Philadelphia Weekly

Singing in the dead of night: Julianna Zinkel and Pearce Bunting gave stellar performances in Theatre Exile’s "Blackbird"

The 2008-’09 theater season was the best the area has seen in years. No longer were audiences routinely subjected to conventional productions of inferior plays. Showing admirable daring in the midst of an economic downturn, the companies presented provocative works that were, for the most part, involving and significant. 


With better material (and perhaps less money) to work with, directors rediscovered their creativity, mounting more sparse, intimate productions that placed the focus on the plays’ characters. The less-is-more approach paid off in productions ranging from the Wilma’s powerful staging of the epic Scorched to Theatre Exile’s thoughtful exploration of pedophilia in the stunning Blackbird. 


The 11th Hour Theatre Co., Lantern Theater Co., 
Theatre Exile and Philadelphia Theatre Co. were among the many companies that had impressive seasons. But no company staged as many successful shows as the Arden Theatre Co., which included among their two children’s shows and five adult-oriented productions two spellbinding productions: the immensely affecting Gee’s Bend and Aaron Posner’s theatrical new play My Name Is Asher Lev. 


The season was also noteworthy for the abundance of fine performances from male actors. Pearce Bunting was alternately chilling and heartbreaking as a man trying to come to terms with his past in Blackbird. Ian Merrill Peakes was dazzling as the bigoted but brilliant moviemaker in the Arden’s Something Intangible. Forrest McClendon offered an astoundingly studied portrait of courage in Lantern Theater’s Sizwe Bansi Is Dead. 


Yet nothing equaled Geoff Sobelle’s vivifying turn as the title character in Lantern’s Hamlet. Far from melancholy, Sobelle’s prince was a rebel with a cause. Athletic, funny, daring and endlessly fascinating, Sobelle’s 
Hamlet redefined the play for a 21st-century audience in a thrilling production that blew the dust off of the world’s greatest tragedy.


There were other signs of renewal this season. Led by Mauckingbird Theatre’s fabulous production of Joe 
Calarco’s R&J, the area saw a sudden resurgence of gay- and lesbian-themed plays. Also heartening were the number of shows exploring the lives of women. Among the better efforts that focused on female characters were Gee’s Bend , Scorched , Grey Gardens, Cherry Bomb and the Walnut Street Theatre’s insanely entertaining production of Hairspray. And women didn’t just make their presence known onstage. Five of the season’s top 10 productions ( Scorched , Gee’s Bend , Reefer Madness, At Home at the Zoo, Quixote) were helmed by female directors.


All these welcome trends could quickly disappear, and 2008-’09 wasn’t without its theatrical ineptitude and tedium. But after several seasons of uninspired productions and tepid plays, the 2008-’09 Philadelphia theater season was one to celebrate.


Here’s the list of the artists and productions we deemed the best of the season. 


Top 10 Productions


R&J (Mauckingbird Theatre Co.)


Hairspray (Walnut Street Theatre)


Blackbird (Theatre Exile)


Hamlet (Lantern Theater Co.)


Quixote (Broad Street Ministry & Stillpoint Productions)


Gee’s Bend (Arden Theatre Co.)


At Home at the Zoo (Philadelphia Theatre Co.)


Scorched (Wilma Theater)


My Name is Asher Lev (Arden Theatre Co.)


Reefer Madness (11th Hour Theatre Co. & Montgomery Theater)