Top 10 Most Memorable Theatrical Offerings That I Chanced to See in 2004 (A Hierarchical List)
Barry Pineo lists his favorite stage productions of 2004
By Barry Pineo, Fri., Jan. 7, 2005
1) Metamorphoses (Mary Moody Northen Theatre, St. Edward's University) This beautiful script about the nature of love affected me more than practically any theatrical production I've ever seen. Simply recalling it moves me to tears. Directed by Christina J. Moore.
2) The Winter's Tale (Austin Shakespeare Festival) The bard's old story of jealousy and betrayal. Directed by Chronicle Arts Editor Robert Faires.
3) Nightswim (State Theater Company) Playwright Steve Moore's uniquely Austin rumination on friendship and history. Directed by Katie Pearl.
4) Pageant (Naughty Austin) This revival of the drag beauty contest musical knocked my hose off. Directed by Stuart Moulton.
5) I'm Not Lying (State Theater Company) Jaston Williams' one-man, biographical tour de force. Directed by Scott Kanoff.
6) Debbie Does Dallas – The Musical (Naughty Austin) The men, I could take 'em or leave 'em. But it wasn't about the men. It was about the women – especially Sara Kendrick in the titular role. Directed by Blake Yelavich.
7) The Chalk Circle (Round Rock High School) A minimalist class production of Bertolt Brecht's classic, strikingly staged in the round by my wife, Johanna Whitmore.
8) Blue Surge (Hyde Park Theatre) A very modern comedy about intimacy and connection. Directed by Ken Webster.
9) The Arkansaw Bear (Second Youth Family Theatre) A tale about a girl and a dancing bear, both learning a lesson about life in the face of death. Directed by Jennifer Lynn Cameron.
10) (tie) Six Mexicans Named Gonzalez (Teatro Humanidad) Adrian Villegas' one-man, six-character comic rumination on racism. Staged by Villegas himself.Wake for the Dark Poet: The Antonin Artaud Project (Vortex Repertory Company) Captured the spirit of one of the most influential thinkers in theatre history. Directed by Chronicle Arts writer Heather Barfield.
Honorable mentions:
The Hasty Heart (Different Stages)
The Road to Wigan Pier (7th Street Working Men's Club)
Run for Your Wife (Onstage Theatre Company)
