DON GRIGWARE Picks The BEST PRODUCTIONS AND PERFORMANCES in LOS ANGELES THEATRE for 2015
By: Don Grigware Dec. 28, 2015
The Best in LA Theatre for 2015
There are undoubtedly other productions worthy of merit in 2015 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)
No set, costume, or technical awards. I leave that to the bigger awards and to the expertise of those who really know those fields inside out.
BEST PRODUCTIONS
(The) Baker's Wife - Actors Co-op
Bent - Mark Taper Forum
Billy Elliot The Musical - La Mirada Center for the Performing Arts
(The) Bridges of Madison County - Ahmanson
Carrie The Killer Musical Experience - La Mirada/Los Angeles Theatre
Cash on Delivery - El Portal Mainstage
Cinderella - Ahmanson
Closer Than Ever - Good People Theatre Co at Hollywood Piano, Burbank
(A) Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum - Crown City Theatre
Guys and Dolls - Group Center Theatre (GCT)
Hit the Wall - LGBT, Hollywood
Jesus Christ Superstar - DOMA Theatre
Murder for Two - Geffen
My Fair Lady - Musical Theatre West (MTW)
Newsies - Pantages
The Night Alive - Geffen
Picnic - Antaeus Theatre Co
Side Show - 3-D Theatricals
(The) Sound of Music - Ahmanson
Spring Awakening - Wallis Annenberg Theatre
Sweeney Todd - Monroe Forum Theatre, El Portal
Switzerland - Geffen
Train to Zakopane - Edgemar Center for the Arts, Santa Monica
Verdigris - Theatre West
(The) Winning Streak - Group rep
BEST PRODUCTIONS - Dinner Theatre
Lawrence Welk Theatre, Escondido: Hello Dolly!/ (The) King and I
Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre, Claremont: In the Heights/ West Side Story
FAVORITE CHRISTMAS SHOWS
(A) Christmas Memory - Sierra Madre Playhouse
GMCLA's Holiday Spectacular: Brassy, Classy & Sassy
Santa Claus Is Comin' to Motown - Troubies at the Falcon Theatre
UNIQUE or SPECIAL EVENTS
Always Patsy Cline - Sierra Madre Playhouse
Dame Edna's Glorious Goodbye Farewell Tour -Ahmanson
El Grande Circus de Coca Cola - Colony Theatre
Hellman v McCarthy - Theatre 40
Kurios - Cirque du Soleil - LA Dodger Stadium
Laura Dickinson 17 - El Portal Mainstage
(A) Lovely Lineage -Kristin Towers Rowles -Sierra Madre Playhouse
S/he & Me: A Theatrical Cabaret -Alex Billings -CSULB Theatre Arts/CaRep Co, Long Beach
BEST DIRECTOR: PLAY
Randall Arney - (The) Night Alive - Geffen
Mark Brokaw - Switzerland - Geffen
Ray Cooney - Cash on Delivery - El Portal
Gary Imhoff - Train to Zakopane - Edgemar
Moises Kaufman - Bent - Mark Taper Forum
Ken Sawyer - Hit the Wall - LGBT
Scott Schwartz - Murder for Two - Geffen
BEST DIRECTOR: MUSICAL
Michael Arden - Spring Awakening - Wallis Annenberg
Mark Brokaw - Cinderella - Ahmanson
T.J. Dawson - Side Show - 3-D Theatricals
David Engel - Seussical The Musical - 3-D Theatricals
Bruce Kimmel - Inside Out - Grove Center Theatre, Burbank
Brian Kite - Billy Elliot - La Mirada
Jack O'Brien - (The) Sound of Music - Ahmanson
Tyne Rafaeli (for Bartlett Sher) - (The) Bridges of Madison County - Ahmanson
Brady Schwind - Carrie The Killer Musical Experience- La Mirada/Los Angeles Theatre
Kristin Towers Rowles - Sweeney Todd - El Portal
Joel Zwick - Serrano the Musical - Matrix
MOST PROMISING NEW PLAY
Appropriate - by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins - MTForum
Bad Jews - by Joshua Harmon - Geffen
(The) Christians - by Lucas Hnath - MTForum
Class - by Charles Evered - Falcon
Miserable with an Ocean View - by Howard Skora - Whitefire
Tiger by the Tail - by Frawley Becker - Group rep
Wonderful Life - by Helen Pafumi & Jason Lott - Malibu Playhouse
MOST PROMISING NEW MUSICAL
Adam & Eve and Steve: book by Chandler Warren/music by Wayne Moore-NoHo Arts Center
The Fabulous Lipitones: book by John Markus & Mark St.Germain/ incidental music by Randy Courts & St. Germain-Colony
Serrano The Musical: book & lyrics by Madeline Sunshine/music by Robert Tepper-Matrix
BEST ENSEMBLE: PLAY
Appropriate - MTForum
Bent - MTForum
Cash on Delivery - El Portal Mainstage
HomeFree - The Road Theatre, Magnolia
Hit the Wall - LGBT
Lombardi - Group rep
(The) Night Alive - Geffen
Picnic - Antaeus
Real Women Have Curves - Pasadena Playhouse
Tiger by the Tail - Group rep
Verdigris - Theatre West
BEST ENSEMBLE: MUSICAL
(The) Baker's Wife - Actors Co-op
(The) Bridges of Madison County - Ahmanson
Carrie the Killer Musical - La Mirada/LA Theatre
Closer Than Ever - Hollywood Piano
Inside Out - Grove Center Theatre
Newsies - Pantages
Nunsense - Crown
Serrano The Musical - Matrix
Side Show - 3-D Theatricals
Singin' in the Rain - MTW
(The) Sound of Music - Ahmanson
Spring Awakening - Wallis Annenberg
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE
Josh Adamson/Bets Malone - Big Fish - Moonlight Amphitheatre, Vista
Richard Bermudez/Victoria Strong - (The) King and I - Welk Resort, Escondido
Misty Cotton/Emily Lopez - Carrie - La Mirada/LA Theatre
Nikki D' Amico/Cori Cable Kidder - Almost Patsy Cline - Sierra Madre
Laura Dickinson/Richard Bermudez - Evita - Candlelight
Molly Ephraim - Bad Jews - Geffen
Cynthia Ferrer/Randy Doney - Hello Dolly! - Welk Resort, Escondido
Tanna Frederick/Mike Falkow - Train to Zakopane - Edgemar
Taylor Gilbert - The Other Place - The Road, Magnolia
Renee Gorsey - The American Dream - Group rep
Gildart Jackson/Callie Schuttera - Class - Falcon
Martin Kildare/Katharine McDonough - My Fair Lady - MTW
Douglas Ladnier/Alison England - Sweeney Todd - Monroe, El Portal
Laura Linney/Seth Numrich - Switzerland - Geffen
Heather Lundstadt/Robert Standley - Guys and Dolls - GCT
Idina Menzel - If/Then - Pantages
Joanna Miles/David Selby - Front Door Open - Greenway Court
Alessa Neeck/Christopher Carl - South Pacific - MTW
Paul Vincent O'Connor/Fiona O'Shaughnessy - (The) Night Alive - Geffen
Lloyd Pedersen/Daniel Sykes - (The) Winning Streak - Group rep
Flora Plumb/Marcia Rodd - Hellman v McCarthy - Theatre 40
Cathy Rigby - Seussical - 3D Theatricals - Fullerton/Redondo
Kristin Towers Rowles/Jahmaul Bakare - Violet - Monroe, El Portal
Brett Ryback/Jeff Blumenkrantz - Murder for Two - Geffen
Bryce Ryness - Matilda - Ahmanson
Elizabeth Stanley/Andrew Samonsky - (The) Bridges of Madison County - Ahmanson
Mitchell Tobin/Vicki Lewis - Billy Elliot - La Mirada
Marcelo Tubert - El Grande Circus de Coca Cola - Colony
Karen Volpe - 9 to 5 - GCT
BEST FEATURED PERFORMANCE
Cathy Arden - Train to Zakopane - Edgemar
Janna Cardia, Claire Adams - Assassins - Red Blanket Productions with Punk Monkey Productions at Pico Playhouse
Patrick Cummings - South Pacific - MTW
Chad Doreck/Valerie Perri - Serrano The Musical - Matrix
Drew Droege/Patty McCormack - Miserable with an Ocean View - Whitefire Theatre
Diane Frank - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof - Group rep
Chelsea Emma Franko/Tracy Lore - Company - Cabrillo
Matthew Hancock /Charlotte Gulezian/Kristina Johnson - Hit the Wall - LGBT
Shannon Holt/Rhonda Aldrich - Picnic - Antaeus
Jake Kitchin - Billy Elliot - La Mirada
Quinn Mattfeld/Cassie Silva - Matilda - Ahmanson
M. Rowan Meyer - Hellman v McCarthy - Theatre 40
Ann Myers - Guys and Dolls - GCT
Kayla Parker/Lynn Randall - Carrie - La Mirada/LA Theatre
Jeremy Saje - JC Superstar - DOMA
Nick Ullett - Enter Laughing - Wallis Annenberg
BEST SOLO SHOW: MALE
Jack Lemmon Returns - Chris Lemmon - The Broad, Santa Monica
BEST SOLO SHOW: FEMALE
(A) Carlin Home Companion/Growing Up with George-Kelly Carlin-Falcon
BEST CABARET/CONCERT ARTIST: MALE
Aaron Akins - Into the Cole - E-Spot Lounge, Vitello's
Tom Ameen - E-Spot Lounge
Kevin Earley - On the Record - Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal
Bill A. Jones - Frank, Bobby & Me! - E-Spot Lounge
Mark Arthur Miller - Soul Searching - Sterling's
Ben Vereen - Catalina Jazz Club
BEST CABARET/CONCERT ARTIST: FEMALE
Megan Hilty - Valley Performing Arts Center, Cal State Northridge
Michele Lee - Catalina Jazz Club
Candy Milo - If She Taps, You're F--ked- Sterling's
Barbara Minkus - It's All About Love - St. Mark's, Glendale
Diane Vincent - Diane & Lucy & Betty: A One Woman Show - Sterling's
Nita Whitaker - All That Matters - Sterling's
BEST CD
ARIA - home
Judy Norton - Reflections
Jeanne Page - Reboot
Lyn Stanley - Interludes
BEST BOOK
Noel, Tallulah, Cole and Me: A Memoir of Broadway's Golden Age - by John C. Wilson with Thomas S. Hischak and Jack Macauley -Rowan & Littlefield
BEST THEATRICAL SEASON
Center Theatre Group - Mark Taper Forum
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