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Updated: August 4, 2011 4:20PM

It was the best of years in Chicago theater (see all the raves that follow, and that was just the tip of the iceberg). It also was the worst of years (“A True History of the Johnstown Flood” and “The Long Red Road” at the Goodman Theatre; the national tour of “Rock of Ages”; the massively overhyped “Fuerza Bruta” at the Auditorium Theatre; the screechy overkill of “Kid Sister” at Profiles Theatre). But let’s concentrate on the many glorious times spent in the theater during 2010. Here’s a reminder:

Revealing revivals

Tennessee Williams, who never fails to rekindle wonder at each hearing, fared exceptionally well this year with both a revelatory, surprisingly intimate production of “A Streetcar Named Desire” directed by David Cromer at Writers’ Theatre, and a boisterous battlefield of a production by The Artistic Home of “Sweet Bird of Youth.” Steppenwolf Theatre’s take on Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” marked the first time the relationship between George and Martha countered the “braying” contests between the couple with something deeper and more emotional, so that both people truly had something to lose. And at the Goodman Theatre, Robert Falls’ lean, modern, ideally cast revival of Chekhov’s “Seagull” proved a winning exploration of art, love, yearning, fame and the disorientation of aging.

Powerhouse playwrights

The Eclipse Theatre revival of Arthur Miller’s “After the Fall” brought a sensational breath of fresh air to this play about love, marriage and personal and political loyalties, with Nora Fiffer hugely memorable and wholly original in her portrayal of Maggie, a thinly veiled version of Marilyn Monroe.

At American Theater Company, director Rick Snyder and his three actors (Nicole Lowrance, Darrell W. Cox and Lance Baker) blew a hole in the roof with a searing double bill of David Mamet plays — “Oleanna” and “Speed-the-Plow” — giving us the best-ever takes on these angry dramas.

Remy Bumppo Theatre’s revival of Harold Pinter’s “Old Times,” the story of a tense erotic triangle, became a sharply icy piece of chamber music.

Janglingly tragicomic in an utterly different (yet also very English) way was A Red Orchid Theatre’s revival of “Abigail’s Party,” the Mitch Leigh satire in which Kirsten Fitzgerald gave a tour-de-force performance and managed to make olives the most offensive of cocktail party edibles.

Marvelous productions of “The Illusion” (a father-and-son tale by Corneille, by way of Tony Kushner), Fugard’s “Sizwe Bansi Is Dead” and Samm-Art Williams’ “Home” (a vibrant Job-like tale of an African-American man) confirmed Court Theatre’s mastery of many different theatrical styles.

Musical marvels

Drury Lane Oakbrook Theatre’s Broadway-level mounting of “Ragtime” not only illuminated the grandeur and beauty of this often undervalued musical, it also confirmed the exceptional turnaround of this theatrical operation. Drury Lane also gave us a rousing revival of “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” that captured the pioneer spirit and a deliciously spicy “Hot Mikado” that put the swing in the Gilbert & Sullivan classic.

Mary Zimmerman’s clear, detailed, visually gorgeous revival of Leonard Bernstein’s “Candide” was a special treat, with the ever-wonderful Hollis Resnik easily stealing the show as The Old Lady; Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre’s storefront spectacle take on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Cats” was a purrrfect little miracle of lush vocals and terrific dance, and Griffin Theatre’s expertly done revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “Company” was adult and impressive.

Outdoor magic

Redmoon’s “Astronaut’s Birthday,” the Frank Maugeri creation “screened” live on the facade of the Museum of Contemporary Art, was one of those urban delights that linger in the memory years after the fact. A giant comic book-style science fiction tale about good and evil, the far reaches of space and the comforts of home, it was perfection.

Newer plays

Director Tina Landau’s exquisitely unified mounting of Tarell McCraney’s trilogy, “The Brother/Sister Plays” — a mythic tale about a black community in Louisiana — marked the arrival of a vibrant and poetic voice in American theater and again highlighted the ensemble work that makes this town shine.

The Silk Road Theatre Project left a powerful impression with its production of “Scorched,” an epic play by Wajdi Mouawad about the Lebanese civil war that had all the qualities of a Greek tragedy, plus a superb cast that easily rose to every formidable challenge.

At Profiles Theatre, the clear winner was Deirdre O’Connor’s “Jailbait,” about two very different high school girls (played with uncanny truthfulness by Rae Gray and Zoey Levin) on the brink of sexual awakening. It will be remounted with a few cast changes at Profiles’ Second Stage space beginning Jan. 13.

The young and the gifted

Two productions featuring teen and pre-teen actors were among the most enchanting shows of and for any age this season. The Albany Park Theatre Project’s “Feast,” a glorious exploration of food from many cultural and economic perspectives, was deliciously creative and touching from start to finish. And at A Red Orchid Theatre, girl power was exploited to terrific effect in Craig Wright’s hourlong, all-female version of Homer’s “The Iliad.” On an even grander scale, dancer-singer-actor Cesar Corrales, the opening night lead in “Billy Elliot, The Musical,” easily stole the audience’s heart.

The bold and the quirky

Building Stage’s marathon, multimedia take on “The Ring Cycle” was ingenious and, best of all, great fun. The Caffeine Theatre-Chicago Opera Vanguard collaboration on “Boojum! Nonsense, Truth, and Lewis Carroll,” offered a true through-the-lookingglass journey. Congo Square Theatre Company’s revival of “The Colored Museum” was vintage satire played with great wit and high spirits. The Trap Door Theatre production of Ken Prestininzi’s “Chaste” offered a wild and twisted view of what happens when genius, lust and arrested development collide. In “This Train,” actor-artist-writer Tony Fitzpatrick took us on a deeply poetic and musical journey that captured elements of himself, Chicago and all things American. And finally, two shows by The Hypocrites worked wonders — Greg Allen’s quite brilliant meditation on many things Kafka in “K,” and Sean Graney’s whimsical reimagining of that salty Gilbert & Sullivan gem, “The Pirates of Penzance.”

Best musical revue

Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre’s “Sweet and Hot: The Songs of Harold Arlen” lived up to its title, and the three divas in its cast (Bethany Thomas, Sarah Hayes and Stephanie Herman) were exceptional.

Solo turns

It must get awfully lonely out there when there’s no one else to play with, but Mary Beth Fisher was a stunner as writer Joan Didion in “The Year of Magical Thinking” (at Court Theatre); Brian Dennehy revealed a new side of himself in Beckett’s “Krapp’s Last Tape” (at the Goodman Theatre), and Peter Robel aced multiple roles, including the sexually ambiguous lead, in the BoHo Theatre Ensemble’s production of “I Am My Own Wife.”

Favorite performances

Marc Grapey gave the best portrayal I’ve ever seen of Jerry, the psychotic man in Central Park in Edward Albee’s “The Zoo Story” (at Victory Gardens Theater). Heidi Kettenring was all comic bite and vocal brilliance as the ever-betrayed perfume shop employee in “She Loves Me” (at Writers’ Theatre). And while all four of the actors in the Writers’ Theatre production of “Travels with My Aunt” were terrific, something about the range and detail of John Hoogenakker’s work generated sheer bliss.

Greg Matthew Anderson was a standout in Tom Stoppard’s “Night and Day” and “The Importance of Being Earnest” (both at Remy Bumppo). Karen Aldridge easily stole the show as a variation on Coretta Scott King in “The Good Negro” (at the Goodman Theatre). Mouzam Makkar, totally new to me, was a stunner in Collaboraction’s “1001,” a version of “The Arabian Nights.” And when it comes to those Mueller sisters (Jessie Mueller, star of “She Loves Me,” and Abby Mueller, star of “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”), let’s just say that’s a lot of talent in one family.

Set design innovation

Collette Pollard’s set for “A Streetcar Named Desire” made audiences think they were living inside the play. And actor-designer Andrew Jessop’s vision for Redtwist Theatre’s excellent “Lobby Hero” linked inside and outside with unusual cleverness.