This month’s issue of American Theatre brings us the latest TCG Top 10, an annual feature in which the good folks at Theatre Communications Group tally up the schedules of their member companies and figure out the hottest shows of the season. Since TCG includes just about every major nonprofit theater in the country (in Portland, Portland Center Stage, Artists Rep, Profile Theatre, Miracle Theatre Group, Oregon Children’s Theater, Northwest Children’s Theater and School, and, as of this summer, Third Rail Rep), the list is a pretty good measure of the shows the nation is excited about this year. Here’s the list, with my comments:
2007-08
Doubt (34 productions) by John Patrick Shanley. Playing at Portland Center Stage, starting in May.
Rabbit Hole (12) by David Lindsay-Abaire Playing at Artists Rep in February. This excellent show about five people trying to cope with the death of a little boy also played at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival this summer, just before it won the Pulitzer Prize.
The Clean House (12)by Sarah Ruhl Playing at Artists Rep in January.
Moonlight and Magnolias (10) by Ron Hutchison Nope! Not this year. This story of the creation of Gone With the Wind sounds like a bit of a turkey, anyway.
9 Parts of Desire (8) by Heather Raffo Playing at the CoHo Theater in May.
A Year with Frog and Toad (8) Book and lyrics by Willie Reale; music by Robert Reale Not this year, but Northwest Children’s Theater had a successful run with this one in February 2006.
The Little Dog Laughed (8) by Douglas Carter Beane Playing at Portland Center Stage in April-June.
The Piano Lesson (8) by August Wilson Fortunately, Northwesterners seem to have had enough August Wilson for now after PCS’ Fences and OSF’s Gem of the Ocean.
The Santaland Diaries (8) adapted by Joe Mantello from David Sedaris We tried this one last in 2004 at PCS.
Gem of the Ocean (7) by August Wilson See above.
It’s a Wonderful Life (7) adapted from Frank Capra PCS did two years of this. It was enough.
The Diary of Anne Frank (7) adapted by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett Your guess is as good as mine as to why this 1955 Pulitzer-winner is so popular this year. It’s not playing in Portland, but you can catch it at Albany Civic Theatre, in Albany, Oregon, in April. Go figure.
I don’t understand Mr. Waterhouse’s smart-ass comment, "Fortunately, Northwesterners seem to have had enough August Wilson for now…" Does he mean that he doesn’t like August Wilson’s plays? Fair enough. On the other hand, does Mr. Waterhouse speak for all Northwesterners? If his comment is true, then why is Fences part of the OSF 2008 season? I doubt if the good folks at OSF would put a play on their season bill that no one will come to see. At OSF, "Gem of the Ocean," "Joe Turner’s Come and Gone," "Ma Rainet’s Black Bottom." "The Piano Lesson," and "Seven Guitars" have all done well at the box office. How many Wilson plays have been staged in Portland? Two! By the way, Seattle Rep has staged all 10.
As for The Diary of Anne Frank, the list in American Theater doesn’t say if the seven productions are using Wendy Kesselman’s 1997 adaptation of the play. It is a vast improvement over the 1955 version. OSF did this new version in 2006. I think the play should be done once every generation.