To get started I am going to discuss my favourite things. First I am going to talk about my favourite theatrical productions as a whole, and my next post will focus on my favourite books. Later I will narrow down these categories and discuss topics such as my favourite musical theatre productions, Shakespeare productions, Theatres (as in the buildings themselves), children and young adult books, theatre books, classic fiction, nonfiction books, etc.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, was the musical that got me completely hooked on theatre. Although I had seen a few productions before Joseph, including The Sound of Music and The Fiddler on the Roof (and today love both of these musicals), when I saw Joseph in the Elgin Wintergarden Theatre, one week after Donny Osmond left the production, when I was nine years old, something clicked. I became completely obsessed, to the point where I actually memorized the entire musical from the prologue all the way through to any dream will do. Even today I can still recite almost all the lyrics to every song. So this was the first musical I ever loved, and because of this reason it still remains one of my favourites.
When I was younger I used to try and maintain a list of my top three favourite productions, which usually changed slightly every time I would see something new (well for the most part, but productions like The Lion King and The Wizard of OZ didn't really do anything for me). Today creating such a list would be impossible however, I do currently have one production that I consider to be the best I have ever seen. This is the Stratford Shakespeare Festival's 2009 production of West Side Story staring Chilina Kennedy and Paul Nolan. The Stratford Festival has produced a number of my favourite productions, is in fact my favourite theatre company, I absolutely adore the town of Stratford, and love everything to do with the Festival- actually it is my goal to one day work for the Stratford Shakespeare Festival (just putting that out there). But this production was absolutely amazing. The acting, singing and dancing of the entire cast was spectacular, and I was completely engrossed in every second of the performance. Paul Nolan's rendition of Maria was the best I have ever heard, Chilina Kennedy completely embodies Maria and breaks your heart, Kolton Stewart's Somewhere accompanied with Sergio Trujillo choreography was unforgettable...And I could go on and on. I truly hope that the Stratford Festival will remount this production in the near future, because although I was able to see it twice, it was not nearly enough.
My other favourite Stratford productions include: My Fair Lady (the first production I ever saw at Stratford, starting my obsession with this theatre festival), Cabaret, Cyrano de Bergerac, Peter Pan, The Tempest, and Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris. The last three productions on this list are all from Stratford's 2010 season-but they were all amazing and truly Stratford's 2010 season as a whole was remarkably good. I am also very excited for Stratford's 2011 season since it is lining up to be just as good. I am very excited to be seeing: Jesus Christ Superstar (starring Paul Nolan, this will be his 3rd time in this role, which he has stated to be his favourite during a webcast discussing West Side Story with Chilina Kennedy and General Director Antoni Cimolino), The Grapes of Wrath, Richard III (starring Seana McKenna one of Stratford's lead actresses in the title role of this production, which also opened the Festival in their inaugural season back in 1953), Camelot, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Twelfth Night. But now I am throughly off topic, and will return to discussing the best productions I have already seen.
Narrowing things down, the two other best productions I have seen in Toronto are Spring Awakening and Wicked. I went into both these performances with no expectations and left amazed. Now I am sure I am leaving a bunch out, but right now anyways, Spring Awakening, Wicked and Joseph and the three best Mirvish productions I have seen. (And I know above I was saying how I can't narrow performances down to a top three...but I'm really not since I have a list of seven other performances also listed above).
Lastly, this past May I was able to visit New York for the first time, and saw two production: American Idiot and A Little Night Music. Both of these were wonderful, but through retrospection it is American Idiot that makes my list of favourite theatre productions. The entire cast was remarkable, and I was so lucky to be able to view a complete Original Broadway Cast.
So to sum it up, in no particular order (with the exception of West Side Story) my favourite theatre production of all time are:
-West Side Story
-Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
-My Fair Lady
-Cabaret
-Cyrano de Bergerac
-The Tempest
-Peter Pan
-Jaques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris
-Spring Awakening
-Wicked
-American Idiot
So there you have it, my top eleven!
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, was the musical that got me completely hooked on theatre. Although I had seen a few productions before Joseph, including The Sound of Music and The Fiddler on the Roof (and today love both of these musicals), when I saw Joseph in the Elgin Wintergarden Theatre, one week after Donny Osmond left the production, when I was nine years old, something clicked. I became completely obsessed, to the point where I actually memorized the entire musical from the prologue all the way through to any dream will do. Even today I can still recite almost all the lyrics to every song. So this was the first musical I ever loved, and because of this reason it still remains one of my favourites.
When I was younger I used to try and maintain a list of my top three favourite productions, which usually changed slightly every time I would see something new (well for the most part, but productions like The Lion King and The Wizard of OZ didn't really do anything for me). Today creating such a list would be impossible however, I do currently have one production that I consider to be the best I have ever seen. This is the Stratford Shakespeare Festival's 2009 production of West Side Story staring Chilina Kennedy and Paul Nolan. The Stratford Festival has produced a number of my favourite productions, is in fact my favourite theatre company, I absolutely adore the town of Stratford, and love everything to do with the Festival- actually it is my goal to one day work for the Stratford Shakespeare Festival (just putting that out there). But this production was absolutely amazing. The acting, singing and dancing of the entire cast was spectacular, and I was completely engrossed in every second of the performance. Paul Nolan's rendition of Maria was the best I have ever heard, Chilina Kennedy completely embodies Maria and breaks your heart, Kolton Stewart's Somewhere accompanied with Sergio Trujillo choreography was unforgettable...And I could go on and on. I truly hope that the Stratford Festival will remount this production in the near future, because although I was able to see it twice, it was not nearly enough.
My other favourite Stratford productions include: My Fair Lady (the first production I ever saw at Stratford, starting my obsession with this theatre festival), Cabaret, Cyrano de Bergerac, Peter Pan, The Tempest, and Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris. The last three productions on this list are all from Stratford's 2010 season-but they were all amazing and truly Stratford's 2010 season as a whole was remarkably good. I am also very excited for Stratford's 2011 season since it is lining up to be just as good. I am very excited to be seeing: Jesus Christ Superstar (starring Paul Nolan, this will be his 3rd time in this role, which he has stated to be his favourite during a webcast discussing West Side Story with Chilina Kennedy and General Director Antoni Cimolino), The Grapes of Wrath, Richard III (starring Seana McKenna one of Stratford's lead actresses in the title role of this production, which also opened the Festival in their inaugural season back in 1953), Camelot, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Twelfth Night. But now I am throughly off topic, and will return to discussing the best productions I have already seen.
Narrowing things down, the two other best productions I have seen in Toronto are Spring Awakening and Wicked. I went into both these performances with no expectations and left amazed. Now I am sure I am leaving a bunch out, but right now anyways, Spring Awakening, Wicked and Joseph and the three best Mirvish productions I have seen. (And I know above I was saying how I can't narrow performances down to a top three...but I'm really not since I have a list of seven other performances also listed above).
Lastly, this past May I was able to visit New York for the first time, and saw two production: American Idiot and A Little Night Music. Both of these were wonderful, but through retrospection it is American Idiot that makes my list of favourite theatre productions. The entire cast was remarkable, and I was so lucky to be able to view a complete Original Broadway Cast.
So to sum it up, in no particular order (with the exception of West Side Story) my favourite theatre production of all time are:
-West Side Story
-Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
-My Fair Lady
-Cabaret
-Cyrano de Bergerac
-The Tempest
-Peter Pan
-Jaques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris
-Spring Awakening
-Wicked
-American Idiot
So there you have it, my top eleven!
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