Dan Myers
Seussical
’Tis the season for reflecting on the year, and that means looking back on all the great theater I’ve experienced — outdoors, in enormous auditoriums, in little black-box theaters, on Broadway and on very intimate local stages. These are moments that delighted and astonished me.
Best at capturing the political moment: Rhinoceros, by Strollers Theatre
While many theater companies opted for light and frothy entertainment to distract us from new political reality, Strollers dealt with the Trump era head-on with an impressive production of the Ionesco play about people being swallowed up by an evil and insidious government.
Most badass heroines: Lizzie, Music Theatre of Madison
Accused murderer Lizzie Borden seems like an unlikely subject for a punk-rock opera, but the all-female cast rocked hard, complete with punk ’dos, outrageous outfits and a whole lot of attitude. Led by MTM executive director Meghan Randolph, the show blended demanding vocals with feminist rage for an unforgettable, modern take on a historic crime.
Best spit-take: Pericles, American Players Theatre
More like an action-adventure movie than a play, Pericles features dozens of characters, perilous sea voyages, assassins, incest, love, loss, one goddess and a brothel. Oh, and pirates. With a nimble company of 10, director Eric Tucker injected a hearty dose of vaudeville into the story, setting the stage for the season’s funniest near-death experience. After Pericles’ wife (Andrea San Miguel) was thrown overboard during a storm, she emerged from a casket after being washed up on shore. Once revived, she spit out approximately a gallon of seawater. In a production full of unpredictable gags, that one was priceless.
Brett Williams
Lizzie
Greatest family reunion you don’t want to be part of: August, Osage County, Mercury Players
Under the direction of Dave Pausch, many of Madison’s best actors brought this sprawling family drama by Tracy Letts to life at the Bartell Theatre. Summoned home for a funeral, the siblings, in-laws and cousins engage in every kind of dysfunction imaginable. Like a car accident, you couldn’t stop staring at it. It was a harrowing — and amazing — night of theater.
Best costume design: Cyrano de Bergerac, American Players Theatre
This production of Cyrano cast James Ridge as the eloquent, tragic hero and Laura Rook as the enchanting Roxane. And it had some of the most elaborate costume ensembles — from the French fops, adorned in ribbons and lace, to Roxane’s stunning and enormous gowns, to the rugged and ready Cadets of Gascoigne. The wardrobe for this show revelled in the beauty of the time period and the poetry of the story.
Best debut by a local actor: Tosumba Welch, The Whipping Man, Madison Theatre Guild
The Whipping Man takes place in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War, as two former enslaved men try to forge a new relationship with the Confederate soldier whose family once owned them. The three-person play was filled with stories of harrowing violence, suffering and betrayal. Welch, an actor with a commanding voice and electric presence, had never acted in a conventional drama before. I look forward to seeing much more of him in seasons to come.
Best collection of birds, elephants, and other creatures: Seussical, Children’s Theater of Madison. (Their production of Madagascar is a close second.)
Seussical was packed with whimsy, word play, creative staging, outlandish costumes and polished performances. Directed by Brian Cowing, it was overwhelming in all the best ways while celebrating everything magical about Dr. Seuss.
Best ensemble show: A View from the Bridge, APT
I can’t imagine a more powerful version of the Arthur Miller classic than the production in APT’s Touchstone this fall. With a stunning cast, including Jimmy DeVita, Colleen Madden, Brian Mani, Melisa Pereyra and Casey Hoekstra, every movement was riveting, every sharp word was whisper close and the tragedy that everyone saw coming was amplified.
Editor's note: We were remiss in leaving out the name of the costume designer for American Players Theatre's Cyrano de Bergerac. Those spectacular ensembles were created by Mathew J. Lefebvre.
