Reviews

Review: ‘The Gabriels’ at the Kennedy Center

For those who are familiar with Richard Nelson’s 4-play cycle, The Apple Family Plays, his The Gabriels: Election Year in the Life of One Family, now on stage at the Kennedy Center’s Lab Theatre, will...

Spine: ‘Charm’ at the Mosaic Theater Company of DC

Philip Dawkins’ Charm takes on a high order: it wants to charm you. And to do that its lead character, Mama, has to be more than charming. She has to charm your disbelief, your cynical 21st century...

Review: ‘Someone Is Going to Come’ at Scena Theatre

Scena Theatre’s Someone Is Going to Come is a tightly wound riddle about danger; the lightly concealed danger lurking in a couple’s push-pull of a relationship that is further inflamed with an...

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2016 #13: Best Direction and Musical Direction in Musicals and Best Direction of Plays in Community Theatres in DC/MD/VA

The staff of DCMetroTheaterArts Best Direction and Musical Direction in Musicals and Best Direction of Plays of 2016 in Community Theatres in DC/VA/MD Are: BEST DIRECTION AND MUSICAL DIRECTION IN...

Review: ‘Copenhagen’ at Theater J

Strange to watch a play unfold and wish that it did not feel so chillingly relevant. Or that the past it depicts never happened. Or that the moral and material uncertainty at its core did not portend...

Review: ‘Charm’ at Mosaic Theater Company of DC

If you think teaching manners to a group of outcast runaways sounds like a joke—ridiculous at best, and irrelevant or possibly dangerous at worst—then think again. Because the idea of offering lessons...

Review: ‘The Present’ at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre

In the beginning there was a play by Anton Chekov that was simply called “a long play without a title”. He’d written a first draft of it in 1878, later called it Fatherlessness. He gave it to his...

Review: ‘A Little Princess’ at Encore Stage & Studio

Growing up, one of my favorite books was Frances Hodgson Burnett’s A Little Princess, the story of an imaginative young heiress whose kindness and grace help navigate her through one of life’s...

Review: ‘The Complete History of America (abridged)’ at Vagabond Players

History can best be summed up at times with satire. Do we really want to know every detail about events past, no matter how trivial? Humor can go a long way to helping us, as Americans, laugh at...

Review: ‘Enter Laughing’ at The Players Club of Swarthmore

Enter the new year laughing out loud with the cast and crew of Enter Laughing at The Players Club of Swarthmore, directed by Paul Kerrigan! Joseph Stein’s tour de farce, inspired by Carl Reiner’s same...

Review: ‘Holden’ at New Ohio Theatre

The current remount of George & Co.’s critically-acclaimed Holden, first developed in New Ohio Theatre’s 2015 Ice Factory Festival, is as relevant and unnerving now as it was then, in a country long...

Review: ‘Twelve Angry Men’ at Sandy Spring Theatre Group and Arts on The Green

What goes on in the secret deliberations of juries? And what lessons are there for all of us in terms of group dynamics and how to persuade people? The answers to these interesting questions are the...

Review: ‘Catch Me: A Magic Dual’ at The Mayflower Hotel

DC Audiences are cramming into a Dupont Circle Hotel to catch this monthly show. After experiencing this supercalifragilisticexpialidocious performance of abracadabra, I still don’t know the answer to...

Review: ‘Red Bull Flying Bach’ at The Warner Theatre

Not a soft drink, not a circus, Red Bull Flying Bach, with music composed by Johann Sebastian Bach, and conducted by Christoph Hagel, and choreographed by Yui Kawaguchi (contemporary dance) and Vartan...

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2016 #12: Best Direction of Plays in Professional Theater in DC/MD/VA

Here are the DCMetroTheaterArts Staff’s honorees for Best Direction of Plays in Professional Theaters in 2016. Congrats to all our honorees! THE BEST DIRECTION OF PLAYS in 2016 IN DC/MD/VA ARE: Paul...

Meet the Cast of ‘The City of Conversation’ at Colonial Players of Annapolis. Part 2: Rebecca Gift

In part two of a series of interviews with the cast of The City of Conversation meet Rebecca Gift. Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell our readers where local audiences have seen you recently on...

Review: ‘Off the Top’ at The Huron Club at SoHo Playhouse

Who would have thought that a fact-filled illustrated lecture on neuroscience could form the basis of a popular and critically-acclaimed Fringe show? Or that rap music could hold appeal for...

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2016 #11: Best Performances and Ensembles in Plays and Musicals in Philadelphia, New York, Delaware, and New Jersey

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2016 #11: Best Performances and Ensembles in Plays and Musicals in Philadelphia, New York, Delaware, and New Jersey Are: Caroline Aaron as Ruth Zweigman in All the Days at...

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2016 #10: Best Direction in Musicals in Professional Theatres in DC/MD/VA

Here are the DCMetroTheaterArts Staff’s honorees for Best Direction of Musicals in Professional Theaters in 2016. Congrats to all our honorees: David James for A Christmas Carol at Toby’s The Dinner...

Review: ‘Salute to Vienna: A New Year’s Concert’ by Strauss Symphony of America at The Music Center at Strathmore

The Music Center at Strathmore celebrated the start of 2017 with Salute to Vienna. This annual tour, produced by Attila Glatz Concert Productions, featured the Strauss Symphony of America, conducted...

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2016 #9: Best Performances and Ensembles in Plays in Professional Theaters in DC/MD/VA

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2016 #9: Best Performances in Musicals in Professional Theaters in DC, MD, and VA Are: Gassan Abbas in I Shall Not Hate at Mosaic Theater Company of DC. Lizzi Albert as...

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2016 #8: Best Performances and Ensembles in Musicals in Community Theaters in DC/MD/VA

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2016 #8: Best Performances in Musicals in Community Theaters in DC/MD/VA Area: Lauren Alberg as Lucille Frank and Tommy Eyes as Leo Frank in Parade at Drama Learning...

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2016 #7: Best Performances and Ensembles in Musicals in Professional Theaters in DC/MD/VA

Here is the staff of DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2016 #7: Best Performances in Musicals in Professional Theaters in DC/MD/VA: Scean Aaron as Riff Raff in The Rocky Horror Show at Iron Crow Theatre....

Review: ‘A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder’ at The Hippodrome Theatre

From time to time in the mock-Edwardian musical farce A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder you may be reminded of the inspired antics of an old “Carol Burnett Show.” When actor John Rapson cavorts on...

‘Alfred Jarry and Ubu: An Opening Night to Remember’

“Merdre!” This elaboration on the French word “Merde!” caused a sensation in 1896, at the premiere of Ubu Roi (King Ubu) in Paris. Half the audience was revolted, half enthusiastic. Several people...

Review: ‘Mamma Mia!’ The Farewell Tour at the Merriam Theatre

With shows like Green Day’s American Idiot and Carole King’s Beautiful, musicals based off of pop hits have become more popular in recent years. However, there is one show that is the mother of...

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2016 #6: Best Plays in Professional Theaters in Philadelphia, New York, Delaware, and New Jersey

Here are the DCMetroTheaterArts Staff’s honorees for Best Plays in Professional Theaters in 2016 in Philadelphia, NYC, New Jersey, and Delaware. Congrats to all our honorees! A Moon for the...

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2016 #5: Best Plays In Community Theaters in DC/MD/VA

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2016 #5: Best Plays In Community Theaters. And the honorees are: Almost Maine at Providence Players of Fairfax. All My Sons at Vagabond Players. Amadeus at Providence...

Review: ‘We Three Kings’ at Restoration Praise Center

We Three Kings is a brilliant Biblical story with many teachable moments. Written and directed by local playwright Solon Phillips and with songs sung by Phil Simmons and Angela Bryant-Brown, We Three...

Review: ‘Ride the Cyclone’ at The Lucille Lortel Theatre

In 1964 Bob Dylan wrote that ‘the times they are a-changin’, and he might just as well have been referring to the musical theatre in America as he was to the war in Vietnam. Ever since Galt McDermott...

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2016 #4: Best Plays in Professional Theaters in DC/MD/VA

Here are the DCMetroTheaterArts Staff’s honorees for Best Plays in Professional Theaters in 2016. Congrats to all our honorees! A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas at Olney Theatre Center. A...

In the Moment: Signature Theatre’s Epic ‘Titanic’ and its Backstage Unsung Heroes

Epic refined splendor comes to mind after seeing and hearing Signature Theatre’s production of the Tony Award-winning musical Titanic. Director Eric Schaeffer’s vision and implement of such a...

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2016 #3: Best Musicals in Professional Theaters in Philadelphia, New York, Delaware, and New Jersey

BEST MUSICALS IN PROFESSIONAL THEATRES IN PHILADELPHIA, NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY, AND DELAWARE: A Bronx Tale at The Longacre Theatre. A Christmas Story: The Musical at The Media Theatre. A Taste of Things...

‘Wilde Tales’: An Interview with Director Jeremy Bloom, on the Quintessence Production

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), famous and controversial Irish playwright, novelist, essayist, and poet, also authored thought provoking fairy stories for children that appeared in various magazines. Married...

Review: ‘Oy Vey in a Manger’ at Theater J

Just in time for a soon-to-be new U.S. Presidential administration, and growing political and racial division, the all-male drag queen comedy troupe quartet The Kinsey Sicks returned to Theater J...

Review: ‘Titanic The Musical’ at Signature Theatre

There’s something fundamentally spiritual about the legend of RMS Titanic. Just as there are no atheists in a foxhole there are few to be found aboard an ocean liner going down fast in icy waters but...

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2016 #2: Best Musicals In Community Theaters in DC/MD/VA

Here are The staff of DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best Plays of 2016 in Community Theaters. Congrats to all the honorees. A Grand Night for Singing at Montgomery Playhouse and Arts on the Green. Anything Goes...

Review: ‘Happy Holidays’ With the National Chamber Ensemble

The National Chamber Ensemble’s joyful annual Happy Holidays concert was the perfect way to spread the wonderful sounds of Christmas and Chanukah. There were performances from talented musicians of...

Review: The Choral Arts Society of Washington’s ‘A Choral Arts Christmas’ at The Kennedy Center

I love choral music. I love the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. I’ve been looking forward to this performance. Everything musical was wonderful during the evening. Even as the doors opened, a small brass...

Review: ‘An Irish Carol’ at The Keegan Theatre

For the 6th year in a row, The Keegan Theatre is paying tribute to the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol, with their production of An Irish Carol. Reimagined by Keegan company member, Matthew Keenan,...

Review: ‘Broadway Up Close: Matthew Morrison’ at the Kimmel Center

Beginning a new season of Broadway Up Close concerts on Saturday at the The Kimmel Center, Seth Rudetsky hosted Broadway leading man and television’s favorite choir teacher, Matthew Morrison, for an...

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2016 #1: Best Musicals in Professional Theaters in DC/MD/VA

Here are the DCMetroTheaterArts Staff’s honorees for Best Musicals in Professional Theaters in 2016. Congrats to all our honorees! A Christmas Carol at Toby’s The Dinner Theatre of Columbia. A...

Review: Handel’s ‘Messiah’ by NSO at The Kennedy Center

Messiah is perhaps the best known of the German-born but London-settled composer George Frideric Handel. Profoundly religious, the three-part Oratorio moves from the prophecy of Christ to his death...

Spine: Pointless Theatre’s ‘King Ubu’—No, That’s Not Donald Trump You See Sitting on That Crapper

Ironically, and full of unintended consequences, while watching Pointless Theatre’s production of Alfred Jarry’s King Ubu (yes, that’s who wrote this play, translated afresh by Google), I couldn’t...

Review #2: The Christmas Revels’ ‘A Nordic Celebration of the Winter Solstice in Music, Dance, and Drama’ at Lisner Auditorium by Morgan Hoover

This Christmas Revels’ 2016 spectacle A Nordic Celebration of the Winter Solstice in Music, Dance, and Drama revisits the wonderful culture, myths, songs, dances, regional costumes of Iceland, Norway,...

Review: The Twelve Dancing Princesses’ at Camden Repertory Theatre

The Twelve Dancing Princesses, an original musical being presented by Camden Rep, teaches its young audience lessons about love, strength, forgiveness, and family ties. It also has a peppy score and a...

Review: ‘Wicked’ at The Kennedy Center

Green seems to be the everlasting black for the blockbuster Broadway musical Wicked, as its national tour returns to The Kennedy Center’s Opera House this holiday season to tell The Untold Story of...

Review: ‘In Transit’ at Circle in the Square Theatre

I first ran into this musical which deals with the lives of several New York subway commuters in 2010 when it first bounced into town onstage at the 59 East 59th Street Theatre off/Broadway. It was a...

Review: ‘King Ubu’ at Pointless Theatre Company

The season of giving? Joy to the world, peace on earth, and goodwill towards men? By the time the first snowflake actually falls, the holiday schmaltz can be as cloying as the Macy’s fragrance...

Review: ‘A Christmas Carol’ at Wolf Pack Theatre Company

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is arguably the definitive Christmas story, beating out such classics as It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, Miracle on 34th Street and The Nutcracker. Wolf...