Reviews

‘Twelfth Night’ at Lumina Studio Theatre

All the world’s a stage, and much of life’s a circus. Shakespeare may not have said the second part, but his whirlwind, identity-switching, gender-bending, who’s-on-first 1602 comedy Twelfth Night,...

‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ at Riverside Center Dinner Theater

Riverside Center Dinner Theater presents a nostalgic twist on Frank Capra’s beloved holiday classic It’s A Wonderful Life, adapted by Joe Landry, with original music and arrangements by Kevin Connors....

Pianist Einav Yarden at The Phillips Collection

A packed house at the Phillips Collection could have been forgiven if they thought that pianist Einav Yarden had magically switched out Steinway grand pianos between numbers. The Israeli pianist,...

‘Twelve Angry Men’ at 2nd Star Productions

Sixty years after Reginald Rose wrote the script for a television film version (Watch it at the bottom of this review) and 59 years after it was adapted for the stage by Sherman L. Sergel, Twelve...

‘A Revolutionary Christmas’ at the Maryland Ensemble Theatre

A Revolutionary Christmas, directed by Suzanne Beal, is a hilarious and heartwarming original Christmas play. Written by Reiner Prochaska, the show is a Maryland Ensemble Theatre original production...

‘It’s a Wonderful Life: Live from WVL Radio Theatre’ at Black Rock Center for the Arts

On Saturday night Germantown’s Black Rock Center for the Arts presented a straight shot of Christmas joy – the touring production of Immediate Theatre Project‘s Live From WVL Radio Theatre: It’s a...

‘Beauty and the Beast’ at Synetic Theater

Synetic Theater has brought forth an earthy, musically rich, sophisticated retelling of the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast. At its heart, this appealing production harks back to the darker roots of...

‘Rockin’ the Holidays’ at The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC

Rockin’ the Holidays, the current Christmas holiday offering from the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC (GMCW), is a winner on all levels: vocally, technically and artistically. The joyous and...

‘Tchaikovsky is Forever: Operatic Arias and Romances’ at The Embassy of Austria

Say “Tchaikovsky,” and as Christmas creeps ever closer, be it excitingly or inexorably, visions of sugar plums, graceful ballerinas in sparkles and white tulle, and softly falling faux snow begin,...

The Christmas Revels: ‘An Irish Celebration of the Winter Solstice’

The Washington Revels takes to the sea for their 2014 production and explores the music, dance, and stories of Irish immigrants. It is a rollicking good time and a poignant exploration at the...

‘White Christmas’ at Laurel Mill Playhouse

On Main Street in Laurel, in a cozy stage space, Laurel Mill Playhouse is presenting TJ Lukacsina’s directorial debut in their joyous production of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, The Musical. Also...

‘BSO: Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker’ with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Step Afrika! at Strathmore

“There are two kinds of music, good music and the other kind,” big band leader, composer and D.C. native son Duke Ellington famously said. In 1960 he turned to Russian powerhouse Peter Ilych...

‘Madeline’s Christmas’ at Creative Cauldron

“In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines lived twelve little girls in two straight lines.” With that familiar phrase, Creative Cauldron’s cast of Madeline’s Christmas musically brings to...

‘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...

‘H.M.S. Pinafore’ at Virginia Opera Company

Strictly speaking, I really shouldn’t like Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore. I like theatre that is dark, shocking, provocative… I’m more comfortable at Capital Fringe than Disney on Ice. So no...

‘Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol’ at Little Theatre of Alexandria

The Little Theatre of Alexandria sticks close to Charles Dickens’ classic text in their charming production of this holiday favorite filled with opulent costumes, cute children, and real puppies – and...

‘A Christmas Carol’ at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company

A Good Old Baltimore Christmas Carol Chesapeake Shakespeare Company (CSC) brings great joy to the holiday season with an original adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol. Founding...

Barbara Cook’s Spotlight: Andrea McArdle at The Kennedy Center

The original star of the Broadway smash hit Annie, Andrea McArdle, has grown into a mature and super-talented singer who can belt with the best of them. At The Kennedy Center’s Barbara Cook’s...

‘Two from Galilee’ at Apollo Civic Theatre

Two from Galilee is a Dramatic Musical version of the Biblical story of the birth of Jesus Christ. It’s based on the book by Marjorie Holmes, and is created and written by Robert Sterling and Karla...

‘A Christmas Carol’ at Wolf Pack Theatre Company

It’s easy to get sucked into the mad frenzy of American consumerism during the holidays. Black Friday creeps ever earlier, and the Hydra of long lines, long lists, traffic lights, and clearance sales...

‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ at Arts Collective @HCC

The legendary classic story of nice guy George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life, comes to life on stage at Arts Collective at Howard Community College (AC) this holiday season. Very much like his...

An Interview with the Set Design Team of Damascus Theatre Company’s ‘My Fair Lady’

Interview with DTC’s My Fair Lady Set Team: Bill Brown, Set Design Jim Korte and Bill Rippey, Master Carpenters Nancy Eynon Lark and Maria Littlefield, Set Dressing & Properties Joel: Introduce...

‘A Very Pointless Holiday Spectacular’ at Pointless Theatre Company

Are you tired of Christmas shows that urge you to give turkeys to the poor, or lumps of coal to bad children, or sweets to your beloved nutcracker? Are you tired of listening to news about the Islamic...

The Remarkable Backstory of WSC Avant Bard’s ‘A Klingon Christmas Carol’ at Theater J on December 15th at 8 PM by Marc Okrand

WSC Avant Bard will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a one-night-only staged concert reading of A Klingon Christmas Carol—Charles Dickens’s classic tale of ghosts and redemption retold in...

‘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...

‘Newsies’ at the Hippodrome Theatre at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center

Newsies is a big, shiny helium balloon of a musical. Everything in it is designed for maximum lift and minimum drag — so you’ll have to jump fast and reach high to catch it in its short stay at...

‘The Nutcracker’ at Round House Theatre

Offering a new fantastical family-friendly treat, Round House Theatre continues its 2014-15 season with a spectacularly re-imagined contemporary adaptation of a beloved classic – The Nutcracker, a new...

George Winston at the Music Center at Strathmore

‘Tis the season, literally, at the Music Center at Strathmore where George Winston played his “Winter Concert” in a masterful performance of beautiful songs dedicated to fall, winter, snow, and...

‘A Broadway Christmas Carol’ at MetroStage

MetroStage presents Kathy Feininger’s A Broadway Christmas Carol, the classic Dickens tale retold through parodies of famous Broadway show tunes. Michael Sharp directs and choreographs this silly,...

‘The Nutcracker’ at The Puppet Co.

I have seen and reviewed The Puppet Co.’s production of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker several times, and each time I see it I fall in love with it even more. Two years ago I wrote a review...

‘The Wizard of Oz’ at Charm City Players

A year old, Charm City Players has to be commended for their ambitiousness with the wonderful shows they have produced this past year. From the screen to the stage, Charm City Players’ latest...

In The Moment: An Interview with VA Museum of Fine Arts’ Jeffrey Allison on Photographer Jacques Henri Lartigue

The photo just jumped out at me. It had a joyful, playful performing arts feeling. But it was a photograph from a century ago by an artist I did not know. And I wanted to know more. So with a bit of...

Filichia on Friday: ‘Ten Thousand, Ten Thousand and One, Ten Thousand and Two …’ (And a Look at ‘Little Dancer’)

It’s an honor to bring Peter Filichia’s column every week on Kritzerland called ‘Filichia on Friday’ to our readers on DCMetroTheaterArts. And Mazel Tov to Peter on seeing his 10,000th show…and...

Nibbles and Sips Around Town: Peach Brandy Debuts At George Washington’s Mount Vernon Distillery

Eight hundred eagerly-anticipated bottles of George Washington’s limited edition Peach Brandy Eau de Vie (translation: “water of life”) went onto the shelves of the Mount Vernon Estate gift shop just...

‘Annie’ at Port Tobacco Players

Annie is based on the comic strip by Harold Gray about Little Orphan Annie. Her optimism shines through, even in the darkness that encompasses the 1930’s, which the musical is set in. Annie won seven...

‘The Great One-Man Commedia Epic’ at Faction of Fools

The Great One-Man Commedia Epic is a one-man show that is so endearing that I felt like my Dad had just told me a bed-time story. Like my Dad, Matthew R. Wilson pretended to have an argument with the...

NSO Pops: An Evening with Sutton Foster at The Kennedy Center

NSO Pops Electrifies with An Evening With Sutton Foster at The Kennedy Center When two-time Tony Award winner Sutton Foster takes the stage, anything goes, and she served up a delightful mix of charm,...

DCMTA Scene Stealers-Week Ending 11/27/14-Part 2

Here is Part 2 of our new list of Scene Stealers honorees for the week ending 11/27/14. ______ Simon Diesenhaus as Tobias Ragg, Singing “Not While I’m Around” at Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet...

DCMTA Scene Stealers-Week Ending 11/27/14-Part 1

Here is Part 1 of our new list of Scene Stealers honorees for the week ending 11/27/14. ______ Brian Lyons-Burke as Henry Higgins in His Final Scene in My Fair Lady at Damascus Theatre Company...

‘It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play’ at CENTERSTAGE

Following its successful runs of the epic play Amadeus and the rock musical Next to Normal, CENTERSTAGE lines up a fantastic family rendering of Frank Capra’s beloved holiday classic film, It’s a...

‘The Comedy of Errors’ at The Baltimore Shakespeare Factory

No need to throw tomatoes – even though you’re allowed – at this Shakespearian troupe that has a great passion for William Shakespeare’s craft. In a matter of twenty hours and a week later, the cast...

‘The Gift of Nothing’ at The Kennedy Center

Looking for a new, fun and entertaining way to spend the afternoon in a historic setting with the kids this holiday season? Introducing a brand new musical for the first time anywhere, The Kennedy...

The Ariel Quartet at the Israeli Embassy

How much do you re-interpret music that was written 100 or 200 years ago? This eternal question has an unequivocal answer in the hands of a young ensemble like The Ariel Quartet: Just do it. The...

‘Bernstein and Beethoven’ with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at Strathmore

Which pieces to put with which on an orchestra program is a subject of endless debate. Does it really matter if concerts have an overall theme? It does if they have as meaningful a connection as the...

‘One Man, Two Guvnors’ at 1st Stage

1st Stage, One Man, Two Guvnors, Five Stars. Uproariously directed by Matthew R. Wilson, the madcap British farce, One Man, Two Guvnors, by Richard Bean, with songs by Grant Olding, is about a man who...

‘WTF Happened To Baby Sister?’ at Rainbow Theatre Project

A hilarious, unique and a “no-holds barred” approach to satire was offered to an appreciative audience in the creative and subversive comedy WTF Happened to Baby Sister?. Presented by the Brave Soul...

Spine: Feeling Blue? Escape to ‘Five Guys Named Moe’

A man staggers onto the stage at Arena’s Kreeger Theater. Nomax, played with deep loss by Kevin McAllister, has offended his girl with yet another drunken night. He sings “Early in the Morning,” an...

‘The Man Who Came to Dinner’ at Spotlighters Theatre

It was super-cold this particular evening -an evening that many would select to stay in by a fire. Not us. My Mom and I parked and walked rapidly to Spotlighters. We couldn’t let the wind chill keep...

‘Into the Woods’ at Woodrow Wilson High School’s Theatre Arts

Into the Woods is magical in two ways: the performance is out of this world, and; some time travel must have been involved to get Yana Madrid (the Witch) and other characters back from their...

‘Cosi Fan Tutte’ at University of Maryland’s Maryland Opera Studio

It was a delightfully funny night of Mozart at the Maryland Opera Studio’s production of Cosi Fan Tutte at the University of Maryland on Friday, November 21, 2014. With only spartan sets and costumes,...