Top 10 Local Productions
Freelance critic Eric Marchese chooses the best work he saw in a high-quality year.
by Eric Marchese, Orange County Register
While a few dry spells of sub-standard productions were endured, for the most part, this year’s crop of live theater yielded a high quotient of astonishingly good work — an embarrassment of riches proving that 2013 was, by many metrics, a wildly fortunate year for those covering theater in Southern California. …
“The Laramie Project”
In a monumental undertaking for any theater troupe, Chance Theater in Anaheim Hills took on two “Laramie Project”-related productions in repertory: the original “The Laramie Project” from the year 2000 and “The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later.” With their multi-viewpoint format, the original and its follow-up pack the cruel punch of fate, and director Oanh Nguyen and company created a nearly five-hour epic that was sobering yet richly rewarding.
Also on the list…
“Around the World in 80 Days,” International City Theatre
“Bedroom Farce,” Stages Theatre
“Funny Girl,” 3-D Theatricals
“Oklahoma!,” Musical Theatre West
“Parade,” 3-D Theatricals
“The Pianist of Willesden Lane,” Laguna Playhouse
“Red,” International City Theatre
“Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts
“Shrek,” 3-D Theatricals
Leave a Reply