Stage Fog: Not Quite a Year in Review, Part 2

We just couldn't fit the best and most noteworthy shows of the year into one post. Last week, Part 1, we invited you to vote on shows to include this week, but ya'll were either shopping or just leaving this delicate task up to the pros here at SFist. So here we go.

Bat Boy: Ray of Light Theatre
No, this isn't some new incarnation of a superhero, or a bio of some lucky kid hanging around Barry Bonds. Ripped from the Weekly World News headlines, this anti-musical features a half-boy half-bat discovered in a cave. After a couple of local professional companies couldn't get it together enough to bring this hit to San Francisco, a smaller company called Ray of Light snagged the rights and mounted the show in the perfect venue, the Victoria on 16th Street. Keep your eye on this company, the only community musical theater in San Francisco. What's "community musical theater" mean? It means you don't have to drop upwards of $60 to see an entertaining musical in the city. Looks like Ray of Light will bringing this hit back in 2006, so stay tuned.

The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?: American Conservatory Theater
Snagging the 2002 Tony Award for best play, this Edward Albee shocker featured fantastic acting, and was probably the best all-around play we've seen at ACT in a while.

I Am My Own Wife: Best of Broadway
Speaking of Tony Awards, this one-tranny bio by Doug Wright picked up awards for best play and best actor in 2004. Actor Jefferson Mays didn't disappoint, leaving us completely transfixed by his elegant transitions from character to character in this fascinating tale based on the true story of transvestite Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, who survived the Nazi regime.

One Window: Erika Shuch and Intersection for the Arts
Not really theater, not really dance, One Window was one of the most fascinating performances of the year. Erika Shuch is much too young to be this brilliant. But lucky for us, that means we'll have even more time to witness her astounding creations.

People's Temple: Berkeley Repertory Theatre and Z Space
Developed by local artists along with Leigh Fondakowski, who was one of the creators of The Laramie Project, this docudrama of Jonestown wasn't by far the best play of the year. But it was one of the most anticipated shows of the year and another reason why the Bay Area is fast becoming known nationally as a center for new plays.

Image: Eli Newsom and Christy McIntosh in Ray of Light's Bat Boy poster.