it's curtain time and away we go.

so today is one of my favorite days of the year you guys.

in addition to christmas, oscar night and my birthday, TONY SUNDAY is an annual high-point. i have been watching the tony awards since i was just a little girl; meticulously planning out my acceptance speech (obviously), swooning over bernadette, patti and the like, wishing i was andrea or sutton or all those bitches in spring awakening.

time out new york's theater blog, upstaged (for which i am a sometimes contributer thankyouverymuch) has already done an incredible job of highlighting the best of the performances. and come tomorrow night my living room will be filled with the usual revelry and shouting at the television.

but i would like to take this time to make my own list of the best shows this season (everything i saw from last summer to right now). with the help of my trusty shoebox that sits in my nightstand collecting programs and ticket stubs, we shall take a look back at my favorites in every category and house-size. see if you agree!

bloody bloody andrew jackson (the public theater): i believe it was on tony sunday last year that i saw this phenomenal musical at the public. the house was half-full, and the intimacy made the irony all the more exciting. i was devastated it didn't get a longer broadway run, but so so glad i got to see it in its original incarnation. benjamin walker's tight jeans looked so much better close up.

the divine sister (soho playhouse): after doing psycho beach party with pipeline last year, i have a deep love and affection for charles busch's insanity. this was nothing short of absolutely brilliant, despite the fact that we were seated on really hideous wooden pews. in my personal opinion, the more catholic jokes coupled with deliciously skewed sound of music references (read: "what is it you cunt-face?") is a recipe for genius.

war horse (lincoln center): this play is feeling the tony love this year, so i won't try and pretend like i'm alone in my opinions, but i do consider myself a bit of an OG when it comes to the current trend of "liking war horse." having seen this last year in london, and weeping openly through the ending, i'm thrilled that new york has embraced this show. and is it wrong that i think just a little bit less of people who totally hate on it? didn't think so.

black watch (st ann's warehouse): i had literally no idea what to expect when my friend asked me to rush this with her. it was sunday morning, it was warm, and there was a bagel place on the way so i was down. for my measly $20, i got to see the following: an excellent history of a fascinating branch of the scottish royal army, some of the most intense acting and choreography i've seen in awhile, the word "cunt" used more times than i could possibly count, and the chance to stare at 12 dishy scottish boys for two hours. a sunday well spent? i'd say so.

school for lies (classic stage company): david ives is a linguistic and literary genius. mamie gummer is beautiful. upholstered sets intrigue me. moliere always ties things up so nicely. there was nothing i didn't enjoy about this hilarious, sosmart production.

now. here. this. (vineyard theatre): here are things i love in this world: feelings, creation, people being able to accurately sing and speak about how i feel when i do things, references to peterborough, adolescence, and everything that had to do with [title of show]. so i'm pretty fortunate that this show included ALL OF THOSE THINGS (yes, even a reference to peterborough, nh). i laughed, a cried (a lot), and i felt so connected to the people onstage. people i love and admire for being real humans when they perform; looking, sounding, dressing like real people, and showing that they are fallible in a really cool way. i can't wait to see what happens with this.

honorable mentions:

• everything by pipeline theatre company (because i'm the marketing director so.. mentioning us is kind of my job)
• my big gay italian wedding (the worst show, but 4/5 of the real housewives of nj were there. and we got to go to the after-party soo..)
• the 2010 nyfringe festival (where i sat through SIX solo shows and one of the worst musicals i've ever seen)

so there we have it, folks. the 2010-2011 theater season is drawing to a close. this summer will be filled with understudy sub-ins, times square tourist overload, and the promise of an exciting new fall line-up. can't wait!


the theater is so endlessly fascinating because it's so accidental. it's so much like life. - arthur miller