Reviews

‘Twelve Angry Men’ at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab Drama Club (APL)

Twelve Angry Men was written 60 years as a television movie by Reginald Rose, and one year later it was adapted for the stage by Sherman L. Sergel, and it remains relevant today. In what seems like an...

‘Les Misérables’ at The Glyndon Area Players

Few musicals are as universally loved as Les Misérables. With epic music, tragic characters, and a unique theatrical magnificence, it’s no surprise that Les Mis has been successfully produced on a...

Scene Stealers-Week Ending August 9, 2014

Here are this week’s Scene Stealers. Congrats to our honorees! _______ Spencer Boyd as Farquaad Singing and Dancing “What’s Up Duloc?” and “The Battle of Farquaad” at Shrek at The Alliance Theatre....

Classic Albums Live Presents: ‘Pink Floyd—Dark Side of the Moon’ at Wolf Trap

I was first introduced to Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd’s psychedelic masterpiece, some three decades after the album’s initial release. But the passage of time has done nothing to diminish the...

‘The Reel Deal’: Watch Kyle Osborne’s Movie Video of ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’

Kyle Osborne reviews Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Here are the Washington, DC area showtimes. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles website. LINKS Kyle Osborne’s Video Movie Review of Guardians of the Galaxy....

‘Evita’ at The Theatre Lab School of the Dramatic Arts

In 1980, Evita took home seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Tony Award winner Patti...

The Greg Boyer Peloton at Bethesda Jazz and Supper Club

On a warm Wednesday evening in the middle of summer at the Bethesda Jazz and Supper Club Greg Boyer clearly knows how to win over a crowd with his trombone and charm. With the help of Pianist Chris...

‘Nibbles And Sips Around Town’: Jose Andres’ Evocative America Eats Tavern, Penn Commons Opens, Cuba Libre’s Ceviche Classes, Restaurant Week, Vapiano’s “Dinner and a Movie Deal”, Mount Vernon’s Colonial High Jinks, and The National Gallery of Art’s Garden Café

Jose Andres’ Evocative America Eats Tavern Jose Andres’ newly minted America Eats Tavern in the Ritz-Carlton Tyson’s Corner evokes the casual elegance of Long Island’s tony Hamptons (Sag Harbor...

Nibbles and Sips Around Town: ‘Voyage To The 7,000 Islands Of The Philippines’

Voyage to the 7,000 Islands of the Philippines One of the most beautiful and evocative cookbooks to cross my path of late is the recent issue 7,000 Islands – A Food Portrait of the Philippines by...

‘The Imaginary Invalid’ at Annapolis Shakespeare Company

I started out with the cream of crab soup, and moved on to a buttermilk fried chicken sandwich, with a side of French Farce; it is difficult to say which of the two was more delicious… Such was the...

Dark Star Orchestra (DSO) at Wolf Trap

DSO Keeps Truckin On, Continuing the Grateful Dead Concert Experience The Dark Star Orchestra (DSO) rocked Wolf Trap last night like it was 1985. Continuing the Grateful Dead experience, America’s...

‘Shrek The Musical’ at The Alliance Theatre

Where can you find a combination of a fire-breathing dragon, a dozen fairy tale characters, first-rate singing, dancing, and comedy, an ogre, a princess, a king, and a donkey, plus important life...

‘Monty Python’s Spamalot’ at The Little Theatre of Alexandria

The Little Theatre of Alexandria has a smash it on its hands with The Monty Python’s Spamalot. The opening night audience bellowed and clapped and roared at the puns and gave a standing ovation at the...

Scene Stealers-Week Ending August 2, 2014

Here are this week’s Scene Stealers! Congrats to all the honorees! Kathryn Barrett-Gaines as Clelia Breaking Plates in Parlor Room Theatre’s The Nerd “Also, very amusing are the Walgrave’s; Ticky...

‘The Tempest’ at Annapolis Shakespeare Company

In William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, the richness, the grace and the grandeur of the English language itself entertain in a way that only the Bard can. Annapolis Shakespeare Company’s superb...

‘Monty Python’s Spamalot’ at Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre

A Silly and Satisfying “Spamalot” in Annapolis It was perfect weather on opening night for the outdoor Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre‘s Monty Python’s Spamalot. Now in its 49th year, ASGT finishes...

Curley Taylor and Zydeco Trouble at Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club

FRESH was the defining feeling at Zydeco Trouble’s dance party at Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club. Lead by Curley Taylor, the five-piece band consistently delivered a straight up zydeco beat that...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Capital City Showcase #5-July 27, 2014

The final Showcase! And my final Fringe review…..sigh. Well, let’s get to it! This final installment of the Capital City Showcase was a bit more subdued than the other I saw, which could be expected...

The Reel Deal: Watch Kyle Osborne’s Video Movie Review of “Guardians of the Galaxy”

Kyle Osborne reviews Guardians of the Galaxy. https://youtu.be/Y2bj8e9_zjo Here are showtimes for Guardians of the Galaxy in the DC area. LINKS Kyle Osborne’s Video Movie Review of Lucy. Kyle...

Rodrigo y Gabriela at Wolf Trap

International guitarists Rodrigo y Gabriela greeted a jam-packed concert hall and lawn at Wolf Trap’s Filene Center last night, in a full evening of raw instrumental talent and innovation. Eclectic...

Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Amaluna’ at National Harbor

Ardent fans of Cirque du Soleil attending the spectacular new Amaluna will recognize this as one of Cirque’s best tent shows ever. Now in its 30th year with a track record of more than two dozen...

‘The Nerd’ at Parlor Room Theater

Larry Shue’s The Nerd opened in Milwaukie Wisconsin in April of 1981, eventually climbing to the peak of dramatic success premiering on Broadway in 1987 with a reputable 441 show run. This sitcom...

‘Stupid Fucking Bird’ at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

Stupid Fucking Bird, Aaron Posner’s 2013 adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s late 19th century The Seagull, returns like the phoenix to Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company with its stellar cast and crisp...

‘Revenge of the Understudies’ at Signature Theatre’s ‘Sizzlin’ Summer Cabaret’

The second cabaret offering of the evening on Sunday, July 26, 2014 (See the review of the first cabaret: Good Times: A TV Theme Song Cabaret: Maria Egler and Stephen Gregory Smith) at Signature...

‘Good Times: A TV Theme Song Cabaret’ at Signature Theatre’s ‘Sizzlin’ Summer Nights’

Signature Theatre finished their smashing Sizzlin’ Summer Nights cabaret series on Saturday with two terrific cabarets. The first of these was a glorious salute to television theme songs, helmed by...

The Reel Deal: Watch Kyle Osborne’s Video Movie Review of ‘Lucy’

Kyle Osborne reviews Lucy. Here are showtimes for Lucy in the DC area. LINKS Kyle Osborne’s Video Movie Review of Snowpiercer. Kyle Osborne’s Video Movie Review of Transformers: Age of Extinction....

‘Heart’ at Wolf Trap

Tuesday evening at Wolf Trap was not about female singer diva glitz or the vestiges of 80’s glamour rock. What it weir scintillating harmonies and punchy guitar riffs, these two hard-swinging,...

The APL Drama Club Presents ’12 Angry Men’ August 8-17, 2014 at Parson’s Hall in Laurel, MD by Lynn Reggia

The APL Drama Club is rather unique. The non-profit theater group based in Laurel, Maryland is affiliated with the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab and is composed primarily of rocket...

‘Sincerely, Me!’ at ArtCentric

This is all the music that your grandma ever prayed to. This is all the music that your mama ever cooked to. This is all the music that your aunt ever sang karaoke to. And this is all the music that...

Here Are Theatermania’s Capital Fringe Audience Awards 2014 Winners

Tonight Theatermania’s Capital Fringe Audience Awards 2014 were announced: Here are the winners: COMEDY: Stone Tape Party DRAMA: R+J: Star-Cross’d Death Match MUSICAL THEATRE & OPERA: You, or Whatever...

Capital Fringe 2014 Scene Stealers-Part 2 And DCMTA Names its ‘Bestest Show’ and Performances

Here are our final Scene Stealers for this year’s Capital Fringe Festival. And we are handing out 4 special honors to performances and productions that moved and entertained us that we will never...

‘The Campsite Rule’ at Washington Rogues

Over the course of my college years, I have heard countless stories from alumni about their conflicted emotions upon returning to their alma mater. Across the board, I have found that while they are...

La Ti Do at 8 PM Tomorrow: Katie McManus And Special Guests Announced

This week we present our final week with July monthly feature Katie McManus in a themed night of power ballads from the 80’s and 90’s. Guest Performers: Reavey Burke, John Loughney, Charlie Wright &...

‘Into the Woods’ at Purple Light Theatre Company

Be careful what you wish for! Or you might just find yourself tumbling into a fairytale at the Purple Light Theatre Company. Of course, all fairytales have happy endings, don’t they? Or perhaps an...

‘The Musical Of Musicals (The Musical!)’ at Prince William Little Theatre

There is nothing more wickedly fun than biting the hand that feeds. Prince William Little Theatre does just this in their crowd-pleasing production of The Musical Of Musicals (The Musical!). This zany...

‘The Reel Deal’: Watch Kyle Osborne’s Video Movie Review of ‘Snowpiercer’

Kyle Osborne reviews Snowpiercer Here are showtimes for Snowpiercer in the DC area. LINKS Kyle Osborne’s Video Movie Review of ‘Transformers: Age of Extinction.’ Kyle Osborne’s Video Movie Review of...

Wolf Trap Opera’s ‘Carmen’ With The National Symphony Orchestra

Wolf Trap Opera’s production of George Bizet’s Carmen started as a flurry of lightning bugs and lit up phones last evening. Wolf Trap revealed new, cutting-edge supertitle technology by Figaro Systems...

Cinema Speak With Sydney-Chanele: Film Review – ‘A Most Wanted Man’

A perfect performance is not what qualifies great acting, it’s an impassioned one. The laid out intensity and confident determination of Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s absorbing performance in A Most...

Capital Fringe 2014 Review: ‘Bargain Basement University’

Have you ever wondered what higher education would be like if you didn’t have to deal with all of the hassle that comes with it? If you happen to be walking in the general vicinity of Fort Fringe on...

‘Little Red Riding Hood & the 3 Little Pigs’ at The Puppet Co.

The Puppet Co. presents Little Red Riding Hood & the 3 Little Pigs, a melding of two beloved childhood stories told through the viewpoint of their shared villain—The Big Bad Wolf. The full brunt of...

‘Mary Poppins’ at Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre by Rick Schneider

The stage version of the musical Mary Poppins has finally reached the Washington area regional theater scene, and it has been well worth the wait. This recent Broadway hit is based on the 1964 Walt...

Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF): ‘One Night’

Women in uniform in the military. Women in uniform in the foxholes. Women in uniform. Sexual assault. Of both men and women. Charles Fuller’s new play, One Night, tackles head on one of the most...

Capital Fringe 2014 Review: ‘The Fever’

(The Best of the Capital Fringe) The Fever, a tour de force solo performance featuring Patrick O’Brien from last year’s Fringe hit, Underneath the Lintel, is everything a Fringe show should be: a...

‘The Veil’ at Quotidian Theatre Company

Conor McPherson’s play The Veil is a play set in an Irish mansion in the country in 1822. It’s story takes us through two weeks of time seeing hopes being sprung, dashed and meekly born again....

‘The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife’ at Cockpit in Court

An afternoon or evening of obfuscation and intellectual calisthenics with a little bit of adult humor and a lot of good life lessons stirred in gets you the final offering in the upstairs cabaret...

The One-Act Play Festival at The Montgomery Playhouse

The things some theatres come up with to while away the hours of summertime until full seasons begin. The Montgomery Playhouse has come up with a most clever and entertaining format of entertainment...

Capital Fringe 2014 Review: ‘The Adventures of Tapman’

(The Best of the Capital Fringe) The Tap Dance Kid meets Batman with some fancy footwork Ratta-ta-tap. The masked man moves across the floor. A-shoom, he leaps into the air. His fluid arms and legs...

Comtemporary American Theater Festival (CATF): ‘Uncanny Valley’

We are definitely a culture acraze with technology. I-Phones are only on the lower end of the spectrum: we have virtual realities, simulated sports, robotic housecleaners, robotic warehouse workers,...

‘Legally Blonde’ at Cockpit in Court

It’s time to get serious! Less of a classic, more of a pop hit! Serious! It’s a fun musical that they’re doing at Cockpit— in Court, that is. And it’s Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin’s Legally...

‘Once Upon A Mattress’ at Encore Stage & Studio

Encore Stage & Studio presents Once Upon A Mattress, a hilarious musical adaptation of the famous fable involving a princess, a pea, and a stack of mattresses. With Music by Mary Rogers, Lyrics by...