My favorites in 2008

In 2008, I saw 104 shows. Of these, 29 were ballet or dance related, 25 were plays, 21 were musicals. There were 15 operas and 9 concerts. 5 shows defied categorization. I made special trips to see 10 shows in Washington DC, San Francisco and Chicago, and 24 were seen in my new home on the East Coast.

But that's all number talk. Here's what I'll remember most about about 2008, in no particular order:


San Francisco Ballet in a lot of things, but particularly in Christopher Wheeldon's Within the Golden Hour (San Francisco, May & New York City Center, October): San Francisco Ballet's performance of Wheeldon's ballet at New York City Center was thrilling in so many ways. The company continues to impress me with its fantastic dancers and always interesting adventures in new choreography.

August: Osage County (Broadway, March): In three and a half hours that didn't feel long at all, Tracey Letts' play about a dysfunctional middle-America family was raucously funny and engaging. And there were also the spectacular performances of its cast, led by Deanna Dunnagan and Amy Morton.

Passing Strange (Broadway, March): A cross between rock concert and musical, this decidedly nontraditional take on the form had a different way of telling a story theatrically, and a stellar cast to boot.

Lalala Human Steps in Amjad (UCLA, April): Edouard Lock's deconstruction of traditional ballet classicism was fascinating, enhanced by its dreamlike musical atmosphere and talented dancers.

Der Zwerg (LA Opera, February): Part of LA Opera's Recovered Voices project, this rarely performed opera was given a sumptuous and intelligent staging under the sturdy musical baton of James Conlon.

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (Kirk Douglas Theatre in LA, February): Smart and irreverent, this "emo-rock" musical about the life and presidency of Andrew Jackson had its problems but also its glories - not unlike the rock star president it depicted.


The Kirov/Mariinsky Ballet in La Bayadere (Kennedy Center in Washington DC, January): The Mariinsky Ballet, or the Kirov as it is known in the west, simply knows how to put on the great classic ballets like no one else. The ballets are always grand but never dated and cumbersome, danced with refreshing appeal and refinement. From top to bottom, the company did not disappoint, especially in the sublime Kingdom of the Shades scene.

Boeing Boeing (Broadway, August): A hilariously funny show. I haven't laughed so hard in a theater in a long time. The cast was perfection, getting more entertainment from the play than it might have been gotten from a lesser cast.

New York City Ballet in Balanchine's Nutcracker (New York City, December): I finally saw Balanchine's Nutcracker and now I know why New York ballet fans wax rhapsodic about Nutcracker every year.

Next post: what I'm looking forward to next year!