So one of my theatre friends does his own "Best of 2011" awards. He does a lot of theatre, and he SEES a shitload of theatre. So imagine my surprise when I, of all people, was awarded Best Performance by an Actor (along with my co-star).
There was so much to love about Meg Cohen's "Joe Ryan", from Meg's funny and poetic script to Matt Gunnison and Kirsten Broadbear's excellent chemistry in the lead roles, but the best performances of the night were hands down John Lennon Harrison and Sunil Patel as a pair of criminal buddies whose first substantial backstory scene got a well-deserved standing ovation. Harrison is hands down one of the best and most underused actors in the San Francisco Theater scene and so to see him in such a substantial and fantastically written role was delightful, but Patel was the real "find", nailing a character I think it's safe to say NOBODY would have expected him in: a heroine addicted underworld doctor who has become the best friend of a murderous thug. Patel and Harrisoin not only captured their respective characters as individuals but the nature of the relationship between two such men and the final scene of the show, with Harrison emerging from the ground in Kezar stadium with Patel's corpse in his arms, was heartbreaking.