In the mix

PETER SCHNEIDER

Former head of Disney Studios and its theatrical production wing; now co-producing and directing the new musical “Sister Act,� scheduled for Pasadena Playhouse next fall

When I go to the theater I want to be surprised and moved. The musical “Billy Elliot� in London did all of that for me. I was very moved by it, and [director] Stephen Daldry did an extraordinary job of creating the visual images.

“Doctor Atomic� in San Francisco was another striking and surprising event. I was very moved by John Adams’ music and also by what [librettist and director] Peter Sellars attempted to do with the story. It has an important message: What is our responsibility when we invent things that have a massive impact on the world?

Nothing I saw in Los Angeles would qualify as the best or the worst, but the best performance I saw in Los Angeles was Pamela Gray as the hooker in “Dead End� at the Ahmanson. That was an extraordinary star turn.

Probably the worst show I saw was the Broadway musical “In My Life.� No one sets out to make a failure, but the fundamental idea here did not lend itself to the making of a musical.

*

CAMRYN MANHEIM

Actress

I loved “The Drowsy Chaperone� at the Ahmanson. I thought it was unique and charming and ironic and cheeky. It can be experienced on two levels. My [4-year-old] son loved the silly musical; I loved the commentary on the silly musical. Given the global climate, sometimes I want to get swept away, and that’s what happened.

I liked “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee� on Broadway for much the same reason. It was fascinating and funny; it involved the audience. It was a departure from other musicals.

“Acts of Desire,� at the Fountain Theatre, is so amazing. It’s about women we rarely hear from and the profound issues they deal with. It’s so rare to see a play about women’s issues in the Middle East. I loved it.

*

JOHN GLORE

Associate artistic director, South Coast Repertory; former dramaturge,

Center Theatre Group

Heather Raffo’s “Nine Parts of Desire� easily overcame the pitfalls of the one-person format. The script [about women in Iraq] honors the complexity of the situation. It’s not a knee-jerk response. And her performance lifts it several levels above what’s on the page.

I adored “She Stoops to Comedy� at the Evidence Room. It was both hilariously funny but also quite moving at times. Although I’m not necessarily a fan of postmodernism, [playwright] David Greenspan made stunningly good use of postmodern structural technique. [Actors] John Fleck and Shannon Holt were quite wonderful.

Cornerstone Theater’s “A Long Bridge Over Deep Waters� at the Ford was a highlight of the year. On paper, it sounded like it shouldn’t fly, but it did. It worked as a culmination of Cornerstone’s faith-based cycle of plays and as a culmination of Bill Rauch’s work as Cornerstone’s artistic director. The honesty with which they deal with the issues is quite effective.