Now that a new year has arrived, it’s customary to look back at the year past. In theater, 2023 was a time of struggle. Audiences started to return to live entertainment, but slowly. Almost every venue I know claimed attendance was dangerously off.
Accordingly, some theater companies, like Williamstown Theatre Festival drastically cut back on live productions. Instead, they presented weekend runs of readings and other low budget events. Other organizations dug deep for two character plays and, at times, boldly offered something with as many as four performers.
But it wasn’t all bad. In fact, one of the most memorable shows of the year was, “The Happiest Man in the World,” a one-man show at Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, MA. It was the story of Eddie Jaku, who survived life in a Nazi concentration camp. “Inhabited” is an overused word to describe a performance, but in the case of Kenneth Tiger playing Eddie Jaku, it’s accurate.
The same might be said of Jeannine Trimboli, in “End of the Rainbow” at Curtain Call Theatre. She found the heartbreak within Judy Garland without doing an impersonation. Her singing also contributed to the audience understanding Garland’s passion for drama in life and on stage.
Many outstanding performances were offered at Shakespeare & Company, but two were memorable. The actor who goes by “ranney” was brilliant in August Wilson’s “Fences” and Reed Birney was as just good in “Lunar Eclipse.” Each actor made unsympathetic men seen sadly human.
Locally, three females made indelible impressions this year. Colleen Lovett was sensitively withdrawn in the Creative License production of “The Sound Inside,” presented at Cohoes Music Hall. At Capital Repertory Theatre, Kim Stauffer was dynamic in the role of a woman who looks at the U.S. Constitution through the eyes of females and minorities. Kathleen Carey hit every emotion in the title role of Mrs. Packard in the Harbinger Theatre production of a woman who, in 1861, was placed in an insane asylum for disagreeing with her husband.
As for men, David Girard was wonderfully disciplined as he conquered the one-person version of “A Christmas Carol” for Troy Foundry Theatre. John Noble was living proof that you can get better with age in Curtain Call’s production of “The Rembrandt.” Finally Rob McClure did the impossible with “Mrs. Doubtfire” on the stage of Proctors. He made you forget the film version that starred Robin Williams.
However, 2023 was not only about individual performances. There were many excellent productions throughout the year. Indeed, in choosing the top ten shows almost every production at Proctors and Barrington Stage Company was considered. To make the point, I excluded “Hamilton” from the list. In my mind, it’s no longer necessary to point out it’s the best, whenever it plays.
Proctors had an amazing season with one excellent show after another. My favorite was the imperfect “Girl From the North Country.” It was the ideal combination of an Irish playwright using the songs of Bob Dylan to create a portrait of how people survive in the bleakest of times.
The happiest appointment of the year was Alan Paul as artistic director of Barrington Stage. It seemed impossible for anyone to fill the shoes of founder Julianne Boyd, but Paul put together a high quality season that was varied challenging and exciting.
The newest theatre group in the area, Harbinger Theatre, made noise by offering a slate of plays that were fresh and thoughtful. Meanwhile, Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate N.Y. is finding its feet as a resident company at The Rep in Albany where it offered several fine productions. Another positive sign throughout the area is that more theatre companies are taking larger risks in scheduling. It bodes well for the future.
However, looking at the recent past, here is a list of what I consider the best shows of 2023.
- THE GLASS MENAGERIE, Bridge Street Theatre, Catskill
- SOMETHING ROTTEN, Park Playhouse, Albany
- MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, Capital Repertory Theatre, Albany
- FAITH HEALER, Barrington Stage Company, Pittsfield, MA
- CABARET, Barrington Stage Company, Pittsfield, MA
- FENCES, Shakespeare & Company, Lenox, MA
- SHEAR MADNESS, Lake George Dinner Theater, Lake George
- DIG, Harbinger Theatre, Sand Lake Center for the Arts
- THE SOUND INSIDE, Creative License, Cohoes Music Hall
- SKELETON CREW, Black Theatre Troupe, of Upstate NY, Albany
As you can see the shows on the top 10 list are varied and spread amongst 9 producing companies. It’s indicative of the quality of theater throughout the region. I expect 2024 to be even better than 2023.
Bob Goepfert is theater reviewer for the Troy Record.
The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.
