On the Road and Glued to My Seat

What a difference a year makes! A year ago this week I was promoted from copywriter to product manager at Oxford University Press; perhaps not uncoincidentally, I also managed to stop blogging from that moment on. And then there was that other big news (see left) ...

I blame my absence in part on the travel demands of my new job: in 2008, I flew more than I ever have in my life -- 15 trips total, and most of them for work. I attended academic conferences and went on campus to promote the textbooks in the disciplines I focus on, including anthropology, criminal justice, music, and sociology.

I visited Ohio, North Carolina, Iowa, Ohio, Kansas, Nebraska, Ohio, California (a fabulous 30th birthday/anthropology conference in gorgeous San Francisco), Massachusetts, Ohio, Maine, and Georgia. And did I mention Ohio? I somehow managed to get there FOUR times within a year; once to Columbus for a friend's wedding, but the other three times (Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cincinnati) for conferences. Happily, not only did I have ample opportunity to patronize my beloved Dairy Queen (symbol of all things homespun), but I also discovered the wonders of Graeter's ice cream.

And don't think there wasn't drama on the road -- professors often have histrionics to spare, and it's been exciting to jump onto various college campuses and talk up our books.

One particularly fun aspect of traveling has been getting to visit regional theaters along the way. I started contributing some regional reviews to Talkin' Broadway this year, and I loved getting to see local theater on some of my trips.

In Ohio, I visited (and dined at) the wonderfully appointed Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park to see their stirring production of Doubt.

In Atlanta, I was able to review two shows while attending the College Music Society meeting in September. If you're ever in Atlanta, I implore you to visit the Fox Theatre, where I saw a revival of Les Miserables. There's a reason they call it the "fabulous" Fox -- with stars glowing in a blue sky from the ceiling, it's the most divine theater I've ever seen.

I was also fortunate enough to visit the more intimate company Theatrical Outfit, where I saw an absolutely unforgettable production of the musical Big River, which is -- without question -- the best production I've seen this year.

I just LOVE visiting theaters when I can feel such a strong sense of family/community amongst the actors and patrons. Not only did Theatrical Outfit present an impeccable production of the show, the audience was one of the more diverse I've seen anywhere -- a sure sign of a theater's health and potential. I'm already looking forward to a return trip the next time I find myself in Atlanta.

Another regional treat was the San Francisco Playhouse's production of Conor McPherson's Shining City, a play I missed when it was on Broadway and thoroughly enjoyed in this intimate, beautifully acted production.

So despite my prohibitive travel schedule, I did review quite a few shows this year; for this first post of 2009, I've decided to include a listing (with links) of shows I've reviewed over the past year. And I'm resolving to update this thing at least a few times a month; over the past year I've also joined Facebook and had sufficient time to mull over the merits (and misfortunes) of social networking, but when it comes down to it, I do love to write, and this has been a great way of bringing my writing (and head) together on occasion. Thanks for reading along ...

And so ... my year in theater:

JANUARY

The Peach Tartes Peel for Repeal: offoffonline review - bawdy burlesque; tart, jazzy, and sweet

Glimpses of the Moon: offoffonline review - a sophisticated, sparkling musical in the Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel; now playing again on Monday nights

FEBRUARY

The Wild Party: offoffonline review - the Gallery Players' excellent rendition of Andrew Lippa's musical; the composer sat across the aisle from me the night I attended

Grace: offoffonline review - the phenomenal Lynn Redgrave starred in this provocative London import

The Play About the Naked Guy: offoffonline review - the title pretty much says it all; the desperate measures taken by a struggling theater company to bring in patrons

Next to Normal: Show Business Weekly review - Alice Ripley gave a gripping performance in this excruciatingly emotional new musical

MARCH

Dead Man's Cell Phone: Show Business Weekly review - Sarah Ruhl's writing brings out the love/hate in critics, but I'm definitely on the adoration end of the spectrum; Mary-Louise Parker's craftily controlled performance also made this insightful assessment of technology/death one of my favorites of the year

In the Heights: Show Business Weekly review - I reviewed the Off-Broadway version of this irresistible show in 2007, and it only got better--fiercer, bolder, brighter--when it moved uptown

Doubt: Talkin' Broadway review - a fantastic effort by Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park

Juno: Show Business Weekly review - an excellent City Center Encores! revival starring the indomitable Victoria Clark, who proved that she doesn't need a big song to steal the show and emote like a champ

APRIL

Gypsy: Show Business Weekly review - Patti LuPone was (and maybe is?) Mama Rose, and I can't imagine that I'll see such magnificence in that role ever again

Cry-Baby: Show Business Weekly review - wow, did I really review this? It burned bright, Hairspray-style, for a few moments, but then fizzled in a fog of forgettable songs

A Catered Affair: Show Business Weekly review - this one smoldered and faded all too soon; one of the most moving, emotionally transparent shows I've seen, made all the more fabulous by the touching, heartbreaking performance of Faith Prince

Triumph of Love: offoffonline review - an okay production of a rather obnoxious show; the Astoria Performing Arts Center can do better. It has and it will -- look out for their intimate revival of Ragtime, opening in February

MAY

Honor: offoffonline review - this intriguing new musical from the always ambitious Prospect Theater Company transported Shakespeare's As You Like It to feudal Japan with sumptuous costumes and scenery to match

How Theater Failed America: offoffonline review - a raucous Mike Daisey monologue that was a must-see for theater artists in this day and (Disney-fied) age; he scored again at the Public in the fall with the ballsy attack on homeland security If You See Something, Say Something

JUNE

Saved: offoffonline review - oh, the show this might have been with a bit more sass and sparkle; Mary Faber stole the show as a holier-than-thou high-schooler

Little Shop of Horrors: Show Business Weekly review - I always love visiting the Paper Mill Playhouse (see ode to regional theater, above), and this faithful revival of the near-perfect musical was the perfect air-conditioned antidote to a sticky-steamy summer afternoon

JULY

The Little Hours: Show Business Weekly review - another fantastic dose of regional theater, this time from the New Jersey Repertory Company in Long Branch, NJ, the hometown of the tart-tongued Dorothy Parker, whose writing was the inspiration for this chamber musical

Damn Yankees: Show Business Weekly review - neither the slickest nor spiffiest version of this dogeared classic, but it had lots of "heart"

The Marriage of Bette & Boo: Show Business Weekly review - a slick and saucy revival of Christopher Durang's biting-yet-somehow-moving play (and another score for the sensational Victoria Clark)

Around the World in 80 Days: Show Business Weekly review - a winning, whirlwind adventure from the Irish Repertory Company

AUGUST

Johnny Law: offoffonline review - the one Fringe show I made it to this year; a heroic effort that sometimes hit its one-man legal humor

SEPTEMBER

What's That Smell: The Music of Jacob Sterling: Show Business Weekly review - a witty mockumentary for musical theater types

1965UU: offoffonline review - experimental theater is usually not my cup of tea, and this is why

The Marvelous Wonderettes: Show Business Weekly review - bubblegum fun from start to finish, with four sensational singing performances

A Tale of Two Cities: Show Business Weekly review - Les Miserables redux, minus the haunting melodies

Les Miserables: Talkin' Broadway review - faithful revival at the fabulous Fox Theatre in Atlanta

Big River: Talkin' Broadway review - everything musical theater should be, from Atlanta's Theatrical Outfit

DECEMBER

Slava's Showshow: Show Business Weekly review - you haven't experienced interactive theater until you've had your coat flung into the air

And about this year's Tony Awards ... this year I was lucky enough to attend -- as a seat-filler, which was one of the more interesting experiences of my life. But I'll save the scintillating story of that event for another post later this month ...

Coming soon: reviews of Ragtime (Astoria) and Thoroughly Modern Millie (Brooklyn) -- Broadway moves to the boroughs!

In the meantime, here's to another year of seat-filling at its finest!