These Plays Were The Thing Theater Critics Jim Kershner And Jerry Kraft Look Back Over The 1996-97 Theater Season To Spotlight The Year’s Greatest Performances

Here, in the brief lull between the end of the 1996-97 theater season and the upcoming summer season (see accompanying story), it is time to utter these words once again:

And the envelope, please.

We have no envelopes, of course, and no actual ceremony, but we do have something that we call (slightly pretentiously) the Spokane Theatre Critics Circle annual picks.

This year the “circle” is back to only two. In addition to my choices, I solicited the picks of Jerry Kraft, the KPBX-FM theater reviewer. (We’re not going with the The Inlander’s picks only because they divided their reviewing duties up and no single reviewer saw all of the shows.)

Here are our choices, with Kraft’s first, followed by my own, and ending with a “wild card” category from each of us:

Favorite play

Kraft: “Scotland Road,” Interplayers Ensemble. Atmospheric, intriguing, constantly engaging, this play took the rather tired subject of the sinking of the Titanic and made it into a mysterious investigation into the creation of personal myth. Inventive in technique, well-acted and directed, this was a play that had to be resolved by the audience after they had left the theater.

Kershner: “Sylvia,” Interplayers Ensemble. The most sophisticated dog story imaginable, with a clever script by A.R. Gurney and howlingly funny direction by Joan Welch. Maybe it wasn’t the most profound piece of theater; after all, it was a play in which a woman portrays a dog. But it was my favorite, hands down.

Favorite local musical

Kraft: “The Secret Garden,” Spokane Civic Theatre. A wealth of vocal and dramatic talent, Troy Nickerson’s expert direction and lavish, elegant design combined to make this brilliant and difficult musical drama appear both effortless and seamless.

Kershner: “Falsettos,” Spokane Civic’s Firth Chew Studio Theatre. This intimate William Finn musical, about a family drawn together by AIDS, opened with three absolutely stunning songs and then kept getting better. It was clever and intelligent, and blessed with a first-rate cast. It was also directed by Nickerson.

Favorite touring musical

Kraft: “The Kiss of the Spiderwoman,” Spokane Opera House. In the unlikely friendship of a political prisoner and a flamboyant homosexual, imprisoned in the drab cell of a South American prison, this dazzling production combined the best of high-tech staging with intelligent and inventive songwriting, intimate and convincing acting, and a liberating celebration of the power of imagination.

Kershner: “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”, Spokane Opera House. This big, flashy Frank Loesser musical combined ‘60s camp with state-of-the-art ‘90s technological flash. And who would have guessed? Ralph Macchio is a high quality song-and-dance man.

Favorite actor

Kraft: Dennis Craig, “Fiddler on the Roof,” Spokane Civic Theatre. Always a remarkable actor and splendid singer, Craig not only created a convincing and powerful Tevye, but managed to shape it in his own image, without reference to any of his more famous predecessors. An actor always capable of fresh, technically stunning feats of dramatic invention.

Kershner: Patrick Treadway, “Tom and Jerry,” Valley Repertory Theatre. Treadway played multiple roles in this black comedy, each role progressively more hysterical. Any actor who can be Elvis one minute and then an equally convincing Elaine (a talent-booker on a talk show) deserves this accolade.

Favorite actress

Kraft: Kelly Lloyd, “The Ladies of the Camellias” and “The Rainmaker,” Interplayers Ensemble. With a breathtaking display of range and technical finesse, Lloyd created an authoritative and unforgettable Eleonora Duse and heartbreakingly human small-town girl. As much as being impressed by what one sees from a performer, a sure sign of excellence is the enthusiasm to see what she will do next. I can’t wait.

Kershner: Kelly Lloyd. She was brilliant in “Camellias,” but even better as Lizzie Curry in “The Rainmaker.” Her performance was the truest, most genuine, most intelligent of the season. And this in a show I didn’t even particularly like.

Nicest surprise

Kraft: Jerry Lewis in “Damn Yankees,” Spokane Opera House. Except for a crowd-pleasing olio of material from his lifetime of shtick, Lewis gave a remarkably restrained and disciplined performance within a role, rather than just a celebrity personality.

Kershner: “Mama Drama,” Spokane Civic Theatre’s Studio Theatre. In a theater climate over-saturated with overwrought and tedious “women’s plays,” I was dreading this one. Yet this touching play about motherhood was well-written, exceptionally well-acted and surprisingly comic.

Biggest loss

Kraft: The “second-tier” theaters. The ACT folded in the fall. Rogue Players has serious credibility problems. The Valley Rep is hanging on by its fingernails. And the theater scene lost all those shows, all those acting, directing and design opportunities. There is so much talent in this area, and not enough places for it to be used and developed.

Biggest washout

Kershner: “Singin’ in the Rain,” Spokane Opera House. The ads promised “live rain” (!!?!) but this show turned out to be rain-dead. I knew we were in trouble when a stagehand, in full view of the audience, was still struggling with the catch-basin even as the title song cranked up. It was more like “Singin’ in the Drizzle.”

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