Gail’s Most Memorable Shows of the Decade 2000-2009
Written by Gail M. Burns - December 2009
NOTE: These are the listings and blurbs as they will appear in the North Adams Transcript. I will elaborate on them between now and New Year’s Day 2010, so keep checking back! Although the lists are numbered, the shows are listed in random order, not in order of preference. These are NOT “Best of…” lists, they are lists of the most memorable productions I saw and/or reviewed between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2009.
Most Memorable Comedies
All of these were just hilarious. Shakespeare & Company is the clear winner in this category, and two of their four shows were free outdoor offerings on the tented Rose Footprint Theatre.
1. “The Imaginary Invalid” (2007) Bakerloo Theatre Project
2. “The Servant of Two Masters” (2006) Shakespeare & Company
3. “Scapin” (2007) Shakespeare & Company
4. “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare” (2000, 2001 & 2003) Shakespeare & Company
5. “The Hound of the Baskervilles” (2009) Shakespeare & Company
6. “The Mystery of Irma Vep” (2000) Weston Playhouse Theatre Company
7. “Rumors” (2002) Ghent Playhouse (formerly the Columbia Civic Players)
8. “The Importance of Being Earnest” (2003) The Theatre Company at Hubbard Hall
9. “The Miser” (2007) The Theatre Company at Hubbard Hall
10. “Beyond Therapy” (2000) Victory Street Productions (sadly now defunct)
Most Memorable Dramas
Eight of my picks in this category were staged by community theatres or non-equity companies, most utilizing local talent. The professional companies stage fine productions of meaningful dramas, but that’s what you expect them to do. When you see your next door neighbor get up on the stage and move you to tears, that’s special.
1. “Molly Sweeney” (2006) Originally produced the Town Players of Pittsfield. Subsequently presented by Homespun Productions
2. “All My Sons” (2009) Main Street Stage
3. “The Elephant Man” (2007) The Theatre Company at Hubbard Hall
4. “Uncle Vanya” (2007) The Theatre Company at Hubbard Hall
5. “The Beauty Queen of Leenane” (2003) Ghent Playhouse (formerly the Columbia Civic Players)
6. “Hamlet: What Dreams May Come” (2009) Bakerloo Theatre Project
7. “The Tempest” (2008) Cap & Bells (Not reviewed)
8. “Waiting for Godot” (2008) Berkshire Theatre Festival
9. “A Body of Water” (2007) Oldcastle Theatre Company
10. “The Retreat from Moscow” (2005) Chester Theatre Company (then the Miniature Theatre of Chester)
Most Memorable Musicals
1. “La Cage Aux Folles” (2006 & 2008) C-R Productions at the Cohoes Music Hall
2. “Urinetown” (2006) Theater Barn
The Barn routinely stages a couple of smart, small musicals each August.
3. “Pippin” (2007) Mill City Productions
4. “She Loves Me” (2008) Williamstown Theatre Festival
5. “Henry’s House” (2002) The Theatre Company at Hubbard Hall
Weird, wild and wonderful! The book was incoherent, but the rock music was exciting and the cast, almost all over whom were under 20, were amazing.
6. “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” (2004 & 2008) Barrington Stage Company
What fun to see a musical in the making! I slithered through February slush from Williamstown to Sheffield to see the workshop production in 2004 which was unforgettable.
7. “Ragtime” (2003) Weston Playhouse Theatre Company
8. “Falsettos” (2002) Barrington Stage Company
“Follies” was a close runner-up for BSC, but this smaller, quieter musical really moved me.
9. “Ain’t Misbehavin’” (2006) C-R Productions at the Cohoes Music Hall
C-R Productions is one of the few companies in the region to regularly present shows with large numbers of African-American performers. This was my favorite, but “Ragtime” (2006) and “Dreamgirls” (2009) were also excellent showcases for an underutilized pool of regional talent.
10. The Mac-Haydn Theatre, which produces nothing but musicals, routinely mounts one or two really excellent productions each summer. I found it impossible to choose a favorite!
