The Best Plays I Saw in 2010

Dramatically speaking, 2010 was a good year. Although I generally prefer musicals to plays and have often found myself disappointed and/or confused by many dramatic works I've seen over the years, throughout the past 12 months I saw more plays--31--than musicals and the majority of them were excellent.

Recollecting what I saw as best I can, below is my ranking of the plays--all presented in Chicago across a variety of levels and venues--and productions I thought were most superlative, with some credence given to resonance months down the road (hence, the ratings in my reviews may not precisely correspond to the order here).

 Please be aware that unlike the "Best of" list published yesterday by the Tribune's fine theater critic, Chris Jones, my list does not combine plays with musicals--I'll rank those separately--or other theatrical presentations (such as the modern circus, Traces, which won't be making any list of mine). Also, Chris obviously has seen many more productions than I, so omissions below may be a matter of what I didn't see rather than what I didn't like. Finally, as most of the works below were not brand new, my judgments and rankings are as much about the productions as the plays themselves.

The Best Plays I Saw in 2010 (all in the Chicago area)

1. The Pillowman - Redtwist Theatre (my review)
written by Martin McDonagh; directed by Kimberly Senior

2. Trust - Lookingglass Theatre (my review)
A new work written by David Schwimmer & Andy Bellin; directed by David Schwimmer & Heidi Stillman

3. Frost/Nixon - Timeline Theatre (my review)
written by Peter Morgan; directed by Louis Contey

4. Speed-the-Plow - American Theater Company (my review)
written by David Mamet; directed by Rick Snyder

5. American Buffalo - Steppenwolf Theatre (my review)
written by David Mamet; directed by Amy Morton

6. August: Osage County - Touring production at Cadillac Palace Theatre (my review)
written by Tracy Letts; directed by Anna Shapiro

7. Harper Regan - Steep Theatre (my review)
written by Simon Stephens; directed by Robin Witt

8. The Long Red Road - Goodman Theatre (my review)
a new work written by Brett C. Leonard; directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman

9. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof - Raven Theatre (my review; show still running)
written by Tennessee Williams; directed by Michael Menendian

10. Detroit - Steppenwolf Theatre (my review)
a new work written by Lisa D'Amour; directed by Austin Pendleton

Honorable Mention

Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps - Touring production at Bank of America Theatre (my review)
written by Patrick Barlow; directed by Maria Aitken

After the Fall - Eclipse Theatre Co. (my review)
written by Arthur Miller; directed by Steve Scott

Awake and Sing - Northlight Theatre (my review)
written by Clifford Odets; directed by Amy Morton

Killer Joe - Profiles Theatre (my review)
written by Tracy Letts; directed by Rick Snyder

The Lonesome West - Gift Theatre (my review)
written by Martin McDonagh; directed by Sheldon Patinkin

Savage in Limbo - Village Players of Oak Park (my review)
written by John Patrick Shanley; directed by Jacque Lueken

Suicide, Incorporated - Gift Theatre (my review)
written by Andrew Hinderaker; directed by Jonathan Berry

Sweet Bird of Youth - The Artistic Home (my review, show still running)
written by Tennessee Williams; directed by Dale Calandra

War With the Newts: Mr. Povondra's Dream - Next Theatre (my review)
written by Jason Loewith & Justin D.M. Palmer; directed by Jason Loewith

One more I'd like to mention is Return to Haifa at Next Theatre. I enjoyed this work and would cite it among my Honorable Mentions, but its production led to charges of plagiarism and other improprieties that cost Next's Artistic Director his job (story here). Thus, it doesn't seem right to call it "Honorable" but the play that was presented was very good and any creators, crew and cast that didn't do anything wrong are deserving of kudos.