The New York Times' Brantley & Isherwood Reveal Top Picks of 2009

Famed New York Times theater critics Ben Brantley and Charles Isherwood have revealed their top picks for 2009.  The Norman Conquests and The Emperor Jones came out on top, making both lists. See below for their top ten recommendations.

Writes Brantley of his selections: "It may take guts for established movie stars to expose themselves live, in three dimensions, in unforgiving Manhattan, where everybody's a critic. But the list that follows (in alphabetical order) celebrates a different kind of courage: a willingness to buck the trends of a theater culture more and more dominated by the spirit of corporate group-think that has ruled Hollywood for years."

Ben Brantley Winners:

Brief Encounter
The Brother/Sister Plays
The Emperor Jones
Fela!
Mary Stuart
Next Fall
Next to Normal
The Norman Conquests
The Orphans' Home Cycle
A Streetcar Named Desire

To read Brantley's full report in the New York Times, click here.

Echoing similar sentiment, Isherwood writes of his 2009 favorites in the New York Times: "For  the New York theater the year just past could be called the year of the underdog. In puttingtogether my annual list of highlights, I noticed that most of them - actually, all of them - were productions that arrived with little or no fanfare and nary a big-name celebrity, yet somehow beat the odds to become the little shows that could...Not that these memorable productions were audience blockbusters. By "little shows that could" I mean little shows that could win the hearts of dedicated theater audiences not entirely attuned to the TMZ ethos that has begun to rule Broadway. Fewer than half of my favorite shows of the year were seen in that dubious and increasingly star-obsessed promised land. And while the shows produced off Broadway that made my list all had extended runs, none of the Broadway shows could even remotely be called a hit."

Charles Isherwood Winners:

Our Town
Circle Mirror Transformation
This
Becky Shaw
In the Next Room or the vibrator play
Joe Turner's Come and Gone
The Norman Conquests
Finian's Rainbow
Othello (Theater for a New Audience)
The Emperor Jones

To read Isherwood's full report on his selections in the Times, click here.