Among other popular titles that land on the lists — some in numerical order, others opt for the more diplomatic alphabetical — include The History Boys, Shining City, Company, Stuff Happens, The Lieutenant of Inishmore and [title of show].
Two theatre columnists mentioned the omission of The Coast of Utopia from their lists (as portions of the trilogy are yet to be seen on the New York stage), while others merited the individual works.
With the good, come the bad and the ugly, so many listmakers included the worst shows of the year along with their top choices. Among those (dis)honored more than once are The Times They Are A-Changin', Lestat and The Threepenny Opera revival.
Here's a running list of 2006's top theatrical contenders:
(updated as more lists are published)
Entertainment Weekly:
1. The History Boys
2. Grey Gardens
3. The Coast of Utopia: Voyage
4. Company
5. Rabbit Hole
6. Awake and Sing!
7. Shining City
8. Durango
9. The Clean House
10. A Chorus Line Worst:
1. The Times They Are A-Changin'
2. Lestat
3. Ring of Fire
4. Almost, Maine
5. The Threepenny Opera
Reader's Poll (Best Broadway Show):
The History Boys
The Hollywood Reporter's Robert Hofler (no particular order):
10. The Four-Way Speech in Young Jean Lee's Songs of the Dragons Flying to Heaven
9. Bill T. Jones's Choreography in Spring Awakening
8. The Coast of Utopia
7. The Nightmare Scene in Will Power's The Seven
6. The Wild Duck at BAM
5. "Immigration Restrictions Proved to Be a Bad Idea" (Canadian Bob Martin in The Drowsy Chaperone and Irish Brían F. O'Byrne in Shining City) 4. John Doyle's Revival of Company
3. "Actor-Playwrights Got Over Themselves" (non-biographical solo shows: Sarah Jones' Bridge & Tunnel, Nilaja Sun's No Child and Daniel Beaty's Emergence-See!)
2. Christine Ebersole in Grey Gardens
1. The Lieutenant of Inishmore
The New York Sun's Eric Grode:
1. The Thugs
2. Bridge and Tunnel
3. Spring Awakening
4. Waiting for Godot (Dublin's Gate Theatre and Classical Theatre of Harlem)
5. The History Boys
6. Billy The Mime
7. The Drowsy Chaperone
8. Indian Blood
9. The Pain and the Itch
10. [title of show]
Runners-Up (in alphabetical order): A Chorus Line, The Emperor Jones, Heddatron, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Satellites, The Seven, Shining City, Tuesdays & Sundays, Two Trains Running and Well.
The New York Times' Ben Brantley (in alphabetical order):
The New York Times' Charles Isherwood (alphabetical order):
1. Grey Gardens
2. Spring Awakening
3. Mary Poppins
4. Shining City
5. 365 Days/365 Plays
6. Musical Revivals (American style) (A Chorus Line, The Pajama Game)
7. Musical Revivals (British style) (Sweeney Todd, Company)
8. Festen
9. The Vertical Hour
10. Martin Short's Fame Becomes Me
TimeOut New York's David Cote (in alphabetical order):
Playbill.com Picks the Top Theatre Stories of 2006
In Memoriam: Playbill.com Remembers Those We Lost in 2006.
