My Top 5 2009 New York Theater Picks

For this reviewer, 2009 was an odd year. The seemingly tried-and-true (A Little Night Music, Guys and Dolls, Hamlet, Finian's Rainbow, West Side Story) didn't live up to expectations, while quirky semi-theater pieces proved more involving. Here are my top five, with a few honorable mentions, for the past year.

1: Hair: Who would have thought the late-'60s "tribal love-rock musical" would seem so fresh and relevant 30 years on? Thanks to director Diane Paulus, a rethinking of the score and a dynamic cast, those East Village hippies take over the Al Hirschfeld Theater--the whole theater. Even if the whole cast hadn't taken the day off to trek to Washington to perform for the gay march earlier this year, I still would have named this my #1 favorite--by far.

2: Paved Paradise: The Art of Joni Mitchell: I'd seen John Kelly do Joni Mitchell over 10 years ago, but the ensuing decade has only deepened his interpretation of one of the greatest singer-songwriters of the late 20th century. This isn't a drag show, but a straight-up homage. With a fantastic back-up band, Kelly strums guitar, plays piano and sings like a bird. No, like Mitchell. Word is he's retiring this act; if so, weep for what you missed.

3: Mary Stuart: Fredrich Schiller's Enlightenment-era German verse plays are barely studied in the United States, let alone given the Broadway star treatment. In the hands of Janet McTeer as the hapless Mary Queen of Scots and Harriet Walker as her formidable opponent and cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, this neglected classic was more riveting--and more fun--than any cat fights from Dynasty or The Women.

4: Avenue Q: A move from Broadway to the more intimate New World Stages has only improved this Generation Y favorite. The cast of puppet-performers are as energetic as the originals, and the satiric look at twentysomethings trying to make their way in a hostile world burns even more brightly in today's lousy economic climate.

5: Fela!: Word is that this show is struggling to find an audience. It would be a real shame if this off-off-Broadway transfer wasn't a hit, because the central performance (so difficult two actors alternate) and a star turn from the legendary Lillias White, along with a fierce onstage band and a hip-wriggling chorus will have you booty-shaking in your seat.

Honorable Mention:

• Girl Crazy: A perfectly silly book and fabulous Gershwin score make an unbeatable combination for the Encores! series. This is the kind of show tailor-made for this wonderful series.

• Love Child: The plot is way too convoluted, but the two actors portraying all the roles prove that you don't have to do crystal meth to act that way.

• Pam Ann: I didn't "officially" review this show at the Hammerstein, but i had the good fortune to interview the drug- and sex-crazed flight attendant. I only wish I had been wearing an adult diaper, because I was wetting my pants I was laughing so hard. The audience participation proved that New Yorkers know no limits.

• Keigwin + Company: This dance troupe is returning to the Joyce in the spring. Catch it!

• Thank You for Being a Friend: The Musical: A thoroughly ridiculous tribute to The Golden Girls, with dead-on impersonations from three guys and a girl, plus a plot revolving around a gays-vs.-Girls talent show and a nonstop gay orgy next door. This is why God gave us off-off-Broadway.

• A Little Night Music: Yes, it's a disappointing production. But Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury makes this a must-see for any serious show queen.