Maryland

Review: ‘La Périchole’ at Victorian Lyric Opera Company

The Victorian Lyric Opera Company’s (VLOC) staging of the operetta La Périchole was a testament to the idea that opera can be a light affair. Composed by 19th Century, Paris-based composer Jacques...

WATCH Award Winners To Be Announced Tonight Beginning at 7 PM. Here Are This Year’s WATCH AWARD Nominations

HERE ARE THE 16TH ANNUAL WATCH AWARD 2017 NOMINATIONS Nominations for outstanding technical achievements. ____ Outstanding Set Design in a Musical (5) Jared Davis – Man of La Mancha – Arlington...

Review: ‘The White Snake’ at Baltimore Center Stage

It was a thrill and a privilege to be at the grand reopening of Baltimore Center Stage last night. I felt like a movie star walking up the red carpet, past the searchlights, into the shiny new lobby....

Review: Dionne Warwick: The 4th Anniversary Celebration of the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club

One of the natural vocal wonders of the world, the legendary entertainer and vocal artist Dionne Warwick beguiled the audience at the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club. The occasion to celebrate was...

Review: ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’ at Greenbelt Arts Center

For the past year, Greenbelt Arts Center (GAC) has been on a fantastic streak as a venue for top-notch shows. GAC’s current show is an addition to that streak. With music and lyrics by William Finn, a...

DCMetroTheaterArts: Best of 2016 #17: Special Awards/Best High School and University Performances/Best Community and Professional Theaters of 2016

Here Are DCMetroTheaterArts Staff’s Best of 2016 Honorees: BEST PERFORMANCES IN HIGH SCHOOL PRODUCTIONS: Katie Abramowitz as Molly in Peter and the Starcatcher at Georgetown Day School. Gabby...

Meet the Cast of Greenbelt Arts Center’s ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’: Part Two: Pamela Northrup and Jim Adams

In part two of a series of interviews with the cast of Greenbelt Arts Center’s The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, meet Pamela Northrup as Rona Lisa Peretti and Jim Adams as Vice Principal...

Review: ‘The Bodyguard’ at Hippodrome Theatre at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center

Fans of The Bodyguard, The Musical are legion. And boisterous. Also very loyal. Large numbers of them turned out for opening night in Baltimore February 28, when the national tour arrived for a...

Review: ‘Connected’ at Take the Stage Performance Company

Take the Stage Performance Company’s latest production, Connected, took place last weekend at the Bender JCC of Greater Washington. A musical review of 15 songs from current Broadway hits such as...

Meet the Cast of Greenbelt Arts Center’s ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’: Part One: Director Jeff Lesniak

In part one of a series of interviews with the cast of Greenbelt Arts Center’s The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, meet Director Jeffery Lesniak. Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell our...

Review: ‘The Little Mermaid’ at Ballet Theatre of Maryland

Ballet Theatre of Maryland’s production of The Little Mermaid, at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, is a gorgeous spectacle of storytelling through dance. Based on the Hans Christian Andersen...

Interview: Dionne Warwick on Performing Tomorrow, 2/28 and Wednesday, 3/1 at 8 PM at Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club’s 4th Anniversary Show

I recently had the privilege to interview the music legend, Dionne Warwick. The occasion for the interview is to celebrate Ms. Warwick’s illustrious career, ask some related questions, and to...

Review: ‘Brother Mario’ at Flying V Theatre

At first consideration, there doesn’t seem to be anything particularly Chekhovian about Mario, the iconic red capped plumber whose mustachioed visage has been imprinted on the mind of every casual...

Review: ‘Colorblind: The Katrina Monologues’ at Arena Players-ONE MORE PERFORMANCE TODAY AT 4 PM

One More Performance – See Colorblind: The Katrina Monologues at Arena Players TODAY at 4:00 PM This Friday, it was my good fortune – courtesy of Artistic Director Donald Owens – to experience Arena...

Review: ‘The Women’ at Spotlighters Theatre

Fangs for the Memories The Women by Clare Booth Luce, which opened on Broadway Christmas week in 1936 after its premiere in Philadelphia three weeks earlier, and included an actress named Doris Day in...

Review: ‘Motherhood Out Loud’ at Vagabond Players

There’s no one like your mother, as an old song goes. Vagabond Players’ production of Motherhood Out Loud, wonderfully directed by Rikki Howie Lacewell, explores that theme and nearly every angle of...

Review: ‘Anton in Show Business’ at Silver Spring Stage

Anton in Show Business by Jane Martin opened last night at Silver Spring Stage. The show is produced by Jim Robertson and directed by Erin Bone Steele. The plot is a strange one that satirizes the...

Review: ‘I Hate Hamlet’ at Dundalk Community Theatre

“It’s Shakespeare! Which is like algebra on stage!” If you’ve ever struggled with The Bard, you’ll appreciate the character Gary Peter Leftkowitz’s sentiments on the subject. In I Hate Hamlet, by Paul...

Meet the Cast of Olney Theatre Center’s ‘Sweeney Todd’: Part Three: Frank Viveros (Pirelli)

In Part Three of a series of interviews with the cast of Sweeney Todd at Olney Theatre Center, meet Frank Viveros. Please introduce yourself and tell our readers where they may have seen you on the...

Review: ‘The Hot New Deal’ at Glenelg Country School

The Great Depression sure had a great soundtrack. That’s one take-away from the debut of a new “jukebox musical” named The Hot New Deal, now through February 25th at Glenelg Country School. Carole...

Review: ‘Great Expectations’ at Everyman Theatre

Everyman Theatre (“Everyman”) continues its 2016/2017 season with an ambitious production: Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations. A work of literature epic in scope and scale, the most notable challenge...

Review: ‘Calendar Girls’ at Colonial Players of Annapolis

The Colonial Players’ production of Calendar Girls is a screamingly funny, yet poignant comedy. Written by Tim Firth, who co-wrote the 2003 movie, and directed by Debbie Barber-Eaton, it’s an...

Review: ‘Luther Re-Lives’ at the Publick Playhouse

The velvet voice and beautiful love ballads of one of the greatest R &B crooners of all time, Luther Vandross, lives on through the magnetic stage presence of William “Smooth” Wardlaw’s Luther...

Review: ‘God of Carnage’ at Compass Rose Theater

Compass Rose Theater does it again with another smart and dramatic production. God of Carnage is remarkable, this time with Director Steven Carpenter at the helm. Lucinda Merry-Browne is the Producer...

Review: ‘Trust’ at Fells Point Corner Theatre

What’s the nature of trust? What specifically makes a person choose one partner over another? These questions and more are brought up by Fells Point Corner Theatre’s production of Trust, by Steven...

News: Howard County to See Two New Musicals: ‘The Hot New Deal’ at Glenelg Country School and ‘Dorian’s Closet’ at Rep Stage

Howard County is about to enjoy the debuts of no less than two original musicals in the coming weeks. First up this week is The Hot New Deal at Glenelg Country School’s Mulitz Theater, this Wednesday,...

Review: Ahamefule J. Oluo’s ‘Now I’m Fine’ at The Clarice

It takes bravery to decide that your story is worth telling. It’s even more admirable to have the courage to tell your story onstage with a 16-piece orchestra. That’s what Ahamefule J. Oluo did at The...

Review: ‘H20’ at Rep Stage

Not everyone who attends Jane Martin’s H20 at Rep Stage will necessarily agree, but the case could be made for its taking place in one of Dante’s outer circles of Hell. As the play opens, a cynical...

Review: ‘Laughter on the 23rd Floor’ at Laurel Mill Playhouse

Politics, laughter, and lunacy come together in this lesser known Neil Simon comedy, Laughter on the 23rd Floor which opened last night at Laurel Mill Playhouse. Directed by John D’Amato and produced...

Review: ‘Two Rooms’ at Kensington Arts Theatre

International diplomacy is like a game of chess, full of strategy, maneuvering and calculation. You take risks you hope won’t prove fatal and you never want to be the pawn. Two Rooms, by playwright...

Howard County Community Dance Festival Tomorrow and Sunday Events

Dance Pros Will Chase Away the Winter Blahs For local aficionados who cherish those rare professional dance appearances in Columbia, note two unique concerts this weekend. Misako Ballet Company...

Take The Stage Presents ‘Connected’ at The Rockville Jewish Community Center on Fri 2/24; Sat 2/25; and Sun 2/26

Take the Stage Performance Company, one of DC’s hottest up-and-coming young performing ensembles, announces their new Broadway Revue Showcase, Connected. Get a front row seat for the best Broadway and...

Meet the Cast of Olney Theatre Center’s ‘Sweeney Todd’: Part Two: E. Faye Butler (Mrs. Lovett)

In Part Two of series of interviews with the cast of Sweeney Todd at Olney Theatre Center, meet E. Faye Butler. Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell our readers where they may have seen you on the...

Interview: Meet the Cast of ‘Two Rooms’ at Kensington Arts Theatre: Part 2: Sandra Cox True.

In part two of a series of interviews with the cast of Kensington Arts Theatre’s Two Rooms, meet Sandra Cox True. Please introduce yourself and tell our readers where they may have seen you perform on...

Arts Collective @ HCC’s What Improv Group?!’s ‘Love Synchs!’

As part of a 2-show Valentine Affair on Feb. 10 and 11, What Improv Group?! of the Howard Community College’s Arts Collective performed the second half of their venue, “Love Synchs!.” (The first part...

Review: ‘Top Girls’ at Maryland Ensemble Theatre

The adage, “more things change, the more they stay the same” comes to mind when weighing British playwright Caryl Churchill’s seminal Obie-winning classic, Top Girls, which was first produced in 1982...

Review: ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ at the University of Maryland School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies at The Clarice

Oscar Wilde’s final show is subtitled “a trivial comedy for serious people,” and when it premiered in 1895, it was comparatively trivial. Two men, each pretending to be a man named Ernest, two women...

Review: ‘The Freshest Snow Whyte’ at Imagination Stage

Far off the radar of most grownup theatergoers, the writer/director Psalmayene 24 has been creating an extraordinary body of work for children. I’ve been an admirer of the trenchant work he has...

Review: ‘Richard III’ at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company

It’s notable that a play based on England’s War of the Roses has many parallels to power plays that take place today, both in everyday life and TV and film. Chesapeake Shakespeare Company’s (CSC)...

Review: ‘Willy Wonka’ at Other Voices Theatre

From the opening moments of the Other Voices Theatre’s production of Willy Wonka, the audience is swept away into a “world of pure imagination.” The show is based on s classic children’s novel, with...

Review: ‘Peter and the Starcatcher’ at 2nd Star Productions

2nd Star Productions’ over-the-top presentation of Peter and The Starcatcher is a recent addition to the cannon of lore surrounding the first appearance of that ever-young, pre-tween character, Peter...

Review: ‘I Love You, Because’ at Damascus Theatre Company

Pop-rock musicals are having a moment. With Dear Evan Hanson ruling on Broadway and Freaky Friday recently debuting at Signature Theatre, fun, upbeat musicals are all the rage. While lesser known than...

Meet the Cast of ‘Two Rooms’ at Kensington Arts Theatre: Part One: Sean Dynan

In Part One of a series of interviews with the cast of Two Rooms at Kensington Arts Theatre, meet Sean Dynan. Please introduce yourself and tell our readers where they may have seen you perform on the...

Meet the Cast of ‘The Miracle Worker’ at Rockville Little Theatre. Part 5: Heather Andrews

In a series of interviews with the cast of The Miracle Worker at Rockville Little Theatre, meet Heather Andrews. Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell our readers where they may have seen you...

Best Medicine Rep, A New Professional Theater Company, Is Coming to Gaithersburg, MD; Free Reading of Jennifer Faletto’s ‘Bathroom Hate’ This Sunday, 2/12@3 PM

A new professional theater company is coming to Montgomery County, Maryland. Best Medicine Rep, helmed by playwright John Morogiello, will focus on new comedies and judging from my conversation with...

Review: ‘Ella Enchanted’ at Adventure Theatre

Glen Echo Park is a hidden gem that’s a blast from the past. As if Ella Enchanted at Adventure Theatre MTC wasn’t enough fun on its own, the park was a delight to walk through on the way to the...

Young Artists of America Performs at The Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage on February 27th; Tickets on Sale for ‘The Circle of Life: The Songs of Tim Rice in Concert’ at 4 PM at The Music Center at Strathmore

The only program of its kind, Young Artists of America at Strathmore presents symphonic theatrical productions featuring young performing artists from the Greater Washington, DC area alongside...

Review: ‘Fucking A’ at Iron Crow Theatre

There is so much than can be talked about when it comes to Suzan-Lori Parks’ 2000 riff on The Scarlet Letter, the half-jokingly entitled Fucking A. There is the unsettling setting, the surprising...

Review: Charles Dickens’ ‘Great Expectations’ at Everyman Theatre

Charles Dickens career as a writer, journalist, and editor was well-established when he wrote Great Expectations. He did not disappoint. Originally published in All Year Round, a weekly magazine...

Review: ‘The Last Waltz 40 Tour’ at The Theater at MGM National Harbor

Last night all twelve members of the tribute group for The Band gave a master class in blues, rockabilly, New Orleans jazz, country, honky-tonk and American roots music. The elite touring group...