Kell On Wheels

Performances to Remember
January 04, 2008

As the year draws to a close, Back Stage East critics look back at the shows they reviewed in these pages to choose the most memorable acting performances of 2007. And this is not as easy as you might think. While critics David Sheward and Leonard Jacobs mostly cover the Broadway beat, 20 other critics do their best to review the amazing number of non-Broadway offerings. In 2007, our 22 aisle-sitters reviewed a total of 720 shows. And to quote an email from critic Nancy Ellen Shore, “This assignment was difficult because there were so many memorable performances, even by actors in ’small’ roles. For the most part, the level of professionalism and artistry of actors working Off-Off- and Off-Broadway is very high.” So, New York actors, here’s to you.

Slinky and smart, Kelly Kinsella, a “just one of the foulmouthed guys” comedian, rocked the New York International Fringe Festival this summer with her one-woman show about her life as a dresser on the Great White Way. High-octane monologues with closely observed details and laugh-out-loud audacity made her performance one to remember this year. -BACKSTAGE NY.