Reviews

‘Les Misérables’ at The National Theatre by Jennifer Perry

I was one of those girls that belted out “On My Own” incessantly in my bedroom as a teenager and have been a bit of a Les Mis junkie since first hearing many of its most recognizable songs in high...

‘Christmas Gift!’ at Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center by Audrey Thornton

A Celebration of African American Holiday Traditions Through Music and Spoken Word The premiere was, as they say, “all that.” Before an appreciative fully engaged audience Director and artistic...

‘The Princess and the Sprout’ at The British Players by Mark Dewey

British Players Do Holiday Vaudeville Attending The Princess and the Sprout is a little like popping in for a Christmas toddy with the kooky neighbors – the British – and discovering they’ve planned...

My Favorite Quotes From DCMTA’s 5 Star ‘Best Shows’ for December 8-14th

Here’s my favorite quotes from our 5-star reviews of our ‘Best Shows’ for December 8-14th. Here we go! (1) Barbara Cook’s Spotlight: Judy Kuhn at The Kennedy Center. Jennifer Perry: “Likewise, her...

‘Filichia on Friday’ on Kritzerland: ‘Solid Gold Theater’ by Peter Filichia

This is the one article that got a way this month from Columnist Peter Filichia’s column on Kritzerland called ‘Filichia on Friday.’‘ This week: Solid Gold Theater Peter Filichia is a New York-based...

‘White Christmas’ at The Kennedy Center by Amanda Gunther

At this festive time of year we all hope that our days are merry and bright. But if you truly wish for the seasonal sentiment to reach out and touch your heart the place to go is The John F. Kennedy...

‘Santaland Diaries’ at Blackfriars Playhouse by Mark Dewey

Shakespeare Yields to Sedaris in Staunton You hear a lot of laughter at Blackfriars Playhouse. Usually it builds, develops, accumulates slowly, and then overflows in torrents that are hard to stop....

‘A Christmas Carol’ at Arts Collective @HCC by Amanda Gunther

Clowns for Christmas? Why only in Howard Community College’s Arts Collective’s presentation of A Christmas Carol, written by Dickens and adapted by Doris Baizley. A proverbial circus of entertainment...

‘A Christmas Carol’ at Colonial Players by Amanda Gunther

‘Tis the season to be jolly! And jolly is indeed what Colonial Players is offering up for the holiday season with their unique time honored tradition of performing a version of Charles Dickens’...

‘It’s a Wonderful Life – A Live Radio Play’ at Maryland Ensemble Theatre (MET) by Mike Spain

When you enter the Maryland Ensemble Theatre in Frederick, Maryland this holiday season to see It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play one is instantly transported to a radio studio back in the 1940s...

‘The Holiday Guys’ at Signature Theatre by Julia L. Exline

Signature Theatre presents The Holiday Guys, a fun-filled holiday show created and performed by Broadway veterans Jeffry Denman and Marc Kudisch, with music direction by Timothy Splain. This duo’s...

Tickets on Sale for Young Artists of America’s Concert ‘Martyrs’ This Fri & Sat @ 7:30 PM by Rolando Sanz

Tickets are on sale for MARTYRS, a concert of selections from opera and musical theatre featuring characters that gave their lives for a cause. TICKETS ARE GOING FAST! There will be tickets available...

‘Seasonal Disorder’ at Washington Improv Theater by Flora Scott

I am an actress, but improv – although entirely and absolutely necessary to act organically – was not something I had ever tackled in and of itself, on it’s own turf. Thinking creatively on your feet...

‘The Foursome’ at Bay Theatre Company by Amanda Gunther

A brilliantly witty and easy comedy brings itself to the stage at Bay Theatre Company for the end of the 2012 year. A feel good funny piece coming direct from Canadian playwright Norm Foster (often...

‘Christmas Cabin of Carnaween’ at Creative Cauldron by Julia L. Exline

Creative Cauldron at ArtSpace Falls Church presents Christmas Cabin of Carnaween, an original adaptation of an old Irish folktale directed by Laura Connors Hull. The spirit of selflessness and giving...

‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’ at Providence Players of Fairfax by Julia L. Exline

Providence Players of Fairfax and The Young Hearts present The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, a fun, family-friendly production by Barbara Robinson, wonderfully directed by Beth Whitehead, who manages...

‘You Can’t Get a Decent Margarita at the North Pole’ at Grain of Sand Theatre by Jennifer Perry

Around this time of the year, it’s quite possible to experience what I like to call ‘Christmas-themed theatre overload.’ After all there’s a plethora of productions of A Christmas Carol to choose from...

30th Anniversary ‘Christmas Revels’ at George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium by Jessica Vaughan

For The Washington Revels 30th anniversary Christmas Revels, the company pulls out all the stops, tripping through the centuries in England from medieval times to the 1920s as they bring traditional...

‘How I Paid for College’ at The Hub Theatre by Francine Schwartz

The Hub Theatre should be the first stop in a long run for How I Paid for College – a ‘monologsical’ written by Marc Acito, based on his award-winning novel of the same name, and starring Alex...

‘A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas’ at Olney Theatre Center by Mike Spain

Olney Theatre Center’s production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas will appeal to those who want to see a different, original telling of the Scrooge story. This...

‘What A Girl Wants’ at Strand Theater Company by Amanda Gunther

Taking on new challenges and new works is what Strand Theater Company is all about. And What A Girl Wants is definitely a challenging new work. Playwright and Director Deletta Gillespie brings a new...

‘Annie’ at Laurel Mill Playhouse by Amanda Gunther

In this dreary economy the bright mantra ‘the sun will come out, tomorrow’ is perhaps even more profound than it was back during the stock market crash, Hoover-Roosevelt depression era. And who better...

‘JUBA! Masters of Tap and Percussive Dance’ at The Kennedy Center by Jessica Vaughan.

An impressive gathering of American tap convened at The Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater for JUBA! Masters of Tap and Percussive Dance. The Chicago Rhythm Project collected twelve performances of...

‘Barbara Cook’s Spotlight: Judy Kuhn’ at the Kennedy Center by Jennifer Perry

Three-time Tony Award nominee Judy Kuhn charmed The Kennedy Center audience last night with her technically impeccable singing, low-key yet welcoming performance style, and sweet stories about...

‘Les Liaisons Dangereuses’ at Shakespeare Theatre Company by Sydney-Chanele Dawkins

Betrayal. Seduction. Revenge. To them, it’s just a game “Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!” Sir Walter Scott’s oft-used expression on the complexities of lies and...

‘A Trip to the Moon’ at Synetic Theater by Jane Coyne

It was an evening of pure and light-hearted fun in Crystal City last night as Synetic Theater presented its latest offering, A Trip to the Moon. The show combines George Méliès’ 1902 film Le Voyage...

‘Filichia on Friday’ on Kritzerland: ‘Musical Theatre Musings’ by Peter Filichia

This is the one article that got a way this month from Columnist Peter Filichia’s column on Kritzerland called ‘Filichia on Friday.’‘ This week: Musical Theatre Musings Peter Filichia is a New...

Jennifer Knapp & Margaret Becker on “The Hymns of Christmas” Tour at Birchmere on Dec. 17th by Jennifer Perry

Growing up as pretty much a ‘church kid,’ I was certainly exposed to more than my share of Christmas music around this time of year. When I found out that two of my favorite singer-songwriters,...

‘The Tempest: Such Stuffs as Dreams are Made On’: Part 1: Meet Pallas Theatre Collective by Michael Boynton

Pallas Theatre Collective: An (Informal) Introduction By Michael Boynton Pallas Theatre Collective had its humble beginning in the Graduate Assistant Office, deep in the bowels of the Clarice...

‘Once Upon A Christmas Carol’ at Run Rabbit Run Theatre by Mark Dewey

Christmas Carol Likely to Become a Loudoun Institution There’s a moment in Once Upon a Christmas Carol, a holiday musical by Run Rabbit Run Theatre, that appears to be a mismatch. Phil Erickson, who...

Ballet West: ‘The Nutcracker’ at The Kennedy Center by Tiffany Draut

There are certain things that always signal the holiday season: among others, candy canes, Santa Claus in the mall, and The Nutcracker. The Nutcracker is the ballet of the holiday season, and Ballet...

‘Claudie Hukill’ at Venus Theatre by Amanda Gunther

Every small town has a small town hero. And for every small town hero there’s bound to be some family secrets that go along with him. Of course in a small town they probably aren’t as secret as the...

‘The Arkansaw Bear’ at The Montgomery Playhouse by Amanda Gunther

As the holidays approach it’s the time of year where we start to examine traditions. Things done in the family that celebrate the spirit of the season and help keep the memory of loved ones with us...

‘Young Robin Hood’ at Round House Theatre by Anne Tsang

The world premiere of Young Robin Hood, written by Jon Klein, at Round House Theatre, is a multi-faceted show. At first look, the production, directed by Derek Goldman, seems to be a simple story of...

‘Wonderful Life’ at The Hub Theatre and Theater Alliance at H Street Playhouse by Amanda Gunther

Every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings. The classic Christmas saying that signals the time for a trip up to cozy Bedford Falls, New York. The story is all there, perhaps not in the order you...

‘A Killing Game’ at dog & pony dc by Flora Scott

A Killing Game was weird, stirring, uncomfortable, frightening, funny, illogical, confusing, upsetting, light-hearted and gay – and collectively all so vaguely familiar. The clownish theatrical...

Tonight at “La-Ti-Do: Sam Edgerly, Angela Miller, and Sarah D. Lawson by Don Michael Mendoza

TONIGHT – MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2012 AT 8 PM La-Ti-Do At Black Fox Lounge 1723 Connecticut Avenue Northwest Washington, DC 20009 $10 cover charge at the door. Doors open at 7:50 pm for an 8 pm start....

‘Altar Boyz’ at 1st Stage by Julia L. Exline

1st Stage presents Altar Boyz, a musical comedy with a book by Kevin Del Aguila and music and lyrics by Gary Adler. Steven Royal directs this hilarious and catchy satire about a Christian boy band who...

‘The Nutcracker’ at The Washington Ballet by Carolyn Kelemen

Septime Webre’s The Nutcracker gets the jump on holiday cheer! Lavish or plain, with live music or canned, The Nutcracker is a ballet for and about kids. These were my thoughts as I sat in the...

‘Jazz for Justice’ at Hylton Performing Arts Center by Audrey Thornton

Nearly twenty-five years to the day of passage of H.CON. RES 57 (12/4/87) officially designating jazz as a rare and valuable national American treasure and art form, the George Mason University Jazz...

‘A Commedia Christmas Carol’ by Jessica Vaughan

Faction of Fools Theatre Company combines Charles Dickens and Commedia Dell’Arte this Christmas for an inspired production of A Commedia Christmas Carol. The larger than life fable with its...

‘The Santaland Diaries’ by Anne Tsang

When I was first introduced to David Sedaris in college, I was hooked from the first word by his sardonic humor. The Santaland Diaries, chronicles his adventures (or should I say mis-adventures?) as...

‘A Christmas Carol’ at The Little Theatre of Alexandria by Julia L. Exline

The Little Theatre of Alexandria presents A Christmas Carol, the beloved holiday classic by Charles Dickens about a miserly old man who is visited by three cautionary spirits on Christmas Eve. Rachel...

Eileen Ivers at Wolf Trap by Jessica Vaughan

Eileen Ivers brought down The Barns at Wolf Trap in an evening of blazing fiddles and holiday classics with her fantastic band Immigrant Soul. Eileen Ivers is a fiddle player from the Bronx, or as she...

‘Pullman Porter Blues’ at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater by Jennifer Perry

Often I find that the productions in our area that interest me the most are ones that take a lesser-known story, concept, or theme, bring it to life with extraordinary actors, and entertain local...

‘Miracle on 34th Street’ at The Montgomery Playhouse by Anne Tsang

One of my favorite holiday memories as a child was putting on a pretty dress and going to stand in the line at Macy’s in Herald Square with my cousins for our annual visit and photos with Santa. My...

‘Filichia on Friday’ on Kritzerland: ‘November Leftovers’ by Peter Filichia

This is the one article that got a way this month from Columnist Peter Filichia’s column on Kritzerland called ‘Filichia on Friday.’‘ This week: November Leftovers Peter Filichia is a New York-based...

Lar Lubovitch Dance Company at The Kennedy Center by Breena Siegel

Lar Lubovitch displays his work of artful dance at the Kennedy Center for two nights only. He is amongst the brilliant choreographers on the contemporary dance lineup for the 2012 – 2013 season. Lar’s...

‘Bus Stop’ at CENTERSTAGE by Amanda Gunther

March is sure coming in like a lion! Or so you’ll see as William Inge’s Bus Stop pulls into CENTERSTAGE for the holidays. Directed by David Schweizer, this charming story brings a blizzard to a little...

‘Dreamgirls’ at Signature Theatre by Andrew L. Baughman

“You’re gonna love me,” wails Nova Y. Payton as cast-off lead singer Effie White in the showstopper Act I finale of Signature’s Dreamgirls. Payton makes good on her promise: I do love her. In fact, I...