Theatre in the West is one of the most unprotected art forms. I was lucky enough to grow up in a household where an art form like theatre was shown to me at a young age and was properly embraced and appreciated. Although not an expert by any means, here is the all-time list of my favorite theatre performances in no order.
1.) Fences by August Wilson
Directed by Kenny Leon in 2010, starring Denzel Washington and Viola Davis, the 2010 rendition of Fences for me is one of my favorite plays of all-time. The performances by Denzel Washington and Viola Davis, both in the play and the 2016 film, are absolutely ground-breaking and encapsulate everything beautiful about theatre, plays, and acting.
2.) Chicago by John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Bob Fosse
Directed by Walter Bobbie in 1996, starring Ann Reinking as Roxie Hart, Bebe Neuwirth as Velma Kelly, and James Naughton as Billy Flynn, the 1996 revival is one of my favorite live performances of all time. Another theatre performance with a fantastic film release, Chicago is, in my opinion, one of the best musicals ever, from the smooth and rhythmic jazz score to the sharp choreography; it’s one of those plays I feel like it’s really difficult to dislike.
3.) Giselle composed by Adolphe Adam
Directed by Ross MacGibbon, the 2014 ballet starring Natalia Osipova as Giselle and Carlos Acosta as Albrecht is one of my favorite romantic ballets, not just visually but also in a written sense. It is such a pleasant, almost chilling ballet I would recommend to anyone, especially as an introduction.
4.)Edward Scissorhands by Tim Burton
Adapted and directed by Matthew Bourne in 2005 is another ballet that I love dearly. Growing up as a fan of the film and a lot of Tim Burton’s films, I absolutely jumped at the chance to watch Edward Scissorhands adapted as a ballet. It’s a gothic romance ballet that takes one of the most unique approaches to adapting another piece of media.
5.)Swan Lake by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
This would be a hard list to make if I didn’t include arguably the most well-known and appreciated ballets of all time. There is no exact performance of Swan Lake that I prefer, but Swan Lake is a piece of media that, no matter how popular and highly praised the words used to describe it, will fall short of the true mastery of ballet Swan Lake is and how truly marvelous it is to the human eye.
