Street's Shows of 2009

Program in Theater: Happy Days

This October, Becca Foresman '10 gave a moving performance as the eternally optimistic Winnie, a woman stuck in a mound of dirt. Directed by Tim Vasen and also featuring Zach Wieder '10, the meticulously researched and carefully constructed senior thesis production of Samuel Beckett's "Happy Days" was a big hit; I had to sit on the floor for closing night. Foresman's mastery of the intricacies of her character and the particular challenges of staging "Happy Days" made for a captivating performance. The superb physical aspects of the production - especially the convincing look of that all-important mound of dirt - rounded out a great night at the theater (stiff neck and all).

-Joseph Dexter

Program in Theater: The Beat is Sweet

Written and directed by Lauren Whitehead '09, "The Beat is Sweet: Memory of a Broken Dream" was inspired by the poetry of Federico Garcia Lorca and Langston Hughes. Performed in January 2009, the production itself was dreamlike, a "sieve," said Whitehead, for thoughts and emotions derived from the contemplation of the poetry. Befitting the title, my memory of the show consists of disconnected, but untiringly vibrant, images and sensations; "the shockingly white wedding dress ... the clicks of Lorca's typewriter ... the screeching howl from La Duende" are all images Whitehead cites as sources of inspiration in the director's notes. The production succeeded in communicating this dreamlike sensation; each moment was powerful but fleeting, giving way to the next transitory expression but leaving the audience with a lasting mnemonic residue.

-Chloe Davis

Program in Theater: My Fair Lady

The Program in Theater's recent and "oh-so-loverly" fall production of "My Fair Lady" is an obvious front-runner for the best show of 2009 and a clear campus favorite judging by its sold-out run. The show was produced by an academic department and backed by professional direction, a design team, the Berlind Theatre and a hefty budget, so needless to say there were high expectations attached to it - and thankfully, it exceeded them all. The strong-voiced Laura Hankin '10 gave a delightful performance as the feisty Eliza Doolittle, and she was joined on stage by a well-trained ensemble of Princeton student-theater veterans and newcomers who brought dedicated, youthful exuberance to this Lerner and Loewe Broadway classic. Do we hope to see more musicals in the Program in Theater's future? Abso-bloomin'-lutely.

-Sarah Pease-Kerr

Theatre Intime: Venting

Since other critics have covered "My Fair Lady" and "Happy Days," which featured very strong student performances and beautifully suited design elements, I want to discuss Theatre Intime's production of Mara Nelson-Greenberg '11's "Venting." While not the best production of 2009, "Venting" represents a significant accomplishment - if not the most significant one - in Princeton theater this year. Fostering a community where a playwright can emerge and, more importantly, be produced is essential to the longevity of our art form. If we do not nurture the "Mommies" and "Daddies" that birth scripts (to borrow the language of this play), no new plays will ever be born and no new voices will be heard. Nelson-Greenberg's voice creates a world that walks the tightrope of realism while jumping, falling and spinning around it into the absurd. With a truly unique sense of comedy, she switches between clever spasms of wordplay and hilarious emotional outbursts. An eclectic fusion of Abbott and Costello and Edward Albee, "Venting" offers this year's strongest step forward for original and unique campus theater.

-Zach Zimmerman

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Theatre Intime: Our Town

Theatre Intime's production of Thornton Wilder's "Our Town" was my favorite show of the year. Want proof? I watched the play with a sore throat and splitting headache just 12 hours before I was McCoshed with swine flu, and I still bloody loved it. Sweet without being sappy, profound without being preachy, "Our Town" tells the story of the average lives of average people in nowherestown, U.S.A., yet somehow manages to imbue every word and action with cosmic significance, as its cast of characters move from birth, through love, marriage, death and the afterlife. Lovell Holder '09 rounded out a flawless ensemble, grounding the high-concept show as "The Stage Manager," joking with the audience and guiding viewers through the experiences of this universal town he loves. "This is the way we were," he reminded us, but what made "Our Town" so memorable was the way it combined nostalgic longing for the past with timeless observations on human nature. I probably should have been in a hospital bed instead of watching it, but thank God I wasn't.

-Adam Tanaka

Program in Theater: Angels in America

At more than six hours and with a scope wide enough to include the AIDs crisis, Ethel Rosenberg and a heavenly tribunal, "Angels in America" was a daunting show to watch - I can only imagine the emotional energy it took to stage. Last April's production of Tony Kushner's landmark play had a lot to live up to, for me at least: I'd seen the HBO-miniseries version more times than I can count, and the echo of Al Pacino and Mary Louise Parker were at times hard to get out of my mind. But while this senior thesis production, directed by Sara-Ashley Bischoff '09, would have been admirable for its ambition alone, the simple direction and moving performances - Jordan Kisner '09 especially, as a valium-addled Mormon housewife - let Kushner's powerful words shine. By turns magical, heartbreaking, thought-provoking and funny, it was a theatrical event.

-Esther Breger