Best and Worst of 2015 Theater

A TIE FOR BEST SHOW OF 2015: ‘Something Rotten!’. Photo: Joan Marcus

A TIE FOR BEST SHOW OF 2015: ‘Hamilton.’ Pictured: Christopher Jackson & ensemble in ‘Hamilton.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

This year at StageZine, we decided to do things a bit differently for our annual Best and Worst list. None of us could come up with 10 Best or 10 Worst, so we decided to list what we felt was best and worst without adding extras just to complete a list. For Best Show of the year, it was a real tossup. Do we go with the obvious, the original and groundbreaking musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton?– or the highly original, extraordinarily delightful, funny musical by the Kirkpatrick Brothers and John O’Farrell, Something Rotten? Both had incredible scores and ingenious directions, but each filled a different criteria, so for the best it is a tie between: Hamilton and Something Rotten!

David NouNou: Best of Broadway 2015

Hand to God: Best original American play in many a year, with Steven Boyer’s outstanding and unforgettable performance. Shame it never found a Broadway audience.

The King and I: Barlett Sher brilliantly conceived the most glorious revival of this Rodgers and Hammerstein classic.

The Audience: An enchanting evening spent with Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II and meetings with her prime ministers.

King Charles III: Another import from Britain, the hypothesis that Elizabeth has died and Charles has ascended the throne. Extremely thought-provoking despite the playwright’s flaw of turning Prince Harry into a caricature.

On the 20th Century: Kristen Chenoweth and director Scott Ellis turned this mundane musical into a must-see extravaganza.

Skylight: David Hare’s best and most accessible play, with outstanding performances by Carey Mulligan and Bill Nighy.

Scott Harrah: Best of Broadway, 2015

The Audience: Another tour de force performance by Helen Mirren, portraying Queen Elizabeth II in Peter Morgan’s fascinating look at the monarch’s private meetings with her prime ministers. Ms. Mirren morphed flawlessly in scene after scene to show the Queen throughout the decades, with only minor costume changes and an arsenal of spot-on facial expressions to depict Elizabeth at different points in time. Live theater at its best.

Something Rotten!: The funniest musical since The Book of Mormon. Full of laughs and excellent performances, with a witty score.

Hamilton: One of the few musicals that lived up to its hype, with hip-hop and pop-style songs, but also many beautiful ballads and more traditional tunes, all of which propel the story forward exquisitely. Lin-Manuel Miranda created an intricate historical epic that has become a phenomenon.

The King and I: A gorgeous revival of a timeless classic, with the exquisite Kelli O’Hara giving her finest performance to date.

King Charles III: A masterpiece even if one isn’t into British history or the monarchy. Tim Piggott-Smith’s multi-faceted portrayal of Prince Charles was one of the must-see performances of the year.

AND, THE WORST…

WORST SHOW OF THE YEAR: The epic bore ‘Dr. Zhivago.’ Photo: Matthew Murphy

David NouNou: Worst of Broadway 2015

This was an eight-way tie for me; never have we seen so many shows vying to take the top spot and here they are.

Dr. Zhivago: Possibly the dreariest musical ever misconceived.

China Doll: David Mamet, Al Pacino and Pam MacKinnon at their worst.

Amazing Grace: A musical built around a hymn, written by an ex-policeman from Pennsylvania. Let’s pray for no more divinely inspired musicals.

‘AMAZING GRACE’: Show never had a prayer. Photo: Joan Marcus

Misery: Title says it all. Based on the 1990 movie, not even Bruce Willis and Laurie Metcalf could save this one.

Sylvia: Nothing can be worse in the theater than sitting through an unfunny show. A tiny, flimsy comedy that was designed for a small Off-Broadway theatre, 20 years later being revived as a Broadway show with a somnambulistic Matthew Broderick.

Gigi: A God-awful revival of a dreadful musical that should have never been adapted for the stage in the first place.

It Shoulda Been You : Tried to pass as an original musical, but was riddled with every stereotype and awful cliché in the book about the trials and tribulations of getting married.

‘FISH IN THE DARK’: One stinky fish. Pictured: Rosie Perez & Larry David. Photo: www.fishinthedark.com

Fish In The Dark : Tried to pass itself off as a comedy but had every cliché and platitude in the book about death in a Jewish family, courtesy of Larry David. Would have worked better as a half-hour episode of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” than as a two-hour comedy. But to Mr. David’s credit, it was a top dollar sellout with its all-star cast and Mr. David starring in his own vehicle.

Scott Harrah: Worst of Broadway, 2015

Dr. Zhivago: A pretentious, inept, boring attempt to adapt the Russian epic into a musical. The result? Dr. ZZZZ-hivago.

Fish in the Dark: Despite a great cast, with inflated ticket prices, this was a huge disappointment for many. Larry David should understand sitcoms are great on TV, but not on Broadway.

Amazing Grace: The life of the guy (a former slave trader) who wrote the Christian hymn of the same name, done as a musical by a neophyte author. Lord, save us from more religious-themed drivel.

Misery: A great book and film, but it doesn’t work as a stage play. Bruce Willis was totally miscast, and everyone expected more from Laurie Metcalf.

China Doll: Al Pacino’s a great actor. What’s he doing in this blathering mess of a show? After The Anarchist and now this dud, playwright David Mamet needs to retire.