DON GRIGWARE Picks The BEST PRODUCTIONS AND PERFORMANCES in LOS ANGELES THEATRE for 2015

The Best in LA Theatre for 2015

There are undoubtedly other productions worthy of merit in 2015 which I did not cover. This list is based only on what I saw and reviewed.

(alphabetical listings; Equity, Equity-waiver & Non-Equity productions are mixed)

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

No set, costume, or technical awards. I leave that to the bigger awards and to the expertise of those who really know those fields inside out.

BEST PRODUCTIONS

(The) Baker's Wife - Actors Co-op

Bent - Mark Taper Forum

Billy Elliot The Musical - La Mirada Center for the Performing Arts

(The) Bridges of Madison County - Ahmanson

Carrie The Killer Musical Experience - La Mirada/Los Angeles Theatre

Cash on Delivery - El Portal Mainstage

Cinderella - Ahmanson

Closer Than Ever - Good People Theatre Co at Hollywood Piano, Burbank

(A) Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum - Crown City Theatre

Guys and Dolls - Group Center Theatre (GCT)

Hit the Wall - LGBT, Hollywood

Jesus Christ Superstar - DOMA Theatre

Murder for Two - Geffen

My Fair Lady - Musical Theatre West (MTW)

Newsies - Pantages

The Night Alive - Geffen

Picnic - Antaeus Theatre Co

Side Show - 3-D Theatricals

(The) Sound of Music - Ahmanson

Spring Awakening - Wallis Annenberg Theatre

Sweeney Todd - Monroe Forum Theatre, El Portal

Switzerland - Geffen

Train to Zakopane - Edgemar Center for the Arts, Santa Monica

Verdigris - Theatre West

(The) Winning Streak - Group rep

BEST PRODUCTIONS - Dinner Theatre

Lawrence Welk Theatre, Escondido: Hello Dolly!/ (The) King and I

Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre, Claremont: In the Heights/ West Side Story

FAVORITE CHRISTMAS SHOWS

(A) Christmas Memory - Sierra Madre Playhouse

GMCLA's Holiday Spectacular: Brassy, Classy & Sassy

Santa Claus Is Comin' to Motown - Troubies at the Falcon Theatre

UNIQUE or SPECIAL EVENTS

Always Patsy Cline - Sierra Madre Playhouse

Dame Edna's Glorious Goodbye Farewell Tour -Ahmanson

El Grande Circus de Coca Cola - Colony Theatre

Hellman v McCarthy - Theatre 40

Kurios - Cirque du Soleil - LA Dodger Stadium

Laura Dickinson 17 - El Portal Mainstage

(A) Lovely Lineage -Kristin Towers Rowles -Sierra Madre Playhouse

S/he & Me: A Theatrical Cabaret -Alex Billings -CSULB Theatre Arts/CaRep Co, Long Beach

BEST DIRECTOR: PLAY

Randall Arney - (The) Night Alive - Geffen

Mark Brokaw - Switzerland - Geffen

Ray Cooney - Cash on Delivery - El Portal

Gary Imhoff - Train to Zakopane - Edgemar

Moises Kaufman - Bent - Mark Taper Forum

Ken Sawyer - Hit the Wall - LGBT

Scott Schwartz - Murder for Two - Geffen

BEST DIRECTOR: MUSICAL

Michael Arden - Spring Awakening - Wallis Annenberg

Mark Brokaw - Cinderella - Ahmanson

T.J. Dawson - Side Show - 3-D Theatricals

David Engel - Seussical The Musical - 3-D Theatricals

Bruce Kimmel - Inside Out - Grove Center Theatre, Burbank

Brian Kite - Billy Elliot - La Mirada

Jack O'Brien - (The) Sound of Music - Ahmanson

Tyne Rafaeli (for Bartlett Sher) - (The) Bridges of Madison County - Ahmanson

Brady Schwind - Carrie The Killer Musical Experience- La Mirada/Los Angeles Theatre

Kristin Towers Rowles - Sweeney Todd - El Portal

Joel Zwick - Serrano the Musical - Matrix

MOST PROMISING NEW PLAY

Appropriate - by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins - MTForum

Bad Jews - by Joshua Harmon - Geffen

(The) Christians - by Lucas Hnath - MTForum

Class - by Charles Evered - Falcon

Miserable with an Ocean View - by Howard Skora - Whitefire

Tiger by the Tail - by Frawley Becker - Group rep

Wonderful Life - by Helen Pafumi & Jason Lott - Malibu Playhouse

MOST PROMISING NEW MUSICAL

Adam & Eve and Steve: book by Chandler Warren/music by Wayne Moore-NoHo Arts Center

The Fabulous Lipitones: book by John Markus & Mark St.Germain/ incidental music by Randy Courts & St. Germain-Colony

Serrano The Musical: book & lyrics by Madeline Sunshine/music by Robert Tepper-Matrix

BEST ENSEMBLE: PLAY

Appropriate - MTForum

Bent - MTForum

Cash on Delivery - El Portal Mainstage

HomeFree - The Road Theatre, Magnolia

Hit the Wall - LGBT

Lombardi - Group rep

(The) Night Alive - Geffen

Picnic - Antaeus

Real Women Have Curves - Pasadena Playhouse

Tiger by the Tail - Group rep

Verdigris - Theatre West

BEST ENSEMBLE: MUSICAL

(The) Baker's Wife - Actors Co-op

(The) Bridges of Madison County - Ahmanson

Carrie the Killer Musical - La Mirada/LA Theatre

Closer Than Ever - Hollywood Piano

Inside Out - Grove Center Theatre

Newsies - Pantages

Nunsense - Crown

Serrano The Musical - Matrix

Side Show - 3-D Theatricals

Singin' in the Rain - MTW

(The) Sound of Music - Ahmanson

Spring Awakening - Wallis Annenberg

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

Josh Adamson/Bets Malone - Big Fish - Moonlight Amphitheatre, Vista

Richard Bermudez/Victoria Strong - (The) King and I - Welk Resort, Escondido

Misty Cotton/Emily Lopez - Carrie - La Mirada/LA Theatre

Nikki D' Amico/Cori Cable Kidder - Almost Patsy Cline - Sierra Madre

Laura Dickinson/Richard Bermudez - Evita - Candlelight

Molly Ephraim - Bad Jews - Geffen

Cynthia Ferrer/Randy Doney - Hello Dolly! - Welk Resort, Escondido

Tanna Frederick/Mike Falkow - Train to Zakopane - Edgemar

Taylor Gilbert - The Other Place - The Road, Magnolia

Renee Gorsey - The American Dream - Group rep

Gildart Jackson/Callie Schuttera - Class - Falcon

Martin Kildare/Katharine McDonough - My Fair Lady - MTW

Douglas Ladnier/Alison England - Sweeney Todd - Monroe, El Portal

Laura Linney/Seth Numrich - Switzerland - Geffen

Heather Lundstadt/Robert Standley - Guys and Dolls - GCT

Idina Menzel - If/Then - Pantages

Joanna Miles/David Selby - Front Door Open - Greenway Court

Alessa Neeck/Christopher Carl - South Pacific - MTW

Paul Vincent O'Connor/Fiona O'Shaughnessy - (The) Night Alive - Geffen

Lloyd Pedersen/Daniel Sykes - (The) Winning Streak - Group rep

Flora Plumb/Marcia Rodd - Hellman v McCarthy - Theatre 40

Cathy Rigby - Seussical - 3D Theatricals - Fullerton/Redondo

Kristin Towers Rowles/Jahmaul Bakare - Violet - Monroe, El Portal

Brett Ryback/Jeff Blumenkrantz - Murder for Two - Geffen

Bryce Ryness - Matilda - Ahmanson

Elizabeth Stanley/Andrew Samonsky - (The) Bridges of Madison County - Ahmanson

Mitchell Tobin/Vicki Lewis - Billy Elliot - La Mirada

Marcelo Tubert - El Grande Circus de Coca Cola - Colony

Karen Volpe - 9 to 5 - GCT

BEST FEATURED PERFORMANCE

Cathy Arden - Train to Zakopane - Edgemar

Janna Cardia, Claire Adams - Assassins - Red Blanket Productions with Punk Monkey Productions at Pico Playhouse

Patrick Cummings - South Pacific - MTW

Chad Doreck/Valerie Perri - Serrano The Musical - Matrix

Drew Droege/Patty McCormack - Miserable with an Ocean View - Whitefire Theatre

Diane Frank - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof - Group rep

Chelsea Emma Franko/Tracy Lore - Company - Cabrillo

Matthew Hancock /Charlotte Gulezian/Kristina Johnson - Hit the Wall - LGBT

Shannon Holt/Rhonda Aldrich - Picnic - Antaeus

Jake Kitchin - Billy Elliot - La Mirada

Quinn Mattfeld/Cassie Silva - Matilda - Ahmanson

M. Rowan Meyer - Hellman v McCarthy - Theatre 40

Ann Myers - Guys and Dolls - GCT

Kayla Parker/Lynn Randall - Carrie - La Mirada/LA Theatre

Jeremy Saje - JC Superstar - DOMA

Nick Ullett - Enter Laughing - Wallis Annenberg

BEST SOLO SHOW: MALE

Jack Lemmon Returns - Chris Lemmon - The Broad, Santa Monica

BEST SOLO SHOW: FEMALE

(A) Carlin Home Companion/Growing Up with George-Kelly Carlin-Falcon

BEST CABARET/CONCERT ARTIST: MALE

Aaron Akins - Into the Cole - E-Spot Lounge, Vitello's

Tom Ameen - E-Spot Lounge

Kevin Earley - On the Record - Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal

Bill A. Jones - Frank, Bobby & Me! - E-Spot Lounge

Mark Arthur Miller - Soul Searching - Sterling's

Ben Vereen - Catalina Jazz Club

BEST CABARET/CONCERT ARTIST: FEMALE

Megan Hilty - Valley Performing Arts Center, Cal State Northridge

Michele Lee - Catalina Jazz Club

Candy Milo - If She Taps, You're F--ked- Sterling's

Barbara Minkus - It's All About Love - St. Mark's, Glendale

Diane Vincent - Diane & Lucy & Betty: A One Woman Show - Sterling's

Nita Whitaker - All That Matters - Sterling's

BEST CD

ARIA - home

Judy Norton - Reflections

Jeanne Page - Reboot

Lyn Stanley - Interludes

BEST BOOK

Noel, Tallulah, Cole and Me: A Memoir of Broadway's Golden Age - by John C. Wilson with Thomas S. Hischak and Jack Macauley -Rowan & Littlefield

BEST THEATRICAL SEASON

Center Theatre Group - Mark Taper Forum

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