Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette

Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette wishes you and your loved ones a happy and prosperous 2010.

End-of-year lists can be painful to read, but end-of-decade lists can feel excruciating as people sit back in their chairs and think, "Gosh, did blah-de-blah happen only eight years ago? It feels like forever! And look here, bloo-de-bloo began just three years ago. My gosh, how time flies."

Still, there are a lot of opinions out there about what can be perceived as high points or low points of the decade. Here are some writers' thoughts about the best in new musical theatre for the 2000s.

Chris Caggiano has written a countdown of the Top 20 musicals on his blog "Everything I Know I Learned From Musicals". He includes commentary on each of his choices and there are links galore to his original reviews and sometimes his re-reviews of the shows. For those who want more than just "Best Of," Caggiano also includes "Underrated" and "Overrated" lists on his blog. Caggiano's choice for best musical of the decade? Urinetown.

• * Top Musicals as per Chris Caggiano, #20-11.
• * Top Muscaisl as per Chris Caggiano, #10-1.

Wade Bradford of About.com also writes a countdown titled "Top Ten Musicals of the 00s." He writes that the musicals on the list are among "the most exceptional and inspiring" of the hundreds written in the last 10 years. Bradford's choice for the best musical of the decade? In the Heights.

• * Top Musicals as per Wade Bradford, #10-1.

Kerry Lengel of The Arizona Republic offers a list titled "Top 10 coolest Broadway musicals of the 200s" on the newspaper's Web site. As with the other lists, Lengel offers plenty of commentary. Lengel's choice for #1 is Spring Awakening.

• * Top Musicals as per Kerry Lengel, #1-10.

Rogue Zentradi (yes, it's a pen name) has listed "20 Musicals for the 2000's" in his blog "An American Look at London Theatre." Rather than ranking musicals, however, Zentradi offers a chronological list of musicals that "provided either a major contribution or simply serve as the most memorable works of the decade."

• * Top Musicals as per Rogue Zentradi in chronological order.

There are a lot of opinions out there. What are your choices for the best musicals of the 2000s? Share your thoughts.

Audition dates have been announced for Snow White, the third production in Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette's 2009-2010 Civic Youth Theatre season. Auditions will take place from 6-9 p.m. on Monday, January 4 and Tuesday, January 5 in the Civic Theatre office at 313 N. 5th Street in downtown Lafayette.

Director Missy Freels asks that all auditioners prepare a memorized monologue no longer than one minute in length.

This humorous take on a classic tale includes a bumbling prince, a very involved mirror and not just one, but three attempts on Snow White’s life. Add a lot of dwarfs and a happily-ever-after ending and you have a great play for all ages.

Snow White will open Friday, February 26 and run through Sunday, February 28.