Jeff Davis - Page 17

As 2012 comes to a close, many Austin theater companies are putting together their 2013-2014 season. Given the incredible talent in this town and the large number of daring, courageous theater groups in the Austin area, here are my picks for 13 plays that I'd love to see produced in the 2013-2014 season.

This winter marks a momentous occasion for Ballet Austin. This year's THE NUTCRACKER is the company's 50th annual production of the beloved ballet, and from my seat last night, I can say that this Golden Anniversary production is exactly that: golden. Helmed by choreographer Stephen Mills, this NUTCRACKER is full of life, beauty, and charm. Every moment is absolutely wonderful. It's doubtful that you'll find a production better than this.

WHITE CHRISTMAS, now playing at Zach's Topfer Theatre, is the best of the best. It's a fun, dazzling, family-friendly celebration of not only the Holiday season but of the golden age of Broadway and Hollywood as well.

When a show is as acclaimed as BILLY ELLIOT: THE MUSICAL, the worldwide megahit that won 10 Tony Awards, audience expectations are high to say the least. Mine were. And no matter how high my expectations can get, many a show surpasses them with ease. BILLY ELLIOT isn't one of those shows. Despite the incredibly talented cast of the national tour, now playing Austin's Bass Concert Hall, BILLY ELLIOT is wobbly on its feet due to the numerous missteps of its creative team.

Austin's Palindrome Theatre certainly has a short but interesting history. When it opened three years ago, Palindrome stated they would close their doors in December 2012. In those three short years, they've staged seven productions and have earned plenty of critical acclaim. And now as it is December 2012, it's time for their swan song. While it's sad to see a theater bring the curtain down, The Attic Space is the perfect fit for Palindrome's finale. The original piece, written and directed by Nigel O'Hearn, is a refreshing, new, and haunting play. While it may borrow from various theatrical styles, The Attic Space is unique, innovative, and in many ways unprecedented.

Back in September, I sang the praises of Austin's Capital City Men's Chorus, saying "This group is polished, professional, hungry to be heard, and just as good as their counterparts in other cities such as Los Angeles and New York." Three months later, the only change is an adornment of holly berries and tinsel. With their Christmas-themed concert which closes today, Sunday December 9th, the Capital City Men's Chorus spreads Christmas cheer while showcasing their incredible vocal talents.

It's a Christmas Miracle! With MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET, the Georgetown Palace Theatre has breathed new life into a loveable but flawed and forgotten musical and in the process has given Austin a sparkling, family-friendly Holiday treat.

Family. They'll always be there for you, and odds are they'll drive you crazy, too. That seems to be the general idea of Joe DiPietro's dramatic comedy, Over The River and Through the Woods, currently playing Austin's City Theatre. While there are countless plays like this, City Theatre's production of Over the River employs an effective mix of humor and heart that is tough to beat.

The stage version of IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, presented for the 2nd year in a row by The Penfold Theatre Company, is in many ways more enjoyable than the original film. This show is as warm and sweet as a cup of hot coco on Christmas Eve.

When you see a show titled Vodka, F***ing and Television, it's inevitable that one question will come to mind. Will the show be as crass and funny as the name suggests, or will it go overboard and be dead on arrival? I'm glad to say that with its witty script, skillful direction, and extraordinary cast, Vodka, F***ing and Television, produced by Breaking String and now playing at the Hyde Park Theatre, will easily win you over.

When you walk into the Whisenhunt Stage to see their current production of The Santaland Diaries and are greeted with fractured Christmas songs such as "Chipmunks Roasting on an Open Fire," "It's the Most Fattening Time of the Year," and "Yellow Snow, Yellow Snow, Yellow Snow," you know you're in for an unconventional and twisted Holiday show. In its final year at ZACH, their annual production of Santaland Diaries is still fresh, entertaining, and hysterical.

You may already be familiar with A CHRISTMAS STORY, the neo-classic film based on the books and essays of Jean Shepherd, which follows young Ralphie Parker in his quest to receive a Red Ryder B.B. Gun for Christmas. This holiday season, San Antonio's Woodlawn Theatre offers a pleasant, charming, and sweet stage adaptation of the film which reverently preserves most of the films memorable moments while improving upon others.

It may be Thanksgiving week, but Christmas is already in full swing at the Long Center. With Cirque Dreams Holidaze, the Long Center is alive with jugglers, acrobats, illusionists, dancers, and a healthy dose of Christmas cheer.

With Hester Prynne, the heroine of The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne created one of American literature's most wonderfully flawed characters. There's much to love about Hester and much that is worrisome. She's a sinner and an adulterous, but she's also a courageous woman who wishes to atone and take responsibility for her misdeeds. Yes, Hester Prynne is flawed. So too is the current stage adaptation of The Scarlet Letter now playing at the University of Texas. Like Hester, there is much to love about this production, but there is much that is worrisome as well.

I know I read You Can't Take it With You back in college, and I must offer my apologies to my fantastic professor, Gary Gardner, because I did not remember anything about this play until seeing the current production by Different Stages. This production of the classic American comedy by George Kaufman and Moss Hart sparkles with charm, wit, and humor and is sure to be a highlight of Austin theatre's holiday season.

It may not even be Thanksgiving yet, but at Sam Bass Theatre, the halls are decked and the mistletoe is hung. With their current production of A Christmas Carol, one of the first Holiday offerings in Austin this season, it's clear that their aim is to create a fun, family friendly experience, and they do so effortlessly.

I am very pleased to say that Texas State University - San Marcos's current production of Into the Woods is easily the best live production of the show that I have yet to see. This winning cast, smart director, and wonderful creative team have created an Into the Woods that is charming, funny, heartfelt, and entertaining above all else.

Whether you are an opera connoisseur or an opera virgin, Austin Lyric Opera's production of PAGLIACCI is a must see. The music is beautiful. The visuals are mesmerizing and stunning, and the cast is second to none. It's hard to come by an evening that is more enjoyable than this.

The 1950s is considered by many to be the pinnacle of American Theater. It was the decade that saw Arthur Miller's THE CRUCIBLE, Tennessee Williams's CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, and Eugene O'Neill's LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT. But while Miller, Williams, and O'Neill set the theater world ablaze with highly dramatic pieces featuring unforgettable characters, playwright William Inge took a completely different approach by writing BUS STOP, a simplistic slice-of-life drama about an assembly of strangers and the secrets each of them wish to hide. While it may not be as well-known or as important as the aforementioned pieces by his colleagues, Inge's little play, currently presented at St. Edward's University's Mary Moody Northern Theatre, is at times just as moving.

BroadwayWorld offers you a glimpse at The Collector, a multidimensional mixed-media performance viewed through Orwellian, neo-Victorian lenses, is a contemporary puppet theater work that engages the audience in a projected reality, a detailed and gritty environment of toy theater, animated objects, miniature protagonists and antagonists, all unfolding in dialogue-less mystery. This alternate reality is underscored by original film and constructed soundscapes.