
• Eileen Barnett - Glorious! - ICT, Long Beach
• Leslie Caron/David Engel - Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks - Laguna Playhouse
• Alexis Carra/Jordan Lamoureux - Damn Yankees - 3D Theatricals
• Mimi Cozzens/Christian Prentice - 4000 Miles - Sierra Madre
• Merle Dandridge - Kiss Me Kate - Pasadena Playhouse
• Chelsea Emma Franko - Spamalot - Candlelight Pavilion, Claremont
• Taylor Gilbert - Sovereign Body - The Road Theatre Company
• Rebecca Johnson - Big Fish - MTW
• Angela Lansbury/Charles Edwards/Jemima Rooper - Blithe Spirit - Ahmanson
• Danny Michaels - Me and My Girl - GCT (Glendale Centre Theatre)
• Diedra Celeste Miranda/Daniel Kaemon - Streetcar - Group rep
• Alicia Hall Moran - The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess - Ahmanson
• Kristine Nielsen - Vanya & Sonia - Mark Taper Forum
• Ann Noble/Paul Witten - The Goat - LGBT Center
• Jaimi Paige/Graham Hamilton - Venus in Fur - South Coast Rep
• Kyle Taylor Parker - Kinky Boots - Pantages
• Erin Pineda - Bunny, Bunny - Falcon Theatre
• Kristin Towers-Rowles - Putting It Together - Chromolume
• Brent Schindele -The Music Man - GCT
• Jeff Skowron - The Producers - 3D Theatricals/Big Fish - Musical Theatre West (MTW)
• Victoria Strong - Man of La Mancha - GCT
• Rebekah Tripp/Joseph Fuqua - A Moon for the Misbegotten - Rubicon, Ventura
• Cicely Tyson - The Trip to Bountiful - Ahmanson
• Mark Whitten/Kim Huber - Floyd Collins - La Mirada
• Hannah Yelland - Brief Encounter - Wallis Annenberg
• Murielle Zuker - Educating Rita - Theatre 40

BEST FEATURED PERFORMANCE

• Dorothy Atkinson/Annette McLaughlin - Brief Encounter - Wallis Annenberg
• Jim J. Bullock - Bye Bye Birdie - Cabrillo
• Granville Van Dusen - A Moon for the Misbegotten - Rubicon, Ventura
• Christine Ebersole/David Hull - Vania & Sonia & Masha & Spike - Mark Taper Forum
• Chelsea Emma Franko/ Karla Franko/Tamara Zook - Damn Yankees - 3D Theatricals
• Susane Lee - 4000 Miles - Sierra Madre
• Craig McEldowney - Ragtime - 3D Theatricals/...Spelling Bee - El Portal
• Tom Musgrave - Melissa Arctic - The Road Theatre Company
• Richard O' Callaghan - Last Confession - Ahmanson

• Anya Profumo/Kent Butler - Streetcar - Group rep
• Carla R. Stewart - Ghost the Musical - Pantages
• Sara J. Stuckey - Cabaret - Crown

BEST SOLO SHOW: MALE

• Daniel Beaty - The Tallest Tree in the Forest - Mark Taper Forum
• Scott Dreier - Doris & Me - Monroe Forum at the El Portal
• Jon Peterson - ...He Wrote Good Songs - Asylum Lab Theatre (Fringe Festival)
• Christopher Plummer - A Word or Two - Ahmanson Theatre
• Michael Urie - Buyer & Cellar - Mark Taper Forum

BEST SOLO SHOW: FEMALE

• Annette Bening - Ruth Draper's Monologues - Geffen
• Chita Rivera: A Legendary Celebration - Valley Performing Arts Center, Northridge
• Katie Rubin -Why I Died, a Comedy - Echo Theatre at Atwater Village

BEST CABARET/CONCERT ARTIST: MALE

• David Burnham - Together Again For the First Time - Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal
• Dan Callaway - A Farewell to LA - Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal
• Jason Graae - 49 1/2 Shades of Graae - Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal
• Jeremy Jordan - Breaking Character - Catalina Jazz Club
• John Lloyd Young - My Turn - Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal

• BEST CABARET/CONCERT ARTIST: FEMALE

• Laura Benanti - In Constant Search for the Right Kind of Attention - Catalina Jazz Club
• Laura Dickinson - One For My Baby - Upstairs at Vitello's
• Jennifer Holliday - Broadway Under the Stars - Ford Amphitheatre
• Jeanne Page - Reboot - Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal
• Valerie Perri - Together Again for the First Time - Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal
• Rebecca Spencer - Fair Warning - Upstairs at Vitello's

BEST CDs

• And The World Goes Round - Kritzerland Records
• The Boys of St. Paul's Choir School - Christmas in Harvard Square
• The Bridges of Madison County - Jason Robert Brown-Original Broadway Cast
• Ellen Greene - Songs for a Winter's Night
• Daniel Rodriguez - A Glorious Christmas
• Lyn Stanley - Potions

BEST BOOK

Stella! Mother of Modern Acting - Sheana Ochoa - Applause

BEST THEATRICAL SEASON

• Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre, Claremont