Reviews

Review: ‘A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas’ at Olney Theatre Center

Surely, Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is the definitive Christmas story—at least, in the fiction category—and Paul Morella’s scrumptious and spooky adaptation has become a perennial favorite. Adapted...

Review: ‘The Brownings’ at Orbiter 3

It’s long been said that in order to be a writer, one must be at least a little crazy. Well, they don’t get any crazier than the great Victorian poets Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning....

Review: ‘Peter Pan’ at the Arden Theatre

Arden Children’s Theatre opens its 20th Anniversary Season with a delightful production of Peter Pan, adapted for the stage by Douglas Irvine, and based on J.M. Barrie’s books. Whit MacLaughlin...

Review: ‘The Goodies’ at Iron Crow Theatre

The Goodies, a devised play conceived by Director Susan Stroupe and the eight women of color who have taken on the roles of the main characters, is a challenging and thought-provoking look at how...

Review: ‘Madeline’s Christmas’ at Creative Cauldron

The twelve little girls in two straight lines of Ludwig Bemelmans’ beloved children’s series have taken the stage this holiday season in Creative Cauldron’s Madeline’s Christmas. With book and lyrics...

Review: ‘It’s a Wonderful Life a Live Radio Play’ at the Laurel Mill Playhouse

It’s a Wonderful Life is a classic. One we want to see every holiday season. Growing up, it was a household staple for us even though we were Jewish. The theme, the importance of kindness, the meaning...

Review: ‘Hansel and Gretel’ at Synetic Theater

Synetic Theater presents a imaginative re-telling of a beloved classic with their wordless production of Hansel and Gretel. Directed and choreographed by co-adaptors Tori Bertocci and Elena Velasco,...

Review: ‘The Girl of the Golden West’ at the Virginia Opera

Giacomo Puccini never met a foreign culture that he didn’t try to set to music. His operas set in Japan (Madama Butterfly) and China (Turandot) are celebrated as masterpieces. Less celebrated is his...

Review: ‘Peekaboo! A Nativity Play’ at the Hub Theatre

Want to wish yourself a Merry Little Christmas and a Happy New Year in a new way? Then for those with a bent for the uncommon, consider taking in a contemporary retelling of the Biblical Nativity...

Review: ‘Where Has Tommy Flowers Gone?’ at The WorkShop Theater

One of the early, less-familiar works by Tony Award-winning playwright and librettist Terrence McNally (famed for his highly-acclaimed Love! Valour! Compassion!, Master Class, Kiss of the Spider...

Review: ‘Black Girl: Linguistic Play’ at The Kennedy Center

A lone bass guitar player, Electric Bassist Tracy Wormworth, is highlighted in a stream of light. He is seen at a distance and the sound is like a fluttering thought, familiar but quickly dissolving...

Review: ‘The Man Who Came to Dinner’ at Prince George’s Little Theatre

What can you say about a character who was on a first name basis with Walt Disney and Mahatma Ghandi? A character who dominated the radio airwaves, read plays, wrote books, who often slept until noon,...

Review: ‘Amazing Grace’ at the Museum of the Bible

A gorgeous production of a glorious musical in a grand new DC theater. What’s not to love? The new hall for performing arts is the 472-seat World Stage Theater, high up on the fifth floor of the new...

Review: ‘The Sea Cadet’ and ‘A Trip to Africa’ at Concert Operetta Theater

Concert Operetta Theater moved into new artistic territory with its November production of two unfamiliar operettas. Daniel Pantano’s Philadelphia company teamed up with a European organization led by...

Review: ‘My Fair Lady’ at Quintessence Theatre

Quintessence Theatre has built a strong reputation as a home for classic drama. But now they’ve dived into the American Musical Theatre canon in a big way by staging one of the most popular and...

Review: ‘This Is the Week That Is’ at 1812 Productions

If you’re looking for an evening of escapist entertainment at the theater this holiday season, 1812 Productions’ twelfth installment of its perennial hit This Is The Week That Is provides the...

Review: ‘Annie’ at Charm City Players

Five years on, Charm City Players Annie-versary production of Annie closes to a nearly sold out house. Reviewed by James Gilbert On Sunday, November 26, I was able to see the closing performance of...

Review: ‘Miracle on 34th Street: The Musical’ at Toby’s Dinner Theatre

It doesn’t exactly live up to its billing as a miracle, but Miracle on 34th Street: The Musical at Toby’s Dinner Theatre has its heart in the right place. It is a lovely way to gather the family...

Review: ‘Brigadoon’ at New York City Center

I was about to resignedly sigh about another tired revival of a favorite musical from the Golden Age, when along came Brigadoon from the remarkable New York City Center “Encores!” series to force me...

Review: ‘Who’s Holiday!’ at Westside Theatre

If your fond childhood memories include Dr. Seuss The Grinch, his dog Max, and a Ville filled with Whos You might like a sequel from 40 years hence Though if you’re a Grinch, too, you might take...

Review: ‘Disney’s Beauty and the Beast’ at The Media Theatre

“Tale as old as time”? If you’re the parent of a young child who has watched a certain Disney animated film on video over and over and over, it might seem that way. But when you take that child – or...

Philadelphia’s ‘Christmas Village’ Returns to LOVE Park

Now celebrating its tenth year, Philadelphia’s Christmas Village – an open-air German-style holiday market – returns to the newly restored LOVE Park with more than 80 vendors offering authentic food,...

Review: ‘A Christmas Carol’ at Annapolis Shakespeare Company

Annapolis Shakespeare Company’s production of A Christmas Carol is a fun, faithful translation of Charles Dickens’ famous holiday classic. Adapted by Sally Boyett and Donald Hicken, and directed by...

Review: ‘The Miser’ at The Stagecrafters Theater

A play by Moliere in the Philadelphia area? Be still my heart! I took a quick unscientific survey in the lobby, prior to the performance, and discovered that not many visitors to The Miser, presented...

Review: ‘Harry Clarke’ at The Vineyard Theatre

Only on rare occasion have I found a one-man (or woman) play rich enough for my blood. I do recall John Gielgud’s mesmerizing performance in Shakespeare’s Ages of Man, and there have been some plays...

Review: ‘Office Hour’ at The Public

The playwright Julia Cho now has Office Hour on at the Public Theatre, but she has been a steady and welcome contributor to the contemporary scene for some time. Works of hers have been produced at...

Review: ‘A Child’s Christmas in Wales and Other Stories’ at Washington Stage Guild

Dylan Thomas–known in the theatre world for his radio play, Under Milkwood, and in the prose world for Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog, and in the poetry world for “Do Not Go Gentle into that...

Review: ‘A Christmas Carol’ at Kensington Arts Theatre

Reviewed by Meredith Fogle Prepare to be swept into the holiday spirit alongside Ebenezer Scrooge by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future in Kensington Arts Theatre’s production of A...

Review: The Philadelphia Orchestra Gives a Haydn Masterpiece a Local Premiere

The programming of music by Haydn is unusual for The Philadelphia Orchestra. The choice is even more surprising coming from conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who is more associated with modern...

Review: ‘The Wizard of OZ’ at Greenbelt Arts Center

Greenbelt Arts Center’s The Wizard of OZ, directed by Jon Gardner, is the epitome of joy, happiness, and sunshine; a theatrical ride to magic and wonder. With lyrics and music by Harold Arlen and E....

Review: ‘A Night with Janis Joplin’ at the Strathmore

If any singer from the hippie era could take a little piece of your heart, it was the legendary Janis Joplin. In A Night with Janis Joplin, the story of the iconic rock star emblazoned the stage of...

Review: ‘The Portuguese Kid’ at the Manhattan Theatre Club

Jason Alexander was a Broadway baby long before he achieved fame on Seinfeld, but he’s had trouble re-establishing himself even though he’d appeared in Merrily We Roll Along, The Rink, Jerome Robbins’...

Review: The Kansas City Ballet’s ‘The Nutcracker’ at The Kennedy Center

The Kansas City Ballet’s The Nutcracker, with its classic composition by Tchaikovsky and choreographed by Artistic Director Devon Carney, is a stunning and opulent spin on a classic ballet. This...

Dangereuse: ‘Twelfth Night’ at the Shakespeare Theatre Company – Present Mirth Hath Present Laughter

Many consider Twelfth Night Shakespeare’s supreme achievement in comedy. It is also one of his most popular and frequently produced plays. George Bernard Shaw, who hated Shakespeare, described it as a...

Review: ‘The Exterminating Angel’ at the Metropolitan Opera

Metropolitan Opera audiences, paying up to $393 for a ticket, can relate to the wealthy party guests in The Exterminating Angel. And so do some prestigious critics, who called this “the one opera to...

Review: ‘Crimes of the Heart’ at Curio Theatre Company

Curio Theatre Company’s production of Beth Henley’s Pulitzer Prize winning tragicomedy, Crimes of the Heart, is the dark and hilarious tale of the Magraths — as twisted a set of sisters as you will...

Review: ‘Me…Jane: The Dreams & Adventures of Young Jane Goodall’ at the Kennedy Center

The story of Jane Goodall – primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist – has been told numerous times in various media forms. The British born naturalist is said to be the leading expert on...

Review: ‘My Name is Asher Lev’ at 1st Stage

From the beginning of the 1st Stage production of My Name is Asher Lev, we are told that the young Asher is an amazingly gifted artist. Asher, who is played by Lucas Beck, narrates the play, and every...

Review: ‘Bound to the Rocks’ at Charm City Fringe Festival

Bound to the Rocks, written by Laura Katherine Hayes and produced by Something About KAZ, deals with domestic violence in a relationship. Based on the music of Sylvan Esso, this play is full of...

Review: ‘Finding Neverland’ at the Academy of Music

I went into Finding Neverland with high hopes. I had been enchanted by the 2004 film from which this musical has been adapted. The story, based on a play by Allan Knee, follows the (highly...

Review: Christian Sands in Discovery Artist at the KC Jazz Club

Jazz pianist Christian Sands appeared at the KC Jazz Club last Friday evening with drummer Jerome Jennings and bassist Eric Wheeler: together, the pulse and rifts and energy lifted both heart and...

Review: ‘Christmas at the Old Bull & Bush’ at Metro Stage

One of the best parts of the holiday season is being transported to another time and place, putting our worries on hold, and enjoying the moment with friends and family. Christmas at the Old Bull &...

Review: ‘Frosty the Snowman’ at Adventure Theatre MTC

Adventure Theatre MTC presents Frosty the Snowman, written by William Francis, with additional dialogue and lyrics Jason Schlafstein and Kenny Neal. Schlafstein also directs this production alongside...

Review: ‘A Midnight Dreary’ by We Happy Few Productions

A Midnight Dreary is a promenade-style event that will have you on your feet, enjoying a drink, and experiencing Edgar Allan Poe’s stories like never before. The performance, directed by Bridget Grace...

Review: Broadway-Bound ‘Mean Girls’ at the National Theatre

It’s fun, it’s pink, it’s very Tina Fey. The pre-Broadway world premiere of Mean Girls officially opened at the National Theatre last night. Judging from the excitement in the theater (care to wait in...

Review: ‘Harry Clarke’ at Vineyard Theatre

At the core of all great theater is the art of great storytelling. Harry Clarke, a solo show with a compelling story told by a riveting actor in a tour-de-force performance, is just that. Now in its...

Review: ‘Twelfth Night’ at Shakespeare Theatre Company

Shakespeare Theatre Company has set Twelfth Night inside of an airport lounge, and why shouldn’t they, it is their production, not ours, and Lee Savage’s design is a marvel of verisimilitude, so it...

Review: ‘Rasheeda Speaking’ at Allens Lane Theater

The setting is ordinary – an office with two desks side by side. The desks are covered with plants, knickknacks, and piles of paperwork. The sort of thing we see every day in corporate America. But...

Review: André Watts with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at Strathmore Music Center

André Watts brought an ecstatic audience to its feet after his magnificent performance of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s beloved Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor. Playing with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra...

Review: ‘Coffin in Egypt’at Quotidian Theatre Company

Anyone who thinks that storytelling is a lost art should hurry on over to the Quotidian Theatre Company, where Jane Squier Bruns is now holding forth in A Coffin in Egypt, Horton Foote’s masterfully...