Jessica Vaughan

‘Fatal Song: The Great Opera Murders’ at The In Series

The In Series continues the launch of the 2014-2015 season with the hilarious Fatal Song: The Great Opera Murders. Kathleen Cahill wrote a comic English language libretto and stitched together the...

Lyle Lovett and His Large Band at Wolf Trap

Lyle Lovett returned to Wolf Trap with his Large Band for a night of classic hits, crazy improvisation, and sheer fun for a perfect summer night. He repeatedly thanked the packed house for the...

‘Into the Woods’ at Wildwood Summer Theatre

Wildwood Summer Theatre conquers Sondheim for their 49th annual summer season with Into the Woods. Wildwood is a youth-run summer theatre; everyone from the chair of the board to the set designer is...

Capital Fringe 2014 Review: ‘Capital Showcase Performance’ – July 18, 2014

(Best of the Capital Fringe) This is a review of the July 18, 2014 performance. DC Institution, The Capital City Showcase will make five stops at Fringe this year, all organized and emceed by the man...

Capital Fringe 2014 Review: ‘DATELINE: Macbeth’

The Quattro Gatti Theatre Company is down from Brooklyn for DC Fringe this year. Andy Hopper writes, directs and stars in DATELINE: Macbeth, a fast-paced, funny, genre-defying reimagining of...

Capital Fringe 2014 Review: ‘Isis and Vesco Investigate the Curious Death of Dr. Freud’

(Best of the Capital Fringe) Longtime DC theater company Guillotine Theatre mounts a new play by Monique LaForce that is a crazy mash-up between Egyptian gods, the fathers of psychology, and the NYPD....

Capital Fringe 2014 Review: ‘Letters To and From Me’

(Best of the Capital Fringe) Letters To and From Me is an extraordinary hour of spoken word, story telling, singing, and dancing from the Wild Women Theatre company. The piece explores specifically...

Capital Fringe 2014 Review: ‘Bethesda’

(Best of the Capital Fringe) Did you know Bethesda means House of Mercy? In Jennie Berman Eng’s new play , the city may be anything but merciful. She also directs and produces this tight, hilarious...

Capital Fringe 2014 Review: ‘Not Every Card’

Not Every Card is a 50’s style caper in an occupied country which may or may not exist when the underground resistance conceives to win a card game and thus the war. It was written and directed...

Capital Fringe 2014 Review: ‘About a Girl’

Eddy Roger Parker both wrote and produced About A Girl, his debut play. The byline is “Drugs, Sex, and Texas.” It takes place in 80’s and is indeed a drama about a girl, her best friend, her...

Capital Fringe 2014 Review: ‘Blue Moon/Red River’

(Best of the Capital Fringe) Jane Franklin Dance is a Virginia based company known for its innovative works and collaborations; Blue Moon/Red River is a prime example of both. Jane Franklin is the...

Capital Fringe 2014 Review: ‘À Demain’

Brendan O’Connell creates a memoir after the death of his friend. It’s a surprisingly funny show that nevertheless perfectly captures the permanence of grief. As he says at one point, “There is no day...

Capital Fringe 2014 Review: ‘The Program Assistant’

(Best of the Fringe!) Fringe favorite John Krizel is at it again with his new show The Program Assistant, which he wrote, directed, and produced. It is a polished, fast-paced, painfully funny comedy...

‘La Traviata’ at The In Series

The In Series tackles their first Verdi in their 31-year history with the classic tragedy La Traviata (The Fallen Woman). Director Nick Olcott apparently had the idea 10 years ago and it has come to...

Washington National Opera: American Opera Initiative: ‘An American Soldier’

Washington National Opera continues their new project the American Opera Initiative with An American Soldier, with music by Huang Ruo and libretto by David Henry Hwang. It is a stunning conclusion to...

‘Carousel Latino: ‘Cancionero Latino: A Latino Romantic Songbook’ at The In Series

The In Series, one of DC’s local artistic treasures, mounts an earnest and breezy series of cabaret evenings billed as Carousel Latino. The second evening is Cancionero Latino: A Latino Romantic...

‘Carousel Latino: Lady of Spain’ at The In Series

The In Series, one of DC’s local artistic treasures, mounts an earnest and breezy series of cabaret evenings billed as Carousel Latino. The first evening, Lady Of Spain is a collection of popular...

‘Die Fledermaus’ at Maryland Opera Studio at Clarice Smith for the Performing Arts

Maryland Opera Studio revels in the ridiculous with Strauss’s oft-performed comic opera Die Fledermaus. Director Nick Olcott exploits its absurdities to the hilt. He also translated the spoken...

‘The Elixir of Love’ (L’elisir D’amore) at Washington National Opera

Washington National Opera harvests the laughs with its production of The Elixir of Love (L’elisir D’amore). After a risk-taking season of world premieres and new American works like The Lion, The...

‘Celtic Nights: The Emigrants Bridge’ at The Music Center at Strathmore

St. Patrick’s Day came early to the Music Center at Strathmore when six singers, five Irish dancers, and two musicians took the stage for international hit Celtic Nights: The Emigrants Bridge. This...

Sweet Honey in the Rock: ’40th Anniversary Celebration: Forty & Fierce’ at The Music Center at Strathmore by Jessica Vaughan

Sweet Honey in the Rock returned home for a stop on their 40th anniversary celebration tour they call Forty & Fierce. The four-woman a cappella group started at the D.C. Black Reparatory Theater...

‘Spring Awakening’ at University of Maryland at Clarice Smith Performing Arts by Jessica Vaughan

Myth and metaphor collide in the University of Maryland School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies’ production of Spring Awakening. Three directors create layer upon layer of design, dance, and...

‘Moby-Dick’ at Washington National Opera by Jessica Vaughan

Board the Pequod for the East coast premier of Moby-Dick­, a new, dynamic opera from composer Jackie Heggie and his frequent collaborator, librettist Gene Scheer. Herman Melville’s classic novel makes...

‘Godspell’ at The Catholic University of America by Jessica Vaughan

Long before Stephen Schwartz wrote about a wicked witch, he took on the Book of Matthew in the controversial and revolutionary musical Godspell. The musical was updated for a 2012 Broadway revival...

‘La Señorita de Tacna (The Young Lady From Tacna)’ at GALA Hispanic Theatre by Jessica Vaughan

Peruvian novelist Mario Vargas Llosa, who won the Nobel Prize for literature in 2010, always wanted to be a playwright. La Señorita de Tacna, written in 1981, was his first play. His literary roots...

‘Stomp’ at The National Theatre by Jessica Vaughan

The Off-Broadway classic Stomp stops once more in DC for an explosive celebration of sound, dance, comedy and every day household objects with a fine cast of veterans and new performers. Stomp won a...

‘Wedding of Ordos’ at The Kennedy Center by Jessica Vaughan

Visit outer Mongolia at The Kennedy Center just in time for the Chinese New Year next Friday for the Wedding of Ordos, which is billed as a dance spectacle by the Ordos Song and Dance Theater, based...

‘La Vie En Rose’ at the In Series by Jessica Vaughan

The In Series travels to France for a weekend of performances of the very special La Vie En Rose, a program of French chansons, or secular, lyrical songs, sung by a cadre of talented, local opera...

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Feat: Pinchas Zukerman and Amanda Forsyth at the George Mason University Center for the Arts

Sunday at the George Mason University Center for the Arts saw talent from across the Atlantic in the form of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra led by guest conductor and violinist Pinchas Zukerman....

‘A Steady Rain’ at The Capital City Players by Jessica Vaughan

The Capital City Players tackle a contemporary classic with Keith Huff’s A Steady Rain – about family, love, lies, betrayal and what it means to carry a badge. Ultimately this exceptionally...

‘Handel’s Messiah’ With the National Symphony Orchestra by Jessica Vaughan

Hallelujah’s rings through The Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall for the National Symphony Orchestra’s annual Messiah, written by George Frideric Handel in 1742. The orchestra is accompanied by four...

‘The Lion, The Unicorn, and Me’ at Washington National Opera by Jessica Vaughan

Washington National Opera has made a small piece of history with the world premier of The Lion, The Unicorn, and Me, a work commissioned by WNO Artistic Director Francesca Zambello, who also directs....

Christmas Revels’ ‘Echoes of Thrace’ by Washington Revels by Jessica Vaughan

The Washington Revels’ 2013 offering Echoes of Thrace is a beautiful, detailed exploration of several ancient cultures of the world that are less known in our usual Christmas celebrations. Revels...

‘A Family Reunion’ at The In Series by Jessica Vaughan

A Family Reunion at the In Series is a world premier 20 years in the making by DC Librettist William Moses and Composer Chris Patton. Moses also directed this touching piece about the universal value...

‘NSO Pops: An Evening with Matthew Morrison’ by Jessica Vaughan

Matthew Morrison, the TV and theater star with the golden pipes makes his solo debut at the Kennedy Center with his unique take and touching renditions of Broadway standards from My Fair Lady to West...

‘The Apple Family Plays: Sweet and Sad’ at The Studio Theatre by Jessica Vaughan

A shining ensemble carries the second offering in Richard Nelson’s The Apple Family Plays: Sweet and Sad. For this piece in the series, the world event bringing the Apple clan together is the tenth...

‘Pocket Opera x2: ‘The Spirits & The Heart’ at The In Series by Jessica Vaughan

The In Series has launched another unique and intimate production of two very different operas, Puccini’s Le Villi [The Spirits] and Heart of Madrid, which explores the zarzuela or light opera...

‘Show Boat’ at Young Artists of America-With Video Highlights by Jessica Vaughan

Young Artists of America wowed the sold-out crowd with classics from Show Boat for their annual fundraising gala at the beautiful Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club. The 85 high-school aged...

‘Show Boat In Concert’ at Young Artists of America by Jessica Vaughan

Young Artists of America wowed the sold-out crowd with classics from Show Boat for their annual fundraising gala at the beautiful Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club. The 85 high-school aged...

‘Molière Impromptu’ at The University of Maryland School of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies by Jessica Vaughan

The University of Maryland School of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies invokes a mastery of comedy in their new production of Molière Impromptu. Molière was a 17th century satirist and...

‘White Rabbit, Red Rabbit’ at Theater Alliance by Jessica Vaughan

Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour breaks every expectation an audience might have for his innovative play White Rabbit, Red Rabbit. One actor comes onstage and is handed the script, which he has...

Washington National Opera’s ‘The Force of Destiny’ (‘La Forza Del Destino’) by Jessica Vaughan

Washington National Opera has mounted a provocative new production of Giuseppe Verdi’s The Force of Destiny (La Forza Del Destino) directed by WNO Artistic Director Francesca Zambello for Verdi’s...

‘Beertown’ at dog & pony dc by Jessica Vaughan

We have all been to Beertown. That’s the feeling you walk away with from dog & pony dc’s devised theater piece Beertown, which is ostensibly about a few residents gathering to vote on things to...

‘Titus Andronicus’ at Taffety Punk Theatre Company by Jessica Vaughan

Taffety Punk Theatre Company’s all-female Riot Grrrls tackle one of Shakespeare’s most challenging plays, Titus Andronicus. Director Lise Bruneau has created a streamlined production with a single...

‘Tristan and Isolde’ at Washington National Opera by Jessica Vaughan

Washington National Opera opens the season with a transformative production of Richard Wagner’s epic tragedy Tristan and Isolde for his bicentennial birthday. He wrote both the music and the libretto....

‘Abduction from the Seraglio’ at The In Series by Jessica Vaughan

The In Series, DC’s own pocket opera company, has commissioned a new libretto for Mozart’s famous comic opera, Abduction from the Seraglio in an impressive and truly hilarious start to the season....

‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings’ at Wolf Trap by Jessica Vaughan

Thanks to the Filene Center Orchestra and three choirs, Wolf Trap gave audiences a chance to re-experience cinema history and one of the most stunning compositions of our time in Howard Shore’s score...

Reporting from The Page-to-Stage Festival: ‘Toast Incubator Series’ and ‘Doubting Thomas’ by Jessica Vaughan

toast at dog & pony show DC dog & pony show DC is an ensemble theater company that devises shows instead of writing them and tackles a huge range of genres. They focus especially on new ways of...

Lyle Lovett and His Large Band at Wolf Trap by Jessica Vaughan

Lyle Lovett wowed loyal crowds at Wolf Trap with a diverse program of his genre-defying hits like “Church” and “That’s Right (You’re Not From Texas).” Over the years, no one’s been sure what box to...

‘Peter Frampton’s Guitar Circus’ Featuring B.B. King at Wolf Trap by Jessica Vaughan

Three guitar greats, Peter Frampton, B.B. King, and Roger McGuinn of The Byrds wowed the Wolf Trap crowds in a light-hearted, fun concert with some of the most serious guitar playing around. Frampton...