ON THEATER: Butterfield’s ‘Brownstone’ best of 2008

“Catherine Butterfield is a playwright, actress and director who uses only two of these talents to bring ‘Brownstone’ to the Laguna Playhouse in its world premiere. Imagine if she’d chosen to act in it as well.”

That was the first paragraph of this column’s assessment of “Brownstone” back in April and, while there have been some impressive productions since, when all is said and done for the playhouse in 2008, “Brownstone” still sits atop the leader board, as they say on “Dancing With the Stars.”

To further quote the review, “Butterfield’s latest project is set in three time periods — 1937, 1978 and 2000 — and the stories are told alternately, until they finally coalesce at the play’s conclusion.

A tricky assignment, but luckily, the playwright’s vision is beautifully interpreted by the director, who are one and the same. ... ‘Brownstone’ is a glowing credit to its author-director and to the playhouse itself for commissioning and presenting it.”

Runner-up for this column’s “best of 2008” laurels is the noir mystery-comedy “Red Herring,” of which we observed: “Michael Hollinger’s episodic epic, with its plethora of punch lines and sight gags, plays out beautifully on the playhouse’s wide-angle stage, where a two-level setting is required to handle all of the play’s various sequences.

Director Andrew Barnicle also lets his fertile imagination run wild, resulting in an eminently watchable production.”

No. 3 would be “Don’t Talk to the Actors,” Tom Dudzick’s semi-autobiographical comedy that made its West Coast premiere in what this column described as “a marvelously affecting production.”

Ranking a strong fourth is the playhouse’s summer selection, “The Marvelous Wonderettes,” directed by its author, Roger Bean.

Rounding out the list are “Leaving Iowa,” “Alexandros” and “Tranced.”

Top individual honors are shared by Kevin Symons as the frustrated son seeking a resting place for his father’s ashes in “Leaving Iowa” and Kirsten Potter as a New England cop in “Red Herring.” (Potter also snared the prize as best actress of 2008 at South Coast Repertory from this column for her excellent work in the title role of “The Heiress.”)

Runners-up in the acting categories are Gregory North in “Leaving Iowa” and Emily Eiden in “Don’t Talk to the Actors.”

Special mention also must be accorded the entire cast of “The Marvelous Wonderettes.”

Other impressive performances at the playhouse in 2008 were delivered by Dorthea Harahan and Laurie Naughton in “Brownstone,” Thomas Fiscella and Erica Tazel in “Tranced,” Tom Shelton in “Red Herring,” Saundra Santiago in “Alexandros,” and Steve Vinovich in “Don’t Talk to the Actors.”

The playhouse currently is in rehearsal for its next production, opening in early January and promising to take its audiences “Around the World in 80 Days.”

TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Coastline Pilot.