The Best of 2013: The Best Musicals I Saw on Stage

With a relative scarcity of new musicals making big Broadway splashes—only Kinky Boots, Matilda and Motown the Musical seem to be successes worth noting—and the relative mediocrity of Big Fish, which was Chicago's big world premiere production before heading to a disappointing run on Broadway, 2013 doesn't instantly strike me as a great year for musical theater.

Yet even without a trip to New York this year—seemingly theatrically unnecessary due to having seen Kinky Boots in its 2012 pre-Broadway Chicago run, catching Matilda while in London this summer and already having tickets to Motown next year as part of my Broadway in Chicago subscription—I wound up enjoying a good number of musicals I saw on stage over the past 12 months.

From the Lyric Opera's glorious staging of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma to a terrific touring production of Anything Goes to a resplendent, full-octane Les Miserables in London's West End, plus satisfying takes on Cabaret and Evita, I was reminded how mirthful "classic" musicals can be. Not too surprisingly, I was also fully satisfied with another viewing of The Book of Mormon before it left Chicago, and of Wicked in its return.

Oklahoma - Lyric Opera of Chicago

In terms of anything new, I largely loved Mary Zimmerman's lush staging of The Jungle Book at the Goodman Theatre (likely to wind up on Broadway), tremendously enjoyed the laudably rocking and rebellious Matilda and liked the recent Tony-winning Once, though wished I could have seen it in a more intimate setting than the cavernous Oriental Theatre.

Big Fish had much to appreciate--including Norbert Leo Butz in the lead role and inventive staging by Susan Stroman--but the songs were largely forgettable, an issue that also relegated Catch Me If You Can to just "so-so."

Once Upon a Dream starring the Rascals wasn't much of a "musical," but enjoyable nonetheless, as were Hank Williams: Lost Highway and Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story.

The Jungle Book - Goodman Theatre

I appreciated getting to see Barnum for the first time ever, in a strong Mercury Theatre production, and enjoyed the stage musical of Elf despite never seeing the movie.

All in all, out of 27 musicals seen on stage this year, from London's West End to Skokie's Devonshire Playhouse for community theater, there was really only one I didn't much like: Flashdance the Musical, and even that had its moments.

But after having cited virtually everything on it, here is my list of...

The Best Musicals I Saw On Stage in 2013:

(Note: My rankings are based on my enjoyment of the particular productions, but blend in the quality of the source material as well. I included a couple shows that were staged as operas.)

Matilda

1. Oklahoma - Lyric Opera of Chicago (my review)

2. Les Misérables - Queen's Theatre, London 

3. Wicked - Oriental Theatre (my review)

4. The Book of Mormon - Bank of America Theater (Broadway in Chicago) 

5. Matilda - Cambridge Theatre, London

Once

6. Anything Goes - Cadillac Palace (Broadway in Chicago) (my review)

7. The Jungle Book - Goodman Theatre (my review)

8. Next to Normal - Drury Lane Oakbrook (my review)

9. The Grapes of Wrath - Northwestern University Opera Theater (my review)

10. Once - Oriental Theatre (my review)

Honorable Mention (in order of preference)

Barnum - Mercury Theatre (my review)

Barnum - Mercury Theatre

Buddy - Cadillac Palace (Broadway in Chicago) (my review)

Evita - Oriental Theatre (Broadway in Chicago) (my review)

Mary Poppins - Marriott Theatre Lincolnshire (my review)

Hank Williams: Lost Highway - Greenhouse Theater (American Blues Theater) (my review)

Opera in Focus

Now & Forever: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber - Marriott Theatre Lincolnshire (my review)

Jekyll & Hyde - Cadillac Palace (Broadway in Chicago) (my review)


Special Mention  

Opera in Focus (Puppet Opera) - June production featuring opera & musical selections (my review)

The Best of 2013: The Best Concerts I Attended

Yes, this list is something of a farce. 

No, that doesn't mean it represents anything other than my honest appraisal of the rock concerts I most enjoyed in 2013.

But while I saw, and loved, several of the greatest artists in rock 'n roll history, including classic rock icons like Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Brian Wilson, Leonard Cohen, Bob Seger, Fleetwood Mac, Heart, Rush, The Rascals and Cheap Trick, as well alternative rock heroes such as Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Green Day, Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys, Garbage, Pixies and a reunited-for-3-shows-only Replacements, none of these really had much of a chance to claim the top berth. 

So be it that Bruce Springsteen—my all-time favorite musician and, with the E Street Band, the best live performer in rock 'n roll history, IMHO—didn't play any shows on North American soil in 2013. And so what if I had already seen him 42 times, and in 11 of the prior 14 years?

Having never seen him in Europe—where he has arguably been bigger in recent years than anywhere in America beyond the New Jersey vicinity—in December 2012 I bought a ticket for his show with the E Street Band at London's Wembley Stadium on June 15, 2013. I didn't actually book my trip, using American Airlines' miles, until May, and in addition to London (where I'd been multiple times), I went to Krakow, Vienna, Budapest and Paris (see photos here).

While the trip and almost everything I saw and did was awesome, there was considerable time, effort and expense expended in going to Europe, and even just in getting to the venerable grounds of Wembley—the historic stadium itself was fairly recently rebuilt.

Plus there was the sacrifice of missing the entire final round of the Stanley Cup playoffs in which my hometown Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Boston Bruins in 6 games.

But even with rather lofty expectations, per usual, the Boss didn't disappoint.

Except for a bit of an echo bouncing around the cavernous stadium, the concert was every bit as good as I could have hoped, with "Rosalita" being played earlier in the set than it ever has been, relative rarities like "Jackson Cage" and "Lost in the Flood," the Darkness on the Edge of Town album being performed in full and Bruce playing "Thunder Road" all by himself to close out the 3+ hour concert.

Thus, even in a year with an absolutely sensational Stones show, Sir Paul please pleasing me on a sweltering night in Milwaukee, Pearl Jam playing until 2am at Wrigley Field (following a lengthy rain delay), my first live exposure to the legendary Leonard Cohen, the reunited Replacements—long a favorite—being perfectly outstanding, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band were virtually promised to land atop this list before 2013 even began.

And having thunderously fulfilled that promise, this "farce" of an open competition essentially begins with second place

Nonetheless, entirely filled with shows that I rated either @@@@@ or @@@@1/2—even those in  Honorable Mention—here's my forthright ranking of the Best Concerts I Attended in 2013:

(Note: I will cite opening acts in cases where I enjoyed them in their own right, but my rankings are based solely on the performance of the headliner. All venues are in Chicago area except as noted.)

1. Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band - June 15 - Wembley Stadium, London (my review)
(Full concert audio on YouTube) 

2. The Rolling Stones - May 31 - United Center (my review)

3. Paul McCartney - July 16 - Miller Park, Milwaukee (my review)

4. The Replacements - September 15 - Riot Fest, Chicago (my review)
(YouTube playlist of most of the show)

5. Pearl Jam - July 19 - Wrigley Field (my review)

6. Soundgarden - January 29 - Riviera Theatre (my review)

7. Willie Nile - October 18 - SPACE Evanston (my review)

8. Leonard Cohen - March 13 - Chicago Theatre (my review)

9. Depeche Mode - August 24 - First Midwest Bank Amphitheater (my review)

10. Elton John - November 30 - Allstate Arena (my review)

Honorable Mention (in order of preference)

Green Day - March 28 - Allstate Arena (my review)
Opening act: Best Coast

Ash - March 17 - Lincoln Hall (my review)

Brian Wilson - July 26 - Ravinia (my review)

Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band - April 6 - United Center (my review)
Opening act: Joe Walsh

Fleetwood Mac - April 13 - United Center (my review)

Heart w/ Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience - July 29 - Ravinia (my review)

The Best of 2013: The Best Plays I Saw

I have to assume that in any given year, I see more non-musical plays in Chicago (and its vicinity) than I would if I lived in New York, London or anywhere else on Earth. 

As has been the case as a tourist, in those theatrical meccas I would likely focus mostly on the big budget Broadway and West End musicals, with perhaps only a handful of dramas piquing my interest.

I prefer musicals and see more of them in Chicago as well, but I also have a subscription to the Goodman Theatre—which mostly stages non-musicals—and enjoy dramatic works at other first-rate “in-house production troupe” theaters such as Steppenwolf, TimeLine, Court and Northlight, the latter being just minutes from my Skokie home.

And then there are Chicago's true storefront theaters—something for which I believe there is little equivalent, at least in terms of breadth, in NYC, London, Toronto, L.A., etc.—including Profiles, Gift, Strawdog, Steep, Redtwist and many others regularly doing stellar work in venues seating as few as 30 patrons.

In 2013, I attended 18 plays—again, not including musicals—with 17 of them being at 10 different theaters in and around Chicago; I also caught an all-female production of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew at the Globe Theatre in London.

Blending together the play itself and the quality of the production in a completely non-scientific manner, here's my ranking of the Best Plays I Saw in 2013:

(Note: all are in the Chicago area unless noted; new or recent plays are denoted with an *)

1. Proof - Court Theatre (my review)
written by David Auburn; directed by Charles Newell

2. A Raisin in the Sun - TimeLine Theatre (my review)
written by Lorraine Hansberry; directed by Ron OJ Parson

3. Other Desert Cities* - Goodman Theatre (my review)
written by Jon Robin Baitz; directed by Henry Wishcamper

4. Measure for Measure - Goodman Theatre (my review)
written by William Shakespeare; directed by Robert Falls

5. The Birthday Party - Steppenwolf Theatre (my review)
written by Harold Pinter; directed by Austin Pendleton

6. Simpatico - A Red Orchid Theatre (my review)
written by Sam Shepard; directed by Dado

7. Stella & Lou* - Northlight Theatre (my review)
written by Bruce Graham ; directed by B.J. Jones

8. The Whipping Man* - Northlight Theatre (my review)
written by Matthew Lopez; directed by Kimberly Senior

9. Julius Caesar - Chicago Shakespeare Theatre (my review)
written by William Shakespeare; directed by Jonathan Munby

10. The Motherf**ker with the Hat* - Steppenwolf Theatre (my review)
written by Stephen Adly Guirgis; directed by Anna D. Shapiro

Honorable Mention (in order of preference)

Detroit '67* - Northlight Theatre (my review)
written by Dominique Morrisseau; directed by Ron OJ Parson

Big Love - Strawdog Theatre (my review)
written by Charles L. Mee; directed by Matt Hawkins

By the Way, Meet Vera Stark* - Goodman Theatre (my review)
written by Lynn Nottage; directed by Chuck Smith

To Master the Art - Broadway Playhouse / TimeLine Theatre (my review)
written by William Brown and Doug Frew; directed by William Brown

The Taming of the Shrew - Globe Theatre, London (traveling troupe)
written by William Shakespeare; directed by ??