Ranking 50 Years of Philadelphia Theater

Neal Zoren.
Neal Zoren.

Neal Zoren has been seeing theater in Philadelphia and surrounding towns since 1967. Since his very first professional show (Funny Girl, on September 4, 1967), he kept a diary and ranked the productions, performers, and directors I saw. Through years as a professional critic, for Philadelphia Weekly and the Delco Times, among other venues, Zoren kept his lists a secret, with the exception of the odd publication of a “best of” list. Since 2013, he has been making them public on his review site NealsPaper (syndicated on Phindie).

Neal recently published his complete list of rankings from 1967 until 2015, with his picks (in order) for best actor (male), best actor (female), best supporting actor (male), best supporting actor (female), best production, and best director. Neal’s list provides a fascinating took on almost 50 years of Philadelphia theater, as we see theaters die off and emerge. Read more about the list on NealsPaper >>>

1967-1969

  • JOSE FERRER, Man of La Mancha, Erlanger Theatre, Philadelphia
  • CAROL LAWRENCE, Funny Girl, Valley Forge Music Fair, Devon, Pa.
  • TONY MARTINEZ, Man of La Mancha, Erlanger Theatre, Philadelphia
  • SYLVIA SYMS, Funny Girl, Valley Forge Music Fair, Devon, Pa.
  • THE BOYS IN THE BAND by Mart Crowley, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
  • ROBERT MOORE, The Boys in the Band, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia

1970

  • HUME CRONYN, Hadrian VII, Shubert Theater, Philadelphia
  • CHITA RIVERA, Zorba!, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
  • PATRICK HINES, Canterbury Tales, Shubert Theater, Philadelphia
  • MARSHA TAMAROFF, Zorba!, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
  • FIDDLER ON THE ROOF by Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick, and Joseph Stein, Shubert Theater, Philadelphia
  • JEROME ROBBINS, Fiddler on the Roof, Shubert Theatre, Philadelphia

1971

  • JAMES WHITMORE, Will Rogers USA, Locust Theatre, Philadelphia
  • GERALDINE PAGE, Marriage and Money (three Chekhov one-acts), Playhouse in the Park, Philadelphia
  • DON McHENRY, Hamlet, Locust Theatre, Philadelphia
  • PATRICIA ELLIOTT, A Doll’s House, Locust Theatre, Philadelphia
  • THE ME NOBODY KNOWS by Herb Schapiro, Robert H. Livingston, and Stephen M. Joseph, Locust Theatre, Philadelphoa
  • ROBERT H. LIVINGSTON, The Me Nobody Knows, Locust Theatre

1972

  • ROBERT SHAW, Old Times, Locust Theatre, Philadelphia
  • ROSEMARY HARRIS, Old Times, Locust Theatre , Philadelphia and NURIA ESPERT, Yerma, Locust Theatre, Philadelphia
  • GEORGE S. IRVING, Irene, Shubert Theater, Philadelphia
  • PATSY KELLY, Irene, Shubert Theater, Philadelphia
  • YERMA by Federico García Lorca, Locust Theatre, Philadelphia
  • VICTOR GARCIA, Yerma, Locust Theatre, Philadelphia

1973

  • BRIAN BEDFORD, Butley, Locust Theatre, Philadelphia
  • MAUREEN STAPLETON, The Gingerbread Lady, Playhouse in the Park, Philadelphia
  • LEWIS J. STADLEN, Minnie’s Boys, Playhouse in the Park, Philadelphia
  • CARA DUFF-McCORMICK, The Sea Gull, McCarter Theatre, Princeton, N.J.
  • RAISIN by Charlotte Zaltzberg, Robert Nemiroff, Ross Brittan, and Judd Woldin (after Lorraine Hansberry), Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
  • JULIE BOVASSO, Gloria and Esperanza, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia

1974

  • HENRY FONDA, Clarence Darrow, Locust Theatre, Philadelphia
  • DEBORAH KERR, Seascape, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
  • I.M. HOBSON, Twelfth Night, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
  • DOLORES SUTTON, The Little Foxes, Philadelphia Drama Guild, Walnut Street Theatre
  • TWELFTH NIGHT by William Shakespeare, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
  • LOUIS CRISS, Twelfth Night, McCarter Theatre, Princeton

1975

  • IAN RICHARDSON, Shall I Compare Thee, Richardson Auditorium, Princeton, N.J.
  • LIV ULLMANN, A Doll House, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
  • SAM LEVENE, The Royal Family, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
  • DEBORAH OFFNER, A Grave Undertaking, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
  • GOOD EVENING by Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, Locust Theatre, Philadelphia
  • MICHAEL KAHN, Mother Courage and Her Children, McCarter Theatre, Princeton

1976

  • DONALD MADDEN, The Night of the Tribades, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
  • JULIE HARRIS, The Belle of Amherst, Locust Theatre, Philadelphia
  • BARRIE RUTTER, The Taming of the Shrew, Philadelphia Drama Guild, Walnut Street Theatre
  • KATHRYN WALKER, The Night of the Tribades, McCarter Theatre, Philadelphia
  • PORGY AND BESS by George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, and DuBose Heyward, Houston Opera, Academy of Music, Philadelphia
  • JACK O’BRIEN, Porgy and Bess, Houston Opera, Academy of Music, Philadelphia

1977

  • PAXTON WHITEHEAD, Travesties, Philadelphia Drama Guild, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
  • KATHRYN WALKER, A Touch of the Poet, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
  • CHARLES KIMBROUGH, Too True to Be Good, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
  • HERMIONE GINGOLD, A Little Night Music, Valley Forge Music Fair, Devon, Pa.
  • A CHORUS LINE by James Kirkwood, Nicholas Dante, Marvin Hamlisch, and Edward Kleban, Forrest Theatre Philadelphia
  • MICHAEL BENNETT, A Chorus Line, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia

1978

  • HUME CRONYN, The Gin Game, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
  • JESSICA TANDY, The Gin Game, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
  • DAVID ROUNDS, Saint Joan and Hobson’s Choice, Philadelphia Drama Guild, Walnut Street Theatre
  • PATRICIA CONOLLY, Twelfth Night, Playhouse in the Park, Philadelphia
  • VANITIES by Jack Heifner, Stan Hurwitz Production at Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
  • BRIAN MURRAY, Hobson’s Choice, The Philadelphia Drama Guild, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia

1979

  • BASIL WALLACE, The Blood Knot, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
  • JEANNE RUSKIN, Heartbreak House, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
  • EDWARD SEAMON, Buried Child, Playhouse in the Park, Philadelphia
  • LOUISE HICKEY, Oklahoma!, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
  • THE BLOOD KNOT by Athol Fugard, Philadelphia Dram Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
  • THOMAS BULLARD, The Blood Knot, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia

1980

  • GEORGE HEARN, Sweeney Todd, Merriam Theater, Philadelphia
  • PAT CARROLL, Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
  • PAXTON WHITEHEAD, Twelfth Night, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
  • JILL TANNER, The Miser, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
  • WATCH ON THE RHINE by Lillian Hellman, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
  • IRENE LEWIS, Watch on the Rhine, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia

1981

  • JAMES BRODERICK, On Golden Pond, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
  • JANE LAPOTAIRE, Piaf, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
  • JAY DOYLE, The Night of the Iguana, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
  • ZOË WANAMAKER, Piaf, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
  • CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD by Mark Medoff, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
  • GORDON DAVIDSON, Children of a Lesser God, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia

1982

  • JOSEPH MAHER, Dear Daddy, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
  • JAN LESLIE HARDING, The Diary of Anne Frank, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
  • DANNY GLOVER, Master Harold….and the boys, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
  • CLAUDETTE PETERSON, Candide, The Pennsylvania Opera Theater, Port of History Museum Theatre, Philadelphia
  • DEAR DADDY by Denis Cannan, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
  • NAGLE JACKSON, Hamlet, McCarter Theatre, Princeton

1983

  • RICHARD DREYFUSS, Total Abandon, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
  • ANGELA LANSBURY, Mame, Academy of Music, Philadelphia
  • JACOB HARRAN, The Importance of Being Earnest, People’s Light & Theatre Company, Malvern, Pa.
  • JO HENDERSON, Play Memory, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
  • ALL MY SONS by Arthur Miller, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
  • WILLIAM M. WOODMAN, All My Sons, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia

1984

  • CLEAVON LITTLE, The Emperor Jones, American Music Theater Festival, Philadelphia
  • LOUISE JAMESON, Twelfth Night and Against Two Tides: Women in War, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
  • TOM STECHSCHULTE, Torch Song Trilogy, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
  • CAROL CHANNING, Jerry’s Girls, The Playhouse, Wilmington, Delaware
  • RESTORATION by Edward Bond, Temple Theatres, Philadelphia
  • PAUL BERMAN, Restoration, Temple Theaters, Philadelphia

1985

  • MICHAEL KUBALA, On Your Toes, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
  • SALLY MERCER, A Doll’s House, American Shaw Festival, Mt. Gretna, Pa. and Painting Churches, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
  • TIMOTHY LANDFIELD, Arsenic and Old Lace, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
  • PATRICIA KILGARRIFF, Noises Off, The Playhouse, Wilmington
  • A RAISIN IN THE SUN by Lorraine Hansberry, McCarter Theatre, Princeton and Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
  • TERRY BURGLER, A Raisin in the Sun, McCarter Theatre, Princeton, and EDMUND J. CAMBRIDGE, A Raisin in the Sun, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia

1986

  • KEENE CURTIS, La Cage Aux Folles, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
  • SANDRA REAVES-PHILLIPS, The Late, Great Ladies of Blues and Jazz, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
  • GARY BEACH, Legends, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
  • CYNTHIA MACE, Eleemosynary, Philadelphia Festival Theatre for New Plays, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
  • 1984 by Pavel Kohout (after George Orwell), Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
  • JIRI ZIZKA, 1984, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia

1987

  • SIMON BROOKING, Nasty Little Secrets, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
  • CAROLE SHELLEY, Broadway Bound, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
  • JONATHAN FRID, Arsenic and Old Lace, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
  • REGINA RESNIK, Cabaret, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
  • THE NORMAL HEART by Larry Kramer, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
  • CHARLIE HENSLEY, The Normal Heart, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia

1988

  • SULLIVAN BROWN, Accidental Death of an Anarchist, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
  • MARY GORDON MURRAY, Biography, Delaware Theatre Company, Wilmington
  • BRUCE ADLER, Guys and Dolls, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
  • CYNTHIA MARTELLS, Tartuffe, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
  • LES MISÉRABLES by Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schönberg and Herbert Kretzmer, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
  • NAGLE JACKSON, Tartuffe, McCarter Theatre, Princeton

1989

  • DAVID HURST, Incommunicado, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
  • LILY TOMLIN, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
  • EDMUND DAVYS, Sarcophagus, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
  • ANN FIRBANK, The Winter’s Tale, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
  • THE SEARCH FOR SIGNS OF INTELLIGENT LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE by Jane Wagner, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
  • NAGLE JACKSON, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, McCarter Theatre, Princeton

1990

  • BRUCE GRAY, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
  • KATHLEEN TURNER, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Playhouse, Wilmington, Delaware
  • CHARLES DURNING, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Playhouse, Wilmington, Delaware
  • GLORY CRAMPTON, The Fantasticks, Merriam Theatre, Philadelphia
  • BENEFACTORS by Michael Frayn, Delaware Theatre Company, Wilmington
  • CLEVELAND MORRIS, Benefactors, Delaware Theatre Company, Wilmington

1991

  • ZACH GRENIER, National Anthems, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
  • EILEEN ATKINS, A Room of One’s Own, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
  • ALEC MAPA, M. Butterfly, Forrest Theater, Philadelphia
  • KECIA LEWIS-EVANS, Betsey Brown, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
  • A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM by William Shakespeare, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
  • MARY B. ROBINSON, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia

1992

  • B.D. WONG, Herringbone, American Music Theatre Festival, Plays & Players, Philadelphia
  • JOAN McMURTREY, A Moon for the Misbegotten, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
  • MARK HAMMER, A Moon for the Misbegotten, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
  • MARY LOU ROSATO, The Triumph of Love, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
  • MY CHILDREN! MY AFRICA! By Athol Fugard, People’s Light & Theatre Company, Malvern, Pa.
  • MARY B. ROBINSON, A Moon for the Misbegotten, Philadelphia Drama Guild, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia

1993

  • ROBERT PROSKY, The Matchmaker, Delaware Theatre Company, Wilmington
  • DOROTHEA HAMMOND, The Trip to Bountiful, Delaware Theatre Company, Wilmington
  • FLOYD KING, Much Ado About Nothing, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
  • SUSAN GIOSA, Lost in Yonkers, Forrest Theater, Philadelphia
  • LA TRAVIATA by Giuseppe Verdi and Francesco Maria Piave, Academy of Vocal Arts, Philadelphia
  • MATTHEW LATA, La Traviata, Academy of Vocal Arts, Philadelphia

1994

  • WILLIAM DUFF-GRIFFIN, “2,” Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
  • ELIZABETH FRANZ, The Matchmaker, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
  • SIMON COATES, Aa You Like It. Cheek-by-Jowl Theatre, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
  • MADELEINE POTTER, The Plough and the Stars, The Annenberg Center, Philadelphia
  • AS YOU LIKE IT by William Shakespeare, Cheek-by-Jowl Theatre, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
  • MICHAEL OCKRENT, Crazy For You, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia

1995

  • PEARCE BUNTING, Road, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
  • ZOE CALDWELL, Master Class, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
  • RICHARD TROXELL, Die Fledermaus, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Philadelphia
  • LISA GAY HAMILTON, Valley Song, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
  • SALOME by Richard Strauss (after Oscar Wilde), Opera Company of Philadelphia, Philadelphia
  • ROBERT B. DRIVER, Salome, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Philadelphia

1996

  • THOM SESMA, Miss Saigon, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
  • PATRICIA SCHUMAN, Madama Butterfly, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Philadelphia
  • GEORGE EDE, Philadelphia Here I Come, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
  • JENNIFER CHILDS, Escape from Happiness, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
  • MADAMA BUTTERFLY by Giacomo Puccini, Luigi Illica, and Giuseppe Giacosa, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Philadelphia
  • KAY WALKER CASTALDO, Madama Butterfly, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Philadelphia

1997

  • CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER, Barrymore, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
  • SUSAN PATTERSON, La Traviata, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Philadelphia
  • STEVE TAGUE, The Faith Healer, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
  • MARJORIE JOHNSON, The Skin of Our Teeth, Delaware Theatre Company, Wilmington
  • SHOWBOAT by Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II, and P.G. Wodehouse (after Edna Ferber), Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
  • CLEVELAND MORRIS, Molly Sweeney and The Skin of Our Teeth, Delaware Theatre Company, Wilmington

1998

  • WILLIAM LEACH, Shylock, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
  • ZOË WANAMAKER, Electra, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
  • ROBERT CHRISTOPHE, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Arden Theatre, Philadelphia
  • JILLINE RINGLE, Merrily We Roll Along, Arden Theatre, Philadelphia
  • ELECTRA by Sophocles, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
  • DAVID LEVEAUX, Electra, McCarter Theatre, Princeton

1999

  • JAMES FARMER, Orpheus Descending, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
  • JANIS DARDARIS, Orpheus Descending, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
  • BERNARD WURGER, Phantom, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
  • EVALYN BARON, Hotel Suite, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
  • GROSS INDECENCY by Moises Kaufman, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
  • JAMES J. CHRISTY, Gross Indecency, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia

2000

  • HENRY WORONICZ, Macbeth, Delaware Theatre Company, Wilmington
  • TRAZANA BEVERLEY, Flyin’ West, People’s Light & Theatre Company, Malvern
  • DANIEL BENZALI, Glengarry Glen Ross, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
  • JANIS DARDARIS, Sideman, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
  • THE INVENTION OF LOVE by Tom Stoppard, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
  • BLANKA ZIZKA, The Invention of Love, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia

2001

  • ARTHUR WOODLEY, Porgy and Bess, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Philadelphia
  • ANN DUQUESNAY, Cookin’ at the Cookery, Delaware Theatre Company, Wilmington
  • MARK VIETOR, Lady in the Dark, Prince Music Theater, Philadelphia
  • ROBIN FOLLMAN, Carmen, Houston Grand Opera, Mann Center of the Performing Arts, Philadelphia
  • EQUUS by Peter Shaffer, Mum Puppettheatre, Philadelphia
  • WILLIAM ROUDEBUSH, Equus, Mum Puppettheatre, Philadelphia

2002

  • PAUL MESHEJIAN, The Merchant of Venice, People’s Light & Theatre Company, Malvern, Pa.
  • CARLA BELVER, All My Sons, Arden Theatre, Philadelphia
  • CAMERON FOLMAR, Don Juan, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
  • STARLA BENFORD, The Vagina Monologues, Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia
  • YELLOWMAN by Dael Orlandersmith, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
  • BLANKA ZIZKA, Yellowman, Wilma Theater, Philadelphiat6

2003

  • FRANK GORSHIN, Say Goodnight Gracie, The Playhouse, Wilmington
  • ELAINE STRITCH, At Liberty, Academy of Music, Philadelphia
  • RON HOLGATE, Urinetown, Academy of Music, Philadelphia
  • GINA DANIELS, Dracula, Delaware Theatre Company, Wilmington
  • ELAINE STRITCH AT LIBERTY, Academy of Music, Philadelphia
  • BLANKA ZIZKA, Red, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia

2004

  • MICHAEL CUMPSTY, My Fair Lady, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
  • ALENE ROBERTSON, Annie Warbucks, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
  • DANIEL JENKINS, Big River, Deaf West, Academy of Music, Philadelphia and DuPont Theatre, Wilmington
  • JAYNE HOUDYSHELL, The Clean House, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
  • MY FAIR LADY by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
  • GARY GRIFFIN, My Fair Lady, McCarter Theater, Princeton

2005

  • TONY BRAITHWAITE and BEN DIBBLE, Big Bang, Kimmel Center, Philadelphia
  • MARY MARTELLO, Sweeney Todd, Arden Theatre, Philadelphia
  • KRAIG SWARTZ, Take Me Out, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia’
  • JANE SUMMERHAYS, Anyone Can Whistle, Prince Music Theater, Philadelphia
  • TAKE ME OUT by Richard Greenberg, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
  • JAMES J. CHRISTY, Take Me Out, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia

2006

  • MATT PFEIFFER, Lobby Hero, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
  • JULIA MURNEY, Wicked, Academy of Music, Philadelphia
  • RICHARD RUIZ, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Arden Theatre, Philadelphia
  • MEGHAN HEIMBECKER, My Children! My Africa!, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
  • INTIMATE APPAREL by Lynn Nottage, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
  • AARON POSNER, A Murder, A Mystery, and A Marriage, Delaware Theatre Company, Wilmington

2007

  • SCOTT GREER, Of Mice and Men, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
  • JOILET HARRIS, Caroline, or Change, Arden Theatre, Philadelphia
  • ROB McCLURE, The Bomb-itty of Errors, 11th Hour Productions, Philadelphia
  • SUSAN WILDER, Orson’s Shadow, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
  • CAROLINE, OR CHANGE by Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori, Arden Theatre, Philadelphia
  • AARON CROMIE, The Fantasticks, Mum Puppettheatre, Philadelphia

2008

  • SCOTT GREER, Wittenberg, Arden Theatre, Philadelphia
  • ANN CRUMB, Souvenir, Media Theatre, Media
  • ROBERT PROSKY, The Price, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia
  • KATE EASTWOOD NORRIS, Rock ‘N’ Roll, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
  • WITTENBERG by David Davalos, Arden Theatre, Philadelphia
  • J.R. SULLIVAN, Wittenberg, Arden Theatre, Philadelphia

2009

  • LORENZO PISONI, Humor Abuse, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
  • SUZANNE BERTISH, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
  • MATTHEW SCOTT, The Light in the Piazza, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
  • VEANNE COX, Twelfth Night, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
  • THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA by Craig Lucas and Adam Guettel, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
  • JOE CALARCO, The Light in the Piazza, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia

2010

  • BENJAMIN LLOYD, Scapin, Lantern Theater, Philadelphia
  • ANN CRUMB, Master Class, Media Theatre, Media
  • PETE PRYOR, Any Given Monday, Theatre Exile, Philadelphia
  • BROOKE BLOOM, Becky Shaw, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
  • SOUTH PACIFIC by Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, and Joshua Logan, Academy of Music, Philadelphia
  • BARTLETT SHER, South Pacific, Academy of Music, Philadelphia

2011

  • JUSTIN GUARINI, Chicago, Media Theatre, Media, Pa.
  • LAVITA SHAURICE, My Wonderful Day, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
  • JOHNNIE HOBBS, JR., Whipping Man, Arden Theatre, Philadelphia
  • KATE CZAJKOWSKI, Our Class, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
  • MY WONDERFUL DAY by Alan Ayckbourn, Wilma Theatre, Philadelphia
  • BLANKA ZIZKA, Our Class, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia

2012

  • RODNEY HICKS, The Scottsboro Boys, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
  • TOVAH FELDSHUH, Gypsy, Bristol Riverside Theatre, Bristol, Pa.
  • FORREST McCLENDON, The Scottsboro Boys, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia
  • TAMARA ANDERSON, Hairspray, Media Theatre, Media
  • HAIRSPRAY by Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman, Thomas Meehan, and Mark O’Donnell, Media Theater, Media, Pa.
  • JEFF WHITING and SUSAN STROMAN, The Scottsboro Boys, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philadelphia

2013

  • CHARLIE DelMARCELLE, I Am My Own Wife, Theatre Horizon, Norristown, Pa.
  • NANCY MORICETTE, The Convert, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
  • BEN STEINFELD, Into the Woods, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
  • ZAINAB JAH, The Convert, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
  • EVERYMAN by Anonymous, Villanova Theatre, Villanova, Pa.
  • DAVID CREGAN, Everyman, Villanova Theatre, Villanova

2014

  • BEN DIBBLE, Herringbone, Flashpoint Theatre, Philadelphia
  • ANN CRUMB, Sunset Boulevard, Media Theatre, Media
  • DEREK SMITH, The Barber of Seville, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
  • DEIRDRE MADIGAN, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Phildelphia and Bucks County Playhouse, New Hope, Pa.
  • THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO by Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, McCarter Theatre, Princeton
  • STEPHEN WADSWORTH, The Figaro Plays, McCarter Theatre, Princeton

2015

  • MATTEO SCAMMELL, The Hairy Ape, EgoPo Classic Theatre, Philadelphia
  • ZAINAB JAH, Hamlet, Wilma Theater, Philadelphia
  • JAKE BLOUCH, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Theatre Exile and Unnecessary Farce, Act II Playhouse, Ambler, Pa.
  • MARIEKE HEEBINK, After the Rehearsal and Persona, Toneelgroep Amsterdam, Fringe Arts, Philadelphia
  • WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? By Edward Albee, Theatre Exile, Philadelphia
  • JOE CANUSO, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Theatre Exile, Philadelphia
One Reply to “Ranking 50 Years of Philadelphia Theater”
  1. Philadelphia has a vast history in Theater. Theater these days in getting extinct and we need to work to keep this gem in between us. We have very amazing plays and podcast in our theater history. Just like ROBERT MOORE, JEROME ROBBINS and many other STEVE COSSON to be recognized has an effort behind the success of theater in New York. Steve Cosson is a theater director, playwright and founding Artistic
    Director of the New York theater company, The Civilians, a group whose
    signature work is investigative theater, an approach to making theater from
    field research into real life.

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