Paul M. Bessel and Barbara Braswell
56 posts — page 1 of 2
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Review: ‘A Chorus Line’ at Riverside Center for the Performing Arts
A Broadway musical about Broadway musicals—what could be better for theatre-lovers of all stripes? The iconic A Chorus Line truly fits the bill! It features music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward...
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Review: ‘Disney’s Beauty and the Beast’ at Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre
Pure enchantment is the watchword as Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre presents Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. With music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and book by Linda...
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Review: ‘A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas’ at Olney Theatre Center
Surely, Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is the definitive Christmas story—at least, in the fiction category—and Paul Morella’s scrumptious and spooky adaptation has become a perennial favorite. Adapted...
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Review: ‘The Little Mermaid’ at Damascus Theatre Company
Both “Under the Sea” and in “The World Above,” Damascus Theatre Company brings us a truly charming production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Based on the Hans Cristian Andersen story and the Disney...
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Review: ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ at City of Fairfax Theatre Company
For those who love musical theatre, there is something amazing going on in Fairfax, Virginia this weekend and next, as the City of Fairfax Theatre Company and Truro Anglican Church present Joseph and...
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Review: ‘My Fair Lady’ at Olney Theatre Center
Not your grandparents’ My Fair Lady, Olney Theatre Center presents a brilliant reimagining of this classic musical. With book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe, it was adapted...
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Review: ‘Twelve Angry Men’ at Sandy Spring Theatre Group and Arts on The Green
What goes on in the secret deliberations of juries? And what lessons are there for all of us in terms of group dynamics and how to persuade people? The answers to these interesting questions are the...
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Review: ‘Disney’s Beauty and the Beast’ at Imagination Stage
Imagination Stage serves up a charming and delightful holiday treat with Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. This timeless 1994 Broadway musical was adapted for the stage from the Academy Award-winning...
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Review: ‘Guys and Dolls’ at Richard Montgomery High School
Nicknamed “A Musical Fable of Broadway,” Guys and Dolls is a 1950 musical comedy based on the short stories of the legendary Damon Runyon. With music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo...
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Review: ‘Children of Eden’ at Damascus Theatre Company
Parent-child relationships have been a perennial issue throughout history, even “In the Beginning.” Damascus Theatre Company’s production of Children of Eden takes the audience on a musical journey...
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Review #2: ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum’ at American University
American University’s Greenberg Theatre performed a hilariously funny ancient Roman farce, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. With music and lyrics by the incomparable Stephen Sondheim...
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Review: ‘Pride and Prejudice’ at Laurel Mill Playhouse
If you want to see a thoroughly charming romantic comedy, visit the Laurel Mill Playhouse for their lovely production of Pride and Prejudice. Based on the legendary Jane Austen’s 1813 novel, Pride and...
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Review: ‘Amadeus’ at Providence Players of Fairfax
Envious skullduggery, a beautiful interweaving of Mozart’s music, and a fictionalized but fascinating plot are just a few of the reasons to see the Providence Players of Fairfax’s spectacular...
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Review: ‘Carousel’ at The Theatre Lab of the Dramatic Arts
Carousel is a bittersweet tale of romance and redemption set against the backdrop of a town on the Maine coastline at the turn of the 20th century. With music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics and book by...
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Review: ‘West Side Story’ at The Little Theatre of Alexandria
Poverty, street violence, guns, drugs, working-class whites blaming Hispanic immigrants for their financial woes, mistrust of the police—is this an article in last week’s newspaper? It certainly could...
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2016 Capital Fringe Review: ‘Let Trump Be Trump’
Imagine, if you can, that it is July 2017 and Donald J. Trump has been elected as the 45th President of the United States. While some of you might find that prospect wonderful and others horrifying,...
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Review: The District of Comedy Roast of James Carville at The Kennedy Center
How do you make fun of someone who always makes fun of himself? Well, last night, Roastmaster Bob Saget and The Kennedy Center’s District of Comedy Festival managed to do just that, roasting Chester...
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Review: ‘La Cage aux Folles’ at Signature Theatre
What is a family? Is it all about biology or does it have much more to do with love? Surely, it’s the latter, and this lesson has never been more sensitively, humorously, and colorfully presented than...
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Review: ‘I Am Anne Hutchinson/I Am Harvey Milk’ at Strathmore
From Handel’s Giulio Cesare to Donizetti’s Anna Bolena to Adams’ Nixon in China, real-life historic figures have often been the subjects of operas. The multi-talented actor, singer, composer, and...
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Review: ‘All the Way’ at Arena Stage
Lyndon Baines Johnson, popularly known as “LBJ,” was one of our best presidents, and also one of our worst. Truly a study in contrasts, he could evince both strength and weakness at the same time. LBJ...
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Review: ‘An Evening with Jim Lehrer’ at The Writer’s Center
The Writer’s Center in Bethesda is celebrating its 40th Anniversary this year, and what better way could there be to mark the occasion than a program with the premier journalist, author, and...
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Review: ‘A Grand Night for Singing’ at Montgomery Playhouse and Arts on the Green
Question: Where can you hear more than 30 wonderful songs from the legendary team of Rodgers and Hammerstein performed by talented local artists? Answer: The current production of A Grand Night for...
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Review: ‘1776’ at McLean Community Players
Who would have thought you could make a musical about something as serious as starting a revolution? Well, with music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards and book by Peter Stone, the 1969 Tony Award-winning...
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Review: ‘Kristin Chenoweth: Coming Home Tour’ at Strathmore
To paraphrase an old expression, “big talent can come in small packages!” This observation was never truer than when the diminutive musical superstar, Kristin Chenoweth, took the stage at Strathmore...
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‘A Christmas Carol’ at Wolf Pack Theatre Company
Charles Dickens’ immortal classic, A Christmas Carol, was first published in 1843. Now, in 2015, the Wolf Pack Theatre Company, in association with Community Crisis Services and St. John Evangelical...
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BSO: ‘Tis the Season with Brian Stokes Mitchell’ at Strathmore
The Music Center at Strathmore was filled with the holiday spirit as the Tony Award-winning Broadway superstar Brian Stokes Mitchell joined Conductor Damon Gupton and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra...
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‘Fiddler on the Roof’ at Damascus Theatre Company
“Without our traditions, life would be as shaky as a fiddler on the roof!” Those satiric words are spoken by Tevye (Brian Lyons-Burke), the narrator and main character of the enduringly popular...
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‘Footloose’ at Rockville Musical Theatre
Let’s hear it for the Rockville Musical Theatre’s production of Footloose! This bold and bodacious, high-kicking, foot-stomping extravaganza features a dedicated cast of volunteer performers who...
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Women’s Voices Theater Festival: ‘Trish Tinkler Gets Saved’ at Unexpected Stage Company
A 40-year-old groupie of the 1980’s British rock band Whitesnake, who is severely down on her luck, wants to sleep in a convenience store while she tries to figure out how to get her life back on...
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‘The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas’ at Rockville Musical Theatre
“Just lots of goodwill and maybe one small thrill, but there’s nothin’ dirty goin’ on!” This concluding line from the honky-tonk song, “Lil Ol’ Pissant Country Place” perfectly captures the theme of...
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‘The Wedding Singer’ at Damascus Theatre Company
Hearken back to New Jersey in the 1980s when self-absorbed Yuppies worshipped Wall Street, hair gel, and blow dryers, and you have the setting for the 2006 Tony-nominated Broadway musical, The Wedding...
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‘Brighton Beach Memoirs’ at Sandy Spring Theatre Group and The Arts Barn
Consider, if you will, a 15-year-old boy growing up in Brooklyn, New York who longs to be a baseball star with the Yankees, but would give up that dream if he could see a naked woman for two and a...
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‘Wicked’ at Hippodrome Theatre at France-Merrick Performing Arts Center
Have you ever wondered what happened before Dorothy’s arrival in the Land of Oz in the classic 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz? How did the Wicked Witch become so wicked? How did the Good Witch become so...
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‘Hairspray’ at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School
If you like big and beautiful Broadway musicals with colorful costumes and sets, and a double-dose of talented performers, Our Lady of Good Counsel High School’s production of the Tony-award-winning...
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‘Man of La Mancha’ at Shakespeare Theatre Company
“Too much sanity is madness!” This counterintuitive declaration is made by Don Quixote, the iconic lead character in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s current production of Man of La Mancha. Portrayed...
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‘Freedom’s Song: Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War’ at Ford’s Theatre
With a glorious mélange of words and music, Freedom’s Song: Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War tells the story of America’s struggle to keep our nation together and abolish the wretched and cruel...
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‘Fiddler on the Roof’ at Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre
This weekend, the classic Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof was brought to life in spectacular fashion at the Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre. With music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick,...
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‘The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)’ at Damascus Theatre Company
Do you love classic Broadway theatre? Do you love the work of legendary Broadway composers? Do you love clever satire, glittering costumes, and talented performers? If so, you will absolutely love The...
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‘Godspell’ at Olney Theatre Center
Do you remember when “psychedelic” and “flower power” were prevalent in the American vocabulary? It doesn’t really matter, because Olney Theatre Center’s tuneful and energetic production of Godspell...
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‘The Widow Lincoln’ at Ford’s Theatre
In the world premiere production of The Widow Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre, playwright James Still and Director Stephen Rayne create a mélange of fact and fiction, mystery and history, in a stunning...
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‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ at The Kennedy Center
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is both transcendent and transplendent! This fun and funny, family-friendly musical lights up the stage at The Kennedy Center this holiday season, bringing...
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‘Sherlock Holmes and the Christmas Goose’ at The Montgomery Playhouse
The game is afoot in Montgomery Playhouse’s light and entertaining holiday mystery, Sherlock Holmes and the Christmas Goose. Virginia Cate and Duke Ernsberger adapted the narrative from Sir Arthur...
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‘Donny & Marie: Christmas at the National’ at the National Theatre
Donny & Marie: Christmas at the National provides our nation’s capital with a sparkling and joyous holiday celebration. Superstar siblings Donny and Marie Osmond are every bit as charming and...
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‘My Fair Lady’ at Damascus Theatre Company
“Why Can’t the English Teach Their Children How to Speak?” laments phonetics professor Henry Higgins upon hearing a cacophonous Cockney accent from a poor flower girl on a rainy night in London. The...
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‘Crazy for You’ at Blake High School
Will we ever get tired of the classic narrative, “boy meets girl—boy loses girl—boy gets girl”? Never! Especially when it’s presented as a singing, dancing, comedic extravaganza such as Blake High...
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‘Elmer Gantry’ at Signature Theatre
“I have principles. I just don’t let them get in the way of what I want.” That’s how Elmer Gantry—a charismatic preacher-salesman-womanizer summarizes himself. But, he falls for Sister Sharon...
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‘Not My Monkey’ at InterAct Story Theatre at The Gaithersburg Arts Barn
What do you get when you combine bright and bouncy circus fun with some valuable life lessons? The answer is Not My Monkey, a delightful and highly interactive comedy, produced through a partnership...
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‘Awake and Sing!’ at Olney Theatre Center
Clifford Odets’ 1935 turbulent drama Awake and Sing! is a stark portrayal of a dysfunctional Jewish family in the Bronx, New York City in the mid-1930s. Set against the backdrop of the Great...
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‘The Complete History of America (abridged)’ at Reduced Shakespeare Company at Reston Community Center
Is it possible that the bullet that killed JFK was also the one fired from the Lexington and Concord book depository, and took off in a white Ford Bronco? Or that the Bill of Rights was supposed to be...
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‘Dirty Dancing- The Classic Story on Stage’ at The National Theatre
Dirty Dancing is a theatrical thrill ride that is waiting for you at The National Theatre! Based on the 1987 film of the same name, Dirty Dancing explores adolescent love, loss of innocence, social...
