Reviews

‘Tomfoolery’ at Elden Street Players by Andrew Baughman

Let’s get one thing out of the way. Tomfoolery, Cameron Mackintosh and Robin Ray’s 1980 revue of “words and music of Tom Lehrer,” is nerdy. Some might even consider it dated, but Lehrer’s patently dry...

Ladysmith Black Mambazo at The Music Center at Strathmore by Derek Mong

The Grammy Award- winning Ladysmith Black Mambazo returned to The Music Center at Strathmore on Friday night. The South African a cappella ensemble transported audiences back to their home in...

‘Third’ at Rockville Little Theatre by Jessica Vaughan

Rockville Little Theatre‘s production of Pulitzer Prize winner Wendy Wasserstein‘s last play Third is layered, powerful, and very funny. It’s set the year we went to war in Iraq on a college campus...

‘Terri White at Barbara Cook’s Spotlight’ at The Kennedy Center by David Friscic

Terri White, Broadway musical favorite and recent star of The Kennedy Center’s production of Follies and the recent Broadway production of Finian’s Rainbow, held the audience in the palm of her hand...

‘Proposals’ at Vienna Theatre Company by Kim Moeller

In the midst of the cold and wintry Washington weather, Vienna Theatre Company’s production of Proposals offers warmth and laughter with a visit to the Hines family cabin during a summer day in late...

‘Birdland Big Band’ at Hylton Performing Arts Center by Audrey Thornton

A dynamic, new ensemble directed by Tommy Igoe (Drums); Nick Marchione, August Haas, Mat Jodrell, and Brandon Lee (Trumpets); Dave Bargeron, Mark Miller and James Borowski (Trombones); Nathan...

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Reviewers on the WATCH AWARDS Nominations by Joel Markowitz

Here’s reactions by some of the DCMTA reviewers to the WATCH AWARD Nominations announced this past Sunday: Andrew Baughman: “It is good to see 2nd Star Productions receive so many nominations. For...

‘3 By Samuel Beckett’ at Arcturus Theater Company by Rick Westerkamp

As I sat in the intimate DCAC theatre, awaiting 3 by Samuel Beckett, I thought of the following Beckett quote: “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.” As I mulled...

‘Hairspray in Concert’ With the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra @ The Music Center at Strathmore by Jennifer Perry

John Waters’ classic cult film Hairspray is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. After the huge success of the film-based musical on Broadway – which won several Tony Awards, spawned more than...

Filichia on Friday: ‘The 2013 Broadway University Mid-Term Exam’ by Peter Filichia

Here is this week’s new article from Peter Filichia’s column on Kritzerland called ‘Filichia on Friday.‘ It’s an honor being allowed to bring Peter’s column every week to our readers on DCMTA. This...

‘Sing the Truth: Angélique Kidjo, Dianne Reeves, and Lizz Wright’ at Strathmore by Audrey Thornton

If you were fortunate enough to catch the last performance of Sing the Truth’s legendary tour at The Music Center at Strathmore on Tuesday, January 22, 2013 at 8:00 p.m., you were part of the wildly...

‘The Minotaur’ at Rorschach Theatre Company by Amanda Gunther

We all at some point wish our stories were different. But our stories are our own and that’s just the way it is. Or is it? What if your story change? What if you did have a choice? What if it didn’t...

‘Not By Bread Alone’ at Nalaga’at Theater Ensemble at New York University’s Skirball Center by Mark Dewey

Not By Bread Alone: Extraordinary Food Before taking my seat for Sunday’s performance of Not By Bread Alone, I stepped into the men’s room and blew my nose — really honked it. The guy at the next sink...

‘Beauty and the Beast’ at Hippodrome Theatre at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center by Amanda Gunther

Be their guest! Be their guest! And put their spectacular show to the test! I’m certain it will pass with flying colors as NETworks presents Disney’s Beauty and The Beast. Landing at Hippodrome...

Lynn Sharp Spears on Her Career and Playing Mother Abbess for the 3rd Time

Who am I? I am a person who likes to create; whether it’s a role in a play, directing or designing for stage or screen, or making a piece of art. As a result I have worn many different hats so far in...

‘SoLe Sanctuary’ with Savion Glover at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts by Audrey Thornton

Savion Glover, artist, actor, choreographer and tap dance superstar extraordinaire, is widely known to everyone, young or old, who loves tap. His latest offering, SoLe Sanctuary offers audiences a...

Over 100 Broadway and 100 Newtown Student Performers Set for ‘From Broadway With Love’ Benefit on 1/28@7

OVER 100 BROADWAY PERFORMERS AND 100 NEWTOWN STUDENT PERFORMERS SET FOR: From Broadway with Love: A Benefit Concert For Sandy Hook on January 28th at 7 PM at The Palace Theater in Waterbury, CT From...

‘The Music Man JR.’ (The ‘Music’ Cast’) at Bravo@KAT at Olney Theatre Center by Amanda Gunther

76 trombones led the big parade— with roughly 110 great youth actors right behind. OK— maybe not 110 all at once on the stage, but somewhere close to that in the two casts of The Music Man JR. that...

Part Two: Wanderlust Theater Lab: An Interview with Founder Roselie Vasquez-Yetter and Playwright Tom Block

Playwright, author and visual artist Tom Block began writing plays a few years ago. His work immediately attracted the attention of Wanderlust Theater Lab’s founder Roselie Vasquez-Yetter. She led...

‘August: Osage County’ at Everyman Theatre by Amanda Gunther

Broadway has come home to Baltimore as Everyman Theatre opens its doors at its brand new home on Fayette Street, bringing along with it the Pulitzer Prize-Winning play August: Osage County, a...

‘Toyland’ at The Puppet Co. by Julia L. Exline

The Puppet Co. presents Toyland, a tale about an adventure that brings together Mother Goose and some favorite characters from her famous tales. This production is performed by Christopher Piper and...

‘Winnie the Pooh’ at Adventure Theatre MTC by Julia L. Exline

Adventure Theatre MTC presents Winnie the Pooh, based on the book by A.A. Milne and adapted for the stage by le Clanché du Rand. Jerry Whiddon directs a group of immensely talented actors, who bring...

‘Zorro’ at Constellation Theatre Company by Jennifer Perry

The story of Zorro has long been the source material for many a creative endeavor. Following in the footsteps of many that have come before them, Janet Allard and Eleanor Holdridge have examined this...

‘Brian Ganz Chopin Project’ at The Music Center at Strathmore by Francine Schwartz

Saturday night at The Music Center at Strathmore, Brian Ganz continued his quest to play, and to record, “every single note Chopin composed.” The Ganz Project, of which this is the third installment...

‘The Little Mermaid JR.’ at Aldersgate Church Community Theater by Julia L. Exline

Aldersgate Church Community Theater presents The Little Mermaid JR., with music by Alan Menken (adapted and arranged by David Weinstein), lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glen Slater, and book by Doug...

‘The Savannah Disputation’ at Reston Community Players by Mike Spain

To continue their season of strong female characters, Reston Community Players (RCP) presents The Savannah Disputation. What happens when two Roman Catholic sisters open the door and let a...

Aquila Theatre’s ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’ at George Mason University by Mark Dewey

At first glance, I took Edmund Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac for a comedy about a misbegotten wretch whose every chance for happiness is thwarted by his nose, which looks like a noble erection. I...

‘Yo la Llamo Rusita Rojas (I Call Her Rusita Rojas)’ at Teatro de la Luna by Colleen Sproull

If more children’s theatre was like Yo la Llamo Rusita Rojas, I’d go more often. Yo la Llamo Rusita Rojas (I Call Her Rusita Rojas) by Cristina Ferrari is an energetic adaptation of Charles Perrault’s...

National Ballet of Canada’s ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ at The Kennedy Center by Carolyn Kelemen

Canadian dancers chase away winter blahs Washington area folks are dealing with the winter doldrums and the concern about RGIII’s surgically repaired knee. If you’re looking for some daylight, hurry...

‘Side Show’ at Drama Learning Center’s T.Y.A. by John Harding

The mainly high school musical cast at Drama Learning Center is a long way from a mid-life crisis, but collectively they have a fixed sight on the midway crisis at the heart of the new T.Y.A....

The Lunch & Judy Show: ‘Men VS. Women’ by Judy Stadt

I am the host and creator and writer and editor of The Lunch and Judy Show. For four years – every week – DCMTA’s Joel Markowitz and I have been schmoozing for 4 years about theatre in DC, Philly and...

‘The Bald Soprano’ at The Nomadic Theatre at Georgetown University by Francine Schwartz

The Nomadic Theatre’s production of The Bald Soprano by Eugène Ionesca is a very funny play and a wonderful production. Lorrie Damerau’s surrealistic set consists of a frieze of over 50 teacups, a...

‘SIDE SHOW’ Opens at Drama Learning Center Tomorrow January 18th by Laura Taylor

“Who could ever love a Siamese twin?” That’s the question I’ve been asking myself since October as I have been preparing to play one half of the dynamic conjoined pair, The Hilton Twins in Drama...

‘The Mountaintop’ at CENTERSTAGE by Amanda Gunther

The final moments of a man’s life can be profound and deep, especially when they are the final moments of one man who touched humanity in a deeply profound way, leaving his legacy to change the...

‘Cinderella’ Comes to Hippodrome Theatre Tomorrow Night at 7:30 PM & 2 PM on Saturday by Carolyn Kelemen

Russians return with beloved classic What is it about Russian dance that makes it so difficult to describe its virtues? Those four syllable names? The technique that Pavlova once danced? The drama of...

Tony Bennett’s ‘Inaugural Week Celebration’ Saturday, January 26th at 8 PM at The Warner Theatre by Don Wehner

ON SALE NOW! Upfront Inc. PRESENTS A ONE NIGHT ONLY PERFORMANCE BY MULTIPLE GRAMMY AWARD-WINNER TONY BENNETT “Inaugural Week Celebration” Saturday, January 26, 2013 at 8 pm at The Warner Theatre “Tony...

An Interview with Bourgeon’s Rob Bettmann by Rick Westerkamp

Rob Bettmann, both artist and arts manager, has compiled a collection of essays, poems, artwork and interviews from the issues of Bourgeon magazines. These essays offer a wonderful, in-depth look at...

Part 2: ‘On the Road From Canterbury to Pointless Theatre’ by Assistant Director Sadie Rothman

I’ve never been on a blind date, but I imagine it comes with a whole set of crazy emotions, ranging from excitement, to curiosity, to fear, to simply trying really hard not to get your hopes up too...

‘Boged (Traitor): An Enemy of the People’ at Theater J by Amanda Gunther

Doing the right thing will always start a war. In a time plagued with controversy, a thought-provoking intensely profound new work comes out of Theater J’s ‘Voices From A Changing Middle East...

“Opus” at Winchester Little Theater by Mark Dewey

Beautifully Orchestrated Opus at Winchester Little Theater The opening scene of Opus says a lot about what’s to come. Four men sit on four black stools in a line along the back of the stage. They’re...

‘Disney’s High School Musical JR.’ at Riverside Center Dinner Theater by Julia L. Exline

Riverside Center Dinner Theater presents Disney’s High School Musical Jr. as part of their Children’s “Lunch ‘n Show” musical theater program. With a book by David Simpatico and music arrangements and...

‘The Show-Off’ at The American Century Theater by David Friscic

The American Century Theater’s (TACT) vital and esteemed tradition of producing classic American plays of the 20th Century continues with playwright George Kelly’s venerable chestnut The Show-Off....

‘The Tempest: Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made On’ at Pallas Theatre Collective by Amanda Gunther

“We are such stuff as dreams are made on and our little life is rounded with sleep.” William Shakespeare’s words straight from The Tempest. But those aren’t the only famous words of the Bard that...

‘Rose’s Dilemma’ at Spotlighters Theatre by Amanda Gunther

Never trust the dead man you live with, especially if you can’t be certain whether he’s the ghost of your dead ex-lover or just your mind making you think he’s the ghost of your dead ex-lover, who...

‘The Full Monty’ at The Little Theatre of Alexandria by Julia L. Exline

The Little Theatre of Alexandria presents The Full Monty, a musical comedy written by Terrence McNally, with music and lyrics by David Yazbeck. Frank D. Shutts ll directs this riotous production about...

‘Avenue Q’ at Dominion Stage by Jessica Vaughan

Dominion Stage’s Avenue Q is hilarious and touching. The musical debuted Off- Broadway in 2003 and the story of a young English major drifting through his first year out of college is even more...

‘Honk, Jr.’ at Encore Stage & Studio by Julia L. Exline

Encore Stage & Studio presents Honk, Jr., based on Hans Christian Anderson’s beloved tale, The Ugly Duckling. With book and lyrics by Anthony Drewe and music by George Stiles, Honk, Jr. is an upbeat...

‘A Commedia Romeo and Juliet’ at Faction of Fools at The Arts Barn by Flora Scott

I always suffer a little committing to a classical show – especially Shakespeare. When they’re bad, it’s torture. When they’re good, it’s always still a bit painful for me. Although I have seen a few...

‘Daddy’s Dyin’…Who’s Got The Will?’ at Bowie Community Theatre by Amanda Gunther

Four siblings in Lowake, Texas are forced together after years of estrangement in 1986 as they learn that their father is dying. Only one problem. Daddy’s will has gone MIA. All of the hilarity of...

‘Superior Donuts’ at Fells Point Corner Theatre by Amanda Gunther

A family run donut shop 60-years in the running, and a street savvy kid with great ideas and a great gambling debt. The zoned out hippy draft dodger who runs the store is the last person you would...