Washington DC

Capital Fringe Review: ‘The Shirt of Happiness’ by Leslie Weisman

What is the secret of happiness? If we took everybody who claimed to have an answer to that elusive question and laid them end to end, the line would probably stretch from DC to Armenia, where this...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Legal Tender’ By Tzvi Kahn

Legal Tender consists of a series of nine narratively distinct but thematically linked vignettes executed as prose-in-performance pieces, meaning that the action unfolds with the aid of a narrator as...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Almost Together’ by Tzvi Kahn

Almost Together, the dynamic one-woman show performed by Community Theater veteran Mary Leaphart and directed by Steven Cupo, aims to chronicle its protagonist’s experience with bipolar disorder, but...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Fish Outta Water’ by Flora Scott

Fish Outta Water is a whacky and wonderful part-jam session, part-biographical narrative. More appropriately, lets call it the life story jam session. Ron Litman is the microphone and Tom Pile is the...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Violent Delights: A Shakespearean Brawl-esque Sideshow’ by JR Russ

Violent Delights: A Shakespearean Brawl-esque Sideshow, presented by Off the Quill, was a wonderful inaugural piece by the self-identified experimental theater company. The overture sets the stage of...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Polaroid Stories’ by Bev Fleisher

Make sure you see this fine ensemble before July 27th, or you will never be able to say “I knew them when ….” This production was first staged at American University as Blind Pug Arts Collective’s...

Capital Fringe Review ‘Godiva Dates and One Night Stands’ by Christina Frank

“The homeless look is not working for me” exclaims master storyteller Regie Cabico in his one-man jaunt through the raunchy trials and tribulations of dating. The subject matter is nothing new, but...

Oscar Wilde’s Salomé at SCENA Theatre at Atlas Performing Arts Center by Derek Mong

Oscar Wilde’s Salomé, directed by Robert McNamara, rounds out SCENA Theatre’s 25th anniversary season with its second production of this controversial, yet classic, biblical tale. Billed as a “tale of...

‘Damn Yankees’ at McLean Community Players by Terry Byrne

Damn Yankees is the ultimate date musical, mixing equal parts sports and romance. Men in tight pants, a loose woman hell-bent on seduction, showtune hit after hit … what’s not to like? Blessed little...

‘Video Games Live: Bonus Round’ at Wolf Trap by Yvonne French

Don’t miss this show when it next comes to town. It is quite an aural and visual experience and the people are great! The National Symphony Orchestra teamed up with video game composers for a variety...

‘Modern Terrorism: Laugh and Laugh and Tremble’ at Contemporary American Theater Festival by Mark Dewey

If I had left Thursday night’s performance of Modern Terrorism just thirty seconds earlier, it would be easy to write about, because the play itself is really good and the current production is even...

‘The Birds’ at Quotidian Theatre Company by Jane Coyne

First came du Maurier, then came Hitchcock, and now comes the DC premiere of Conor McPherson’s The Birds at Bethesda’s Quotidian Theatre Company. Good stories normally involve conflict. The Birds”is a...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Dark House’ by Flora Scott

Dark House, written by Tarpley Long, is the original title of William Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom! and the current title of her take on it. It’s the bleak account of a prominent Washington DC family’s...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘The Young Wife’ by Terry Byrne

Imagine a world in which more women composed operas. Since Francesa Caccini unveiled what is considered the first opera by a female composer in 1625 (performed in Florence to celebrate the visit of a...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘The Sensational Sans Sullivan Radio Show’ by Veronique MacRae

You have the pen to paper but the ink won’t flow. The characters are at a standstill and the time is ticking. You must have the next episode finished. What do you do? You conjure up your writing God...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Pitchin’ the Tent: Tia Nina Live at Baldacchino’ by Rick Westerkamp

Are you a fan of rock concerts, but you don’t have enough leeway in your budget to pay Verizon Center prices to see the big names? FEAR NOT concert enthusiast, because Pitchin’ the Tent: Tia Nina Live...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Fallbeil’ by JR Russ

Fallbeil, presented by Field Trip Theatre, is a must-see theatrical piece. Written by Liz Maestri and directed by Nick Vargas, Fallbeil is a historical fantasy centered around the friendship between...

‘Spin’ at Signature Theatre by Keith Tittermary

Signature Theatre somehow finds a way to keep outdoing itself. This year, they launched their brand new “Siglab” – a program “to provide writers of new musicals a chance to see their work in a...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Disco Jesus and the Apostles of Funk’ by Amanda Gunther

Can a little funk save your soul? How about the funky savior? If so then boogie on down to the Baldacchino Gypsy Tent Bar at the Capital Fringe Festival to see Disco Jesus and the Apostles of Funk. A...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Thank You for Staring’ by Veronique MacRae

The commonality of all people is life experience. Those experiences may be ones of celebration while other experiences are ones of struggle or challenge. Yet it is the challenges of life that cause us...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Rosemary and Ginger’ by Veronique MacRae

When cooking, the taste of dishes is elevated by the spices used to flavor the food. It is the savory, sweet and spicy combination that dances on the palette of the eager diner. It is the layer of...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Bully’ by Leslie Weisman

Entering the theater, we are greeted, and just this side of visually and audibly—threateningly, or unintentionally?—assaulted, by the sight and sounds of a slim, intense young man doing athletic...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Murder on the Bare Stage’ by Veronique MacRae

Dark. Powerful. Mysterious. Magnetic. Suspenseful. Stephen Mead presents a truly breath-taking and captivating performance in Murder on the Bare Stage. With the combination of classic masterpieces by...

Capital Fringe Review ‘The Human Algorithm’ by Erica Laxson

The Human Algorithm presented by Eating an Elephant Productions is a truly unique one woman show starring Cigdem Oktem that will forever change your view of people and set your sides splitting from...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Nephrectomy’ by Tzvi Kahn

The Staunch Theatre Company’s compact but psychologically acute play Nephrectomy seeks to depict the angst, insecurities, and aimlessness of three contemporary 20-somethings through the story of an...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘One Night in New York!’ by Joel Markowitz

I have never had such a good time at a Fringe musical like I had last night at the delightful, hysterical, hummable, loveable, and deliciously gay One Night in New York!. Composer, Lyricist and Book...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Urban Legends’ by JR Russ

Urban Legends, presented by the Beyond the Page Theatre Company of West Potomac High School, is a nice mix of original scenes and storytelling. Under the direction of Philip Lee Clark, this show kicks...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘The Politician’ by Francine Schwartz

The Politician is a satire poking fun at the politicians and media circus of Washington. A follow-up to The Pundit, last year’s Capital Fringe hit, it revolves around an escalating clash between a...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Married Sex’ by Sydney-Chanele Dawkins

The combination of sharing one’s vulnerability into insightful personal storytelling is not only an art. It’s a gift. Married Sex is an engaging one-woman show based on a true tale, written and...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Mark Twain’s Riverboat Extravaganza’ by Maddie Gaw

We have a few rules here at DCMetroTheaterArts, and one of those rules is to keep our reviews focused on the show that we, the reviewer, experienced. Not what the audience around us was doing, not...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Young Olympians and the Most Amazingly Awesome Adventure Ever!’ by Howard Lee Levine

Keeping the stories of Greek mythology fresh and evergreen for the present day, as well as instructive and entertaining to those of student age and older, is the tall order which Director Julie Herber...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Fireball XL’ by Justin Schneider

Here’s a quick test for you: if you start giggling when I tell you to imagine Captain Picard reading this review and shouting “There are FOUR AND A HALF stars!”, then Fireball XL is a must-see. If you...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Waiting for Orson’ by Pat Davis

Waiting for Orson is an engaging and well-acted meditation on mysticism, madness, and the confusion between the two. Camped out in Penn Station, Tristan (played by Christopher Scott Leith) is awaiting...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘The Elephant in My Closet’ by Leslie Weisman

Looking at the title of this show, you know it’s a metaphor. And even without knowing anything about what the show’s about, you probably feel sure you know what the metaphor’s for. Which makes it a...

‘The Third Breast’ at Ambassador Theater by Yvonne French

In Ambassador Theater’s The Third Breast you are transported from an idyllic commune into a militaristic cult. The harrowing journey is the hallmark of thought-provoking theater. It will make you feel...

‘The Wiz’ at Montgomery College’s Summer Dinner Theatre by Ramona Harper

“This is an amazing production” — words of one of the visibly dazzled theatergoers following opening night’s The Wiz at Montgomery College’s Summer Dinner Theatre 2013. “Toto, we’re not in Kansas...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘The Crayon King, or Learning to Share’ by JR Russ

The Crayon King, or Learning to Share, by DC Character Coalition, is much more than a tale about sharing. This playful piece is thoroughly enjoyable, whether you’re an operetta fan or not, performed...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘The Clocks’ by Grace Kim

The Clocks is quite a sensory experience and full of creativity and imagination. You’ll experience visuals, sounds, actions and activity that are all layered upon each other to tell the story in a way...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Big River (and Other Wayfaring Ballets)’ by Rick Westerkamp

If you are looking for accessible art, deeply rooted in a tradition that dates back to the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, but with unexpected, modern twists and turns, MOVEius...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘No Sex, Please’ by Jessica Vaughan

No Sex, Please local storyteller Derek Hills recounts the saga of the 28 years it took to lose his virginity in every hilarious, sometime heartbreaking, mostly humiliating detail. He touches on his...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Cabaret XXX – Who Do You Think You Are?’ by Keith Tittermary

Another steamy night in the Baldacchino Gypsy Tent Bar was courtesy of Pinky Swear Productions. This year’s annual offering, Cabaret XXXY: Who Do You Think You Are, is just what you need to get hot at...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Apples and Oranges’ by Joel Markowitz

Everything comes in twos at Apples and Oranges, directed with heart by Tim Chamberlain. In what starts out to be an interesting Pinter-esque concept, Dana and Rex are both a deaf couple (Sandra Mae...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘R.U.R.’ (Rossum’s Universal Robots) by Grace Kim

Leave it up to humankind to dream up of ways to improve life only to find that improvement biting them in the ass. In R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots), this construct is taken to the extreme. How...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Tell-Tale’ by Erica Laxson

Playwright Hunter Styles has created something truly special with Tell-Tale, a modern twist on Edgar Allan Poe’s classic short story. Directed by Carl Brandt Long and produced by Grains of Sand...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Madam Ambassador’ by Carolyn Kelemen

Madam Ambassador offers inside-the-beltway humor It helps if you are a “political junkie” or, at least, up to date on our State Department appointments to fully appreciate Madam Ambassador, a...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Carry a Big Stick’ by Erica Laxson

Carry a Big Stick produced by Bull Moose Theatre and written by playwright Paul Handy is a true political storytelling adventure. Delving into the politics of creating the Panama Canal, Director...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘The Black-Jew Dialogues’ by Leslie Weisman

“So different. So alike. Who knew?” Such is the premise of this smash hit show, which has played across not only across the country but across the ocean (of all places—given the theme—Edinburgh), with...

100 Plays Produced as CATF Kicks off Ambitious 23rd Season by Sydney-Chanele Dawkins

Over the last 22 years, the Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, and has become a leading center for the production and development of new plays, having fully...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘To Know A Veil’ by Christina Marie Frank

I would say this show is a “must see,” but “see” isn’t the appropriate term. Artistic innovator Emma Crane Jaster and her lovely ensemble played by Naima Ramos-Chapman, Selome Samuel, Kate Folsom,...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Double Freakquency’ by Justin Schneider

One of the best things about Fringe is that you have a chance to encounter shows that push the boundaries of theater. AVAdventure Production’s Double Freakquency does just that. Using dual-channel...