Best 2000-01 Season

Its closest competition is Missouri Repertory Theatre, whose one yet-to-be-announced show could be a surprise or a yawn. But the Unicorn Theatre works very hard at snagging those shows that people talk about even during their initial runs 1,200 miles away -- shows such as Hedwig and the Angry Inch, about the botched transsexual rock star, and Art, about maintaining friendships with people whose aesthetics reek of vulgarity. Its opener this year, Hot 'n' Throbbing, severely divided the audience into two camps: those who found its darkness repellent and those who respected it for being provocative. And that's a theater's job.