Grigware Talks Theatre

The Best in LA Theatre for 2014

There are undoubtedly other productions worthy of merit in 2014 which I did not cover. This list is based only on what I saw and reviewed.

(alphabetical listings; Equity, Equity-waiver & Non-Equity productions are mixed)
(artists performing outside LA may be included in performance categories)

BEST PRODUCTIONS

Brief Encounter - Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
Cabaret - Crown City Theatre
Catch Me If You Can - Moonlight Amphitheatre, Vista
Choir Boy - Geffen
The Country House - Geffen
Damn Yankees - 3D Theatricals
Floyd Collins - La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts
4000 Miles - Sierra Madre Playhouse
The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? - Los Angeles LGBT Center
In the Heights - Cabrillo
The Last Confession - Ahmanson
Les Miserables - La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts
Mystery of Edwin Drood - Actors Co-op
Once - Pantages
Putting It Together - Chromolume Theatre
Ragtime - 3D Theatricals
A Song at Twilight - Pasadena Playhouse
A Streetcar Named Desire - Group rep
Top Girls - Antaeus Company
The Trip to Bountiful - Ahmanson
The 25th Annual Putnum Country Spelling Bee - Kelrik Productions at the El Portal
Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike - Mark Taper Forum
Young Frankenstein - DOMA

BEST PRODUCTIONS - Dinner Theatre

Candlelight Pavilion, Claremont: entire season
Lawrence Welk Resort, Escondido: Anything Goes/Oklahoma!

FAVORITE CHRISTMAS SHOWS

Fruitcake Follies 2014
A Little House Christmas - Sierra Madre Playhouse
Sleeping Beauty and Her Winter Knight - Pasadena Playhouse
The Snow QUEEN - Troubies at the Falcon

UNIQUE or SPECIAL EVENTS

Always Patsy Cline - El Portal Theatre
An Evening with Arthur Duncan - Monroe Forum Theatre at the El Portal
Harmony - Ahmanson Theatre
Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin - Geffen
Kritzerland Concert -Jerry Herman Tribute at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal
L'il Abner - Bruce Kimmel director - LA City College
Spirit of Ireland - Michael Ryan - University of LaVerne
Striking 12 - Laguna Playhouse
Tappin' Thru Life: An Evening with Maurice Hines - Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts

BEST DIRECTOR: PLAY

David Hyde Pierce - Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike - Mark Taper Forum
Stephen Sachs - My Name Is Asher Lev - Fountain Theatre

BEST DIRECTOR: MUSICAL

Cate Caplin - Putting It Together - Chromolume
Kristin Towers-Rowles - The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee - Monroe Forum at the El Portal

MOST PROMISING NEW MUSICAL

Scary Musical the Musical - Richard Hochberg and Michael Paternostro - NoHo Arts Center

MOST PROMISING NEW PLAYS

Conviction - Carey Crim - Rubicon Theatre, Ventura
Wake - Carey Crim - Seaglass Theatre at the Fremont Theatre Centre

BEST ENSEMBLE: PLAY

Amadeus - Ensemble Theatre, Santa Barbara
Blithe Spirit - Ahmanson
Choir Boy - Geffen
The Country House - Geffen
The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? - LGBT Center
My Name Is Asher Lev - Fountain
A Song at Twilight - Pasadena Playhouse
Top Girls - Antaeus
The Trip to Bountiful - Ahmanson
Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike - Mark Taper Forum

BEST ENSEMBLE: MUSICAL

The Andrews Brothers - Annenberg Theatre, Palm Springs
Brigadoon - Music Circus, Sacramento
Catch Me If You Can - Moonlight, Vista
Damn Yankees - 3D Theatricals
Mystery of Edwin Drood - Actors Co-op
Ragtime - 3D Theatricals
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee - Kelrik at the El Portal
Young Frankenstein - DOMA

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

Michael Arden/Ciara Renee - The Hunchback of Notre Dame - La Jolla Playhouse
Frances Barber - What the Butler Saw - Mark Taper Forum
James Barbour - Les Miserables - La Mirada
Eileen Barnett - Glorious! - ICT, Long Beach
Leslie Caron/David Engel - Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks - Laguna Playhouse
Alexis Carra/Jordan Lamoureux - Damn Yankees - 3D Theatricals
Mimi Cozzens/Christian Prentice - 4000 Miles - Sierra Madre
Merle Dandridge - Kiss Me Kate - Pasadena Playhouse
Chelsea Emma Franko - Spamalot - Candlelight Pavilion, Claremont
Taylor Gilbert - Sovereign Body - The Road Theatre Company
Rebecca Johnson - Big Fish - MTW
Angela Lansbury/Charles Edwards/Jemima Rooper - Blithe Spirit - Ahmanson
Danny Michaels - Me and My Girl - GCT (Glendale Centre Theatre)
Diedra Celeste Miranda/Daniel Kaemon - Streetcar - Group rep
Alicia Hall Moran - The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess - Ahmanson
Kristine Nielsen - Vanya & Sonia - Mark Taper Forum
Ann Noble/Paul Witten - The Goat - LGBT Center
Jaimi Paige/Graham Hamilton - Venus in Fur - South Coast Rep
Kyle Taylor Parker - Kinky Boots - Pantages
Erin Pineda - Bunny, Bunny - Falcon Theatre
Kristin Towers-Rowles - Putting It Together - Chromolume
Brent Schindele -The Music Man - GCT
Jeff Skowron - The Producers - 3D Theatricals/Big Fish - Musical Theatre West (MTW)
Victoria Strong - Man of La Mancha - GCT
Rebekah Tripp/Joseph Fuqua - A Moon for the Misbegotten - Rubicon, Ventura
Cicely Tyson - The Trip to Bountiful - Ahmanson
Mark Whitten/Kim Huber - Floyd Collins - La Mirada
Hannah Yelland - Brief Encounter - Wallis Annenberg
Murielle Zuker - Educating Rita - Theatre 40

BEST FEATURED PERFORMANCE

Dorothy Atkinson/Annette McLaughlin - Brief Encounter - Wallis Annenberg
Jim J. Bullock - Bye Bye Birdie - Cabrillo
Granville Van Dusen - A Moon for the Misbegotten - Rubicon, Ventura
Christine Ebersole/David Hull - Vania & Sonia & Masha & Spike - Mark Taper Forum
Chelsea Emma Franko/ Karla Franko/Tamara Zook - Damn Yankees - 3D Theatricals
Susane Lee - 4000 Miles - Sierra Madre
Craig McEldowney - Ragtime - 3D Theatricals/...Spelling Bee - El Portal
Tom Musgrave - Melissa Arctic - The Road Theatre Company
Richard O' Callaghan - Last Confession - Ahmanson
Anya Profumo/Kent Butler - Streetcar - Group rep
Carla R. Stewart - Ghost the Musical - Pantages
Sara J. Stuckey - Cabaret - Crown

BEST SOLO SHOW: MALE

Daniel Beaty - The Tallest Tree in the Forest - Mark Taper Forum
Scott Dreier - Doris & Me - Monroe Forum at the El Portal
Jon Peterson - ...He Wrote Good Songs - Asylum Lab Theatre (Fringe Festival)
Christopher Plummer - A Word or Two - Ahmanson Theatre
Michael Urie - Buyer & Cellar - Mark Taper Forum

BEST SOLO SHOW: FEMALE

Annette Bening - Ruth Draper's Monologues - Geffen
Chita Rivera: A Legendary Celebration - Valley Performing Arts Center, Northridge
Katie Rubin -Why I Died, a Comedy - Echo Theatre at Atwater Village

BEST CABARET/CONCERT ARTIST: MALE

David Burnham - Together Again For the First Time - Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal
Dan Callaway - A Farewell to LA - Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal
Jason Graae - 49 1/2 Shades of Graae - Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal
Jeremy Jordan - Breaking Character - Catalina Jazz Club
John Lloyd Young - My Turn - Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal

BEST CABARET/CONCERT ARTIST: FEMALE

Laura Benanti - In Constant Search for the Right Kind of Attention - Catalina Jazz Club
Laura Dickinson - One For My Baby - Upstairs at Vitello's
Jennifer Holliday - Broadway Under the Stars - Ford Amphitheatre
Jeanne Page - Reboot - Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal
Valerie Perri - Together Again for the First Time - Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal
Rebecca Spencer - Fair Warning - Upstairs at Vitello's