The Best Productions I've Ever Seen

This entry has been inspired by a recent conversation I had with my theatre coach. What makes an excellent production? What are the qualities that I will strive to achieve in my own productions with my theatre company?

I should qualify the title of this post. I’ve seen many scores of shows in the last 25 years, and most of them had me leaving the theater thinking, “I could have stayed home and watched TV.” What I really mean by “best” is the impression they had on me. For instance, the first two shows listed were high school shows…but they were really my first exposure to the magic of theatre, and by seeing them, I knew that I wanted a life in theatre. If I saw those same productions today, would they have the same effect? Maybe not. I want to emphasize that I’m talking about productions here, and not the plays themselves. I’ve seen lackluster productions of excellent plays; they are not what this list is about. And yet…I may contradict myself when talking about some productions I saw, like Equus, which may not have been an ideal production, but the fact that it introduced me to an amazing play is what made the powerful impression. Finally, I should note that while I’ve seen many, many shows, I don’t see as much as a lot of people who work in theatre, locally. Mainly, I just don’t have the money to go to many shows, and ushering has never appealed to me. So obviously, there is a lot of great stuff out there that I have missed. I would welcome in the comments section anyone who wants to share the best show they’ve seen. Oh, one final note: to appear humble, I am not including shows I’ve directed!

Little Shop of Horrors – OCHS, 1991

A lot of people might miss all the layers in this sci-fi/horror/comedy/musical. We’re dealing with poverty, domestic abuse, being an outsider, the dangers of ambition, and the question of how far you’ll go to protect the ones you love, or to hold onto a dream. Add to all that an excellent playlist of songs, and this is really a powerful play when done right.

The Foreigner – OCHS, 1991

Shout-out to my high school drama teacher Karlyn Love, who inspired me greatly and is probably incapable of doing a bad production, at least as far as high school plays go.

Waiting for Godot – Lewis & Clark, 1993

This and the next play on the list were my introduction to “theatre of the absurd”. The floor of the stage was a Salvador Dali soft (or melting) clock, and that’s one of the most inspired scenic design choices I’ve ever seen.

The Birthday Party – 1993

This was performed at IFCC, but I don’t remember the company that put it on. Strangely, my biggest takeaway from this play is a question from the interrogation scene: “Is the number 846 necessary or possible?” Now, please, dramaturgs, explain the significance of that to me, or don’t because it’s really a very delightful mystery.

Jeffrey – Triangle Productions, 1994

The first “gay play” I ever saw. I had an instant crush on its star, Robert Buckmaster, who passed away very shortly after. What made his performance so good was the depth of his honesty and tenderness with which he shared the heart of his character with the audience. (See note on Dog Sees God later in post.)

Equus – Paula Productions, 1995

Dysart was not well cast, and for some reason, the director (or the producer, who I would later become very acquainted with doing my own shows there) decided not to have the nudity in this production. I don’t agree with the decision and it’s not how I would do it, but it’s important for me to say that the piece was still very impactful without it.

The Lady From Dubuque – CCC, 1996

This production was absolutely fierce, and the mystery of the title character brought chills and practically took my breath away.

Suicide in B Flat – Liminal, 1997

Like an episode of The Twilight Zone (but then again, aren’t all Sam Shepard pieces like that?), with bits of music thrown in. I had no idea what was going on or why it mattered, but I didn’t care.

The Seagull – Paula Productions, 1999

Paula Productions existed for many years. It was a one-man operation, and the venues it occupied were tiny living room sized spaces. The plays were largely panned by critics, especially Stefan Silvis, who wrote for Willamette Week at the time. But this resonated with me. Its star, Myron Chase was a loose cannon, very unpredictable, sometimes doing his own thing instead of what was rehearsed, forcing his fellow actors to improvise. But he had a raw talent and magnetic appeal, and I really found myself feeling empathy for his Kostya.

Peer Gynt – Paula Productions, 1999

My friend Dan directed this in the afore-mentioned tiny living room size space. If you know anything about this play, you know it’s a sprawling epic with multiple locations, even more characters, and it’s a challenge to stage anywhere, much less a tiny venue like the Jack Oakes Theatre. With precision use of costuming, lighting, and sound, plus top notch actors, it worked, and it showed me that something I might have thought impossible was possible.

The Velocity of Gary (Not His Real Name) – Triangle Production, 2000

Danny Pintauro in a touring one-man show about a gay hustler. And like most Triangle shows at the time, featuring full male nudity. But that’s not what made it good. (Yeah, some of you think you know me so well!) One-man shows are hard to do. They are hard to watch. It’s like listening to an audio book. Your mind can wander. That did not happen here. (See note on Howie the Rookie.)

Cabaret – Best of Broadway, 2000

Just an awesome spectacle, and there was nothing about it that was not totally amazing and inspiring. But the ending…the quintessential “kick in the gut”…so affecting, so breathtaking, hands down the most chilling moment of theatre I’ve ever witnessed.

Lion in the Streets – Theatre Vertigo, 2000

I wish I remembered more about this amazing piece of theatre, but 16 years will do that to you. Mainly I just remember it was earth-shaking and brilliant.

After the Zipper – Stark Raving Theatre, 2002

Matthew Zrebski is one of the most brilliant playwrights around, and this gave me chills. And he’s local! Lucky us. I saw it twice, which is unusual.

Dog Sees God – CoHo Theatre, 2009

Two things that made this show great: the earnest performance of Noah Goldenberg (see note on Jeffrey), and a moving and brilliant visual in the very end of the play, which I don’t know is from the playwright or director Brian Allard, but the image stayed with me for a very long time.

Over the River & Through the Woods – Magenta Theatre, 2011

So I gotta be honest about my reason for loving this production of the popular community theatre staple (I mean really, this play is as ubiquitous as Rocky Horror). My dad gave his best performance not directed by me as a family patriarch struggling with life’s hard transitions. I’ve worked with my dad many times, and it would be easy to accuse me of nepotism, but if you saw this (which I had nothing to do with), you know that he’s an actor of great depth and versatility.

Vincent River – Sowelu, 2012

Playwright Philip Ridley, director Barry Hunt, two extraordinary actors in a play dealing with grief and hate crimes. This was so beautifully produced and performed, I wish I had a recording of it to watch over and over again.

Rope – Bag & Baggage, 2015

There was a lot that was great about this production, but Michael Teufel as the conscience of the piece was the stand-out. If I ran the Drammy committee, he would get the award for best actor.

Howie the Rookie – The Factory Theatre, 2016

One man shows are hard. (See note on The Velocity of Gary…) Especially with a thick Irish accent and a performing space the size of a bathroom. Nevan Richard was amazing here.

At some point after this blog is posted, I will remember one that I’ve forgotten to include, and probably be very frustrated. So maybe check back for updates?