Derek Mong

Review: ‘See Jane Sing’ at The Kennedy Center

It’s hard to imagine what to expect at a cabaret debut from a television actor turned Broadway performer turned television game host. Jane Lynch—who some know as Sue Sylvester from the hit-television...

‘Dear Evan Hansen’ at Arena Stage

There are a lot of great shows in town this month. There’s the fan-favorite The Book of Mormon, the charming and captivating Once, the grassroots Capital Fringe Festival (which just ended)—even Lady...

‘NEWSIES’ at The National Theatre

Disney’s high-octane Newsies of New York have pirouetted their way to Pennsylvania Avenue in the Washington, DC, premiere engagement of the Tony Award-winning smash hit musical Disney’s NEWSIES. With...

2015 Kennedy Center Spring Gala: ‘It Don’t Mean a Thing… A Celebration of Swing’ at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts rolled out the red carpet on Sunday evening with a star-studded salute to the swing era of the 1930s and ‘40s. Under the direction of Grammy-winning...

‘Memphis’ at The Warner Theatre

Hockadoo! After a few toe-tapping hours at The Warner Theatre with the cast of Memphis and their inspired singing and dancing, I still have no idea what “Hockadoo” means, but I know—without a...

Jay Leno at The Kennedy Center

A magnificent stage usually filled with a full orchestra and a hundred-person chorus might feel empty with just a stool, a microphone, and a lone person, but not when Jay Leno is in control. With the...

‘Simply Sondheim’ at Signature Theatre

Including everything from Sunday in the Park with George to Company to Into the Woods and everything in between, the work of has graced the stages of Signature Theatre an astounding twenty-four times;...

‘Kid Victory’ at Signature Theatre (Review) by Derek Mong

Haunting, chilling, and totally mesmerizing are just a few words that you could use to describe the second collaboration between legendary composer John Kander (Chicago and Cabaret) and acclaimed...

‘Spring Awakening’ at American University

There’s no show quite like Spring Awakening, and the students at American University, directed by Amber Jackson, delivered a rousing performance of the beloved musical Thursday night at the Greenberg...

‘Nice Work If You Can Get It’ at The Warner Theatre

Set during the Roaring Twenties in the heyday of prohibition, the Tony-winning musical Nice Work If You Can Get It is a celebration of the best of the iconic music of George and Ira Gershwin. A...

‘Holiday Follies’ at Signature Theatre

Many of the greatest things in life just better with time, and Signature Theatre’s annual celebration of the holidays—Holiday Follies—is certainly no exception. Under the direction of Walter Ware III,...

“An Evening with David Sedaris” at the Music Center at Strathmore

David Sedaris and his writing have a way of making a two-thousand seat theatre seem as intimate as your own living room, inviting the audience into the world of his hysterical ponderings and life...

A Report on ‘Summer Hummer: Ménage à Trois’ at Signature Theatre

Summer Hummer: Ménage à Trois at Signature Theatre Benefits theatreWashington’s Taking Care of Our Own Summer Hummer: Ménage à Trois at Signature Theatre on Monday evening made Cabaret and Chicago...

Matt Nathanson and Gavin DeGraw at Wolf Trap

Matt Nathanson made it very clear Sunday night at The Filene Center at the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts that he was not the opening act for Gavin DeGraw. Telling a story about he and...

Straight No Chaser at Wolf Trap

There’s something magical that happens when you take ten talented male vocalists, put them in matching slim-fitting blazers, and get them to sing out loud in perfect harmony and a synchronous...

The Fray, Barcelona, and Oh Honey at Wolf Trap

Wolf Trap bills them as a “piano-driven pop rock quartet with impassioned smash hits.” Blurt magazine praises them for “the way they seek out views of the world—and not just about their own lives—and...

Karen Mason at NextStop Theatre Company

They say a truly great performer has the power to transform a song that you might have heard a million times before into a new experience—to take a classic and make it his or her own while still doing...

Tom Goss at Signature Theatre’s Sizzlin’ Summer Nights Series

From the first downbeat of his powerhouse opening song, “It Only Takes One” off of his fourth album Wait, Tom Goss delivered a powerhouse performance to the very last note on Thursday night at...

The Midtown Men with NSO Pops at The Kennedy Center

“Oh, What a Night!” There’s something special that happens when you bring together four supremely talented men on a single stage, couple them with one of the nation’s finest orchestras and conductors,...

‘Children of Eden in Concert’ at The Kennedy Center

Nothing quite gets my juices going quite like a Stephen Schwartz musical. Wicked. Godspell. Pippin. But, combine a Stephen Schwartz musical with some of the top talent on Broadway, along with the...

‘Blue Man Group’ at National Theatre

What do you get when you mix 10 gallons of blue paint, 360 pounds of Jell-O, 15 pounds of Cap’n Crunch cereal, 30 boxes of Twinkie Lights, 550 feet of PVC piping, and 40 drum heads? A theatrical...

‘Wayne McGregor Random Dance’ at The Kennedy Center

The curtain rises on a dark stage, lit only by torches held by four dancers at the four corners of the stage, surrounding two dancers prancing and weaving about in coordinated, syncopated step. One by...

‘The Threepenny Opera’ at Signature Theatre

Stepping into the Signature Theatre’s MAX Theatre, you immediately realize that you are standing on a giant, weathered Union Jack—transported, perhaps a bit uneasily for some, into the eerie streets...

‘Bring It On: The Musical’ at The Music Center at Strathmore

Elphaba, step aside! The high-flying cast of the Tony-award nominated best musical Bring It On: The Musical is defying gravity and launching itself to new heights—literally—and there’s not a single...

‘Hair’ at The Keegan Theatre

“Psychedelic!” might be the only word that appropriately describes the electrifying rock musical Hair rocking The Keegan Theatre last night. With brilliant direction by Susan Marie Rhea and Mark A....

‘Von Trapped’ at Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington

In the words of Maria, the hills are most definitely alive with the gorgeous sound of the stars of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington’s production of Von Trapped– a hilarious parody of the iconic 1959...

‘The Lost Songs of Broadway: 1980s’ at Signature Theatre by Derek Mong

Clearly, I was born in the wrong decade. The Lost Songs of Broadway: 1980s at Signature Theatre had me tapping my toes and slapping my thighs all night as three of Signature’s powerhouse...

Carolyn Cole: The Farewell Tour at Signature Theatre by Derek Mong

“This is a rock concert! There’s not going to be any of that ‘Good Morning Baltimore’ stuff tonight!” True to her word, Helen Hayes Award-winning artist Carolyn Cole took to the stage Wednesday night...

‘Our Funny Valentine with Chelsea and Geoff Packard’ at Signature Theatre by Derek Mong

It’s a cold, blustery winter night on the eve of a major storm, but, the air was warm with love and affection at the Signature Theatre Wednesday night as the powerhouse Broadway couple Chelsea Packard...

‘Gypsy’ at Signature Theatre by Derek Mong

Everything’s coming up sunshine and Santa Claus at Signature Theatre. Hands down-—Signature Theatre’s Gypsy is the best musical I have seen this year. Signature Theatre pulls out all the stops for...

‘Holiday Follies’ at Signature Theatre by Derek Mong

Who needs the star atop the Christmas tree when you can have three stars center-stage? (Company), Austin Colby (Crossing and Spin) and Maria Egler (Crossing) commanded the stage at the ARK at the...

“A Matt Conner Christmas” at Signature Theatre by Derek Mong

The weather outside may be frightful, but Matt Conner’s peppy, rich piano playing and his group of eclectic friends makes certain that you knew nothing of it. In an hour-long cabaret-style performance...

Michael McDonald ‘This Christmas: An Evening of Holiday & Hits’
 at Strathmore by Derek Mong

Michael McDonald joyously kicked off an array of vibrant holiday programming at The Music Center at Strathmore with a Christmas concert that blended some of his timeless classics with modern...

American Voices Concert with the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) Pops Conducted by Steven Reineke at The Kennedy Center by Derek Mong

The only explanation for the magnificence that graced The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ Concert Hall on Saturday evening is that National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) Pops conductor...

‘Crossing’ at Signature Theatre by Derek Mong

As the introductory letter in the Signature Theatre’s program proudly proclaims, it’s “an exciting time at Signature,” and Signature Theatre’s production of Crossing is certainly no exception. For...

‘Sister Act’ at The Kennedy Center by Derek Mong

Hallelujah! Sister Act is here for a short time only at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ Opera House, and you certainly won’t want to miss out on this festive, religious experience...

‘Michael Cavanaugh: The Songs of Elton John’ With NSO Pops Conducted by Steven Reineke at The Kennedy Center by Derek Mong

Billboard calls him “the new voice of the American rock and roll songbook,” and they couldn’t have gotten it more right. Michael Cavanaugh brought a refreshing, vibrant take on some of most classic...

‘Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’ at The Kennedy Center by Derek Mong

You’ve never seen dance quite like this. The company of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago blew audiences away at opening night of their 3-day run at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’...

‘National Symphony Orchestra Season Opening Ball Concert’ featuring Yo-Yo Ma, Christoph Eschenbach, and Cameron Carpenter at The Kennedy Center by Derek Mong

The eighty-third season of the National Symphony Orchestra kicked off with a bang on Sunday evening with a glamorous concert full of pomp and circumstance at the at The John F. Kennedy Center for the...

‘A Chorus Line’ at The Arlington Players by Derek Mong

Forget one singular sensation! A Chorus Line at The Arlington Players is a full line-up of seventeen triple-threat sensations! With music by Marvin Hamlisch and lyrics by Edward Kleban, and book by...

‘Million Dollar Quartet’ at The Kennedy Center by Derek Mong

Million Dollar Quartet is back! After having performed a run here in Washington earlier this year, the remarkable quartet of the celebrated Elvis Presley (Tyler Hunter), Johnny Cash (Scott Moreau),...

Heidi Blickenstaff at Signature Theatre’s ‘Autumn Cabaret Festival’ by Derek Mong

After seeing Heidi Blickenstaff perform alongside Patina Miller, James Clow, Alan H. Green, Patina Miller, and Matthew Scott, last year in the Kennedy Center’s production of First You Dream: The Music...

Carly Rae Jepsen and Hot Chelle Rae at Wolf Trap by Derek Mong

I might not have gotten any phone numbers from the Carly Rae Jepsen concert last night at Wolf Trap’s Filene Center, but I sure did have a blast jamming (with hundreds of fellow teen/tween-boppers) to...

Bob McDonald’s ‘Bob’s Broadway Blowout’ at Signature Theatre’s ‘Sizzlin’ Summer Cabarets’ by Derek Mong

As part of the Signature Theater’s Sizzlin’ Summer Cabarets series on Friday, August 9, 2013, Baritone Bob McDonald brought audiences to their feet as he performed a bonafide medley of classic...

Natalie Cole at The Music Center at Strathmore by Derek Mong

Natalie Cole wowed the audience Thursday night with her sultry, smoky-throated R&B and jazz at the Music Center at Strathmore, delivering a powerhouse performance that showed the dynamic voracity of...

Oscar Wilde’s Salomé at SCENA Theatre at Atlas Performing Arts Center by Derek Mong

Oscar Wilde’s Salomé, directed by Robert McNamara, rounds out SCENA Theatre’s 25th anniversary season with its second production of this controversial, yet classic, biblical tale. Billed as a “tale of...

‘The Full Monty’ at The Keegan Theatre by Derek Mong

Leave your inhibitions at the door as you step foot into The Keegan Theatre for its scintillating run of The Full Monty, written by Terrence McNally with music and lyrics by David Yazbek. Set in a...

Ladysmith Black Mambazo at The Music Center at Strathmore by Derek Mong

The Grammy Award- winning Ladysmith Black Mambazo returned to The Music Center at Strathmore on Friday night. The South African a cappella ensemble transported audiences back to their home in...

‘Urinetown’ at The Theatre Lab School of the Dramatic Arts by Derek Mong

The Theatre Lab School of the Dramatic Arts delivers a ‘royal flush’ with its brilliant production of Urinetown directed with gusto by Delia Taylor. Urinetown has Music by Mark Hollman, Lyrics by Mark...

A Capital Fringe Review; ‘Raising Cane: A Family Portrait’ by Derek Mong

Raising Cane, presented by Grain of Sand Theatre, was quite a pleasant surprise at the Capital Fringe. Set in a backwards incestuous cult in a location I can only presume is the South, the play...