Reviews

‘Víkingur Ólafsson, Piano’ at Nordic Cool 2013 by Keith Tittermary

The arts in Washington, DC are an ever-evolving landscape. Being in the political center of the country we sometimes underestimate the resources that organizations have to present some of the greatest...

‘Dial “M” For Murder’ at The Little Theatre of Alexandria by Julia L. Exline

The Little Theatre of Alexandria presents Frederick Knott’s Dial “M” for Murder, a quiet thriller that lures the audience into its twisty web. Carla Scopeletis directs this deceivingly calm,...

‘Split This Rock: Call and Response’ at INTERSECTIONS at Atlas by Jessica Vaughan

Split This Rock is a non-profit organization that teaches and performs spoken word poetry or slam poetry. A huge part of the organization is focused on young people and one of their major offerings...

‘Legacy: A Conversation Through Contemporary Ballet’ at MOVEiUS Dance at INTERSECTIONS at Atlas by Rick Westerkamp

MOVEiUS Dance presented Legacy: A Conversation Through Contemporary Ballet, an audience-friendly afternoon of work by multiple choreographers, yesterday as a part of the Atlas INTERSECTIONS Festival....

‘The Drawer Boy’ at Port City Playhouse by Justin Schneider

Since its Toronto premiere in 1999, Michael Healey’s The Drawer Boy has been one of the most produced plays in the United States. After seeing Port City Playhouse’s production, I can see why. In the...

‘Big Bad’ at Encore Stage and Studio by Julia L. Exline

Encore Stage and Studio presents Big Bad, a melding of classic fairy tales who all have one thing in common: their villain! The Big Bad Wolf is on trial for his actions…but is he guilty of the accused...

Walnut Street’s ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ at George Mason U’s Center for the Arts by Francine Schwartz

Walnut Street Theatre’s Independence Studio brought audiences at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts a fast-paced adaptation of Jules Verne’s masterpiece Around the World in 80 Days this...

‘Dante’s Inferno’ at Washington Stage Guild by Amanda Gunther

Abandon all hope ye who enter here. Sit back and prepare yourself for the perilous journey into the bowels of hell as Dante the nine circles of the ultimate punishment. The Washington Stage Guild...

‘The Real Thing’ at Silver Spring Stage by Jessica Vaughan

The Real Thing in Silver Spring Stage’s production of the Tom Stoppard’s play of that name refers to love. It is the love of two long-married couples when one partner of each is straying with each...

‘Stars and Stripes: Tour-de-Force’ at The Washington Ballet at Sydney Harman Hall by Carolyn Kelemen

The Saturday matinee performance of Stars and Stripes: Tour-de-Force was, indeed, a tour de force for The Washington Ballet, the dancers, choreographers, and anyone else who had a part in this lively...

‘Voice(s)’ by DancEthos at INTERSECTIONS at Atlas Performing Arts Center by Colleen Sproull

The Atlas INTERSECTIONS Festival continued its mission of “creating connection through innovative art” today with Voice(s) by DancEthos. For a refreshing twist in the contemporary dance world,...

‘The Drowsy Chaperone’ at The Catholic University of America by Jessica Vaughan

Catholic University spoofs musicals everywhere in a hilarious production of The Drowsy Chaperone, the show-within-a-show that lovingly satires the best and worst in musical theater and the people who...

‘The Tempest’ at Synetic Theater by Natalie McCabe

A squall. A gale. A storm. A tempest. Synetic Theater’s production of The Tempest, the latest installment of their Silent Shakespeare Series, can be described using all of the above words. Indeed, the...

‘Naomi’s Flight’ at In-Flight Theater by Amanda Gunther

A bold new fusion in performance art comes to the stage as In-Flight Theater presents Naomi’s Flight, an original work written and performed by Mara Neimanis. Directed by Bryce Butler, this piece of...

Tomorrow at 2 PM MOVEiUS Dance Premiere of ‘Legacy’ at INTERSECTIONS at ATLAS

MOVEiUS Dance will present “Legacy: A Conversation Through Contemporary Ballet” TOMORROW, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2013 at 2 pm, at the Sprenger Theatre at Atlas Performing Arts Center. This is their...

‘Iolanthe’ at The Victorian Lyric Opera by Anne Tsang

Given the current political climate, The Victorian Lyric Opera Company’s performance of Gilbert and Sullivan’s political satire Iolanthe seems particularly apropos. The operetta, now playing at the F....

GWU New Plays Festival ‘wild42hold’ by Rick Westerkamp

On Thursday night, while waiting for the GWU New Plays Festival’s wild42hold to begin, I was transported to an attention-grabbing site. Thanks to the massive set, covered in graffiti, a la Banksy, and...

‘Brutus’ at The Catholic University of America by Justin Schneider

On stage, a man tosses and turns in his sleep. Nearby in an overstuffed leather chair, a woman rests. The view from the audience, on bleachers overlooking the stage, is intimate. And “intimate” may be...

Matt Conner on ‘Peter Pan and Wendy’ at Creative Cauldron by Matt Conner

I have been a teaching artist with Creative Cauldron in Falls Church for eleven years now. Peter Pan and Wendy is a part of the Learning Theatre Workshop, a process where young aspiring artists work...

‘Ashley Brown’s Broadway’ at The Music Center at Strathmore by Tiffany Draut

“I had the best time in Bethesda!” said Ashley Brown of her concert tonight—a sentiment that sums up the audience’s enthusiastic reaction as well. Brown began the evening earlier with a flub, as she...

‘Metamorphosis’ at Nordic Cool 2013 at The Kennedy Center by Colleen Sproull

Metamorphosis: The transformation from one form to another. This is the core of the thought-provoking dark comedy Metamorphosis written by Franz Kafka. Gregor Samsa (Gísli Örn Gardarsson) wakes one...

Peter’s Alley Theatre Productions Opens ‘Proof’ on March 15th by Beth Adams

Opening March 15th, Peter’s Alley Theatre Productions’ second show of its inaugural season is Proof, by David Auburn. The Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award – winning drama, is one of the most critically...

Round House Theatre Unveils Its 2013-2014 Season: ‘Round House Reinvented’ by Sarah Pressler

For Producing Artistic Director Ryan Rilette’s first full season, Round House Theatre in Bethesda has unveiled its 2013-2014 season entitled Round House Reinvented. It’s a season full of comedy,...

‘The Convert’ at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company by Amanda Gunther

Complex cultural and religious collisions come to a head at a play most befitting of Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company’s 33rd Season: My Roots, My Revolution. OBIE Award-winning playwright Danai Gurira...

Win 2 Tickets to ‘Neil Berg’s 101 Years of Broadway’ on Sunday, March 24th at 7 PM at Strathmore

WIN A PAIR OF FREE TICKETS TO NEIL BERG’S 101 Years of Broadway at THE MUSIC CENTER AT STRATHMORE On SUNDAY, MARCH 24TH AT 7 PM Copy this email address into a new email and send it to:...

‘The Laramie Project Cycle’ at BAM by Justin Schneider

Let’s get this out of the way: I cried. A lot. And I wasn’t the only one. The crying started before a single word of The Laramie Project Cycle was even spoken. At Saturday’s pre-show Artist Talk, a...

Arlo Guthrie’s ‘Here Comes the Kid Tour’ at Hylton Performing Arts Center by Mike Spain

Arlo Guthrie brought his Here Comes the Kid Tour to the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas, Virginia Saturday night. The tour celebrated Arlo’s dad – Woody Guthrie’s 100th birthday. If you are...

Additional Auditions AvaiIable for ‘Ragtime’ at Kensington Arts Theatre

Addtional Auditions for Ragtime at Kensington Arts Theatre Music by Stephen Flaherty Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens Book by Terrence McNally Directed by Darnell Morris Music Direction by Mayumi Baker...

‘Trying’ at Colonial Players by Amanda Gunther

A more difficult relationship could not be fathomed than that of the one that springs inadvertently between a crotchety set-in-his ways retired ex-judge and a spry youthful Canadian secretary as the...

Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra: ‘Mardi Gras with the MJO’ at George Mason University by Audrey Thornton

There is no annual holiday celebration in Louisiana without Mardi Gras! According to historians, Mardi Gras, a one-day prelude to Lent dates back thousands of years to pagan celebrations of spring and...

‘Sexo, Pudor y Lágrimas’ (Sex, Shame and Tears) at Teatro de la Luna by Flora Scott

Although Sexo, Pudor Y Lágrimas (Sex, Shame and Tears) is a charming comedy. I found it a thoughtful meditation on sex and how it has, does and always will separate men and women. Beyond the...

‘Sleeping Beauty Dreams’ at The Kennedy Center by Flora Scott

Sleeping Beauty Dreams, a puppet show performed by Marionetas de la Esquina of Mexico, at The Kennedy Center’s Family Theater is a true treat for the little and big ones alike. It’s a delightful...

‘Fiddler on the Roof’ at Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia by Amanda Gunther

Tradition! And nobody knows more about tradition than Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia as they proudly present Fiddler On The Roof. Directed and Choreographed by Tina DeSimone and David James with...

‘Cabaret’ at Damascus Theatre Company by Amanda Gunther

Willkommen! Beinvenue! Welcome! Sit back and relax and the Damascus Theatre Company will be your host to Kander and Ebb’s most scandalous musical as they present Cabaret for their spring musical....

‘Metamorphoses’ at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater by Mark Dewey

(Ten stars if we had them) Zimmerman and Ovid Transform Arena Stage The first thing you notice of course is the pool: you can smell it before you go in; you can feel the water in the air. Ten yards by...

The Lunch and Judy Show: ‘How Hard is It For Young Artists Today?’

I am the host and creator and writer and editor of The Lunch and Judy Show. For four years DCMTA’s Joel Markowitz and I have been schmoozing about theatre in DC, Philly, and NYC and other things…like...

‘Scooby-Doo Live! Musical Mysteries’ at The Warner Theatre by Grace Kim

Ahhh Scooby-Doo, such a classic cartoon that always has a way of making me feel nostalgic for those carefree childhood days when Saturday mornings were devoted to hours of cartoons watching. Is there...

‘The Fox on the Fairway’ at Taking Flight Theatre Company by Kim Moeller

Taking Flight Theatre Company’s production of Ken Ludwig’s farce, The Fox on the Fairway, offers an enjoyable evening of laughter. The talented cast works well together in delivering this madcap romp...

‘Canterbury’ at Pointless Theatre by Pat Davis

It is not exactly Chaucer’s England. Here there are moat bears. There is chocolate, too, along with women who want inordinate quantities of it. Instead of passing the daffodils while on horseback,...

‘Laundry & Bourbon’ and ‘Lone Star’ at Fells Point Corner Theatre by Amanda Gunther

There’s never a dull moment in Maynard, Texas with the lively characters of James McLure’s Laundry & Bourbon and Lone Star running around the placed. Offered as a double bill in Fells Point Corner...

‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ at Chalice Theatre by Eric Denver

“Joseph he was one of Jacob’s favorite sons,” are the words of the lead song of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and they were meandering around in my head as I walked up the steps of the...

‘An Evening with Branford Marsalis’ at Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center by Tiffany Draut

The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center is known for its quality performances, and the audience is always more than appreciative. But the February 15, 2013 concert, An Evening with Branford Marsalis,...

‘Little Red Riding Hood & the 3 Little Pigs’ at The Puppet Co. by Julia L. Exline

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. Allan Stevens...

‘Valentine’s Dance Trilogy: Angels, Demons, and Savages’ at The Phillips Collection by Breena Siegel

What do painters Jackson Pollock, Alfonso Ossorio, and Jean Debuffet have in common? The current exhibit Angels, Demons and Savages at The Phillips Collection explores the relationships between these...

‘The Skin of Our Teeth’ at American University by Alexa Kelly

It’s a play that willfully does not want to make sense. It revels in the absurd. At every turn, it asks us—hey, just go with it! And if you can strap in for the ride, you won’t be disappointed....

‘Butterfly’ at Wanderlust Theater Lab by Jessica Dall

Walking into the Takoma Park Community Center Theater, it’s possible to tell right away that there is something unsettling about Tom Block’s new play, Butterfly, directed by Roselie Vasquez-Yetter,...

‘Flashdance-The Musical’ at The Hippodrome Theatre by Amanda Gunther

What a feeling! A rush of the 80s at its absolute finest comes thundering into Baltimore as NETworks presents a brand new musical Flashdance-The Musical. Landing at The Hippodrome Theatre as a part of...

‘Race’ at Theater J by Sydney-Chanele Dawkins

Race Matters The Crime: Rape. Or is it Race? The Defendant: Charles Strickland is a man who doesn’t comprehend being told “No,” and one who has never had to beg for anything. A wealthy, older white...

Part Four: Wanderlust Theater Lab: An Interview with Playwright Tom Block on ‘Butterfly’ Which Opens Friday at Takoma Park Community Center

DCMetroTheaterArts caught up with Playwright Tom Block over coffee, in the small, sun-filled writing studio where he creates his written works. As he sat overlooking the rural expanse of his 15/100ths...

‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ at Round House Theatre by David Frisic

Round House Theatre’s current production of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross delivers a power-packed punch to the collective gut of the American working man’s psyche. As one watches this group of men...