Year's best in Triangle theater

Chances pay off in area theater

In alphabetical order:

"Ain't Misbehavin'," Hot Summer Nights at the Kennedy

First-time director Matthew-Jason Willis turned the cramped Kennedy Theatre into a steamy juke joint, spicing up this decades-old regional theater staple with clever choreography, cheeky humor and a top-notch cast and musical ensemble.

"Blithe Spirit," Hot Summer Nights at the Kennedy

With Noel Coward devotee John McIlwee at the helm, and a solid cast led by McIlwee compatriot Joanne Dickenson as the loopy medium Madame Arcati, Coward's doomed séance made a riotously funny kickoff to Hot Summer Nights' best season yet.

"Columbinus," Raleigh Ensemble Players

While some theaters lure patrons with comfortable fare, REP forces audiences to confront ugly truths about themselves and the world. In this U.S. Theatre Project docudrama about the 1999 rampage at Columbine High School, director C. Glen Matthews and set designer Miyuki Su turned the Artspace auditorium into the library where much of the slaughter occurred. The production also reminded us of the smaller torments that even ordinary teens inflict upon themselves and one another.

"Elizabeth: Almost by Chance a Woman," Stillwater Theatre

Meredith College's resident professional company gave Dario Fo's political satire an unusually innovative staging. Key features included Laura Jernigan's imperious Elizabeth I and other arresting characterizations, eye-popping sets and century-crossing costumes.

"The Grapes of Wrath," Justice Theatre Project

With U.S. farms being lost at an alarming pace and home foreclosures skyrocketing, John Steinbeck's Depression-era classic about a destitute migrant family has newfound resonance. Thomas Mauney's inventive staging, coupled with subtle and poignant acting from a multigenerational cast, made Frank Galati's three-hour adaptation a road trip that ended too soon.

"Joshua Lozoff: Beyond Belief"

Ghost & Spice Productions

Durham magician Lozoff proved that enchantment has no age limit, drawing packed houses of multigenerational fans to Manbites Dog Theater in Durham. Directed by Melissa Lozoff, the magician's wife, the show blended autobiography, history, humor, sleight of hand and apparent mind-reading feats. Ghost & Spice keeps the magic alive with a revival March 20-April 6, again at Manbites Dog.

"The Little Prince," PlayMakers Repertory Company

PlayMakers, the professional company in UNC-CH's Department of Dramatic Art, came amazingly close to fully realizing Antoine de St. Exupéry's beloved book. The visually stunning production took a highly creative approach yet held true to the text.

"A Number," Raleigh Ensemble Players

English dramatist-provocateur Caryl Churchill grasped the stony issue of genetic cloning and threw it into the ocean of human identity. The result, directed by C. Glen Matthews with brilliant set designs by Thomas Mauney and Miyuki Su, was a potent and disarmingly funny 55-minute narrative spiral down into the abyss of existence and swiftly back up.

"Twelfth Night," Bare Theater

This plucky company again proved that Shakespeare can be joyous, especially when the actors have superb diction and fully understand their lines, and the director makes the plot clear and the characters' motivations plain.

"Urinetown," Raleigh Little Theatre

A 71-year-old community theater is the last place we'd have expected to see the regional premiere of this Tony-winning musical satire about totalitarianism and corporate privatization. But director Haskell Fitz-Simons and choreographer Nancy Rich had the guts to stage this potential subscriber turnoff -- plus the chops to pull it off.

Other notables:

"City of Medicine," Transactors Improv Co.;

"A Lesson from Aloes," Deep Dish Theater;

"Man of La Mancha," N.C. Theatre;

"An Oak Tree," Manbites Dog Theater;

"Romance, Romance," Hot Summer Nights.