These are challenging times, what with the economy imploding, the continuation of war and strife throughout the world, the persistence of homophobia, and all too many cases of incompetent and/or evil people somehow attaining positions of power and making life miserable for the rest of us. But on the other hand...Barack Obama has been elected President of the United States! And, looking back over the theatrical year that will soon come to a close, I realized that there are quite a things for which we can and should express our gratitude this Thanksgiving season. Here's my own personal list, in no particular order:

The New TKTS Booth
There were many delays in construction of the Theatre Development Fund's new half-price tickets booth in Duffy Square, and grumbling about this subject became a favorite pastime of many in the theater industry. But the completed structure is so magnificent that the bitching ended the moment it was unveiled in all its glory. People love the sweeping lines of the booth itself, the expansion of the number of ticket windows, and the considerable enlargement of the traffic island on which the structure is located. But most of all they love the brilliant "bleacher" section with its gorgeous, red-lit platform steps that afford breathtaking views of Times Square, not to mention amazing photo ops. The place became a major tourist attraction the moment it opened -- and I've seen several theater people hanging out there as well. Bravo!

Lincoln Center Theater
Three of New York City's major non-profit theaters -- the Roundabout, the Public, and MTC -- are maddeningly inconsistent in terms of the quality of their shows. No so Lincoln Center Theater. The company's taste in terms of what to present is nearly impeccable, and even on the relatively rare occasions when they choose a property that's less than great, the production they give it is almost guaranteed to be stellar. I doubt that any other theater in the world can boast of a track record as good as LCT's, so we should be careful not to take the company for granted.

Michael Weller
Not the most famous contemporary American playwright, but absolutely one of the most talented. Weller scored this season with two wildly different but equally gripping plays that opened Off-Broadway within a few weeks of each other: Beast, a surrealistic piece about two grievously wounded Iraqi war veterans, which ran at New York Theatre Workshop; and the hyper-realistic domestic drama Fifty Words, in which Norbert Leo Butz and Elizabeth Marvel tore up the stage at the Lucille Lortel. Such talent and versatility is to be treasured.

Musicals Tonight!
Mel Miller's invaluable enterprise keeps on resuscitating musicals of yesteryear in semi-staged concert productions - and we're talking really obscure items like Irma la Douce and Tovarich, both of which I was lucky enough to see and hear performed by MT at its new home, the McGinn/Cazale Theater on Broadway at 76th Street. Of course, the properties themselves aren't all gems; though Irma was delicious, Tovarich wasn't. But Miller and his house director, Thomas Sabella-Mills, often enlist such talented casts that even the semi-clinkers are well worth attending if only for historical purposes.

Raúl Esparza
Speaking of talent and versatility: Since his New York debut as Riff Raff in the 2000 revival of The Rocky Horror Show at Circle in the Square, Esparza has proven that he can play just about any type of role brilliantly: Jon in tick, tick...BOOM!, the M.C. in Cabaret, Ned Weeks in The Normal Heart, Robert in Company, and so on. In D.C., he was great as George in Sunday in the Park with George and Charley Kringas in Merrily We Roll Along. Right now, he's displaying his usual brilliance as Charlie Fox in the superb Broadway revival of David Mamet's Speed the Plow. Long may he act!

John Gallagher, Jr.
When I first saw him onstage, in Fuddy Meers at MTC, I was blown away by Gallagher's performance -- not least because he was literally a kid at the time. In 2006, he amazed us twice, breaking our hearts in the Pulitzer-Prize winning play Rabbit Hole and winning a well-deserved Tony Award for his unforgettable characterization of the tormented Moritz Stiefel in Spring Awakening. Now an old man of 24, Gallagher is starring in Farragut North for the Atlantic Theater Company, the excellent Off-Broadway venue where Spring Awakening was first produced. Here's looking forward to a long lifetime of beautiful work from this amazing actor.

Sierra Boggess and James Barbour
It's an awesome responsibility to play the central role in a big Broadway musical. Imagine how much more challenging the task when the show is a bitter disappointment -- whether due to poor direction and design, as in the case of The Little Mermaid, or a lackluster score, as in the case of A Tale of Two Cities. Some sort of special medal should be given to the super-talented Sierra Boggess and James Barbour for carrying these problematic shows on their shoulders.

Daniel Radcliffe
As the young star of one of the most popular movie franchises in history, Radcliffe might have chosen to make what is for all intents and purposes his stage debut in a light comedy or some other non-taxing vehicle. Instead, he chose the extremely difficult, draining role of Alan Strang in a revival of Peter Shaffer's Equus that opened in London and is now playing on Broadway (in case you hadn't heard). Radcliffe is very impressive in the role, and his achievement is all the more laudable since the efforts of his co-star (Richard Griffiths) and director (Thea Sharrock) are not up to snuff. Here's hoping that, in his next theatrical project, he will get the kind of high-level work from his colleagues that he richly deserves.

Carole Shelley
Since her Broadway debut in The Odd Couple in 1965, Shelley has given a string of wonderful performances in such shows as Absurd Person Singular, The Norman Conquests, The Elephant Man, Noises Off, Cabaret, and Wicked. Now, she's the perfect embodiment of the grandmother in Billy Elliot. The lady is a cancer survivor, which makes her presence onstage all the more precious. Thank you, Ms. Shelley.

August: Osage County
When was the last time you saw a three-and-a-half-hour play -- not a musical, mind you, but a play! -- that kept you riveted for its entire length? Tracy Letts' August: Osage County is so well written that it would probably have become a huge hit even if it wasn't so terrifically acted and directed. If you haven't already visited the epically dysfunctional Weston clan of Pawhuska, Oklahoma, you are urged to do so at your earliest opportunity.

Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jason Robert Brown
Miranda is an amazing newcomer among musical theater composer/lyricists (In the Heights), while Brown is already an honored veteran (Songs for a New World, Parade, The Last Five Years, and now 13). Both have been honored for their efforts, but I'm not sure that the full extent of their genius has yet been recognized. Here's hoping they've got dozens more shows in them

Forbidden Broadway
This Off-Broadway institution has been running off and on (but mostly on) for 26 years. Just before the opening of the most recent edition, it was announced that the New York production will close indefinitely in January. Ben Brantley ended his rave New York Times review of the show with a sentiment to which anyone who has ever seen Gerard Alessandrini's hilarious creation can relate: What will we ever do without it? I don't have the answer to that question, so all I can do is suggest is another visit before the final curtain.

I Wanna Be a Dancin', Singin', Actin', Writin', Directin', Choreographin' Man!

Even as Broadway's love affair with revivals continues, shows that require the talents of traditional-style song and dance men are relatively few and far between. So you might think that Jeffry Denman, a great exemplar of that style, would find it difficult to make a career. On the contrary, he is always working. In fact, he's so busy that he recently choreographed and played a featured role in a reading of Yank -- a newish musical about gays in the military during World War II -- at the York Theatre just a few days before the start of Broadway previews for White Christmas, in which he co-stars with Stephen Bogardus, Kerry O'Malley, and Meredith Patterson.

Directed by Walter Bobbie and choreographed by Randy Skinner, White Christmas has played at holiday time (duh!) in several American cities over the past five years but is only now hitting NYC. "We're in good shape," says Jeffry -- and yes, that's how he spells his first name. "There have been some changes in the show; there are two new set pieces, and one number, 'Let Me Sing and I'm Happy,' has been reconceived to make it seem more spontaneous."

J.D. is already a White Christmas veteran; he was in the original production in San Francisco, opposite Brian d'Arcy James (who's now playing the title role in Shrek), and he subsequently did the show in Los Angeles, Saint Paul, and Boston. "Randy Skinner has been doing a lot of work in tweaking the choreography, which he's very well known for in dance circles," he says. "As a choreographer myself, I really appreciate it when someone has the ability to look at something they've created and say, 'How can I make this better?'"

In addition to having appeared in dozens of musical including The Producers, Dream, How to Succeed..., and Cats on Broadway, Jeffry has acted in such plays as Children of a Lesser God (for the Keen Company) and Dinner With Friends (for Portland Stage). Recently, he staged A Tribute to Lerner and Loewe for Scott Siegel's Broadway series at The Town Hall and did a number in the show with his new wife, the former Erin Crouch. "The thing I was taught in college was to be versatile, so I could do whatever was needed," he remarks. "I absolutely love the medium of theater. I love to story-tell, whether that means acting in a musical or a play, directing or choreographing."

One might guess that Jeffry hooked up with his wife when they were both cast in the same show, but one should guess again. "We met on Match.com," he tells me. "We were both looking for someone who wasn't in the business. What can I say? I was about two weeks away from cancelling my subscription to Match.com, because it wasn't going well. Then I got this email from Erin, and that's where it all started. We were married in August."

By the way, you may also know Jeffry as the author of the book A Year With The Producers: One Actor's Exhausting (But Worth It) Journey from Cats to Mel Brooks' Mega-Hit (Routledge, 2002). He has written two musicals based on the life of Fred Astaire, Dancing in the Dark and Change Partners. Among the many things on his plate, he hopes that Yank will receive a full production at the York in the spring. But right now, he's all about White Christmas.

"There's so much love invested in this show," he enthuses. "As Walter Bobbie says, we have a big Christmas gift that we get to give to whatever city we're playing. It will be interesting to see how New York cynics take to the show. I know when I moved to New York from Buffalo, I definitely developed a tougher skin and became little cynical just to survive. You have to do that. But I hope there's a sentimental side everyone can still access, and that this show will help them do that. It really is worth it."

For more on Jeffry, visit his website, www.jeffrydenman.com -- and be sure to check out his White Christmas "rap" videos on YouTube!

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Feasts for the Eyes and Ears

Whenever I try to talk opera-phobic friends into taking the plunge, I stress that, over and above the world's greatest singers and an awesome orchestra, the Metropolitan Opera's productions are famous for sets, costumes, lighting, and other design elements that frequently put even the most elaborate Broadway musicals to shame.

This continues to be true of the Met under Peter Gelb, who took over as General Manager in August 2006. In the roughly one and one-tenth seasons that have passed since then, Gelb has brought to the house some of the most visually stunning productions one could ever hope to experience. Since the Met's musical values remain unsurpassed, these nights at the opera are guaranteed feasts for both the eyes and ears.

Berlioz's La Damnation de Faust has very rarely been heard at the Met; the season premiere of the new production was only the 12th performance of the work in the history of the company, which hasn't presented it since 1906! So the air was exceptionally thick with anticipation when the opera returned to the repertory on November 7. Staged by Robert Lepage, with sets by Carl Fillion, costumes by Karin Erskine, lighting by Sonoyo Nishikawa, interactive video design by Holger Forterer, and image design by Boris Firquet -- all in their Met debuts -- the eye-popping production does full justice to this melodically lush, harmonically entrancing, rhythmically exciting score.

The largest constructed part of the main set calls to mind the Hollywood Squares, but with a few more cubicles. As the action begins, the aged Faust descends a high ladder and the (projected) wall of books behind him turns into a vast skyscape with whirling flights of birds. Other unforgettable images include soldiers marching vertically through grassy fields, half-naked choristers playing the demons of hell, and multiple crucified Jesuses appearing and suddenly disappearing during a church scene (see photo).

The disappointing news about this production is that tenor Marcello Giordani, who's great when singing in Italian, sounds less than great when singing in French -- just as his fellow tenor Roberto Alagna sounds significantly better in French than in Italian. Other than that, all is more than well from a musical standpoint; mezzo-soprano Susan Graham as Marguerite and bass-baritone John Relyea as Mephistopheles give their all for conductor James Levine, as do the top-flight orchestra and chorus.

Having caught the Met's current production of Puccini's Madama Butterfly when it was new last season, and having found it breathtakingly beautiful, I needed no special excuse to attend again -- but I got one anyway. In the present run of performances, the extremely demanding title role is being sung by Patricia Racette, whose career I've been following since her days at New York City Opera.

Racette's singing and acting as Cho-Cho-San are magnificent as expected, the verisimilitude of her portrayal hampered only by the fact that she's one of the least exotic, whitest-looking Butterflies ever. Her Pinkerton is Roberto Aronica, whose impressive tenorizing occasionally falters due to nervousness and/or less than 100% solid technique; her Suzuki and Sharpless are the always wonderful Maria Zifchak and Dwayne Croft.

The production, by the late Anthony Minghella -- with sets by Michael Levine, costumes by Han Feng, lighting by Peter Mumford, and puppetry by Blind Summit Theatre, Mark Down, and Nick Barnes -- remains thrilling on second viewing. Among its finest moments are the entrance of the Bonze, backed by a phalanx of what look like Ninja warriors; the gamboling of Butterfly's child Trouble, played to perfection by a skillfully manipulated Bunraku puppet; and the gorgeous, ever-changing scenic elements of the ecstatic love duet.

One shared minus of these two generally fabulous productions: As both begin, the curtain rises and the stage action starts, but no music is heard for one full minute or more. This may sound intriguing, but the silent sequences go on so long that one can sense the audience feeling uncomfortable. Perhaps some re-thinking is in order.

Rosie Loves Broadway; Kids Get Free Tix!

Rosie O'Donnell is now in her second consecutive year as national ambassador for Kids' Night on Broadway, an audience development program of The Broadway League that provides free tickets to children ages 6-18 -- but there's a big change a-comin'. Whereas the program was previously limited to a few performances in February, it will be greatly expanded for 2009, as Rosie explained at the press launch at Sardi's on Monday, November 10:

"Last year, they said 'Would you be the ambassador for Kids' Night on Broadway?' I said, 'Sure, can we do it all year long?' As you know, Broadway producers are notoriously cheap -- but not this year. Starting in February, they're giving us Kids' Night on Broadway every month. If your parent buys a ticket, you get to come for free. That's pretty much how it works. And if you don't have a parent, ask a neighbor."

Yes! Beginning on February 3 & 4 and continuing indefinitely thereafter, kids can see any of the participating Broadway shows free when accompanied by a full-price-paying adult on the first Tuesday and Wednesday of each month. Tix for February 3 & 4 are now on sale, and tix for each subsequent Kids' Night performance will be available two months prior to the show date.

Cynics might assume that only relatively unpopular shows will be offered, but no; among the productions already listed as participants are The American Plan, Avenue Q, Billy Elliot, Chicago, Grease, Gypsy, In the Heights, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Mamma Mia!, Mary Poppins, The Phantom of the Opera, Shrek the Musical, The 39 Steps, Wicked, and Young Frankenstein, as well as Off-Broadway's Altar Boyz and Stomp.

Other facets of Kids' Night on Broadway include a youth advisory board, a study guide (Thru the Stage Door: Broadway 101), a series of interactive workshops called "Take it From the Top," and a special souvenir Playbill written entirely by teens. This year's program will also focus attention on the growing problem of autism and the work of Autism Speaks, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing awareness of the disorder and raising money to fund research.

Rosie O'Donnell remains one of Broadway's biggest boosters. The first edition of her new NBC-TV variety show, which is guaranteed to feature a phalanx of theater talent, will be telecast live from the Little Shubert on Wednesday, November 26. In addition, her invaluable project Rosie's Broadway Kids continues to enrich the lives of children through the arts, offering classes in dance and music and a professional theater experience to young individuals who might not otherwise have the opportunity. One of the project's rising stars, Mary Dunkley (pictured above with Rosie), wowed the crowd at Sardi's with her beautiful rendition of "Be a Lion" from The Wiz.

"Broadway is one of the best things America ever made," says Rosie. "Life saving? I'm the proof. We should do anything to get kids to the theater, because once you see your first show, you're hooked for life." For more information, visit KidsNightonBroadway.com. Tickets can also be purchased via broadwayoffers.com and ticketmaster.com, or at the theater box offices. (Use code KNOB09.)