Reviews

‘Metamorphoses’ at Arden Theatre Company in Philadelphia

Watching Metamorphoses is a sensory experience. Mary Zimmerman’s play retells ancient myths with intelligence and invention, and that alone makes it memorable. But what you’ll remember most about the...

The Women’s Voices Theater Festival: ‘Hootenanny’ at Guilliotine Theatre

Hootenanny by Monique LaForce is a two-hander with an unsettling story up its sleeve. It’s a story about a man and a woman that incrementally builds nerve-fraying psychological tension from what seems...

‘The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ at Aquila Theatre at Hylton Performing Arts Center

As I walked into the bustling lobby of the Hylton Performing Arts Center to see the professional touring company Aquila Theatre’s fantastic new production of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, I...

‘Flowers Stink’ at The U.S. Botanical Garden

A middle school girl from the big city, named Liz, becomes frustrated when trying to write a poem about nature for school. But when she turns to technology to vent and tweets, “#natureisboring...

Women’s Voices Theater Festival: ‘Trish Tinkler Gets Saved’ at Unexpected Stage Company

A 40-year-old groupie of the 1980’s British rock band Whitesnake, who is severely down on her luck, wants to sleep in a convenience store while she tries to figure out how to get her life back on...

The Reel Deal: Watch Kyle Osborne’s Movie Video Reviews of ‘The Walk’ and ‘He Named Me Malala’

Here is Kyle Osborne’s Movie Video Reviews of The Walk and He Named Me Malala. WATCH THE TRAILER: Here are DC Showtimes: The Walk He Named Me Malala Check out other Movie Video Reviews by Kyle...

Jackie Evancho: ‘Awakening’ at Strathmore

As Jackie Evancho walked onstage on Saturday, October 10, 2015 at the Music Center at Strathmore to perform her “Awakening” concert, the excitement among the packed crowd was palpable, and only...

The University of Maryland Wind Orchestra and Concert Choir Perform Anton Bruckner’s ‘Mass in E Minor’ at The Clarice

When you think of a 19th century Mass, you might imagine a grandiose piece of music, featuring a large orchestra, lengthy solos and dynamic percussion. Anton Bruckner’s Mass in E Minor, composed in...

‘Carousel’ at Live Arts Maryland

The version of Carousel, with Music by Richard Rodgers and Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, presented in the recently renovated theater of Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts in Annapolis by...

‘Little Shop of Horrors’ at The Arlington Players

I have a confession to make, by the end of The Arlington Players’ production of Little Shop of Horrors, I wanted to feed the plants. With book and lyrics by Howard Ashman and music by Alan Menken,...

‘Moon Over Buffalo’ at St. Mark’s Players

St. Mark’s Players mount a hilarious production of the farce Moon Over Buffalo by local playwright Ken Ludwig. This play marked Carol Burnett’s return to Broadway in the ‘90s, and it is two funny and...

‘The Children’s Hour’ at EgoPo Classic Theater in Philadelphia

As EgoPo Classic Theater’s Artistic Director Lane Savadove said in his curtain speech, “Women play a big part of the American canon.” And the 2015-15 season’s theme, “American Giants II: Women,” a...

Megan Hilty at The Barns at Wolf Trap

It was a “Smash”-ing evening at the Barns at Wolf Trap last night as Broadway and TV star Megan Hilty lit up the stage with some of her signature songs. Hilty’s vivacious and energetic stage presence,...

‘Old Times’ at Roundabout Theatre at the American Airlines Theatre in New York City

Harold Pinter must be smiling down on 42nd Street where the Roundabout is currently presenting his Old Times at the American Airlines Theatre. For starters, that street would hardly seem an...

‘Beautiful-The Carole King Musical’ at The Kennedy Center

Beautiful–The Carole King Musical takes the audience on a ride through songs that in three minutes or so, framed and reflected many a life; especially of the Baby Boomer generation. As directed by...

The Women’s Voices Theater Festival: ‘Alice in Wonderland’ at Synetic Theater (Review #2)

If you were looking for a local troupe to put Alice’s fabled Wonderland on stage, your top choice would have to be Synetic Theater. And no wonder. Synetic’s trademark physical theater enthralls one’s...

‘Godspell’ at Montgomery College

Stephen Schwartz’ 1971 rock musical works best when it brings a “joyful noise.” Director David Gram and the cast and crew have done exactly that with this latest production. Based on the Gospel of St....

‘Poe’ at Annapolis Shakespeare Company at 1747 Pub at Reynold’s Tavern

Edgar Allan Poe remains an object of mystery and speculation over 150 years after his death. Best known for his chilling short stories and his achingly tragic poetry, Poe’s personal life is also...

Violinist Aleksey Semenenko at the Embassy of Ukraine in the Embassy Series

Hearing the rising Ukrainian violinist Aleksey Semenenko perform is like a visit to a musical laboratory. At age 25, the monstrously talented Mr. Semenenko is still exploring various approaches to...

The Reel Deal: Watch Kyle Osborne’s Movie Video Review of ‘The Martian’

Here is Kyle Osborne’s Movie Video Review of ‘The Martian.’ WATCH THE TRAILER: Here are DC Showtimes. Check out other Movie Video Reviews by Kyle Osborne.

The Women’s Voices Theater Festival: ‘Animal’ at The Studio Theatre (Review #2)

When a leading Shakespearean actor changes hats—literally—to play a neurotic housewife whose comic riffs include a paean to a ballpoint pen, that’s news. And it’s very good news indeed for...

‘Calendar Girls’ at Providence Players of Fairfax

As I walked into James Lee Community Center on the afternoon of Sunday, October 4, I filed into the theater with a rather large audience and opened my program to the director’s note, where Director...

Use Code ‘pops15’ and Save $15 for Christine Ebersole, Paige Faure & Nick Ziobro At The Amercan Pops on 10/16@8 pm at Lisner for ‘Stairway to Paradise: A Gershwin Spectacular’

LUKE FRAZIER CONDUCTS THE AMERICAN POPS IN ‘STAIRWAY TO PARADISE: A GERSHWIN SPECTACULAR’ With Tony® Award Winner Christine Ebersole, Broadway’s Paige Faure, Great American Songbook Ambassador Nick...

Nibbles and Sips Around Town: Ankara in Dupont Circle; Ambar at Barracks Row; Bibiana Welcomes a New Chef; Mason Social Pleases the Southern Palate

Ankara in Dupont Circle; Ambar at Barracks Row; Bibiana Welcomes a New Chef; Mason Social Pleases the Southern Palate Ankara is the New Turk on the Block Sorry to report we missed out on September’s...

‘The Miracle Worker’ at Aldersgate Church Community Theater

Aldersgate Church Community Theater presents William Gibson’s The Miracle Worker, directed by Eddie Page, and produced by Eddy Roger Parker and Shelagh Roberts. I’ve always loved this beautiful...

The Women’s Voices Theater Festival: ‘Can’t Complain’ at Spooky Action Theater

Over the course of the fall of 2015, more than 50 DC area theater companies will participate in the Women’s Voices Theater Festival, an event celebrating new works created by women. Through their New...

‘The Turn of the Screw’ by the Hub Opera Ensemble at Columbia Festival of the Arts

On Saturday, October 3, 2015 the Columbia Festival of the Arts, as part of their Fall Festival: The British Invasion, presented the Hub Opera Ensemble’s production of The Turn of the Screw. This is an...

The National Philharmonic’s ‘Rienzi, A Concert Opera’ at Strathmore

Artistic risk-taking in Washington extends across many genres to numerous performing groups. The region’s vocal music scene certainly got a flavor of that on Saturday night in a one-time concert...

The Women’s Voices Theater Festival: ‘Bad Dog’ at Olney Theatre Center

Olney Theatre Center celebrates the Women’s Voices Theater Festival with the Rolling World Premiere of Jennifer Hoppe-House’s black comedy, Bad Dog, directed by Jeremy B. Cohen. After ten years of...

The Women’s Voices Theater Festival: ‘Alice in Wonderland’ at Synetic Theater

Yes, a high time to be had. All you need to do is follow the simple directions; “eat me”; then “drink me.” And whoosh, with music building into powerful, echoing crescendos, I found myself swirling...

‘Company’ at Tantallon Community Players

Company, the Tony Award-winning Stephen Sondheim musical (book by George Furth), examines the pros and cons of being married vs.staying single, from a 35 year-old bachelor’s point of view, circa 1970....

‘Tiny Island’ at Washington Stage Guild

As the audience waits for the Washington Stage Guild’s Washington premiere of Michael Hollinger’s Tiny Island to begin, they look curiously at two humongous carbon-arc movie projectors posed stage...

The Women’s Voices Theater Festival: ‘When She Had Wings’ at Imagination Stage

Imagination Stage presents the world premiere of When She Had Wings, a play by Susan Zeder. Inspired by the mystery of famed aviator Amelia Earhart, this production is a proud participator in...

‘As One’ at Urban Arias

To all appearances, As One is a chamber opera about someone who transitions from the gender category he was assigned at birth into the gender category she believes she belongs in. As One presents...

The Women’s Voices Theater Festival: ‘Maytag Virgin’ at Quotidian Theatre Company

Quotidian Theatre Company kicks off its 2016 season, and its participation in the Washington, DC Women’s Voices Theater Festival, with the beautiful world premiere of playwright Audrey Cefaly’s newest...

Virginia Opera’s ‘Orpheus in the Underworld’ by Jacques Offenbach at George Mason U

I was expecting to be entertained by the Virginia Opera’s rendition of Jacques Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld, directed by Sam Helfrich, which played at George Mason University’s Center for the...

‘Bus Stop’ at Bristol Riverside Theatre in Bristol, PA

Oh, the weather outside is frightful. It’s the middle of the night on an isolated Kansas highway, somewhere between Kansas City and Topeka, and a massive winter snowstorm has stranded a group of bus...

‘The Great Gatsby’ at Rockville Little Theatre

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is considered one on the finest books in 20 th century American literature. The production, adapted for the stage by Simon Levy, is a huge project for the...

The Women’s Voices Theater Festival: ‘The Guard’ at Ford’s Theatre

Only through art do we become immortal. The Guard, commissioned by Ford’s Theatre for the Women’s Voices Theater Festival, is an original work by playwright Jessica Dickey. Jessica Dickey and The...

David Gregory on His Book ‘How’s Your Faith? An Unlikely Spiritual Journey’ at Sixth & I

David Gregory gave an insightful and even at times humorous talk on his new book How’s Your Faith? An Unlikely Spiritual Journey about his journey to faith. After leaving his job as the moderator at...

‘Kinky Boots’ at The Hippodrome Theatre

Kinky Boots is getting Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre year off on the, er, right foot. Here’s a show so full of energy and charm that it doesn’t care a fig whether you think of it as chic or trashy....

‘Educating Rita’ at Peter’s Alley Theatre Productions

Willy Russell’s play, Educating Rita is over three decades old. Reminiscent of the George Bernard Shaw play, Pygmalion, more popularly known by its musical rendition, My Fair Lady, the play tells the...

Elizabeth Gilbert on Her Book ‘Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear’ at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue

Attending an Elizabeth Gilbert speaking event is like attending a rock concert. The ardent devotion and following of her work is intense, but inspiring! I’ve been to a lot of book talks, but this was...

Dangereuse: ‘Texts and Beheadings/Elizabeth R: The Heart of a Lonely Queen’

“[I]f I were turned out of the realm in my petticoat I were able to live in any place in Christendom,” said the legendary Elizabeth I: wit, scholar, great Queen, and poet. There is no doubt that this...

‘Cabaret’ at Washington County Playhouse Dinner Theater and Children’s Theater

In a moving production and stark departure from its usual light-hearted dinner theater offerings, Cabaret at the Washington County Playhouse Dinner Theater and Children’s Theater is brilliantly...

‘Spring Awakening’ at The Brooks Atkinson Theatre in NYC

Some time between 1890 and 1891 Frank Wedekind managed to complete a play in his native German, which contained all sorts of forbidden fruits. It dealt with adolescence, puberty, sexuality, rape,...

The Reel Deal: Watch Kyle Osborne’s Movie Video Review of ‘Sicario’

Here is Kyle Osborne’s Movie Video Review of ‘Sicrario.’ Watch the Trailer: Here are DC Showtimes. Check out other Movie Video Reviews by Kyle Osborne.

‘Bhavi the Avenger’ at Convergence Theatre

Marquis D. Gibson does something in his magnetic performance as the title character in Bhavi the Avenger that I don’t recall ever seeing in theater before: he pretty much singlehandedly makes sense of...

The Women’s Voices Theater Festival: ‘No Spring Chicken’ at NextStop Theatre Company

NextStop Theatre Company’s contribution to the Women’s Voices Theater Festival is the extraordinary No Spring Chicken, written and performed by Ginna Hoben and directed by Sullivan Canaday White. This...

The Women’s Voices Theater Festival: ‘Phoebe in Winter’ at the Single Carrot Theatre

War is a horrible thing. It not only affects those who fight in the trenches, but it impacts those waiting for their loved ones at home. And once these soldiers arrive home (or don’t, in some cases),...