Don Grigware Announces His Best in LA Theatre for 2012

By: Dec. 24, 2012
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The Best in LA Theatre for 2012

The choices I have made are based solely on the plays and performances that I actually saw. I cannot see all the great talent that is out there in LA; it is physically impossible, as there exist far too many theatre/cabaret performances for one person to cover. So if a choice of yours is not on my list, chances are, I did not see that play or performance...or, it just did not make the final cut. I also do not separate Equity from Equity waiver; I consider all the productions/performances I select to be of top-of-the-line quality/professionalism.

Based on what I did see, there was an overabundance of talent. Difficult as it always is, this year I restricted myself less to a set number in each category. If there is an overflow in some categories ...so be it! There are several people who almost made the list, but, alas, not everyone should. There has to be a limit, separating the men from the boys. What I am giving you is the very best of what I saw. The category of Best Director - Play and Musical - is new this year

I am not politically correct...never have been...so, Merry Christmas to all my readers and to all who joyously participated in LA theatre during 2012!!! May 2013 be equally blessed!! - lol Don Grigware

(alphabetical listings) (artists performing outside LA may be included in performance categories)

BEST PRODUCTION

Avenue Q - DOMA

Billy Elliott - Pantages Theatre

The Book of Mormon - Pantages Theatre

Clybourne Park - Mark Taper Forum

The Color Purple - Celebration Theatre

Deathtrap - Gay and Lesbian Center

Follies - Ahmanson Theatre

In the Red and Brown Water - Fountain Theatre

The Irish Curse - Odyssey Theatre

Memphis - Pantages

Other Desert Cities - Mark Taper Forum

The Paris Letter - Group rep

Peter Pan - La Mirada

Red - Mark Taper Forum

The Scottsboro Boys - Old Globe, San Diego

Seminar - Ahmanson Theatre

Silence the Musical - Hayworth Theatre

Stoneface - SacRed Fools Theatre

Sweeney Todd - Moonlight Amphitheatre, Vista

War Horse - Ahmanson Theatre

The World Goes Round - Actors Co-op

You Can't Take It With You - The Antaeus Company

BEST DIRECTOR (musical)

Robert Marra - The World Goes Round - Actors Co-op/

Michael Matthews - The Color Purple/Justin Love - Celebration

BEST DIRECTOR (play)

Bart DeLorenzo - Coney Island Christmas - Geffen/

Shirley Jo Finney - In the Red and Brown Water - Fountain Theatre

MOST PROMISING NEW MUSICAL

Justin Love(book by Patricia Cotter & David Elzer; music and lyrics by Lori Scarlett & David Manning) - Celebration Theatre

MOST PROMISING NEW PLAY

Coney Island Christmas (Donald Margulies) - Geffen Playhouse/ The Gronholm Method (Jordi Galceran Ferrer) - Falcon

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST: PLAY

Art - Pasadena Playhouse

Clybourne Park - Mark Taper Forum

Cobb - Group rep

Deathtrap - Gay and Lesbian Center

Jitney - Pasadena Playhouse

That Good Night - The Road Theatre Co

The New Electric Ballroom - Rogue Machine

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST: MUSICAL

Bad Apples - Circle X at Atwater Village

The Book of Mormon - Pantages

Follies - Ahmanson

The Full Monty - Third Street Theatre

Justin Love - Celebration

Million Dollar Quartet - Pantages

The World Goes Round - Actors Co-op

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

Anne Gee Byrd - The Savannah Disputation - Colony

Jonathan Cake - The Gronholm Method - Falcon

Victoria Clark/Jan Maxwell - Follies - Ahmanson

C. Stephen Foster/Michael Taylor Gray - Bitchslap!-Macha Theatre

Davis Gaines - Man of La Mancha - MTW/Silence the Musical - Hayworth Theatre

Harry Hamlin/Loretta Swit - One November Yankee - NoHo Arts Center

John Hurt - Krapp's Last Tape - Kirk Douglas Theatre

Genevieve Joy/Robert Wuhl - I Ought To Be in Pictures - Falcon

Chris Kaufmann/Mark Whitten - Avenue Q - DOMA

Diarra Kilpatrick - In the Red and Brown Water - Fountain

Christine Lakin - Silence the Musical - Hayworth

Bets Malone - Once Upon a Mattress - Cabrillo/Sweeney Todd - Vista

Lesli Margherita - Man of La Mancha -MTW

Alfred Molina/Jonathan Groff - Red - Mark Taper Forum

Kevin Odekirk - Miss Saigon - La Mirada/Riverside

Lloyd Pedersen - The Paris Letter - Group rep

Lawrence Pressman/Simon Lees - Farm Boy - Matrix Theatre

Cathy Rigby - Peter Pan -La Mirada

Ben Rovner - The Compleat Female Stage Beauty - Crown City Theatre

Christopher Sieber - La Cage Aux Folles - Pantages Theatre

Douglas Sills - The Addams Family A New Musical Comedy - Pantages

Julia Silverman/Liza de Weerd - Collected Stories - Group rep

Anthony Skordi - Onassis - Stella Adler Theatre

French Stewart - Stoneface - SacRed Fools Theatre

Dan Sykes - Cobb/The Paris Letter - Group rep

Sunny Thompson -Marilyn Forever Blonde - El Portal Mainstage

Heather Tom - The Heiress - Pasadena Playhouse

Robert Townsend - Sweeney Todd - Vista

Karen Volpe - Little Shop of Horrors - GCT

Cesili Williams - The Color Purple - Celebration

Vanessa Williams - Intimate Apparel - Pasadena Playhouse

BEST FEATURED PERFORMANCE

Tim Bagley- Under My Skin-Pasadena Playhouse

Stephen Bienskie - Silence The Musical - Hayworth

Julia Duffy - The Heiress - Pasadena Playhouse

Gaelen Gilliland - The Addams Family - Pantages

Annabelle Gurwitch - Coney Island Christmas - Geffen

Julie Johnson-Memphis-Pantages

Greg Keller - Seminar - Ahmanson

Alix Korey/Sal Mistretta - The Fix - ICT, Long Beach

Tracy Lore - Once Upon a Mattress - Cabrillo/42nd Street-MTW

Derrell Maury - The Beat Goes On! - Theatre of Arts, Arena Stage

Elaine Paige - Follies - Ahmanson

Patrick Quinlan - The Irish Curse - Odyssey

Patrick Joseph Rieger - The Water's Edge - The Road

Jan Sheldrick - The Full Monty - Third Street Theatre

Julia Silverman - The Paris Letter - Group rep

Edward Staudenmayer - Anything Goes - Ahmanson

Alet Taylor - Justin Love - Celebration

Jamie Torcellini - 42nd Street - MTW

Robin Weigert/Michael Weston - Other Desert Cities - Mark Taper Forum

BEST SOLO SHOW- Female

Mona Golabek - The Pianist of Willesden Lane - Geffen

BEST SOLO SHOW - Male

Johnny O'Calloghan - Who's Your Daddy? - Victory Theatre Center

BEST CABARET/CONCERT ARTIST: MALE

Cortes Alexander - Swell - Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal

Raul Esparza Sings Sondheim - Valley Performing Arts Center, Northridge

Jason Graae - The Prince and the Showboy - Sterling's

Levi Kreis - Upclose and Personal - NoHo Arts Center

Peter Mac - Get Happy - French Quarter

Brian Stokes Mitchell - The Broad, Santa Monica

BEST CABARET/CONCERT ARTIST: FEMALE

Eileen Barnett - Colony Theatre

Michele Brourman - Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal

Chelsea Emma Franko - The Girl from Apple Valley - Sterling's

Ilene Graff - Sterling's

Juliana Hansen - Sterling's

Faith Prince - The Prince and the Showboy - Sterling's

Helen Reddy - Canyon Club

Sirens - Sterling's

MOST UNIQUE SHOW/SPECIAL EVENT

Donny and Marie, Christmas in Los Angeles - Pantages

The Beat Goes On! -Theatre of Arts, Arena Stage

Smoke and Mirrors - Promenade Theatre, Santa Monica

Twilight Zone Unlimited - Impro Theatre at the Odyssey

SPECIAL NOD

Kritzerland -the first Sunday monthly at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal/

GCT(Glendale Centre Theatre) - Annie/And Then There Were None

BEST CD

Kaye Ballard -My Life, In My Own Words, With My Own Mouth

James Barbour - Bring Me Giants

Bonnie & Clyde - Broadway Records

Jim Bullock - diFFerent

Vikki Carr - Viva la Vida - Sony Music Latin

Carrie the musical, premiere recording - Ghostlight Records

Dinner and a Fancy Dress - Karen Volpe

Eden Espinosa- Look Around

Marvelous Wonderettes/Caps and Gowns - original cast recording



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