A year in the life of art in Boston

This year Boston has seen one of the coldest winters on record, one of the most tumultuous springs, and a whole lotta art. From a free production of Carmen in the Boston Common in late summer to Cher's blockbuster tour this past winter, we've been treated to a multitude of quality ventures.

In terms of music, Toad the Wet Sprocket mounted a revival tour playing old favorites at the Avalon, once again exciting audiences with their particular brand of music after their breakup in 1998. In what might be the autumn of their career, they've come back with a new spark that just might provide them with a longer Indian summer than ever previously anticipated.

Another big bill that played this year included Tom Petty and Jackson Browne who rocked this city in December, serenading audiences at the Fleet Center in a well over three-hour concert extravaganza. With his latest album The Last DJ, Petty has proven that politics and music can intermingle, as long as that kid who claims to be Bill Clinton's brother stays out of the equation.

The Strokes, Badly Drawn Boy, Beck, Bella Fleck. The Vines, Dar Williams, and Busta Rhymes, are some other examples of the eclectic mix of hot shows that hit town this year. Oh wait, scratch that last act. He was washed away by the rain that cancelled Spring Fling.

The 2002-2003 season also brought many an interesting performances to the stage. Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the story that chronicles the life of Hedwig/Hansel Schmidt, was a highlight at the Axis. Hansel is a "slip of a girly boy" from East Berlin, who falls in love with American rock 'n roll, and later an American lieutenant who promises to marry him and take him to America. In order to get there, though, he has to "leave a part of himself behind" in order to be the appropriate gender to marry a man - hence the "angry inch." With a punchy score and colorful cast, it rose highly above its night club setting.

On the other end of the quality spectrum was the new musical Marty, starring John C Reilly, which provided a lackluster retelling of the 1950's hit movie. With stereotypical characters and a bland score, this one produced more snores than memorable melodies.

Broadway in Boston, an organization originally set up in Chicago to bring Broadway shows to other cities, also gained momentum this year, bringing numerous fine shows of varying genre to the city. Stomp, Blueman's Group, The Exonerated, Jesus Christ Superstar, 42nd Street, and Contact were just a few of the shows to breeze by here for a weekend or longer while on their national tours.

Meanwhile local theater also produced some provocative and interesting shows this season. A Piece of My Heart, a Vietnam drama performed by the Delvena Theater Company, consisted of personal memoirs of women who served in Vietnam, a number of whom are registered nurses. The play focused on many of the fundamental issues that still perplex us today about the war and deftly presented racial, class, gender issues that tore at the psyche of the human spirit throughout the fighting.

Finally - the best show of the year. There are certain shows that take your entire perception of theater and hand it back to you as an entirely different, entirely spectacular commodity. Liberation! Films' production of The Seagull, at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), did just that. Using such mediums as dance, rock music, and even the occasional chalking, the show took Chekhov's century old words and revitalized them for a modern day audience. If one of the overreaching goals of art is to progress, discovering beauty and moments of wonder in the process, while still keeping its integrity intact, then there can be no better example than this production. Kudos to taking risks and achieving beautiful results in return.

May all of the Boston Theater be so bold as to strive towards that ambition next year. Thanks for a great year of entertainment, Boston.