9 Artistic Experiences that Made Me Go “Oh S**t” in 2022
It’s that time of year again! Where we look back at everything that has made an artistic impact on us in the past 12 months. As is typical with this annual list, here are 9 experiences that traverse virtual reality, live performance, TV, and more. In many instances, I focus on particular moments as those often can carry as much weight for us, as an entire production or experience. Let me know if any of these made your list this year.
In no particular order….
Oratorio for Living Things
Experiencing the extremely sold out run of “Oratorio for Living Things” was perhaps my greatest theatrical privilege this past year. Heather Christian’s life affirming theatrical ritual bathed you in a sonic dream for 90 minutes. Married with perfect sound design (Nick Kourtides) and staging (Lee Sunday Evans), the Greenwich House was transformed into a space of healing. It’s one of those shows that you think if everyone in the world saw it, the world would be a better place. And release the damn album!
Listening to the “Into the Woods” cast album
While the production itself, running for one more week on Broadway, is a feat of theatrical storyweaving, the album is a brilliant artifact of musical clarity. Major kudos to the mixing and production that makes each singer’s voice float so gorgeously over the orchestra. And there is something beyond addicting in Sara Bareilles’ voice as she sings “Maybe They’re Magic.”
SwiftTok Leading up to “Midnights”
If you are not on SwiftTok, the side of TikTok deeply engrossed with Taylor Swift (no comment if I am or not), you may not have seen the countless theories about when we’d get a new TSwift album and what it would be. Swift’s own team launched a very cryptic #MidnightsMayhemWithMe series which sent fans into a particular tizzy. But what I find truly beautiful in the age of online communities is how all these fans had a place they could completely nerd out and unabashedly share their love and excitement for a new album. And when it dropped, which was its own experience that almost made this list, the videos and trends launched were fantastic. Great work, team.
The Transition into Thriller in “MJ the Musical”
I’m not typically a big “bio-musical” guy, but there is now denying how well made “MJ”, the Michael Jackson musical now on Broadway, is. The staging and choreography is amongst the best you will see on stage anywhere (thanks to director/choreographer Christopher Wheeldon), including one particular moment that took my breath away. It’s wild to imagine there could be a spoiler in the Michael Jackson musical, but I genuinely think this moment of transformation before Thriller begins (the second time…yes it’s in the show TWICE) stunningly bridged the narrative of the show with the song, leading to a truly spectacular musical sequence. If you know, you know. If you don’t, buy a ticket.
Lundahl & Seitl’s American Visit
It is always thrilling to discover the work of phenomenal creators in any medium, especially ones pushing the boundaries of what is expected in virtual reality. In the Fall, Swedish artists Lundahl & Seital presented two of their experiences, Symphony of a Missing Room and Eternal Return, in a special exhibition at ONX in NYC. Sound leads both experiences which explore memory and your senses. In Symphony, you wear a special blindfold and are led through a space by a mysterious performer while listening to an isolating voice over monologue. Equal parts exhilarating and disorienting, you dip and dive through the space. In Eternal Return, you explore your physical space as the digital environment forms around you features some of the best visual transitions I’ve ever seen in VR.
The White Lotus
Who thought that season two could possibly top season one? Not me. But then it did. With vulnerable and sharp performances by Aubrey Plaza and Meghann Fahy, former Survivor player Mike White’s investigation of infidelity and power captured my attention each Sunday night. (By the way, appointment tv is the way to go.)
Watching the Audience During the Finale Concert at “KPOP”
While I may be a bit biased on this one, as I joined the TikTok only a few weeks before closing, I truly don’t think I’ve ever experienced a theater erupt like they did during this musical moment. “KPOP,” which was an original musical exploring the backstage drama of a fictional K-Pop label, culminated in an epic concert sequence highlighting each of the show’s main characters. With irresistible songs by Helen Park & Max Vernon, dazzling choreography by Jennifer Weber, and captivating projections by Peter Nigrini, audiences were whipped into frenzy every night. Many got up and danced along to the music like a real concert, in what was a truly unique Broadway experience.
The Set Transition in “A Case for the Existence of God”
I may be one of director David Cromer’s biggest fans and his work on Samuel D. Hunter’s phenomenal new play “A Case for the Existence of God” at Signature Theater was no exception. This two-hander mastered a sense of intimacy and constraint until an epic scenic transition (designed by Arnulfo Maldonado) towards the final moments of the play which defies expectations by completely opening up the theatrical space. This play will surely be a big hit in the regional theater scene for years to come.
Circle Jerk
This 2021 Pulitzer Prize Finalist for Drama, with its innovative blend of theatrical performance and film, exploded onto the scene when creators Fake Friends debuted it in 2020 while we were all stuck at home. This past summer, it made its in-person theatrical debut allowing audiences to be in the room where it happens. Now the show, whose narrative and style work completely as a digital experience, had an added layer of intrigue, as we witnessed the exhausting and highly technical task of performing the show. Fake Friends are at the forefront of the digital-hybrid theatre movement and I can’t wait to see what comes next.
Honorable mentions…
Ostermeier’s “Hamlet” at BAM, Prayer for the French Republic at MTC, Harry Styles at Madison Square Garden.
