Arts & Entertainment
Top Ten Plays of 2017
The best plays are up first. Of the 37 plays that I enjoyed at community theatre venues during 2017, these took the top spots.
Naugatuck, CT - 2017 marks the sixth year that I have compiled an end-of-the-year top ten lists of the productions that I have had the good fortune to attend during the calendar year. I was once again pleasantly surprised to discover that the number of shows I can review in a year continues to grow.
Last year I published 116 reviews; this year with 22 Equity productions, eight touring companies and one Broadway shows (‘Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812,’) 36 productions with young performers, 31 community theatre musicals, and 37 community theatre plays, the grand total was 134. This year the play list also included three productions with adult performers designed for elementary school audiences.
While this is certainly a large number of shows from which to choose, my four lists remain one person’s opinion of the best of the many area productions produced in 2017. There were many shows that I had to miss due to weather, personal obligations and most often because I was unable to book a performance when many shows were happening with identical run dates. So take the rankings for what they are worth.
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Click on each play's title to read the entire review of the show to see more reasons it made this list.
Top Ten Plays of 2017
Find out what's happening in Naugatuckfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
10. ‘August: Osage County’ by Two Planks - Tensions heated up and boiled over throughout the three acts, but there was also some intelligent humor to break it up. The intensity of the viciousness is what I will long remember.
9. ‘Dracula’ at Connecticut Cabaret Theatre - Director Kris McMurray wanted to choose a show that was new and different and he chillingly succeeded with this production.
8. ‘Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead’ by Vagabond Theatre Company - While parts of the dialogue are bitingly funny, the emotional effect of the piece comes from the harsh look at the self-discovery of the teenage years.
7. ‘Radium Girls’ by Shakesperience Productions- I found this work to be riveting in its subject matter, if a bit hard to watch because we know the fate of the young ladies.
6. ‘Rebel Yells’ by Phoenix Stage Company - The playwright closely examines the devastating losses of every single character; at times, the action brought the opening night audience to tears.
5. ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’ by Landmark Community Theatre - Every audience member knew that this would not be an easy journey and yet we appreciated the dedication of this talented cast to bring this heart-wrenching story to life.
4. 'A Secret Shakespeare Version of A Midsummer Night's Dream' by The Desultory Theatre Club et al. - I was impressed with the overall conception of this unique production and loved getting to troupe through the beautiful venue to experience the work of the various acting troupes.
3. ‘Tea at Five’ at Connecticut Cabaret Theatre - This was not a sentimental look at the life of this icon, but it was definitely a fascinating one.
2. ‘Sylvia’ by Goshen Players - I found it to be the funniest A.R. Gurney work that I have ever seen; kudos to Johnny O for choosing it for the Goshen season and on his impressive directorial debut.
1. ‘Peter and the Starcatcher’ by Warner Stage Company - This has to be one of the tightest ensemble casts of the season; everyone clearly had to depend upon each other to make the intricate moves work, and everything worked very well.
Runner ups: ‘The Gin Game’ by Phoenix Stage Company, ‘And Then There Were None’ by Warner Stage Company, ‘The Three Musketeers’ by Phoenix Stage Company, ‘Female Transport’ by Phoenix Stage Company
Pictured: Peter and the Starcatcher Photo Credit: Mandi Martini
©2017 The Warner Theatre
Nancy Sasso Janis has been writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local theatre venues and she posts reviews of well over 100 productions each year. In 2016, she became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle. She continues to contribute theatre news, previews, and audition notices to local Patch sites. Reviews of all levels of theatrical productions are posted on Naugatuck Patch and the Patch sites closest to the venue. Follow the reviewer on her Facebook pages Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and Connecticut Theater Previews and on Twitter @nancysjanis417
