My Favorite Plays of the '00s

Although I saw dozens of Musicals from this decade that I really enjoyed, I also saw a whole bunch of newly penned and staged Plays, but with a much lower percentage of enjoyment. A lot of things that were supposed to be really good, I just didn't fully understand and/or care for. But there were several I did like, and below are My Favorite Plays of the '00s.

Most of these I saw on various professional stages around Chicagoland, typically a few years after the work debuted on Broadway or elsewhere, although some were world premieres. But with enormous admiration for the multitude of performers who brought these to life, here I will credit just the work and author, not specific theaters.

I believe it is worth noting that I did not see Frost/Nixon by Peter Morgan as a stage play, and thus do not include it below. But given that the movie--also penned by Morgan and starring the two lead actors from the Broadway run--was one of my favorite films of the decade, I imagine the play must have been sensational as well.

1. Doubt - John Patrick Shanley
2. Proof - David Auburn
3. I Am My Own Wife - Doug Wright
4. Permanent Collection - Thomas Gibbons
5. The Lieutenant of Inishmore - Martin McDonagh
6. 700 Sundays (one-man show) - Billy Crystal
7. The Pillowman - Martin McDonagh
8. August: Osage County - Tracy Letts
9. The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia - Edward Albee
10. The Judas Kiss - David Hare

Honorable Mention:

Golda's Balcony - William Gibson
The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity - Kristoffer Diaz
The Sparrow - Chris Matthews & Jake Minton
The Pain and the Itch - Bruce Norris
The Overwhelming - J.T. Rogers
Blackbird - Adam Rapp
Blackbird - David Harrower
Graceland - Ellen Fairey
Columbinus - Stephen Karam and PJ Paparelli
Dublin Carol - Conor McPherson
Intimate Apparel - Lynn Nottage
Boleros for the Disenchanted - Jose Rivera
Radio Golf - August Wilson
A Steady Rain - Keith Huff
The History Boys - Alan Bennett