Reviews

‘Something Different 2013’ at Elden Street Players by Julia L. Exline

Elden Street Players Theatre for Young Audiences presents Something Different 2013, an annual production of fables and folklore for children. This year’s choices were Hans Christian Anderson’s The...

Neil Berg’s ‘101 Years of Broadway’ at The Music Center at Strathmore by Mike Spain

Neil Berg was a great narrator weaving stories about artists, musicals, and the history of the Broadway Musical throughout his 101 Years of Broadway last night at The Music Center at Strathmore. Berg...

‘Never the Sinner: The Leopold & Loeb Story’ at 1st Stage by Yvonne French

In 1st Stage’s gripping production of Never the Sinner: The Leopold and Loeb Story, seven actors explore homosexual power struggles, murderous thrill-seeking, and reportorial sensationalism in the...

Kevin Roland Begins his New Column ‘A View From the Pit’

I didn’t choose to be a Musical Director. It chose me. And thank God it did, because I can’t imagine much else I would be good at. I told my mother for years I didn’t want those silly piano lessons...

‘4000 Miles’ at The Studio Theatre by Rick Westekamp

Amy Herzog’s 4000 Miles at The Studio Theatre opens with an unexpected reunion between Vera, a leftist in her eighties played by Tana Hicken, and her grandson Leo (Grant Harrison), a twenty-something...

‘Voodoo Macbeth’ at The American Century Theater by David Friscic

The American Century Theater (TACT), under the Artistic Direction of Jack Marshall, pulls it all together with a stunning and audacious production of “that Scottish play” – William Shakespeare’s...

‘Jason Invisible’ at The Kennedy Center by Yvonne French

Jason Invisible is a cross between Sesame Street and an A.A. meeting with all the best parts of each playing across the sweet face of lead actor Mark Halpern, especially his slowly dawning looks of...

‘The Art of the African-American Spiritual’ at National Chamber Ensemble by Jane Coyne

The National Chamber Ensemble presented The Art of the African-American Spritual at Artisphere on Saturday evening. It was a delightful concert with talent abounding, and the setting was most...

Film Review: ‘Olympus Has Fallen’ by Erica Laxson

If you think the sequester hit DC hard, just wait til you see what the terrorists have in store for the capitol in Olympus Has Fallen, written by Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt. With...

‘U Probably Think This Play Is About U’ at Strand Theater Company by Amanda Gunther

Love is merely a madness. Quoted by the Bard and then put into action like you’ve never seen it as Strand Theater Company presents a compelling new one-woman show, U Probably Think This Play is about...

‘Spotlight 2013’ at Adventure Theatre MTC by Joel Markowitz

I had such a good time today watching 37 of the most talented local young singers and dancers perform at Adventure Theatre MTC’s Spotlight 2013, which featured 22 songs from Broadway shows of the past...

‘Peter Pan’ at The Patricia and Arthur Modell Performing Arts Center at the Lyric Opera House by Amanda Gunther

Second star to the right and straight on ‘til morning! It’s flying into town for a limited engagement but every child and child at heart will want to race down to The Lyric Opera House and see Cathy...

‘Word Becomes Flesh’ at Atlas Performing Arts Center and Theater Alliance by Jessica Vaughan

“Welcome to the spoken world.” Thus begins a one of a kind performance piece piece by Marc Bamuthi Joseph, an artist, poet, dancer and activist named by the United States Artists Rockefeller...

‘Las aventuras de Don Quixote de La Mancha’ at Gala Hispanic Theatre by Andrew L. Baughman

Las aventuras de Don Quixote de La Mancha, Patricia Suarez’s adaptation of Cervantes’ novel (Bilingual Adaptation by Cornelia Cody), is currently delighting young audiences at GALA Hispanic Theatre at...

‘I, Jack, am the Knave of Hearts’ at DC Arts Center (DCAC) by Nicole Cusick

One man, one hour, one mission: to figure out where in the world does he belong. Although B. Stanley pulled himself out of hell as Jack in I, Jack, am the Knave of Hearts, he pulled the audience right...

‘The Full Monty’ at Riverside Center Dinner Theater by Julia L. Exline

Riverside Center Dinner Theater presents The Full Monty, a side-splitting musical comedy written by Terrence McNally, with music and lyrics by David Yazbek. Patrick A’Hearn directs this (revealing!)...

Daniel Burkholder/The PlayGround’s ‘The Chemistry of Lime Trees’ by Rick Westerkamp

Daniel Burkholder/The PlayGround’s The Chemistry of Lime Trees is an evening of dance theatre the likes of which I have never experienced. From the deep investment of all of the performers, to the...

‘Spooky Action at a Distance’ at The Catholic University of America by Justin Schneider

Is it possible for two people be irrevocably connected, regardless of action or distance? Can we ever really be certain about where our lives are headed? And can we ever grow as people without taking...

‘Cinderella’ at The Washington Ballet at The Kennedy Center by Colleen Sproull

The Washington Ballet’s production of Cinderella at the Kennedy Center is fun for the whole family. All the elements of storytelling combine, with incredibly impressive scenic design by James Kronzer...

‘A Behanding in Spokane’ at The Keegan Theatre by Kim Moeller

A Behanding in Spokane is an unexpected guilty pleasure. Unexpected, because the play is promoted as a macabre tale full of grisly surprises. Although there are a plethora of blood-soaked amputated...

Mark Owen Martin’s New Chamber Opera “Sweeter Than Roses’ Tomorrow Night & Saturday@8 at Lab at Convergence

Mark Owen Martin presents a new chamber opera Sweeter Than Roses, tomorrow night March 22nd and Saturday, March 23rd at 8 pm in the Lab at Convergence – 1819 Quaker Lane, in Alexandria, VA. Free...

Adventure Theatre MTC’s ‘Spotlight 2013’ This Thursday-Saturday at JCC in Rockville, MD by Amanda Russell

ADVENTURE THEATRE MTC ANNOUNCES ITS STUDENT PRODUCTION OF SPOTLIGHT 2013 Thursday, March 21 at 7pm Friday, March 22 at 7pm Saturday, March 23 at 2pm & 7pm Performances held at The Jewish Community...

‘KODO On Earth Tour 2013’ at WPAS at Constitution Hall by Flora Scott

The innate impulse to creatively express and share the life force that pulses to the rhythm of our own beating hearts is age-old and universal. It makes sense, then, that drums are mans oldest...

‘Proof’ at Peter’s Alley Theatre Productions by Amanda Gunther

In searching for answers one must always be able to prove that the answers they have found are true. A deeply profound tale of how life must always keep going until it stops completely is what comes...

‘In the Heat of the Night’ at The Bowie Community Theatre by Amanda Gunther

Argo, Alabama 1962. A white man’s death leads to the arrest of a black out of town off-duty police detective. The Emmy-Winning TV show winds itself together in this racially-charged crime thriller on...

‘Danú’ at Hylton Performing Arts Center by Mike Spain

Watching Danú perform was a great way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Danú is a highly acclaimed, award-winning Celtic band that plays traditional music with a few originals sprinkled in. They also...

‘Three Litttle Birds’ at Adventure Theatre MTC by Julia L. Exline

Adventure Theatre MTC presents the world premiere of Three Little Birds, a Reggae Children’s Musical based on the story by Cedella Marley, with music and lyrics by her father, musical legend Bob...

‘A Whole Lot of Night Music at the WATCH Awards’ by Heather Friedman

When I was cast in The Arlington Players’ production of A Little Night Music last spring, I had been out of the DC theatre scene for so long that I had never experienced the WATCH Awards, and thus I...

‘Les Misérables’ at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School by Jennifer Georgia

Our Lady of Good Counsel Theatre Company’s Les Misérables (the musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, Alain Boublil and Herbert Kretzmer, based on the classic Victor Hugo novel, that originally opened in...

‘Dorothy and The Wizard of Oz’ at Pumpkin Theatre by Amanda Gunther

There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home! Except of course the Pumpkin Theatre a second home to many area children who love the arts and entertainment. And this time they’re bringing to...

Here are the Winners of the 13th Annual WATCH Awards

Here are the winners of the The 13th Annual Washington Area Theatre Community Honors (THE WATCH AWARDS). There were 126 productions (43 musicals, 83 plays) that were adjudicated in 2012. Thirty-three...

‘A Walk in the Woods’ at Quotidian Theatre by Jessica Vaughan

Quotidian Theatre Company heats up the Cold War with Lee Blessing’s classic, A Walk in the Woods. Quotidian’s mission is to present theater about real life with “no-frills acting“ or special effects...

‘God of Carnage’ at Everyman Theatre by Amanda Gunther

If you’re eccentric enough to believe in the soothing power of culture then watching it unravel into a chaotic disarray of Neanderthal style behavior will surely be appealing to your eyes as the Tony...

‘Truthpaste: A Blotto Biography’ at Maryland Ensemble Theatre by Mike Spain

The crowd was ready for the debut of Tad Janes’ world premiere of Truthpaste: A Blotto Biography – advertised as “a one man comedy based on his life experiences.” Janes had a lot of support from...

‘The Seafarer’ at Elden Street Players by Julia L. Exline

Elden Street Players presents The Seafarer, a black comedy written by Conor McPherson. Just in time to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, this hauntingly genuine Irish tale explores deep themes like...

WATCH AWARDS Winners Are Being Announced Birchmere

We are updating the winners so check back after 7:30 PM. Here are the winners of the The 12th Annual Washington Area Theatre Community Honors‘ (THE WATCH AWARDS) being awarded tonight at The Birchmere...

‘XANADU’ at Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC by David Friscic

Take a scoop of campy humor, a scoop of Greek Mythology, and a scoop of singing power and you will have the delicious and satisfying current production of Xanadu as performed and sung by the...

‘Passion’ by GöteborgsOperans Danskompani at Nordic Cool 2013 at The Kennedy Center by Colleen Sproull

Passion, as performed by the GöteborgsOperans Danskompani, transformed the Eisenhower Theatre at The Kennedy Center as part of Nordic Cool 2013. An amazing performance well worth your while features...

‘Roméo et Juliette’ at Catholic University by Terry Byrne

Budding love that is “star-crossed” with budding artistry is the magic potion that should move fine-arts lovers to flee their houses and partake in Catholic University’s School of Music’s succulent...

‘Edges’ at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School by Miriam Urquhart

It was certainly an edgy night at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School’s student-directed production of Edges. Edges is not your average piece of musical theater. This beautifully composed piece takes the...

DCMetroTheaterArts is One Year Old Today!

DCMetroTheaterArts is one year old today. Thanks to all our readers for supporting and visiting our site. A special thank you to the theatre and arts communities who welcomed us and reached out to...

‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ at The Puppet Co. by Julia L. Exline

The Puppet Co. presents Jack and the Beanstalk, a favorite childhood tale suited for all tastes. Performed by Allan Stevens and Christopher Piper and recommended for ages K-6, Jack and the Beanstalk...

‘Nova Y. Payton, Defying Gravity: the Making of a SuperNova’ at Signature Theatre by Doug Poms

Nova Y. Payton appeared on the Washington area theater scene in her Helen Hayes Award-winning turn as Motormouth Mabel in Hairspray at Signature Theatre. Since then she has appeared in three more...

‘Mud Blue Sky’ at CENTERSTAGE by Amanda Gunther

Tender compassion and wicked wit come to CENTERSTAGE as the world premier of Marisa Wegrzyn’s Mud Blue Sky rounds out the remainder of their 50th Anniversary Season. In this funny new play by Wegrzyn,...

Tero Saarinen Company at Nordic Cool 2013 at The Kennedy Center by Colleen Sproull

Tero Saarinen Company‘s completely sold-out performance for Nordic Cool 2013 at The Kennedy Center was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. With artistic direction, choreography, and a thrilling...

‘Don’t Dress for Dinner’ at The British Players by Amanda Gunther

Oh what tangled webs we weave when we practice to deceive. Shakespeare may have said it but he never said what would happen if you tried to untangle all those lies. A truly uproarious chaotic comedy...

‘Deranged Durang’ at Lala Theatre at The National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts by Amanda Gunther

The funny farm meets the loony bin in the zany production of Deranged Durang. Presented at The National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts in Washington, DC; in conjunction with Lala Theatre, this showing...

Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía’s ‘Metáfora’ at Lisner Auditorium by Flora Scott

Flamenco dance combines choreography with improvised solos to a three-part harmony of guitar, singing, and dancing with the rhythm of handclaps, known as palmas, and of the dancers’ step patterns – a...

‘Tuesdays With Morrie’ at Gaithersburg Arts Barn by Amanda Gunther

Everyone knows they’re going to die, but no one believes it. But when faced with the end of the journey so close at hand you start to reevaluate just how you’ve lived your life and whether or not you...

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company Announces its 2013-2014 Season by Anneliese DeDiemar

WOOLLY MAMMOTH THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCES LINE-UP FOR SEASON 34 WOOLLY INVITES AUDIENCES TO TEAR UP THE PLANKS TO DISCOVER WHAT LURKS BENEATH WITH “AMERICA’S TELL-TALE HEART” Woolly Mammoth Theatre...