Washington DC

Review: ‘Girl in the Red Corner’ at The Welders

Among the adages that keep women put down and passive is the one that goes, “Good girls don’t fight.” It’s a specious presumption that infects culture like an immobilizing toxin. It’s an addle-brained...

Review: ‘La Cage aux Folles’ at Other Voices Theatre

With music and lyrics by Jerry Herman and a book by Harvey Fierstein, La Cage aux Folles running at Other Voices Theatre is a splendid spectacle stuffed with laughs and many poignant moments about the...

Meet the Cast of Avant Bard’s ‘TAME.’ Part 3: Jill Tighe

In Part 3 of a series of interviews with the cast of Avant Bard’s production of TAME., meet Jill Tighe. Joel: Where have local audiences seen you perform recently on stage? Jill: The last play I did...

Meet the Cast of ‘Postmortem’ at Montgomery Playhouse: Part 5: Nora Zanger

In Part 5 of a series of interviews with the cast of The Montgomery Playhouse’s Postmortem, meet Nora Zanger. Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell our readers where they may have seen you perform...

Review: ‘Dinner With Friends’ at Greenbelt Arts Center

‘Dinner With Friends’ serves broken relationships, dreams Why do people break up, but never make up? Is having kids a sacrifice or a blessing? Are some people not just built for marriage? Is marriage...

Review: ‘American Hero’ at Rep Stage

In its area premiere of American Hero, Rep Stage has sent out a likable little David to do battle with the soulless Goliath of modern corporate culture. While playwright Bess Wohl accomplishes no...

Review: ‘STREB Extreme Action’ at The Kennedy Center

Fans of STREB Extreme Action were out in force last night at The Kennedy Center. Enthusiasm in the Eisenhower Theater was at a fervor one might find at a rave or rock gig. The singular choreographic...

Review: ‘Shrek: the Musical’ at Rockville Musical Theatre

Rockville Musical Theatre’s Shrek, the Musical is a large-scale, glitzy, theatrical extravaganza. This production has got it all: Belting performers, elaborate sets and eye-catching costumes. Director...

Review: ‘Postmortem’ at Montgomery Playhouse

In partnership with Montgomery Playhouse, Arts on the Green presents Postmortem, a thrilling mystery by Ken Ludwig. Unravelling the relationships between cast members on holiday in a whodunit within a...

Review: ‘Wind Me Up, Maria!: A Go-Go Musical’ at Georgetown University

There’s a delectable new musical in town celebrating a distinctive genre of music called Go-Go, and it’s gotta be one of the most go-to fun times to be had in DC right now. The show is in the splendid...

Meet the Cast of ‘Dinner with Friends’ at Greenbelt Arts Center: Part 2: Jenna Jones Paradis

In Part 2 of a series of interviews with the cast of Greenbelt Arts Center’s Dinner with Friends, meet Jenna Jones Paradis. Joel: Please tell our readers where they may have seen your work on our...

Review: Prokofiev’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ with the National Symphony Orchestra at The Kennedy Center

Something of a high-stakes atmosphere pervades this week’s concerts by the National Symphony Orchestra. It’s performing an all-Russian program, always a touchstone harking back to the reign of Soviet...

An Interview with The Performers of the ‘Aunt Sally Sideshow Reunion’ Performing Tomorrow 11/5 at 9:00 PM at the Bier Baron

I’ve said it before, for someone with a lot of friends who perform sideshow I’m kind of squeamish. I see, maybe, half of their acts, peeking through my fingers. Imagine my delight when I found out a...

Review: Concerto for Violin, Rock Band & String Orchestra: Composed by R.E.M.’s Mike Mills for Robert McDuffie Featuring Fifth House Ensemble at Strathmore

When I saw Mike Mills of R.E.M. was coming to town, I knew I had to see him because I grew up on his music. R.E.M.’s music was a huge part of my life. Mills and Robert McDuffie didn’t disappoint by...

Review: ‘Pippin’ at The George Washington University

“Join us,” cry the players, led by sophomore Madeline Winstel, in George Washington University’s performance of Pippin. In the show’s opening number “Magic to Do,” the players invite the audience to...

Interview: Maestro Simeone Tartaglione on Conducting ‘Peter and the Wolf’ TOMORROW 11/5 at 2:30 PM and 4:30 PM at the Gaithersburg Arts Barn

Residents of the DC Metro Region are in for a treat this weekend. For two performances only at the Gaithersburg Arts Barn, Maestro Simeone Tartaglione will be conducting Peter and the Wolf. The 1936...

Meet the Cast of Avant Bard’s ‘TAME.’ Part 2: Brendan Edward Kennedy

In Part 2 of a series of interviews with the cast of Avant Bard’s production of TAME., meet Brendan Edward Kennedy. Joel: Where have local audiences seen you perform recently on stage? Brendan: This...

Review: ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ at Howard University

From the moment the actors appear, the stage becomes a non-stop whirl of color and movement. Howard University’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is set in what is meant to be modern-day New...

In the Moment: Kenny Neal on his Sound Design for NextStop’s ‘Eurydice’

This is another of my columns that delves deeper into the technical design aspects of an area live theater production. In this case, it was the intriguing sound design of NextStop’s Eurydice that led...

Meet the Cast of Avant Bard’s ‘TAME.’ Part 1: John Stange

In Part 1 of a series of interviews with the cast of Avant Bard’s production of TAME., meet John Stange. Joel: Where have local audiences seen you perform recently on stage? John: Busy year. Working...

Jane Franklin Dance Opens ‘The Migration Project: live performance art installation’ on Friday, November 4th

The Migration Project: live performance art installation: An immersive visual experience and stories of relocation explore the push and pull of human flight The Migration Project (Push/Pull)...

Magic Time! ‘In the Cage, She Has a Fighting Chance’: A Q&A With Stephen Spotswood About His New Play ‘Girl in the Red Corner’ at The Welders

This seems to be the season in DC Metro Theater for pugilistic women. Women who box claimed the stage in Jen Silverman’s Collective Rage (just closed at Woolly Mammoth Theater Company). A woman who...

Meet the Cast of ‘Postmortem’ at Montgomery Playhouse: Part 4: Carole Preston

In Part 4 of a series of interviews with the cast of The Montgomery Playhouse’s Postmortem, meet Carole Preston. Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell our readers where they may have seen you...

Meet the Cast of Peace Mountain Theatre Company’s ‘A Delicate Balance’: Part 4: Director Laurie Freed

Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell readers where they have seen you perform before on local stages. Laurie: My name is Laurie T. Freed and I am the director of A Delicate Balance by Edward...

Spine: ‘Rameau’s Nephew’ at Spooky Action Theater

The 18th century French playwright and philosopher Denis Diderot is known best among theatre folk for his theoretical writings: on the actor, the 4th Wall, and the emergence of scenography as an...

‘Getting to Know The Edge of the Universe Players 2’s ‘Pullman, WA’ 11/13-20 at Woolly Mammoth by Bill Goodman

Getting to Know the Play Pullman, WA by Young Jean Lee Reflections by Producer Bill Goodman, The Edge of the Universe Players 2. During the process of producing Pullman, WA, I’ve come to appreciate it...

Review: ‘Eurydice’ at NextStop Theatre Company

The hypnotic new production of Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice at NextStop Theatre Company is more like a painting or a poem than a movie or a book. It’s a fantastical canvas of broad brushstrokes and bright...

Review: Laura Benanti’s ‘Tales from Soprano Isle’ at The Barns at Wolf Trap

From the moment Laura Benanti stepped onto the stage at The Barns at Wolf Trap to perform Tales from Soprano Isle she set the buoyant mood for the evening. She charmed and enchanted even as she spoke...

Review: ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ at Maryland Ensemble Theatre

It’s hard to believe The Rocky Horror Picture Show is now over 40, and still going strong. This Halloween, there are several productions of the rock musical happening in the area, and Maryland...

Review: ‘The Wizard of Oz in Concert’ by Young Artists of America at Strathmore

For as long as I can remember, it was a movie I looked forward to watching on television each year. It scared me to death when I was little, but the colors, the characters, the opposition of good and...

Review: ‘The Night Alive’ at Quotidian Theatre Company

Conor McPherson spins an intricate web of interdependence, horror, and hope among the five damaged, yet intensely human characters in his masterful play, The Night Alive. It takes a hugely talented...

Meet the Cast of ‘H.M.S. Pinafore’ at 2nd Star Productions: Part 1: Brian Binney

In part 1 of a series of interviews with the cast of 2nd Star Productions’ H.M.S. Pinafore, meet Brian Binney Joel: Where have local theatergoers seen you perform before on our local stages? What...

Review: ‘An Evening with Garrison Keillor’ at Strathmore

The Music Center at Strathmore was filled with nary an empty seat. The crowd was there to see – and listen to – their favorite National Public Radio star, 73 year-old 6 foot 3 inch Garrison Keillor....

Review: ‘The Complete History of America (abridged) Special Election Edition! by The Reduced Shakespeare Company at Hylton Performing Arts Center

Paul Revere may or may not have ridden through the countryside yelling, “The Redcoats are coming,” but given a quick horse and a heavily padded saddle, this reviewer is writing to announce, “The...

Review: ‘Cabaret’ at Kensington Arts Theatre

In Act One of Cabaret, Cliff Bradshaw tells Sally Bowles that he loves Berlin because it feels like a city full of children behaving badly, getting wilder and wilder because they know that at any...

Review: ‘City of Angels’ at The Catholic University of America

The 1989 musical City of Angels opened last night at Catholic University’s Hartke Theatre, offering its appreciative audience a glimpse into the past through its double filtered lens. There’s no doubt...

Review #2: ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum’ at American University

American University’s Greenberg Theatre performed a hilariously funny ancient Roman farce, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. With music and lyrics by the incomparable Stephen Sondheim...

Meet the Cast of ‘Dinner with Friends’ at Greenbelt Arts Center: Part 1: Director Bob Kleinberg

In Part 1 of a series of interviews with the cast of Greenbelt Arts Center’s Dinner with Friends, meet Director Bob Kleinberg. Joel: Please tell our readers where they may have seen your work on our...

Review: ‘The Three Penny Opera’ at George Mason University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA)

Building top-notch musical theater at George Mason University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) continues with its current snappy, sharp, nicely nasty production of Bertolt Brecht and...

Review: Debbie Allen’s ‘FREEZE FRAME… Stop the Madness’ at The Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater

Ever since Debbie Allen parleyed a killer look in the 1980 movie Fame into a featured role on the popular television series, this triple threat has been busting open doors in Hollywood for women of...

Review: ‘Freaky Friday’ at Signature Theatre

In its world premiere at Signature Theatre, the musical Freaky Friday is a warm, sweet, accomplished family-friendly confection with a progressive message. It is a contemporary musical about...

Review: ‘Cinderella’ With the San Francisco Ballet at The Kennedy Center

There are no pumpkins to be found in this Cinderella. The San Francisco Ballet’s version, created by Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon and librettist Craig Lucas, departs from the Perrault story most...

Meet the cast of ‘Postmortem’ at Montgomery Playhouse: Part 3: Sydney Ouellette

In Part 3 of a series of interviews with the cast of The Montgomery Playhouse’s Postmortem, meet Sydney Ouellette. Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell our readers where they may have seen you...

Magic Time! ‘Rameau’s Nephew’ at Spooky Action Theater

There comes a scene in Rameau’s Nephew at Spooky Action Theater when Robert Bowen Smith playing He (the titular character) coughs an aria. Literally. Just like an opera singer except without music or...

Meet the Cast of Peace Mountain Theatre Company’s ‘A Delicate Balance’: Part 3: Leah Mazade

In Part 3 of a series of interviews with the cast of Peace Mountain Theatre Company’s A Delicate Balance, meet Leah Mazade. Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell readers where they have seen you...

Meet the Cast of ‘Postmortem’ at Montgomery Playhouse: Part 2: Dell Pendergrast

In Part 2 of a series of interviews with the cast of The Montgomery Playhouse’s Postmortem, meet Dell Pendergrast. Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell our readers where they may have seen you...

Review: The National Chamber Ensemble’s ‘A Night In Vienna’

The National Chamber Ensemble opened it’s 10th season last Saturday at the Rosslyn Spectrum Theatre. The concert called, A Night In Vienna was a collaboration with the Austrian Cultural Forum. The...

Review: ‘Gypsy’ at Reston Community Players by Caroline Griswold Short

The Reston Community Players (RCP) opened their 50th Anniversary season on Friday with Gypsy, known as one of the great American musicals. With music by Jule Styne, lyrics by a young Stephen Sondheim,...

Review: ‘The Trump Card’ at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

The Trump Card, an original solo performance by monologist extraordinaire Mike Daisey, is a searing punch in the gut to rival any leaked Access Hollywood tape. The current production, which only runs...

Review: Lindsey Stirling ‘Brave Enough’ Tour at DAR Constitution Hall

Promoting her third studio album Brave Enough in a tour of the same name, Lindsey Stirling has come a long way from her days competing in the fifth season of America’s Got Talent. The violinist, known...