In college, my buddy Jim and I took this theatre critiquing course. The class never met; to earn the 1 credit, you had to go see 10 plays over the course of the semester and write a review of each. It was stone simple, and I had to drop out. I couldn’t see enough plays (I think I got to five).

Long gone are thoe days of my U of D professor chastising me for having to bail out on the easiest course in the curriculum. Nowadays thanks in great part to Selena’s connections, I see more theatre than I ever have before, and in the past two weeks have seen five productions. Here they are ranked as a Top Five.

Top Five Productions I’ve Seen These Past Two Weeks:

#5 Jitney at Ford’s Theater

The acting in this production was stirring, the staging was terrible. The play disregarded the proscenium stage and instead was set on a custom thrust over the audience that is obstructed view for the whole balcony (where we were sat). We switched seats five times but never got a clear look at the full play, and that distraction drops this great play to the bottom of the list.

#4 Urinetown at the Wilmington Drama League

Here’s a group that over-achieved. This is a community theatre that poured their heart and soul into this production and it showed. The singing and acting caliber was high, the set design was sharp, the numbers staged well. The community in Delaware agreed with it; the show sold out both nights of last weekend. Good job to the WDL.

#3 Putnam County Spelling Bee on Broadway

It’s a Broadway musical but it felt much more like improv. The show didn’t take itself too seriously, and I found myself waiting with anticipation every time the word was used in a sentence. The set was thorough as well, spanning into the audience space and the house. The only real detraction was the music, it wasn’t bad, but it seemed forced. I were convinced after that this was a play and musical numbers were added so it could move to Broadway, that’s how contrived they felt.

#2 Edward Scissorhands touring through Kennedy Center

The story of Edward Scissorhands told in dance. It was spectacular. The dance didn’t steal focus and stall the plot progression like in so many ballets I’ve slept through seen, but enhanced the telling. For a story so based in sentimentality, words weren’t necessary and we came away thinking this ballet may be better than the original movie. The curtain call was especially poignant as Edward stayed in character and took in the revels as a sign of acceptance from us the audience after a whole ballet of trying to find his place. It was heartfelt and an unexpected delight.

#1 Avenue Q on Broadway

While each of these other shows were entertaining, I didn’t bring expectations in with me to any of them. Avenue Q, however, I have been listening to for years now, absorbing the songs and story and characters and loving what I heard, so I had the bar set high for this production and it delivered. The staging was smart, the use of media was clever and the puppetry was vibrant. It was what I thought it would be and more still. A wonderful production and worth the trip to NYC.

So, there you go University of Delaware professor whose name I forget. There are five reviews for you, only about ten years overdue. I’ll be taking that 1 credit now.