In art as in life, we are wise to remember the losses along with the triumphs. In retrospect, the year in Atlanta theater had its share of both. Along with important new work and exhilarating theatrical moments, the community said “so long” to a trio of giants. After more than 60 years, musical-theater producer Theater of the Stars closed shop, ending the career of founder Chris Manos on a poignant note. Things worked out better at 7 Stages, where co-founders Del Hamilton and Faye Allen made a successful handoff to the next generation. 7 Stages named Heidi S. Howard artistic director of the Little Five Points ensemble the partners started in 1979. (On a personal note: After 34 years as a couple, the dyed-in-the-wool bohemians finally tied the knot, in January.) So there’s that. Now let’s consider the good work of 2013.
BEST THEATER COMPANY. All things considered, Actor's Express is proving to be the city's most dazzling presenter of straight drama. After "Equus," the Peter Shaffer disturber about the boy and his horse, the theater delivered Theresa Rebeck's vicious dark comedy "Seminar," then followed up with "Pluto," Steve Yockey's heart-ripping tragedy about an American family gone out of orbit. A brilliant run.
BEST PRODUCTION. On the same day Tarell Alvin McCraney's "Choir Boy" opened on the Alliance Theatre's Hertz Stage, the 2008 winner of the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition was named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow. How long before the Pulitzers come to call? McCraney's highly personal "Choir Boy" proved that it probably won't be too long. For me and countless others, it was the single most moving theatrical experience of the year.
BEST SOLO EFFORT. Primarily known as a costume designer, Albanian immigrant Jonida Beqo is also a poetry-slam champion of some distinction. With Theatrical Outfit's "Harabel: A Sparrow Over a Minefield," her needle work and performance skills coalesced into a marvelous whole. Soul-piercing but ultimately joyful, "Harabel" deserves to be seen before a wider audience.
BEST MUSICAL. "Harmony," Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman's account of the Nazi-era German group the Comedian Harmonists, was Atlanta's most elegantly staged musical of the year. Let's hope this means the Alliance Theatre will be sending another show to Broadway. That said, Serenbe Playhouse's "Hair," staged in a wildflower meadow, and Aurora Theatre's "Les Miserables" were epic and ambitious in their own way. Great theater lives in the suburbs.
BEST LOCAL PLAYWRIGHT. From “Swell Party” at Georgia Ensemble Theatre to “Angry Fags” at 7 Stages, Topher Payne had quite a year. And for Atlanta’s own little Tennessee Williams, the hard work paid off. The Suzi Bass Awards bestowed “Angry Fags” with the Gene-Gabriel Moore Playwriting Award, setting the stage for “The Only Light in Reno.” Opening the new year at Georgia Ensemble Theatre in Roswell, Payne’s latest imagines the moment in 1960 when Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Clift converge in Nevada for the making of John Huston’s “The Misfits.” This oughta be juicy.
