END OF THE YEAR RECAP:

Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of four columns reviewing the year 2007 in local theater.

That South Coast Repertory reached its 42nd anniversary without staging a production of “Hamlet” was eyebrow-raising in itself. But once all the proper elements were in place for a memorable presentation of Shakespeare’s masterpiece, critical trumpets blared.

The ones in this corner sounded thus: “Director Daniel Sullivan has assembled what amounts to an all-star cast for his rendition of the classic tragedy of regicide and revenge. The production is populated top to bottom with sterling interpretations by actors eminently versed in classic theater.”

Therefore, it’s hardly a revelation that “Hamlet” topped the list of SCR’s nine productions (excepting the Christmas shows and children’s theater offerings) unveiled at the Costa Mesa theater in 2007.

Musicals haven’t exactly been the company’s stock in trade, but when one is selected, it’s usually a singularly memorable experience. That opinion held true in 2007 as Stephen Sondheim’s “A Little Night Music,” directed by Stevan Novinski, placed second on this column’s “best of SCR” list.

These two exceptional productions kept a show that ordinarily would have headed a year-end assessment ranked in third place for 2007. This would be “Doubt,” John Patrick Shanley’s riveting drama about a priest and a nun on a collision course over a moral issue, superbly directed by Martin Benson.

“The Piano Teacher,” another compelling drama, directed by Kate Whoriskey, followed in fourth position, trailed by David Emmes’ richly-staged production of “System Wonderland” and Benson’s down-and-dirty dramatic comedy “Pig Farm.”

Two performers raised the bar of excellence during 2007 — Hamish Linklater in the title role of “Hamlet” and Linda Gehringer, who played Gertrude in that production but was most riveting in “Doubt” and “The Piano Teacher.”

Three others whose interpretations were singularly memorable were Gregory Itzen in the ambitious “Shipwrecked,” James Joseph O’Neil as the suspicious priest in “Doubt” and Steve Rankin, explosive as a threatened farmer in “Pig Farm.” Other notable accomplishments included Robert Desiderio in “System Wonderland,” Richard Doyle in “My Wandering Boy” and Daniel Breaker in “Life is a Dream.”