2014: Striking performances mark best in theater

Relationships show up in many of the picks this year. There's something compelling in the desire of humans to be social beings with one another. What was it Bill Withers said, "We all need somebody"?

1. "Detroit," Jungle Theater. Lisa D'Amour's incendiary script roared like a house afire in Joel Sass' production. Ostensibly a look at the decay of America's industrial economy, D'Amour's play took on the broader strokes of Greek tragedy. Tyson Forbes, Anna Sundberg, Angela Timberman and John Middleton represented epic archetypes in what became a battle between the status quo and radical revolution.

2. "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike," Guthrie Theater. While we're on the subject of Joel Sass, he directed this summertime spoof by Christopher Durang. Fans of Chekhov especially could enjoy the cheeky in jokes and twists of fate. Actors Candy Buckley and Charles Janasz made the happy exercise extra fun with their over-the-top performances.

3. "My Fair Lady," Guthrie Theater. Joe Dowling's production let the story tell itself without a lot of fuss, and Joe Chvala's dances blossomed as the show progressed. Helen Anker was not the greatest singing Eliza Doolittle, but the strength of this Lerner and Loewe masterpiece came through in numerous ways. Tyler Michaels shined as Freddy Eynsford-Hill, and Jeff McCarthy's Henry Higgins had lots of brusque arrogance.

4. "The Heiress," Jungle Theater. This midcentury drama represents what Bain Boehlke does best. The director put Kate Guentzel and John Catron in all the right spots to discover their relationship as star-crossed lovers. With Wendy Lehr and Jeff Hatcher playing the other key roles, this melodrama revealed itself with exquisite and painful reality. This was a midsummer highlight.

5. "Cabaret," Theater Latte Da/Hennepin Theatre Trust. This one stretches back to January, but it still hangs in the mind for Tyler Michaels' indelible performance as the Emcee and Kira Lace Hawkins' fierce power and concomitant vulnerability as Sally Bowles. Director Peter Rothstein showed his accomplished touch on the large Pantages stage. Choreographer Michael Matthew Ferrell and music director Denise Prosek also deserve a shout.

6. "Master Class," Theater Latte Da. Sally Wingert provided one of the year's most comprehensive local performances with her sharp portrait of Maria Callas in this intimate show. Kira Lace Hawkins provided a transcendent moment as a soprano being taught by the legendary diva during a master class. Director Peter Rothstein's choice of a recital hall at MacPhail Center for Music was perfect.

8. "Sexy Laundry," Park Square Theatre. John Middleton and Charity Jones put this frisky comedy on its feet in fine style. Husband and wife, bored with each other, come to the brink of realizing it might all be over and then find their way back to homeostasis. Droll, coy and charming, the play came to life easily in Mary Finnerty's production.

9. "Rocket to the Moon," Gremlin Theatre. How often does anyone do Clifford Odets anymore? That alone was a good reason to see this crisp little production directed by Ellen Fenster. But the play itself kept us interested in the story of two people (played by Peter Christian Hansen and Daisy Macklin Skarning) who fight through their aspirations to find each other. Well-done small theater.

10. "Music Man," Ten Thousand Things. Lest it seems like this list is loaded with musicals, it must be said that this bare-bones production illustrated the strength of the story in Meredith Willson's masterwork. Luverne Seifert and Aimee K. Bryant left us with the images of people who had found something in each other that made them feel complete. Rare and compelling.