What Were the Two Best Musicals of 2010?
What Were the Two Best Musicals of 2010?
By Jason Cocovinis on January 25, 2011
Two MTI Shows Receive Top Honors from The Wall Street Journal in List of 2010's Best Theatrical Productions Anywhere!
Throughout 2010, The Wall Street Journal ‘s drama critic Terry Teachout crisscrossed America in search of memorable, innovative theater from Broadway and beyond. Teachout saw countless new and classic works performed by professional companies throughout the U.S., and it turns out that two of his favorite discoveries were superb productions of MTI shows:
"My travels, as usual, brought me much pleasure, including the two best musicals of the year, Oregon Shakespeare's SHE LOVES ME in Ashland and the Arden Theatre Company's SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE in Philadelphia."
Music Theatre International is delighted that audiences had the pleasure of experiencing these unique titles through new and engaging productions. Both Oregon Shakespeare’s SHE LOVES ME and Arden’s SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, were not only critically-acclaimed artistic successes – they were also box-office winners for their respective companies.
Paul Nicholson, Executive Director for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival had this to say about their production of Bock’s, Harnick’s and Masterof’s, SHE LOVES ME, “We were thrilled with the audience response to what was a beautifully-touching production, directed by Rebecca Taichman. The music is so infectious and all the characters so wonderfully drawn. It played in rep from April to the end of October and so we got to hum those tunes for six splendid months!”
Artistic Director, and co-conceiver of SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE at Arden, Terry Nolan attributes some of the production’s success to the creative challenges inherent in this Sondheim classic, “This show was really a chance for our creative team to challenge themselves. We used the complete, original orchestrations, which is where a lot of the show’s beauty and integrity lie. But I also think SUNDAY IN THE PARK…speaks to the seeker or risk-taker in all of us, performers and non-performers alike.”
Nolan recounted a conversation he had with an audience member who was ecstatic because he felt the musical truly told “his story”. “This audience member was not an artist, he was a scientist,” says Nolan, “but he was able to connect with the story because it’s really about seeing the world in a new way. “ Nolan also remarked how audiences connect with the show, adding, “in bleaker times, a show that celebrates color and light is a good thing!”
About SHE LOVES ME
It is the rare musical theatre aficionado who doesn’t have a soft spot in his heart for SHE LOVES ME. This intimate show, considered by many to be the most charming musical ever written ,is based on Parfumerie by Miklos Laszlo. The plot features Georg and Amalia - two feuding clerks in a European parfumerie during the 1930s who secretly find solace in their anonymous romantic pen pals, little knowing their respective correspondents are none other than each other. Funny, intelligent, honest and sentimental, SHE LOVES ME is a warm romantic comedy with an endearing innocence and a touch of old world elegance and nostalgia, yet as universal and relevant as ever in this age of internet romances.
About SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE
One of the most acclaimed musicals of our time, this moving study of the enigmatic painter Georges Seurat won a Pulitzer Prize for its deeply insightful and highly personal examination of life through art and the artist.
Act One follows the inarticulate Seurat as he fights a losing battle to maintain a relationship with his mistress Dot as he creates his painting “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” amid the scorn of the artistic community. The second act takes place 100 years later, introducing us to his American descendant, also an artist, burned out and uncertain of the path he must take.
Read the Terry Teachout's full Wall Street Journal article, Safety First, Surprises Second.
Oregon Shakespeare Festival's SHE LOVES ME.
Throughout 2010, The Wall Street Journal ‘s drama critic Terry Teachout crisscrossed America in search of memorable, innovative theater from Broadway and beyond. Teachout saw countless new and classic works performed by professional companies throughout the U.S., and it turns out that two of his favorite discoveries were superb productions of MTI shows:
"My travels, as usual, brought me much pleasure, including the two best musicals of the year, Oregon Shakespeare's SHE LOVES ME in Ashland and the Arden Theatre Company's SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE in Philadelphia."
Music Theatre International is delighted that audiences had the pleasure of experiencing these unique titles through new and engaging productions. Both Oregon Shakespeare’s SHE LOVES ME and Arden’s SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, were not only critically-acclaimed artistic successes – they were also box-office winners for their respective companies.
Paul Nicholson, Executive Director for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival had this to say about their production of Bock’s, Harnick’s and Masterof’s, SHE LOVES ME, “We were thrilled with the audience response to what was a beautifully-touching production, directed by Rebecca Taichman. The music is so infectious and all the characters so wonderfully drawn. It played in rep from April to the end of October and so we got to hum those tunes for six splendid months!”
Kristine Fraelich as Dot and Jeffrey Coon as Georges in Arden Theatre Company's production of SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE. Photo by Mark Garvin.
Artistic Director, and co-conceiver of SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE at Arden, Terry Nolan attributes some of the production’s success to the creative challenges inherent in this Sondheim classic, “This show was really a chance for our creative team to challenge themselves. We used the complete, original orchestrations, which is where a lot of the show’s beauty and integrity lie. But I also think SUNDAY IN THE PARK…speaks to the seeker or risk-taker in all of us, performers and non-performers alike.”
Nolan recounted a conversation he had with an audience member who was ecstatic because he felt the musical truly told “his story”. “This audience member was not an artist, he was a scientist,” says Nolan, “but he was able to connect with the story because it’s really about seeing the world in a new way. “ Nolan also remarked how audiences connect with the show, adding, “in bleaker times, a show that celebrates color and light is a good thing!”
About SHE LOVES ME
It is the rare musical theatre aficionado who doesn’t have a soft spot in his heart for SHE LOVES ME. This intimate show, considered by many to be the most charming musical ever written ,is based on Parfumerie by Miklos Laszlo. The plot features Georg and Amalia - two feuding clerks in a European parfumerie during the 1930s who secretly find solace in their anonymous romantic pen pals, little knowing their respective correspondents are none other than each other. Funny, intelligent, honest and sentimental, SHE LOVES ME is a warm romantic comedy with an endearing innocence and a touch of old world elegance and nostalgia, yet as universal and relevant as ever in this age of internet romances.About SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGEOne of the most acclaimed musicals of our time, this moving study of the enigmatic painter Georges Seurat won a Pulitzer Prize for its deeply insightful and highly personal examination of life through art and the artist.
Act One follows the inarticulate Seurat as he fights a losing battle to maintain a relationship with his mistress Dot as he creates his painting “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” amid the scorn of the artistic community. The second act takes place 100 years later, introducing us to his American descendant, also an artist, burned out and uncertain of the path he must take.
Read the Terry Teachout's full Wall Street Journal article, Safety First, Surprises Second.
