Top 5 of '05: Theatrical productions

Best of the Theatre

1. Topdog/Underdog(Madison Repertory Theatre)
2. WalMartopia (Mercury Players)
3. A Little Night Music (Strollers Theatre)
4. [url=http://www.madstage.com/shows03/zastrozzi.html ]Zastrozzi[/url] (University Theatre)
5. [url=http://www.broomstreet.org/archives/053show.html ]Sarah's Spirits[/url] (Broom Street Theatre)

Madison is a vibrant city for the Theatre. We are lucky to have multiple hardworking companies that all bring a unique style and flavor. Just browsing the last year of theatre reviews by Christian and Rebecca right here on Dane101 is very telling. Taking the top slot in our readers poll was the unnerving Topdog/Underdog. An urban fable of two brothers going nowhere, injected with raw emotion captured by Ronnel Taylor and Rolando A. Boyce Sr. Following that up is Wal-Martopia, a musical that has received much press and acclaim outside of the city walls for its portrayal of a United States where Wal-Mart is the king and only Vermont has independence. A Little Night Music, described by the MadStage website as a “romantic and achingly beautiful portrayal of the universal subject of love in all its wonder, humor, and irony” takes number three. The diabolical criminal mastermind, Zastrozzi, comes close to ruling the list notching a fourth place slot. The comedy Sarah’s Spirits, a play about the haunted Sarah Winchester who thought her family was cursed to be haunted by the victims of Winchester rifles, takes a respectable fifth.

The productions below also received nods by Dane101 readers:
A Christmas Carol (CTM Madison Family Theatre Company), [url=http://www.madstage.com/shows03/goatsylvia.html ]The Goat, or Who is Sylvia[/url] (Mercury Players Theatre), Bat Boy the Musical, [url=http://www.madstage.com/shows03/moonfor.html ]Moon for the Misbegotten[/url] (Madison Repertory Theatre), Phantom of the Opera, The Mystery of Irma Veep

Also receiving nods were two plays from 2004: [url=http://www.madstage.com/shows03/lonelyplanet.html ]Lonely Planet[/url] by StageQ and John Paul Sartre’s [url=http://www.news.wisc.edu/10481.html ]No Exit[/url] by University Theatre.