Reviews

‘The Government Inspector’ at Shakespeare Theatre Company by Amanda Gunther

Don’t be caught being a ‘Mayor Idiot’ by missing The Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of Nikolai Gogol’s The Government Inspector. Adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher and Directed by Michael Kahn, this...

‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ At Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Baltimore by Amanda Gunther

Go go go – to Toby’s Dinner Theater of Baltimore for their dazzling production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. You may have seen this show before...

‘Big Apple Circus’ Legendarium’ at Dulles Town Center by Mike Spain

Big Apple Circus is not a huge arena hopping spectacular and not a multiple ring show. It is a simple, one-ring circus with a focused program. They create an intimate circus experiencing claiming no...

‘The Music Man’ at Way Off Broadway by Amanda Gunther

To serve up a heaping dish of musical theatre comfort food you’ve got to know the territory! And egads do they up at the Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre as the 76 trombones march Meredith Wilson’s The...

‘Carnival of the Animals’ at The Puppet Co. by Julia L. Exline

The Puppet Co. presents Carnival of the Animals, a bilingual narrative (English and Spanish) of a piece of music composed by the great Camille Saint-Saens in 1886. Beautiful music is paired with...

‘Mother May I’ at Strand Theater Company by Amanda Gunther

You’ll find the ‘fun’ in dysfunctional at Strand Theater Company as they kick off their fifth season with the world premier of Dylan Brody’s Mother, May I. A slice of life style dramadey that takes...

‘Jekyll and Hyde’ at Synetic Theater by Doug Poms

Synetic Theater has started its new season with another spectacular show. This time the talented company takes on the classic tale of good and evil, Jekyll and Hyde, based on the novel by Robert Louis...

The National Theatre of Scotland’s ‘Black Watch’ at Shakespeare Theatre Company by Jennifer Perry

Last October, I had the great privilege of visiting Scotland on work travel. On a day off, I climbed up the very long set of stairs and visited the Edinburgh Castle and the National War Museum...

Dana Tai Soon Burgess & Company at George Washington University by Rick Westerkamp

Dana Tai Soon Burgess & Company’s 20th Anniversary performance at The Dorothy Betts Marvin Theatre is a wonderful celebration of Burgess’ career thus far, and a gentle reminder that he is not done...

‘Don Giovanni’ at Washington National Opera by Amanda Gunther

Considered to be one of the greatest operas ever composed, Don Giovanni makes its revival appearance as the second offering of The Washington National Opera’s 2012/2013 season. Housed at The John F....

‘SHAPE’ at force/collison by Joel Markowitz

In its World Premiere, Erik Ehn’s SHAPE is given a powerful, heartbreaking, funny, moving, invigorating, emotional, and visually gorgeous production by force/collison. With a powerhouse of a cast –...

‘Doing the Time Warp’- Part One: Director Jay Brock on His Vision for The Washington Savoyards’ ‘The Rocky Horror Show’

Rocky Horror initial problem: How do you put up this show? It is the question for a The Rocky Horror Show creative team. How do we effectively strike a balance between what is ingrained in Rocky...

Discount for ‘Buddha: Triumph & Tragedy In The Life of the Great Sage’ on 9/22 @7 PM

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2012 AT 7:00 PM AT THE UNDERCROFT THEATRE AT MOUNT VERNON PLACE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 900 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE, NW, IN WASHINGTON, DC. HOW TO GET TICKETS Click Here...

‘Rikki Tikki Tavi’ at Maryland Ensemble Theatre by Mike Spain

Maryland Ensemble Theatre’s Fun Company once again produces a fun, entertaining show suitable for all ages with their production of Rikki Tikki Tavi. Sarah Shulman adapts Rudyard Kipling’s classic...

$15 Tickets for ‘SHAPE’ at force/collision for 9/20-22 Performances at Atlas

force/collision is offering DC Metro Theatre Arts readers $10 off regular priced tickets ($25) for performances 9/20-9/22 at 8:00pm and 9/23 at 3:00pm for the world premiere of SHAPE by Erik Ehn...

A Special Discount For Friday, October 19th 8 PM Performance of ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ at Washington Savoyards

Check out Washington Savoyards’ IndieGogo campaign for The Rocky Horror Show.

‘Bell, Book, and Candle’ at Colonial Players by Amanda Gunther

Double double toil and trouble! There’s magic in the air with all this hocus pocus brewing over at Colonial Players as they present John Van Druten’s Bell, Book and Candle. Directed by Debbie...

Joe Jackson at The Music Center at Strathmore by Mike Spain

Joe Jackson performed a seamless mix of Duke Ellington classics and Jackson’s own songs at Strathmore on Sunday night. He began his set solo walking out to his electric piano and playing a Duke...

Sinbad, Israel Houghton, & New Breed at The Patriot Center by Mike Spain

Grace Covenant Church showed Fairfax they know how to throw a celebration: have the Pastor emcee, invite the congregation, and open the doors to the public. Start the night off with a set of music...

‘In Spite of Love’ at Gala Hispanic Theatre by Veronique MacCrae

There are many universal truths and ideas that connect persons of all backgrounds together. For instance, the language of music transcends the cultural barriers and obstacles that are encountered...

‘Suite Surrender’ at 1st Stage by Amanda Gunther

What happens when two of Hollywood’s biggest Divas end up at the same hotel for the same USO tour and they hate each other? They get booked into the same suite and chaos ensues, naturally. At least...

‘J.B.’ at The American Century Theater by Francine Schwartz

The American Century Theater’s (TACT) entertaining and colorful production of the 1958 Pulitzer Prize-winning and 1959 Tony Award-winning Best Play J.B. by Archibald MacLeish is ‘way over the Big...

‘Anna Bolena’ at Washington National Opera by Simon Chin

The Washington National Opera’s season opened Saturday with a highly anticipated role debut. Celebrated Verdi specialist Sondra Radvanovsky, in a departure from her usual spinto repertory, took on the...

‘Farragut North’ at Silver Spring Stage by Amanda Gunther

Vote Morris! Vote Pullman! Vote corruption! However, if you intend to vote – Silver Spring Stage is your polling place with their production of Beau Willimon’s Farragut North. A neck-and-neck race to...

‘Medea’ at Port City Playhouse by Jessica Vaughan

Port City Playhouse steps up with their version of Medea. The Greek tragedy by Euripides starts off their 35th Season with a hit. Port City Playhouse is a community theater based at the Lab at...

‘DC Shorts Film Festival Reviews’ by Erica Laxson

Showcase Title Stars Showcase 1 1 Why Do We Put Up With Them 4 Stars Why Do We Put Up With Them‘is a cute, animated poem that tugs all the right notes […]

‘The Bad Boys of Dance’ at Montgomery College by Carolyn Kelemen

Bad Boys get folks begging for more The Bad Boys of Dance, with guest artist Adrienne Canterna of Pretty Girls of Dance, attracts an audience looking for a fun night on the town. These fans – who were...

‘The Color Purple’ at Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia by Amanda Gunther

A joyful noise is ringing loud and clear from the rafters of Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia as the 11-time Tony Award nominated production of The Color Purple, ‘The Musical About Love’ makes its...

‘The Tempest’ at Laurel Mill Playhouse by Amanda Gunther

A storm has washed ashore one of Shakespeare’s fine comedies as Laurel Mill Playhouse presents The Tempest as the first show of their 2012/2013 season. With a powerful sorcerer, an air spirit, an...

‘DC Shorts Festival Reviews’ by Kim Moeller

Kim Moeller reviews 4 showcases of shorts: Showcase 3 A Short Film About Ice Fishing One Star This film about the supposedly routine ice fishing outing of two friends has no story except as a setup...

‘Stop Kiss’ at Fells Point Corner Theatre by Amanda Gunther

The fast-paced heart-wrenching drama of Diana Son’s Stop Kiss comes to the stage at Fells Point Corner Theatre to kick off their 2012/2013 season. Directed by Jay Gilman, the story revolves around the...

‘Rock of Ages’ at Wolf Trap by Julia L. Exline

On Sunday, September 9, 2012, Wolf Trap presented Rock of Ages, a hilariously entertaining rock musical containing twenty-eight of the 80’s greatest glam metal hits, from artists like Rock of Ages,,...

‘Invisible Man’ at The Studio Theatre by Sydney-Chanele Dawkins

‘I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me.’ – Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man Everyone at some time has walked into a room and felt invisible. Who hasn’t had a moment of...

‘The Wizard of Oz’ at KAT 2nd Stage by Mike Spain

This past Saturday afternoon’s performance of KAT 2nd Stage’s production of The Wizard of Oz at The Arts Barn in Gaithersburg was sold out. It was a family production and the Arts Barn was a welcoming...

‘Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo’ at Round House Theatre by David Friscic

There are no easy answers in Rajiv Joseph’s terrific play Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, but there is a hell of a lot of interesting questions to ponder. Now being given a superlative mounting at...

‘The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity’ by Amanda Gunther

A culturally explosive knockout is in the ring as Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company launches its 33rd seasion: My Root, My Revolution with the Pulitzer Prize Finalist play The Elaborate Entrance of Chad...

‘Funny Money’ at The Little Theatre of Alexandria by Julia L. Exline

The Little Theatre of Alexandria presents Funny Money, a British farce by Ray Cooney about an ordinary man who finds himself in an extraordinary situation. Shawn G. Byers directs this comedic...

‘Schoolhouse Rock Live!’ at Riverside Center Dinner Theater by Julia L. Exline

Riverside Center Dinner Theater presents School House Rock Live! at their Children’s “Lunch ‘n Show” Musical Theater. With a book by Scott Ferguson, Kyle Hall, and George Keating and music/lyrics by...

‘Taking Steps’ at Constellation Theatre Company by Amanda Gunther

There is nothing quite like the hilarious high brow humor of British wit. Combine that with an element of sharp, poignant physical comedy and you have Taking Steps the opening production of...

‘The 39 Steps’ at Maryland Ensemble Theatre (MET) by Amanda Gunther

150 zany characters, four actors, 1 stage. It could be none other than the two-time Tony Award-winning production Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps! And it’s sneaking its way onto the Maryland Ensemble...

‘Hamlet’ at Folger Theatre by Natalie McCabe

At the start of Shakespeare’s Globe’s production of Hamlet, the entire cast gathers onstage, with the lights up, playing instruments and singing a variation of “Little Beggar Man.” Later, in Act IV of...

‘Boom’ by Artists’ Initiative at Olney Theatre Center by Andrew L. Baughman

What if the future survival of all humanity hinged upon a single Craigslist casual encounters ad? That is the premise of Peter Sinn Nachtrieb’s Boom, currently being presented by Artists’ Initiative...

‘Paul Taylor Dance Company’ at Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center by Tiffany Draut

If tonight’s performance by the Paul Taylor Dance Company is anything to go on, this year’s season at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland College Park is going to be...

‘The American Maid’ at Victorian Lyric Opera Company by Francine Schwartz

On Friday night, I had fun at the Victorian Lyric Opera Company, where I have previously enjoyed several Gilbert and Sullivan performances. VLOC is a ambitious repetoire company specializing in...

‘Golda’s Balcony’ at The Vagabond Players by Amanda Gunther

What happens when idealism becomes power? It kills. And to save your world how many other worlds are you entitled to destroy? The shocking tension filled story of William Gibson’s Golda’s Balcony...

‘Electra’ at Mobtown Players by John Harding

After 14 seasons of new and often experimental theater, Baltimore’s Mobtown Players is busy re-inventing itself this fall with a slate of classics. If the opening night of Euripides’ Electra on...

‘Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris’ at MetroStage by Julia L. Exline

MetroStage presents Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, a musical revue of the songs of Jacques Brel, an esteemed Belgian singer-songwriter whose music has been re-imagined through...

‘Music In The Movies II’ at Signature Theatre

Signature Theatre’s Cabaret series continues with the spectacular Music In The Movies II. There’s only a few days left to enjoy a really, really, good evening listening to your favorite movie songs....

‘Don’t Bury The Story in a Musical’ by David Rohde

Every musical has a story for the audience to enjoy, so don’t bury it on stage. In the musical Li’l Abner, a rousing chorus number declares the praises of “Jubilation T. Cornpone,” a legendary general...

Ben Harper and Rickie Lee Jones at Wolf Trap by Grace Kim

The night at Wolf Trap belonged to Ben Harper. Debuting his first solo performance in a career that spans two decades, fans were treated to an acoustic jam that was pure ecstasy for the ears. Ben...