Darby DeJarnette

‘The Christmas Revels’ return with spirituals, carols, and family fun

Set in post–Civil War DC, this year’s show is a heartwarming and meaningful way to kick off the holidays.

CUA’s ‘Orlofsky’s Gala’ showcases operetta faves and top-tier talent

The Catholic University of America greets audiences with gusto in this charming operetta revue.

Enjoying supernatural thrills with Baltimore Concert Opera’s ‘The Medium’

This local gem of an opera company continues to attract top-tier talent.

An enjoyable ‘Enchanting Elgar’ by the National Chamber Ensemble

This beloved string ensemble returns to the stage (and screen) with ‘pomp and circumstance.’

Olney elevates ‘Beauty and the Beast’ to new and exciting heights

A diverse, unique, and thoughtful recreation of ‘a tale as old as time.’

Colonial Players entertains with complex ‘By the Way, Meet Vera Stark’

An illuminating exploration of Black erasure through typecasting in Hollywood.

Opera for everybody: Catching up with Baltimore Concert Opera’s Julia Cooke

The Artistic and General Director on BCO’s appeal to people who are new to opera and to aficionados who have been fans their entire lives.

Viva ‘The Revolutionists’ at Colonial Players

An affecting, illuminating production of Lauren Gunderson’s comedy about four brazen women during the French Reign of Terror.

A woman’s liberation through generations in ‘A Very Present Presence’ from Pipeline Playwrights

A Very Present Presence, written by Ann Timmons and directed by Catherine Tripp, is the latest streaming offering from the women’s collective Pipeline Playwrights. Timmons states that this comedy...

A rousing ‘Luther’s Trumpet’ at GMU takes a provocative look at dissent

“A true believer is never comfortable in his faith,” says Martin Luther in Luther’s Trumpet. Director Rick Davis brings this rousing drama, written by historian James Reston Jr., to the George Mason...

Gay Men’s Chorus celebrates Sondheim in stellar quarantine cabaret

The pandemic has caused many arts organizations to search for creative ways to bring their talent to fans. The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC has jumped into the fray with Losing My Mind: A...

Vanessa Williams and Renée Fleming sing in a new era at the Kennedy Center

It goes without saying that things haven’t quite gone as planned this year in the DC performing arts scene. The recent pandemic shuttered many of the region’s stalwart venues in March and continues to...

Broadway phenom Norm Lewis delivers at the Kennedy Center

Norm Lewis is an icon. This is an indisputable fact. There are few others who have made such an impact on the way we view certain roles. His impressive bio includes such credits as the first African...

Victorian Lyric Opera’s ‘Pirates of Penzance’ elicits laughter, delight

There’s no doubt that The Pirates of Penzance is one of the most beloved of Gilbert and Sullivan’s works. Like most Gilbert and Sullivan tales, it takes clever jabs at the politics of its time while...

Fellowship for Performing Arts delivers with challenging ‘The Great Divorce’

C.S. Lewis is not for the fainthearted. While his Narnia series may have been the most successful in capturing the public imagination, his fascination with—and ability to articulate—advanced...

‘Spring Awakening’ is more relevant now than ever. Round House’s young actors tell us why.

Spring Awakening has never been a shy musical. Based on German playwright Frank Wedekind’s 1891 tale of teenagers awakening to their sexuality amongst adults who failed to provide any sexual...

Charming ‘Leading Ladies’ pleases at Vienna Theatre Company

Leading Ladies is a charming little farce written by Ken Ludwig. Directed by Eleanore Tapscott, this production at Vienna Theatre Company is sure to be a popular, audience-pleasing production. The...

Colonial Players’ fascinating ‘The Children’ explores bleak post-nuclear future

Annapolis’ Colonial Players takes on Lucy Kirkwood’s 2016 environmental disaster drama The Children in an intimate production which explores the human cost of uncontrolled consumption and destruction....

‘A Christmas Carol’ comes to life at Museum of the Bible

Charles Dickens’ classic holiday tale A Christmas Carol comes to life in a unique living history experience at Museum of the Bible in the aptly named A Christmas Carol Experience. This charming...

Washington Revels’ ‘Celestial Fools’ is a stellar holiday hit

As the days get shorter and the nights get colder, Washingtonians brace themselves for a barrage of family commitments, holiday parties, religious services and fevered gift shopping. Holidays, for...

Iron Crow’s satisfying ‘Bare’ shines light on gay Catholic teens

Iron Crow Theatre’s production of Bare couldn’t be more timely. With music by the late Damon Intrabartolo, lyrics by Jon Hartmere and a book which was a combined effort of the two; this musical...

NSO Pops and ‘Harry Potter’ combine for a unique movie night at the Kennedy Center

Harry Potter is a cultural phenomenon. With the entire franchise’s worth surpassing $25 billion, you’d be hard-pressed to meet anyone who hasn’t felt the impact of J.K. Rowling’s influential series....

Rising opera star Soloman Howard brings rich vocals to the Kennedy Center

Soloman Howard, the 2019 Marian Anderson Award winner, brought his unique flair to the Kennedy Center in his first-ever solo concert at the venue. As a graduate of the Washington National Opera’s...

Aquila Theatre’s ‘The Odyssey’ tackles modern warfare and its impact

Aquila Theatre’s adaptation of Homer’s Greek epic The Odyssey, translated by Emily Wilson and directed by Desiree Sanchez, provides a sobering picture of the impact of warfare on the psyche. It’s...

BSU Theatre reenvisions ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ with artists of color

What does it mean to re-vision a popular musical with theatre artists of color? Students at Bowie State University have set out to do just that with their latest production of Little Shop of Horrors....

Fun, frenetic ‘RENT’ at The National still satisfies

The 20th Anniversary Tour of RENT touched down at the National Theatre this week, much to the delight of area RENTheads. This modern take on Puccini’s La Boheme, with music, lyrics and book by the...

‘Last Summer at Bluefish Cove’ is a heart-wrenching glimpse into lesbian lives

Life has never been easy for women who love other women. Last Summer at Bluefish Cove—written by Jane Chambers and widely regarded as the first production to portray lesbians in a positive light—takes...

Colonial Players’ magnificent ‘White Rose’ is a prophetic must-see

What do you do when your country has taken a wrong turn? With a corrupt government, racist policies, oppression of the marginalized, suppression of the truth and attacks on the media being commonplace...

‘Mozart Celebration’ Opens Season at the National Chamber Ensemble

The National Chamber Ensemble’s 2019 – 2020 season launched this past Saturday with Mozart Celebration, which featured several of the composer’s beloved works. Mozart is one of those composers who was...

A Dramatic ‘Tosca’ Mesmerizes, Enchants at the Virginia Opera

The dawn of the 1800s saw a Rome in turmoil. Napoleon Bonaparte spun a soured campaign in Egypt into a public relations success story, securing his legacy as a folk hero and launching a coup d’etat...

Review: ‘Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical’ at Wolf Pack Theatre Company

Wolf Pack Theatre Company gives audiences a reason to explore the darker depths of the human mind with season-opener Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical. With book and lyrics by Leslie Briscusse and music by...

Review: ‘Souvenir’ at Rep Stage

Rep Stage presents a strong introduction to their 2019/2020 season with a charming production of Stephen Temperley’s Souvenir, directed by Joseph W. Ritsch. This play details the meteoric rise of...

Review: ‘The Country Wife’ at The Rude Mechanicals

In 1675 William Wycherley wrote The Country Wife, a bawdy comedy of manners that pushed back against an 18-year stage ban instituted by a Puritan government. With the Restoration of the English...

Review: ‘Treasure Island’ at Synetic Theater

If you’re a fan of swashbuckling pirate tales, you’ll love Synetic Theater’s charming and atmospheric spin on Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic Treasure Island. Directed by Tori Toletino and adapted by...

Review: ‘Absolutely Dead’ at Bowie Community Theatre

Absolutely Dead, written by Michael Walker and directed at Bowie Community Theatre by Ken Kienas, is a charming and hilarious dark comedy centered around a murder mystery. I’m afraid to give away too...

Review: Josh Groban at Wolf Trap

Josh Groban seems to have hit his stride with his latest album Bridges. Uplifting melodies and covers of pop standards have created another recording that is more than worthy of the experience he...

Review: ‘Chess’ at 2nd Star Productions

Chess, the complicated Cold War tale with music by Abba alumni Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus and lyrics by the unstoppable Tim Rice, bursts on to the stage at 2nd Star Productions under the...

Russwin Francisco on Art, Creativity and Receiving LA TI DO’s 2019 Joel Markowitz Award

LA TI DO Productions will present its second annual Joel Markowitz Award at LUCKY: A 7th Anniversary on January 28, 2019. Russwin Francisco, a film actor, producer and business owner, was chosen to...

Review: ‘Heathers: The Musical’ at Dominion Stage

High school never changes. This is abundantly clear in Heathers: The Musical. With book, music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy, this edgy and fun musical comes to Dominion Stage under...

Review: ‘The Christmas Revels: An Elizabethan Celebration of the Winter Solstice’ at Washington Revels

Washington Revels rings in the holiday season with their 36th annual production of The Christmas Revels. For those unfamiliar with the revels format, the show is an annual tradition which revolves...

Review: ‘Operetta Wonderland: The Magic of Victor Herbert’ at The In Series

It’s hard to resist the charm and humor of a good operetta. Though the form has been less popular recently, The In Series is doing its part to revive the legacy of Victor Herbert—one of the genre’s...

Review: ‘L’amico Fritz’ at Baltimore Concert Opera

The Baltimore Concert Opera has every reason to be proud as it moves into its 10th season of operations. From the concert hall at the Engineers Club, the company provides a unique experience for local...

Review: ‘Masters of the Italian Baroque’ by the National Chamber Ensemble

For those of us who are fans of the Baroque period, it’s no secret that the Counter Reformation served as one of the most fertile periods in European art history. With the advent of opera and the...

Baltimore Concert Opera Delivers Glamour, Grandeur and Stunning Performances at Unique Historic Venue

From the time you enter the historic Garrett-Jacobs Mansion, also known as the Engineers Club, you feel as though you have taken a step back in time. Chandeliers, English Oak, Tiffany glass windows,...

Review: ‘The Glitter Girls’ at Upcounty Theatre

The Glitter Girls, written by Mark Dunn and directed by Bruce Hirsch, is a hilarious romp through a mind game played by the wealthy Trudy Tromaine (Margaret Condon) on her “Glitter Girls”- a...

Review: ‘An Irish Twist on a Midsummer Night’s Dream’ at Quotidian Theatre Company

Quotidian Theatre Company’s An Irish Twist on a Midsummer Night’s Dream is a fantastical adventure that transports Shakespeare’s classic to 1820s Ireland. This production was directed and adapted by...

Review: ‘Be a Good Little Widow’ at Unexpected Stage

It’s anybody’s guess what goes through a person’s mind in their final moments. Most of us are very familiar with what goes through the mind of a person who has lost someone. This grief, in all of its...

Review: ‘H.M.S. Pinafore’ at Olney Theatre Center

Something for everybody. That’s what comes to mind when I think about the Chicago-based The Hypocrites’ whiplash-inducing, gender-flipped spin on Gibert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore. Trying to...

Review: ‘Becky’s New Car’ at Bowie Community Theatre

Becky’s New Car, written by Steven Dietz and directed by Ilene Chalmers, is a fourth-wall busting farce with an enormous heart. Now playing at Bowie Community Theatre, this production takes the...

Statement on the Death of DCMTA Staff Writer Wendi Winters

It is with great sadness that we have learned of the death of Capital Gazette Reporter and DC Theater Arts Senior Reviewer Wendi Winters. Winters was killed in the shooting incident which took place...