The variety, depth and entertainment value of Lehigh Valley regional theater never ceases to amaze, especially so when looking back at a year's worth of productions.

In 2012, there were two world premieres in the Valley, numerous Valley premieres, incredibly fun musicals and seriously dark dramas among them.

The ABEs, as in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, now in its seventh year, lauds shows and performances on area community and professional theater stages:

The Focus section published 40 theater reviews in 2012, up from 38 theater reviews published in 2011.

Of the theater reviews, I reviewed 18 plays, Douglas Graves reviewed 11, Deb Boylan and Katrina Wehr each reviewed four, and Diane Bakos, Susan Chase and Rebekah Hawk each reviewed one.

Trending in 2012 at area theaters were challenging shows and quality productions, from the phenomenal "Sweeney Todd" at Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, to the fascinating "Grey Gardens: The Musical" at Civic Theatre of Allentown, to the extraordinary "A Resting Place" by Touchstone Theatre.

SteelStacks added stage shows, bringing in Zany Umbrella Circus and Squonk Opera for its first anniversary, and staging "Tony n' Tina's Wedding" last January in ArtsQuest Center's Musikfest Cafe (returning Jan. 31 - Feb. 10). Look for "Finnegan's Farewell," March 7-10.

Bucks County Playhouse, after a flood-induced two-year shuttering, reopened as a nonprofit after a $5-million-plus purchase and renovation to return professional theater to the legendary 1939 New Hope landmark.

National touring shows continued at Miller Symphony Hall, State Theatre for the Arts and Zoellner Arts Center, as did college and university productions, most of which are not reviewed in Focus.

With input from other Focus reviewers, here's one theatergoer's kudos for 2012.

Professional Theater

Producer: Touchstone Theatre: Jp Jordan, Touchstone Theatre Artistic Director; Lisa Jordan, Touchstone Theatre Managing Director; Christopher Shorr, Moravian College director of theater: "A Resting Place," the Alison Carey-written and Shorr-directed extravaganza, with a 100-member cast of professional actors, Moravian College students and faculty, Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts students, and community actors and musicians, took to the byways (Ohio Road and Old York Road, Colonial Industrial Quarter, Bethlehem) and greenway (South Side Bethlehem Greenway), accompanied by an 18-foot-long circus wagon and nine-foot tall elephant puppet. There were five free performances of Touchstone's capstone "Civil War Project," marking the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. "A Resting Place" was inspired by a 1863 Bethlehem performance by circus performer Dan Rice (portrayed by Touchstone co-founder Bill George). Bethlehem shouldn't let "A Resting Place" rest. It merits annual performances.

Original Musical: "Christmas City Follies XIII," Touchstone Theatre. The TTE (Touchstone Theatre Ensemble) did it again, with the best-ever CCF (Christmas City Follies XIII), with simplicity in staging, powerful performances, wonderful singing (Emma Chong, Mary Wright, "Get Happy," "Happy Days Are Here Again"), original and zany characterizations ("Kayla Kristmas Kangaroo" by Kayla Prestel), favorites (Pajama Sisters, Old Guy Bill George), new faces (Kyle Lewis, "Kwanzaa Healing"; Gary Warren, "Laughter"; Kathryn Krull, "Troll's Ancient Carol"), and NPR-worthy spoken word ("Miracle at 5 Mission Road," Mary Wright).

Musical: "Sweeney Todd," Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. You must "attend the tale" of "Sweeney Todd." I did and attended three more times. If you didn't see this production, you missed "the" musical of the 2012 Valley professional theater season.

Actress, Musical: Dee Roscioli (Mrs. Lovett), "Sweeney Todd," Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. In her return to her alma mater, DeSales University and PSF debut, the Valley native created a madcap presence for the quite-mad Mrs. Lovett. Roscioli's doll-like fragility, skipping gait and kinetic energy would've even convinced vegans to try Mrs. Lovett's meat pies. Add to Roscioli's stage presence, a crystalline voice and you're done for.

Actor, Musical: Wil-liam Michals (Sweeney Todd), "Sweeney Todd," Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. Michals was back in rare form, projecting a covert charisma, studious disdain and sweet charm. "A Little Priest," his duet with Roscioli, was a show-stopper. His "Pretty Woman" duet with Christopher Councill (Judge Turpin) was exquisite.

Ensemble, Musical: "Hairspray," Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre: From Bill Mutimer's surprise turn as Edna Turnblad, to Angela DeAngelo's cute Tracy Turnblad, to JoAnn Wilchek Basist's hilarious Prudy Pingleton, to Lilly Fryburg's transformation as Penny Pingleton, and Karen Dearborn's choreography, you couldn't "stop the beat" (even Scenic Designer Curtis Dretsch's Baltimore buildings bopped) in the musical spoof based on John Water's film.

Director, Musical: Dennis Razze, "Sweeney Todd," Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. Razze, PSF Associate Artistic Director, conveyed the off-kilter plot, melodies and lyrics, emphasizing the propulsive drive of the 15-piece orchestra conducted vividly by Music Director Vincent Trovato.

Choreography: Dameka L. Hayes (Ariel), "The Tempest," Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. Hayes was a dazzler, a bundle of energy, with balletic grace and acrobatic athleticism, seemingly dancing on air and floating across the Schubert Theatre stage. "O brave new world that has such people in't."

Original Play: "The Pan Show: In Pan We Trust," Touchstone Theatre. Jp Jordan, Touchstone Theatre Artistic Director; Christopher Shorr, Moravian College Director of Theatre. The zainy, brainy, frequently-bizarre musical about the big hairy guy with horns included animation, video and original songs as the Touchstone cast (Jp Jordan, Emma Chong, Zach Kanner, Kayla Prestel, Gary Warren, Kathryn Krull) took on politics as usual. They got my vote.

Play: "Much Ado About Nothing," Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. Director Jim Christy's brilliant conceptualization set the classic Shakespeare comedy in post-World War II Sicily. Christy's choice reinvigorated the text. Rob Kahn's (Benedick) fine and humorous performance and Scenic and Lighting Designer Thom Weaver's bombed-out set made something out of "Nothing."

Actress, Play: Elean-or Handley (Beatrice), "Much Ado About Nothing," (Maggie), "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. Handley moved handily between the Bard and Tennessee Williams. In either role, she gives better than she gets.

Actor, Play: Richard B. Watson (Caliban), "The Tempest," Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. Watson's Caliban was at once menacing and sympathetic. Watson, aided by Sam Fleming's exceedingly strange lime green barnacled, webbed-foot, clawed-hand, body suit, writhed, hopped and rasped so convincingly, you weren't sure this was indeed an actor and not some strange monster from the briny deep.

Ensemble, Play: "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. The 2012 repertory cast increased PSF's repertory reputation. You could see "Cat" and "Much Ado About Nothing" on the same day. Among them, Eleanor Handley (Maggie, Beatrice), Tom Degnan (Brick, Don John), Joe Vincent (Big Daddy, Leonato) and Jo Twiss (Big Mama, Antonia) made it all work and not seem like work.

Director, Play: Jim Helsinger, Director, "The Tempest," Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. Helsinger's bold and brilliant reimagining made good on PSF's 21st season promise and the play's own pronouncement: "a most majestic vision."

Costume Design: Sam Fleming, Costume Designer, "The Tempest," Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. Fleming draped "The Tempest" spirits in gauzy leggings and wrappings and created a Caliban leotard worthy of the best Hollywood movie effects department.

Scene Design: Steve TenEyck, Scenic Designer, "Sweeney Todd," The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. Extending the stage over the orchestra pit thrust the audience into the world of 19th-century London.

Lighting Design: Eric T. Haugen, Lighting Designer, "Sweeney Todd," The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. Jagged splashes of red on each side of the stage, blasts of white light and judicious lighting of a row of second-level windows lent a sense of foreboding.

Sound Design: Matthew Given, Sound Designer, "The Tempest," Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. Given layered Ariel's voice and filled the air with sonic intensity, aided by African and Australian-inspired compositions by Daniel Levy.

Community

Theater

Producer: Pennsylvania Youth Theatre, "The Happy Elf," With the chutzpah, energy and enthusiasm of the title character in "The Happy Elf," Pennsylvania Youth Theatre pulled the Valley theater coup of 2012 by landing Harry Connick Jr'.s original music and Connick himself, who collaborated with "Happy Elf" director Bill Mutimer, PYT Executive Director Michael Melcher, Moravian College music department student jazz musicians and alternating casts of hundreds of PYT acting class students.

Original Musical: "The Happy Elf," Pennsylvania Youth Theatre. Everything about "The Happy Elf" was larger than life: the oversized set, the huge cast and the voice of Harry Connick Jr. narrating the story about Eubie, the Happy Elf who wants to turn the youths in Bluesville from naughty to nice.

Musical: "Gypsy," Civic Theatre of Allentown. Traci Ceschin (Rose) delivered the songs ("Some People," "Everything's Coming Up Roses") in the fast-paced musical directed by William Sanders, Civic Theatre Artistic Director, with fun supporting role performances, including that of Roseann Damico-Schat-kowski (Miss Cratchitt).

Actress, Musical: Kate Varley (Edith Bouvier Beal), "Grey Gardens: The Musical," Civic Theatre of Allentown. Varley walked a fine line, evincing the humor of "Little Edie," without ever letting the audience laugh at her.

Actor, Musical: Kerry McGuire (Jerry), "Sugar: The Some Like It Hot Musical," MunOpCo." McGuire, masquerading as Daphne (the Jack Lemmon role in the "Some Like It Hot" movie), mastered exaggerated facial expressions, double-takes and dancing backwards (just like Ginger).

Actor, Musical: David Oswald (Captain Jeffrey T. Spaulding), "Animal Crackers," Crowded Kitchen Players, Oswald captured Groucho Marx's antic spirit without mimicking the comic genius.

Ensemble, Musical: "Gypsy," Civic Theatre of Allentown. It wasn't only Traci Ceschin (Rose) who delivered. Patricia Welle (Mazeppa), Deena Linn (Electra ) and Marie Ann Sutera (Tessie Tura) were eye-popping fun in "You Gotta Get A Gimmick." Morgan Reilly (Louise) and Meredith Lipson (June) were also standouts ("If Momma Was Married").

Director, Musical: William Sanders, "Grey Gardens: The Musical," Civic Theatre of Allentown. Sanders' direction expanded on and deepened the "Grey Gardens' 1975 documentary film. What a production it was.

Choreography: William Sanders, Director-Choreography, "Gypsy," Civic Theatre of Allentown. Sanders, with Co-Choreographer Gwen Swanson-Vigorito, got the cast to "sell it" convincingly.

Original Play: Not given for 2012.

Play: "33 Variations," Civic Theatre of Allentown. Williams Sanders directed "33 Variations," which explores Ludwig van Beethoven's 33 variations on a "beer-hall waltz," with the fluid flow of cinema, and great insight into the human condition.

Actress. Play: Kathy Patterson (Sister Aloysius), "Doubt: A Parable," Pennsylvania Playhouse. She was a force to be reckoned with as an uncompromising, hard-nosed believer with nary a doubt.

Actor, Play: Tim Brown, "Doubt: A Parable," Pennsylvania Playhouse. Brown created a steady, direct and in-the-moment presence. His world view is not black and white.

Ensemble: Play: "Why We Have A Body," Civic Theatre of Allentown. Director Will Morris, Technical Director, Civic Theatre, elicited fine performances in the four-women show by Claire Chafee in its Lehigh Valley debut. Raw, in-depth and believable performances by Casey Hansen Conan (Lili), Aubrie Therrien (Mary), Patricia Welle (Eleanor, Lili's and Mary's mother) and Jillian Lovejoy (Renee) made the often off-the-wall play work.

Director: Play: Ralph Montessano, "Doubt: A Parable," Pennsylvania Playhouse. Montessano directed the Lehigh Valley premiere of the John Patrick Shanley 2005 Pulitzer Prize for drama and Tony Award winner with skill, sensitivity and understanding.

Costume Design: Terry Macripo, Ellizabeth Marsh-Gilkeson, "Kiss Me Kate," Notre Dame Summer Theatre. Marsh-Gilkeson was costume coordinator-designer. Macripo was co-designer and construction supervisor. This team again designed and made costumes among the best of any in Valley shows.

Scenic Design: Will Morris, Marilyn Loose, Scott Snyder, "33 Variations," Civic Theatre of Allentown. Sheet music symbolized the emotional wall between a mother, composer Dr. Katherine Brandt (Becky Engborg), and her estranged daughter, Clara (Alexandra Griffin), in the Lehigh Valley debut of the Moises Kaufman drama.

Lighting Design: Will Morris, "Gypsy," Civic Theatre of Allentown. Morris put the spotlight on and lighting effects in all the right places.

Sound Design: Helena Confer, "Gypsy," Civic Theatre of Allentown. With a 13-piece orchestra, including strings, winds, brass, amplified instruments and percussion, plus singers with microphones and dancing and a huge cast, it's not easy. Confer made it sound easy.

Tim Roche Memorial "Meanwhile" Award: "Fruitcakes," Pennsylvania Playhouse. Was it Robert Callan Adams' impish direction or the impish actors on stage? Either way, during one scene, I never laughed louder or longer at any play in 2012. This "Fruitcakes" was a welcome holiday gift.