There were a lot of good shows, but it was not a very
good year.
That may seem like an odd way to describe 2004 on the local theatre
scene, but it's the truth.
You'll find 10 productions on the list below that I remember fondly
long after the final curtain has fallen and you might think that's a
sign of a healthy theatrical environment.
Well, it would be if they were evenly divided among our producing organizations,
but the thorny fact is that 90 per cent of them come from four theatres:
Shaw, CanStage, Soulpepper and Stratford.
The disheartening fact has to be faced that the trio of theatres - Factory,
Passe Muraille and Tarragon - that provided much of the exciting
lifeblood of our city's drama for many years, have grown increasingly
stagnant, seemingly only coming to life when they offer a home to shows
developed in the Fringe, Summerworks or elsewhere.
To catalogue the weakness of productions like Simpl, The Adventures
Of Ali And Ali or Cold Meat Party would be an exercise in futility.
Theatre that may have seemed revolutionary 10 years ago is now sadly
dated.
The venues that are doing better deserve praise, but with a bit of
caution as well.
There have been some spectacular shows out of Shaw since Jackie Maxwell
took over, but what may prove dangerous is the tide of red ink rising
around the company. Fudge-sated American tourists aren't rushing to
Maxwell's stimulating fare; it's up to Toronto audiences to save her.
Stratford had a generally lacklustre year, with only a few efforts
really showing the quality the organization is capable of. There was
no greatness here, just a well-oiled machine rolling along.
CanStage is sticking with the casino approach to theatre: You wind
up either winning or losing and nobody seems to know how to beat the
house. Brilliant and appalling works often exist side by side (by Sondheim).
Kudos to Buddies in Bad Times for mounting their biggest and boldest
season yet and - so far - doing quite well with it.
Soulpepper continued to provide provocative and stimulating theatre
like Waiting For Godot, Nathan The Wise and Translations, as well as
a stunning production of Hamlet, unfortunately only available to student
audiences.
Praise is also due to the gang from macIDeas who are trying hard to
come up with a commercial theatre based on edginess and youth appeal.
I didn't love Matt And Ben, but a lot of people did and it played to
packed houses for several months.
It wasn't a great year for Mirvish Productions, but enough has been
written about the quick closings of Hairspray and The Producers. As
I've said before, the fault lay with the lack of broad appeal of the
shows themselves and should not be taken as a reflection of the death
throes of Toronto theatre.
And, in conclusion, it must be noted that some of the most fascinating
work seen in Toronto continues to come from the Fringe and Summerworks.
Let's be grateful for their success.
One note about this list: Shows that were revived this year (like One
Good Marriage, Cul De Sac, Helen's Necklace and This
Is Our Youth) were
not included.
Top 10 Shows of 2004 (in alphabetical order):
Bigger Than Jesus (Factory/Necessary Angel): Rick Miller and Daniel
Brooks tackled the whole issue of the Messiah with humour, intelligence
and superb theatricality.
Floyd Collins (Shaw): Inventive staging from Eda Holmes and a superb
cast made this quirky and heartbreaking musical the best show I saw
in 2004. A brilliant use of the confining Court House Theatre and an
uncanny grasp of the material combined to magical effect.
Guys And Dolls (Stratford): Pure middle-of-the-road entertainment,
but slickly done, with great performances down the line, including a
show-stopping turn from the irrepressible Bruce Dow.
Hamlet (Soulpepper): This crystal-clear production by director Joe
Ziegler featured a breathtakingly intellectual Prince of Denmark from
Albert Schultz and a memorable Polonius from William Webster. It was
only performed for student audiences, but it really should be revived
for the general public in 2005.
The Last Five Years (CanStage): Jason Robert Brown's bittersweet score
and dynamite performances from Blythe Wilson and Tyley Ross made this
a night to remember.
Man And Superman (Shaw): Ben Carlson gave the single greatest acting
display of the year in this marathon epic. The full six-hour version
was an extraordinary achievement which left you full of the true excitement
great theatre can provide.
Rutherford And Son (Shaw): Jackie Maxwell's direction and two powerhouse
pieces of acting from Michael Ball and Kelli Fox made this nearly forgotten
drama seem fresh and modern.
The Syringa Tree (CanStage): Caroline Cave and Yanna Macintosh alternated
the leading role in this tale of growing up in South Africa. Both were
brilliant and made it seem like two different plays.
Timon Of Athens (Stratford): Director Stephen Ouimette combined with
leading actor Peter Donaldson to transform one of Shakespeare's minor
plays into a major evening of theatre.
Translations (Soulpepper): Thanks to the inspired direction of Ireland's
Ben Barnes, this drama of Brian Friel's combined with the talents of
the Soulpepper company to create a memorable event.
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