Reviews

‘Black Nativity’ at Theater Alliance

If it is true that theater originated as worship and ritual—as a healing form of human communion with sacred mystery—then that history is surely raising the rafters of the Anacostia Playhouse these...

‘Holiday Memories’ at WSC Avant Bard

“Imagine a morning in late November. A coming of winter morning” are the opening mood-setting words in the resplendent, gentle WSC Avant Bard production of Holiday Memories by Truman Capote. As...

‘The Rainbow Crow’ at Pumpkin Theatre

Theater for children is tricky. Five-year-olds don’t know – or care – what “theater” is. Nor do they have any preconceived expectations about what they’re “supposed” to see. Thus a good children’s...

‘Elephant & Piggies We Are in A Play!’ at The Kennedy Center

I could not say for sure whether my 6 year-old son or I had the most fun watching The Kennedy Center’s production of Elephant & Piggies We Are in A Play! We laughed, we cheered, we wiggle-waggled, and...

‘Pinocchio!’ at Faction of Fools

Italian writer Carlo Collodi’s beloved tale of Pinocchio! has been performed countless times over the past 132 years. Now, Faction of Fools Theatre Company has taken this classic story and adapted it...

‘Catone in Utica’ by Opera Lafayette at The Kennedy Center

In Opera Lafayette‘s Catone in Utica, which opened last night at The Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater, the greats have come out to sing. And Antonin Vivaldi’s opera bursts with beauty and excitement....

‘Entertaining Mr. Sloane’ at The Edge of the Universe Players 2

When a dark farce titled Entertaining Mr. Sloane opened in London in 1964, it was viewed as rude, scandalous, and repugnant because of its homosexual content and its three main characters’ blatant...

DCMetroTheaterArts’ ‘Best of 2015 Honors’ To Be Announced Shortly-A Look Back at the 2014 Honorees

We will be announcing our ‘Best of 2015 DCMTA Honors’ in the upcoming weeks. Because we will have reviewed over 1,250 shows/concerts/dance in 2015, there is a lot to choose from and to honor. But...

David London’s ‘Magic Outside the Box’ at The Writer’s Center

How many magic shows have you seen where the magician spends an inordinate amount of time making up magic words to distract you while performing his trick? Big news… David London does not use magic...

‘Black Nativity’ at Theatre Horizon in Norristown, PA

With an original twist on the classic Christmas story, Horizon Theatre’s joyful Black Nativity overflows with exuberance and heart. The book and songs are a combination of classic Christmas classics...

‘Kiss Me Kate’ at Shakespeare Theatre Company

In a perfect world, the actors and actresses of a production get along. In a perfect world, there is no backstage drama. In a perfect world, that drama does not confuse and alter a production of The...

‘Semiramide’ with Washington Concert Opera at Lisner Auditorium

The predominance of voice in the operatic tradition usually doesn’t change the need for effective staging to put the full point across. Washington Concert Opera showcased at least one exception to...

‘Cock (or The Cockfight Play)’ at Fells Point Corner Theatre

In the blood sport known as cockfighting, two roosters are placed in a ring, called a “cockpit,” and fight until one of them dies. The same thing happens, in a metaphorical sense, in Mike Bartlett’s...

Spine: ‘Pericles’ by Oregon Shakespeare Festival at Folger Theatre (Review #2)

The rarely performed Pericles by William Shakespeare, now on stage at Folger Theatre, is that even rarer of manuscripts: a folk play with epic plot, with virtuous storytelling and song, and without a...

‘The Three Musketeers (The Later Years): A Musical Panto’ at People’s Light & Theatre Company in Malvern, PA

It was when the man dressed as a woman sat on my knee that I knew this wasn’t going to be a typical night in the theater. “What’s your name?” asked Queen Agnes of Malvaria, played with a gruff voice,...

‘Sons of the Prophet’ at Theater J

Theater J’s first triumph of the season was Caleen Sinnette Jennings’ semi-autobiographical Queens Girl in the World. Its second is also loosely autobiographical: Stephen Karam’s Sons of the Prophet—a...

‘A Lump of Coal for Christmas’ at Adventure Theatre MTC

Over the Holiday Season, if you are looking to step away from the standards and experience a high-energy comedy that the whole family can enjoy, then Adventure Theatre MTC’s world premiere production...

‘Billy Elliot: The Musical’ at The Media Theatre, in Media, PA

Billy Elliot has something for every audience member: great dancing, a powerful story, lots of humor, a beautiful score, and some of the most talented young actors and dancers you will ever see on the...

‘A Tuna Christmas’ at Spotlighters Theatre

Spotlighters Theatre has gone south for the winter, spending the holidays in Texas with their production of A Tuna Christmas. Written by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears, and Ed Howard, and directed by Fuzz...

‘X’s and O’s’ at Centerstage

Testing the theory that anything critically examined from multiple perspectives will spark conflict, Centerstage’s latest production, X’s and O’s, theatrically highlights America’s love affair with...

Cellist Amit Peled and Pianist Noreen Polera with Washington Performing Arts at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

Cellist Amit Peled is one of those practitioners of “serious” music who brings a kind of pizzazz that’s probably needed in the 21st century world of what’s generically dubbed classical music. His...

‘One Thousand & One Nights’ at The Educational Theatre Company and McKinley Children’s Theatre

Recently, The Educational Theatre Company (ETC) and McKinley Children’s Theatre performed a charming production of One Thousand & One Nights. I took my three young boys and we had a night of silly...

‘Becoming Dr. Ruth’ at Walnut Street Theatre Independence Studio on 3 in Philadelphia

Becoming Dr. Ruth is a cute little show about a cute little lady. A one-woman show about Ruth Westheimer, the world’s most famous “German-French-Israeli-American” TV sex therapist, Becoming Dr. Ruth...

‘Don Giovanni’ at University of Maryland’s Maryland Opera Studio

Interesting fact –Lorenzo da Ponte , librettist for Don Giovanni, was the first professor of Italian literature at Columbia University in New York City; he was also the first ethnically Jewish member...

Barbara Cook’s Spotlight: John Lloyd Young

John Lloyd Young, Tony-Award winner and musical wonder of the Broadway never-ending (and well-deserved to be!) musical hit Jersey Boys, enthralled the crowd at The Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater...

‘A Christmas Story, The Musical’ at Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia

During intermission at A Christmas Story, The Musical, a woman sitting a few seats to my right marveled to me that her guest for the night had never seen the 1983 movie that inspired this musical....

‘Morning’s at Seven’ at The Colonial Players in Annapolis

Morning’s at Seven Delights at The Colonial Players in Annapolis Paul Osborn’s award-winning play Morning’s at Seven graces the stage at The Colonial Players in Annapolis, Maryland. The play...

‘The Impresario’ at the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music

Sheaves of music start flying and the upper octaves get higher and louder during an open opera audition. Vanity and rivalry turn into a feline fight-fest when two sopranos vie to get the best part....

‘Peter Pan: The Boy Who Hated Mothers’ by the Mason Players at GMU’s Center for the Arts

I know we all remember our first trip to Neverland, our first time meeting Peter Pan. And still without fail, every trip back is slightly different from the last. In Michael Lluberes’ adaption of...

‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” at Walt Whitman High School

Whitman Drama’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (school edition) is a superb production that demonstrates the strength and ambition of the Whitman High School Theatre program. An...

‘Dada Woof Papa Hot’ at Lincoln Center’s Mitzi Newhouse Theater

Peter Parnell has been writing plays, television scripts, books to musicals, and winning two Emmy Awards citations for his work as co–producer of The West Wing. I remember admiring his early play The...

The National Symphony Orchestra with Guest Conductor Jiri Belohlavek and Pianist Igor Levit

The National Symphony Orchestra is doing one of its best guest conductors, Jiri Belohlavek, mostly proud this week with music from his Czech homeland. In the first of its three concerts this week, the...

‘SPEKTRUM’ at Howard University

A world of color streamed with feet pointed and backs arched, amazed at the auspicious shapes; I witnessed dance prevail in SPEKTRUM, Howard University’s Dance Arts Student Showcase. Deep symbolism...

‘A Little Bit Not Normal’ at Cohesion Theatre Company

Cohesion Theatre’s second season kicked off last night with the World Premiere Production of A Little Bit Not Normal, which is also the first play in the company’s Trans* Voices Workshop Series....

‘Akeelah and the Bee’ at Arena Stage

How do you spell T-E-R-R-I-F-I-C S-H-O-W? Those of us with Millennial-generation children are used to the intensity of youth sports, like football, lacrosse or soccer, being played outdoors on a turf...

‘Big Love’ at The Catholic University of America

The façade of an Italian courtyard stands ominously on the Hartke stage as the audience files in. A single girl is seated at a table, surrounded by a bathtub and a piano. Everything is pristine and...

‘Misery’ at The Broadhurst Theatre in New York City

The title is misleading. It leads one to think the play is going to be one long groan of sadness, and that’s not what unfolds for us in its ninety minutes of playing time. “Misery” is the name of the...

‘Pericles’ at the Folger Theatre

Pericles is a night of wonder, perfect for a romantic evening or a thought-provoking night out with family or friends. Watching it is like lying in the grass watching clouds move over a beautiful blue...

Duncan Sheik and Suzanne Vega at The Barns at Wolf Trap

Last night, composer, Tony Award winner and musician Duncan Sheik opened up the show with a simple set. His set included himself with an acoustic/electric guitar/synthesizer and his drummer and piano...

‘Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella’ at The National Theatre

It truly was “A Lovely Night” at the National Theater on Thursday, November 18th, as Cinderella won over not only the prince, but the entire audience. Between the charm of the Rodgers and Hammerstein...

Madeleine Peyroux at The Barns at Wolf Trap

Last night, jazz virtuoso Madeleine Peyroux shared her enormous talent with an appreciative crowd that held onto her every note. Peyroux’ witty comedic chops were also on display between and even...

‘Argonautika’ at Howard Community College by Lisa Carol

Hurry to the nearest port to set sail with Jason and his Argonauts before it’s too late! Catch Howard Community College’s Theatre Program production of Argonautika, which only has three performances...

‘It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play’ at Washington Stage Guild

Live Radio Play Injects Comedy into a Christmas Classic Washington Stage Guild is presenting an entertaining radio play version of the 1940’s classic holiday film It’s a Wonderful Life. This retelling...

‘See Between The Lines’ by Jane Franklin Dance at Dance Place

Jane Franklin Dance presented three performance pieces last night at Dance Place: “Incidence,” “Nested, and “Wash Over You, Part 1.” As a whole, they are entitled See Between The Lines. Rooted in...

‘Dangereuse’: ‘Appomattox’ at The Kennedy Center by Sophia Howes (Review #2)

In the wake of Ferguson and the Black Lives Matter movement, it is the perfect time for an opera which tells the truth about race in America—Appomattox. Philip Glass, the internationally acclaimed...

‘Appomattox’ at Washington National Opera by David Friscic (Review #1)

Oh, the tears, trauma and travail of the issues brought to the fore in the revised World Premiere of the opera Appomattox at the Kennedy Center Opera House Friday night. This challenging World...

‘American Idiot’ at Beyond the Page Theatre Company at West Potomac High School

The Beyond the Page Theatre Company at West Potomac High School rose to the daunting challenge of taking on Green Day’s American Idiot to great success, crafting a polished production that explored...

‘Mountain: The Journey of Justice Douglas’ at Bristol Riverside Theatre in Bristol, PA

If you don’t know anything about William O. Douglas (1898-1980), the man who served on the United States Supreme Court longer than any other justice, Douglas Scott’s play Mountain: The Journey of...

‘Jekyll & Hyde in Concert’ at Young Artists of America at The Clarice

If ever anyone is in doubt of the future of the arts, go and see a production by the Young Artists of America (YAA). Celebrating its 5th anniversary this coming year, YAA took on the chilling tale of...

‘La Bohème’ at Virginia Opera at the GMU Center for the Arts

La Bohème takes place in winter, between Christmas Eve and February. Director Kyle Lang has set the Virgina Opera’s current production in the year 1939-40, World War II, after the fall of Poland and...