Washington DC

Nnenna Freelon at The KC Jazz Club at The Kennedy Center by Francine Schwartz

The KC Jazz Club featured Nnenna Freelon in their cabaret style venue last night. Those of you who attended the Thelonius Monk Competion in September, also at The Kennedy Center, surely recall her...

‘A Christmas Chaos’ at Elden Street Players Theatre for Young Audiences by Kim Moeller

I asked Santa for a really good, affordable, theater production that is appropriate for younger audiences and, at the same time, fun for adults too. Thankfully, Santa granted me my wish and brought me...

‘Les Misérables’ at The National Theatre by Jennifer Perry

I was one of those girls that belted out “On My Own” incessantly in my bedroom as a teenager and have been a bit of a Les Mis junkie since first hearing many of its most recognizable songs in high...

‘Christmas Gift!’ at Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center by Audrey Thornton

A Celebration of African American Holiday Traditions Through Music and Spoken Word The premiere was, as they say, “all that.” Before an appreciative fully engaged audience Director and artistic...

‘The Princess and the Sprout’ at The British Players by Mark Dewey

British Players Do Holiday Vaudeville Attending The Princess and the Sprout is a little like popping in for a Christmas toddy with the kooky neighbors – the British – and discovering they’ve planned...

My Favorite Quotes From DCMTA’s 5 Star ‘Best Shows’ for December 8-14th

Here’s my favorite quotes from our 5-star reviews of our ‘Best Shows’ for December 8-14th. Here we go! (1) Barbara Cook’s Spotlight: Judy Kuhn at The Kennedy Center. Jennifer Perry: “Likewise, her...

Final Performance Tonight for ‘MARTYRS’ at Young Artists of America

Tonight at 7:30 PM at Sandy Spring Friends School – come see Young Artists of America’s MARTYRS, a concert of selections from opera and musical theatre featuring characters that gave their lives for a...

‘White Christmas’ at The Kennedy Center by Amanda Gunther

At this festive time of year we all hope that our days are merry and bright. But if you truly wish for the seasonal sentiment to reach out and touch your heart the place to go is The John F. Kennedy...

The Tempest: Such Stuff as Dreams Are Made On Pt. 2:’Views from the Chessboard’ by Tracey Elaine Chessum, Ph.D.

Last week, co-Artistic Director Mike Boynton gave you an overview of Pallas Theatre Collective’s mission and history. This week, we’d like to offer you an inside look at the creation of our newest...

Tonight and Tomorrow Night at 7:30 PM Young Artists of America’s ‘MARTYRS’ at Sandy Spring Friends School

Tonight and tomorrow at 7:30 PM at Sandy Spring Friends School – come see Young Artists of America’s MARTYRS, a concert of selections from opera and musical theatre featuring characters that gave...

Coming to La-Ti-Do on Monday, December 17th at 8 PM by Don Michael Mendoza

MONDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2012 AT 8 PM La-Ti-Do At Black Fox Lounge 1723 Connecticut Avenue Northwest Washington, DC 20009 $10 cover charge at the door. Doors open at 7:50 pm for an 8 pm start. It’s that...

Final Weekend for Providence Players of Fairfax’s ‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’ by Chip Gertzog

Thursday Evening Performance Tonight – Four Shows This Weekend – Audiences Love The Best Christmas Pageant Ever!! ONLY FIVE PERFORMANCES REMAIN – CLOSING WEEKEND Produced in partnership with the Young...

‘Tomfoolery’ musical to Open at Elden Street Players January 25th By Matthew Thompson

Tomfoolery musical to Open at Elden Street Players January 25th with Apologies from Producer; Tom Lehrer to Blame Although many of those involved with Elden Street Players had high hopes for the 25th...

‘A Christmas Carol’ at Colonial Players by Amanda Gunther

‘Tis the season to be jolly! And jolly is indeed what Colonial Players is offering up for the holiday season with their unique time honored tradition of performing a version of Charles Dickens’...

‘It’s a Wonderful Life – A Live Radio Play’ at Maryland Ensemble Theatre (MET) by Mike Spain

When you enter the Maryland Ensemble Theatre in Frederick, Maryland this holiday season to see It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play one is instantly transported to a radio studio back in the 1940s...

‘The Holiday Guys’ at Signature Theatre by Julia L. Exline

Signature Theatre presents The Holiday Guys, a fun-filled holiday show created and performed by Broadway veterans Jeffry Denman and Marc Kudisch, with music direction by Timothy Splain. This duo’s...

Tickets on Sale for Young Artists of America’s Concert ‘Martyrs’ This Fri & Sat @ 7:30 PM by Rolando Sanz

Tickets are on sale for MARTYRS, a concert of selections from opera and musical theatre featuring characters that gave their lives for a cause. TICKETS ARE GOING FAST! There will be tickets available...

James Gardiner and the Cast on ‘Finishing the Hat: A Tribute to Stephen Sondheim’

This is my second semester as an adjunct professor of theatre at George Mason University, where I teach a Musical Theatre Workshop. Edward Gero, Professor of Theatre, and Ken Elston, Chair of the...

‘The Foursome’ at Bay Theatre Company by Amanda Gunther

A brilliantly witty and easy comedy brings itself to the stage at Bay Theatre Company for the end of the 2012 year. A feel good funny piece coming direct from Canadian playwright Norm Foster (often...

Alan Wade to Serve as Interim Artistic Director of Olney Theatre Center by Laura Assendio

Olney Theatre Center Begins Search for New Artistic Director Olney Theatre Center announces that Martin Platt is no longer serving as the Artistic Director of the Theatre. An Artistic Director search...

‘Christmas Cabin of Carnaween’ at Creative Cauldron by Julia L. Exline

Creative Cauldron at ArtSpace Falls Church presents Christmas Cabin of Carnaween, an original adaptation of an old Irish folktale directed by Laura Connors Hull. The spirit of selflessness and giving...

‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’ at Providence Players of Fairfax by Julia L. Exline

Providence Players of Fairfax and The Young Hearts present The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, a fun, family-friendly production by Barbara Robinson, wonderfully directed by Beth Whitehead, who manages...

‘You Can’t Get a Decent Margarita at the North Pole’ at Grain of Sand Theatre by Jennifer Perry

Around this time of the year, it’s quite possible to experience what I like to call ‘Christmas-themed theatre overload.’ After all there’s a plethora of productions of A Christmas Carol to choose from...

30th Anniversary ‘Christmas Revels’ at George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium by Jessica Vaughan

For The Washington Revels 30th anniversary Christmas Revels, the company pulls out all the stops, tripping through the centuries in England from medieval times to the 1920s as they bring traditional...

‘A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas’ at Olney Theatre Center by Mike Spain

Olney Theatre Center’s production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas will appeal to those who want to see a different, original telling of the Scrooge story. This...

Vpstart Crow Productions Takes Final Bow by Shellie Jablonowski

Vpstart Crow Productions Takes Final Bow It was with great sadness that I read this announcement today. Vpstart Crow Productions had produced so many fine productions and we were honored to have seen...

‘Annie’ at Laurel Mill Playhouse by Amanda Gunther

In this dreary economy the bright mantra ‘the sun will come out, tomorrow’ is perhaps even more profound than it was back during the stock market crash, Hoover-Roosevelt depression era. And who better...

‘JUBA! Masters of Tap and Percussive Dance’ at The Kennedy Center by Jessica Vaughan.

An impressive gathering of American tap convened at The Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater for JUBA! Masters of Tap and Percussive Dance. The Chicago Rhythm Project collected twelve performances of...

‘Collision Course – a.k.a. Pillow Talk’ at George Washington University by Rick Westerkamp

Collision Course – a.k.a. Pillow Talk, choreographed by Maida Withers and performed by the Maida Withers Dance Construction Company (MWDCC), is a beautifully complex and thought-provoking piece of...

‘Barbara Cook’s Spotlight: Judy Kuhn’ at the Kennedy Center by Jennifer Perry

Three-time Tony Award nominee Judy Kuhn charmed The Kennedy Center audience last night with her technically impeccable singing, low-key yet welcoming performance style, and sweet stories about...

‘Les Liaisons Dangereuses’ at Shakespeare Theatre Company by Sydney-Chanele Dawkins

Betrayal. Seduction. Revenge. To them, it’s just a game “Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!” Sir Walter Scott’s oft-used expression on the complexities of lies and...

‘A Trip to the Moon’ at Synetic Theater by Jane Coyne

It was an evening of pure and light-hearted fun in Crystal City last night as Synetic Theater presented its latest offering, A Trip to the Moon. The show combines George Méliès’ 1902 film Le Voyage...

Jennifer Knapp & Margaret Becker on “The Hymns of Christmas” Tour at Birchmere on Dec. 17th by Jennifer Perry

Growing up as pretty much a ‘church kid,’ I was certainly exposed to more than my share of Christmas music around this time of year. When I found out that two of my favorite singer-songwriters,...

‘The Tempest: Such Stuffs as Dreams are Made On’: Part 1: Meet Pallas Theatre Collective by Michael Boynton

Pallas Theatre Collective: An (Informal) Introduction By Michael Boynton Pallas Theatre Collective had its humble beginning in the Graduate Assistant Office, deep in the bowels of the Clarice...

SCENA Celebrates its 25th Anniversary with December 16th Gala by Monica Jilling

SCENA Celebrates its 25th Anniversary December 16th with a Gala Event featuring international artists Washington’s premiere cultural institution for international drama is celebrating its 25th...

Molotov Theatre Group Restructures Executive Leadership

Effective January 01, 2013, Michael Wright, founding Artistic Director of SeeNoSun OnStage, will join Molotov Theatre Group as Co-Artistic Director. “I have always admired the artistic and critical...

Ballet West: ‘The Nutcracker’ at The Kennedy Center by Tiffany Draut

There are certain things that always signal the holiday season: among others, candy canes, Santa Claus in the mall, and The Nutcracker. The Nutcracker is the ballet of the holiday season, and Ballet...

Anthony Rapp, Eleasha Gamble, and Heidi Blickenstaff at ArtSpeak Tonight at BCC High School at 7 PM

Tonight at 7 PM at Bethesda Chevy Chase High School – Anthony Rapp (RENT), Heidi Blickenstaff (Title of Show) and Eleasha Gamble (Oklahoma!) will be the special guests at ArtSpeak – a program...

Andrew Varela on Playing Javert in ‘Les Miserables’ at The National Theatre by Joel Markowitz

The 25th Anniversary production of Les Misérables will be playing at The National Theatre from December 13-30th. I am a Les Miz fanatic and have the seen the show over 20 times and one of my all-time...

‘Claudie Hukill’ at Venus Theatre by Amanda Gunther

Every small town has a small town hero. And for every small town hero there’s bound to be some family secrets that go along with him. Of course in a small town they probably aren’t as secret as the...

‘The Arkansaw Bear’ at The Montgomery Playhouse by Amanda Gunther

As the holidays approach it’s the time of year where we start to examine traditions. Things done in the family that celebrate the spirit of the season and help keep the memory of loved ones with us...

Daniel Cooney on Playing Bill Austin in ‘Mamma Mia!’ on Broadway by Joel Markowitz

I have been a big fan of Daniel Cooney since I saw him play Edgar Allan Poe and The Baker in Signature Theatre’s productions of Nevermore and Into the Woods. Recently, I was happy to learn that Daniel...

‘Young Robin Hood’ at Round House Theatre by Anne Tsang

The world premiere of Young Robin Hood, written by Jon Klein, at Round House Theatre, is a multi-faceted show. At first look, the production, directed by Derek Goldman, seems to be a simple story of...

‘Wonderful Life’ at The Hub Theatre and Theater Alliance at H Street Playhouse by Amanda Gunther

Every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings. The classic Christmas saying that signals the time for a trip up to cozy Bedford Falls, New York. The story is all there, perhaps not in the order you...

‘A Killing Game’ at dog & pony dc by Flora Scott

A Killing Game was weird, stirring, uncomfortable, frightening, funny, illogical, confusing, upsetting, light-hearted and gay – and collectively all so vaguely familiar. The clownish theatrical...

Tonight at “La-Ti-Do: Sam Edgerly, Angela Miller, and Sarah D. Lawson by Don Michael Mendoza

TONIGHT – MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2012 AT 8 PM La-Ti-Do At Black Fox Lounge 1723 Connecticut Avenue Northwest Washington, DC 20009 $10 cover charge at the door. Doors open at 7:50 pm for an 8 pm start....

Tonight at 7 PM: Signature Theatre Hosts Concert & CD Release Party for Sandy Bainum’s ‘This Christmas’

Signature Theatre Hosts Concert & CD Release Party for Sandy Bainum’s This Christmas Tonight Tonight, December 3, 2012 at 7 PM, Signature Theatre welcomes singer and actress Sandy Bainum (Show Boat...

‘Altar Boyz’ at 1st Stage by Julia L. Exline

1st Stage presents Altar Boyz, a musical comedy with a book by Kevin Del Aguila and music and lyrics by Gary Adler. Steven Royal directs this hilarious and catchy satire about a Christian boy band who...

‘The Nutcracker’ at The Washington Ballet by Carolyn Kelemen

Septime Webre’s The Nutcracker gets the jump on holiday cheer! Lavish or plain, with live music or canned, The Nutcracker is a ballet for and about kids. These were my thoughts as I sat in the...

‘Jazz for Justice’ at Hylton Performing Arts Center by Audrey Thornton

Nearly twenty-five years to the day of passage of H.CON. RES 57 (12/4/87) officially designating jazz as a rare and valuable national American treasure and art form, the George Mason University Jazz...