Washington DC

Review: ‘Deathtrap’ at The Washington County Playhouse Dinner Theater and Children’s Theater

A play-within-a-play, a comedy and a thriller, individually, are all standard forms of theater easily accepted by audiences today. But can they successfully be combined into a single entertaining...

Review: ‘Lend Me a Tenor’ at Rockville Little Theatre

In 1989, Ken Ludwig’s Lend Me a Tenor took home four Drama Desk Awards, and was nominated for seven Tony Awards, including Best Play. When the play returned to Broadway in 2010, the production was...

Review: ‘The History Boys’ at Dominion Stage

At the first press night of The History Boys by Alan Bennett, the cast and creative team were laughing and joking as the audience began to arrive. A fire had started in the flies of the theater, and...

Review: ‘Exit the King’ by 4615 Theatre Company at the Classroom at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

From what I can gather, 4615 Theatre Company consists of actors, directors, and designers who are, by their own declaration, under 25 years old. They select a play, find a space (basement, rehearsal...

Review: ‘All’s Well That Ends Well’ at The Rude Mechanicals

This Rude Mechanicals’ production of one of Shakespeare’s ‘problem’ plays – All’s Well That Ends Well – is an example of the fact that if you have great writing and a great cast, you don’t need much...

Review: ‘Holy Holy’ at The Birchmere

The best way to celebrate artist David Bowie’s life is to attend a Holy Holy concert. Even David Bowie would have approved. The show played The Man Who Sold the World album with the drumhead featuring...

Meet the Cast of Avant Bard’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Part 4: Linda Bard

In Part 4 of a series of interviews with the cast of Avant Bard’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, meet Linda Bard. Joel: Where have local audiences seen you perform recently on stage? They...

Anya Randall Nebel’s Benefit Tonight 1/16@6PM at Atlas to Benefit Wanda Alston Foundation to Provide Shelter & Support for DC’s LGBTQ Youth

From Anya Randall Nebel: “January 5th marked my 50th birthday. I wanted to do something to give back to the community. How wonderful, I thought, to use my talents to raise awareness to the plight of...

The Long View: ‘Wrestling Jerusalem’ at Mosaic Theater Company of DC

Wrestling Jerusalem is a luminous revelation on the sacred and the profane and the clash between the two. It illuminates the struggle between sacred dreams and profane realities, between Israeli Jew...

Review: ‘A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder’ at The Kennedy Center

With a wealthy aristocratic family that refuses to acknowledge him, and a money-hungry girlfriend who refuses to marry him, what’s an impoverished young man to do? The unfortunate relatives of Monty...

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2015 #22: High School and Training Programs

The staff of DCMetroTheaterArts is honored to announce that their 2014 Best Performances in High School and Training Programs go to: HIGH SCHOOL PRODUCTIONS: The Addams Family at West Potomac High...

Meet the Cast of Reston Communty Players’ ‘Master Class’: Part 4: Molly Pinson Simoneau

Here is Part 4 of a series of interviews with the director, producer, and cast of Reston Community Players’ production of Terrence McNally’s Master Class. Meet Molly Pinson Simoneau. Maria Callas, one...

Meet the Cast of Avant Bard’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’: Part 3: Zach Brewster-Geisz

In Part 3 of a series of interviews with the cast of Avant Bard’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, meet Zach Brewster-Geisz. Joel: Where have local audiences seen you perform recently on...

Review: ‘Georgie: My Adventures with George Rose’ at Signature Theatre

What starts as a delightfully wacky lark of well-told tales perfectly suited for theater buffs of a certain age or for those who know Broadway’s eccentricities through television shows such as Glee or...

Magic Time! ‘The Critic & The Real Inspector Hound’ at Shakespeare Theatre Company

I just love it when theater laughs at itself. Who can forget the clockwork guffaws of Michael Frayn’s Noises Off, or Shakespeare’s enchanting send-up of theatrical conceits in the “Pyramus and Thisbe”...

Meet the Cast of Avant Bard’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Part 2: Jon Jon Johnson

In Part 2 of a series of interviews with the cast of Avant Bard’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, meet Jon Jon Johnson. Joel: Where have local audiences seen you perform recently on stage?...

In the Moment: 1st Stage Gets Bigger: A Chat With Managing Artistic Director Alex Levy

The cranes are up and building is moving afoot in the “new” Tysons in Fairfax County, Virginia. So, what will Tysons residents do for their near-by cultural arts fix and live performing arts...

Meet the Cast of Reston Community Players’ ‘Master Class’: Part 3: David Rohde

Here is Part 3 of a series of interviews with the director, producer, and cast of Reston Community Players’ production of Terrence McNally’s Master Class. Meet Maria Callas, one of the most famous...

Review: ‘The Critic’ & ‘The Real Inspector Hound’ at Shakespeare Theatre Company

The theatre critic might well be the focus of the satiric lampoon, now on stage at Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Lansburgh Theatre, but it is the entire Theatrical Industry that gets speared. Witty...

Interviews With the Cast and Director of Kensington Arts Theatre’s ‘The Laramie Project’: Part 3: Natalie McManus

In Part 3 of a series of interviews with the Director and cast of Kensington Arts Theatre’s The Laramie Project, meet Natalie McManus. Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell our readers where they...

Meet the Cast of Avant Bard’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Part 1: Annalisa Dias

In Part 1 of a series of interviews with the cast of Avant Bard’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, meet Annalisa Dias. Joel: Where have local audiences seen you perform recently on the stage?...

Review: ‘Snow White’ at Encore Stage & Studio

Encore Stage & Studio presents the beloved childhood tale Snow White, a musical adaption by Tim Kelly, with music and lyrics by Bill Francoeur. A company who produces shows “by kids, for kids,” Encore...

In the Moment: Dr. King Commemorations in Reston and McLean

In Northern Virginia, two community centers have had long-standing and continuing activities commemorating the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday. They are the McLean Community Center and the Reston...

Pianist Brian Ganz and Mezzo-Soprano Magdalena Wór in Their All-Chopin Performance at Strathmore

Songs you’ve never heard of in a foreign language you rarely hear, performed by two artists who started rehearsing them two days earlier. What kind of a formula for success is that? This kind: When it...

Review: ‘A Change Gon’ Come’ by ANKH Repertory Theatre Company, The Finest! Performance Foundation, Inc., and Arts on the Green at The Arts Barn

One concern of many parents and grandparents is that their children will lose sight of family history. A Change Gon’ Come, by Kashi-Tara, dramatically ties together the civil rights issues of today...

Review: ‘Venus in Fur’ at The Colonial Players

Like all David Ives plays, Venus in Fur is built on everyday life becoming fantasy, as the primary devices of drama, language, and character, systematically move from ambiguity, to instability, to...

Review: ‘Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike’ at Prince George’s Little Theatre

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike by Christopher Durang, currently showing at Prince George’s Little Theatre in Bowie, is a comedy of zany characters that are caught up in their own personas....

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2015 #21: Best Design of 2015 in DC Metro Area Theatres

The staff of DCMetroTheaterArts is pleased to honor the following designers for their work in 2015: CHOREOGRAPHY Germaul Barnes for Marley at Centerstage. Michael Bobbitt for Guys and Dolls at Olney...

Review: ‘Better Gods’ at The Washington National Opera

Friday night, the Washington National Opera (‘WNO’) premiered a brand new opera, based on the life of the last sovereign in Hawaii, Queen Liliʻuokalani. Better Gods, directed by Ethan McSweeny, was...

Review: ‘Humble Boy’ at Silver Spring Stage

Humble Boy, written by Charlotte Jones, is obviously based on the plot of Shakespeare’s famous Dane, Hamlet. The parallels are purposefully obvious. A young man comes home to his mother. His father...

Magic Time! A Look at ‘Wrestling Jerusalem’ at Mosaic Theater Company of DC

“It’s complicated.” So begins—on a note of supreme understatement—Writer/Performer Aaron Davidman’s captivating and insight-rich solo show, Wrestling Jerusalem, the third provocative production in...

Review: ‘Wrestling Jerusalem’ at Mosaic Theater Company of DC

Aaron Davidman’s deeply personal solo performance, Wrestling Jerusalem, the opening gambit in Mosaic Theater’s Voices from a Changing Middle East Festival, takes its audience deep into the...

Teatro de la Luna’s Children’s Theater Festival: 6 Hours of Drama and Magic on Sat 1/16 at The Rosslyn Spectrum

On Saturday, January 16, 2016 – from 11 AM until 5 PM – it’s six Children’s Hours, full of continuous mystery and magic, drama and dance: “al major estilo latinoamericano” (with the best Latin...

Interviews With the Cast and Director of Kensington Arts Theatre’s ‘The Laramie Project’: Part 2: Zoe Bulitt

In Part 2 of a series of interviews with the Director and cast of Kensington Arts Theatre’s The Laramie Project, meet Zoe Bulitt. Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell our readers where they may...

Prince George’s Little Theatre Opens ‘Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike’ at the Bowie Playhouse Tonight

Prince George’s Little Theatre will produce Christopher Durang’s award-winning comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at the Bowie Playhouse from January 8 – 23. All Friday performances and...

‘Physics, Family, and Bees: “Humble Boy” Opens Tonight at Silver Spring Stage’

Every excellent comedy offers an unexpected mix of elements. In Humble Boy – opening tonight, Friday, January 8, 2016, at Silver Spring Stage – that mix includes physics, family, forlorn love, and...

The Unified Scene Theater and Women From Mars Presents ‘Silent Reflections: A Clown Noir Cabaret’ on 1/12-13

Unified Scene Theater and Women From Mars are proud to present Silent Reflections: A Clown Noir Cabaret, for two shows in January (January 12th and 13th), at The Unified Scene Theater, located at 80 T...

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2015 #20: University Productions, Performances, and Ensembles

The staff of DCMetroTheaterArts is honored to announce that their 2015 Best Productions, Performances, and Ensembles honors in University productions go to: UNIVERSITY PRODUCTIONS: A Funny Thing...

Interviews With the Cast of Kensington Arts Theatre’s ‘The Laramie Project’: Part 1: Susan S. Porter

In Part One of a series of interviews with the Director and cast of Kensington Arts Theatre’s The Laramie Project, meet Susan S. Porter. Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell our readers where they...

Pianist Brian Ganz and Mezzo-Soprano Magdalena Wór Team Up for Special Chopin Concert This Saturday Night at Strathmore

They say the show must go on, and a set of unusual circumstances is bringing together two of Washington’s most distinctive classical performers this Saturday evening for a special concert at The Music...

Meet the Cast of Reston Community Players’ ‘Master Class’: Part 2: Lisa Anne Bailey

Here is Part 2 of a series of interviews with the director, producer, and cast of Reston Community Players’ production of Terrence McNally’s Master Class. Meet Lisa Anne Bailey. Maria Callas, one of...

Review: ‘Twelfth Night’ at Laurel Mill Playhouse

William Shakespeare’s delightful comedy Twelfth Night rings in the New Year at Laurel Mill Playhouse. The run of the show cleverly opens on the actual twelfth night, which was the original intention...

In the Moment: An Interview With the Creative Team of MetroStage’s ‘Shake Loose’

Shake Loose, the new musical bound for Alexandria’s MetroStage, aims to bear witness to a swirling whirlwind century of events in the lives African American people. Its purpose is “to bring order to...

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2015 #19: ‘A Look Back at Dance in 2015’ by Lisa Traiger

For reasons that continue to surprise me, 2015 was a relatively light dance-going year for me. That said, I managed to take in nearly a top ten of memorable, exceptional or challenging performances...

Meet the Cast, Director, and Producer of Reston Community Players’ ‘Master Class’: Part 1: Director Rosemary Hartman and Producer Kate Keifer

Here is Part 1 of a series of interviews with the director, producer, and cast of Reston Community Players’ production of Terrence McNally’s Master Class. Meet Director Rosemary Hartman and Producer...

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2015 #17: Best Directors of a Play in Community Theatres

The staff of DCMetroTheaterArts is honored to announce that their 2015 Best Directors of Plays in Community Theatres honors go to: Mark T. Allen for Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None at...

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2015 #16: Best Directors of a Musical in Community Theatres

The staff of DCMetroTheaterArts is honored to announce that their 2015 Best Directors of Musicals in Community Theatres honors go to: Hans Bachmann for Company at Tantallon Community Players. Lisa...

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2015 #15: Best Directors of Musicals in Professional Theatres

The staff of DCMetroTheaterArts is honored to announce that their 2015 Best Directors of Musicals in Professional Theatres honors go to: Patrick A’Hearn for The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber at...

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2015 #14: Dance Performances

Here is Rick Westerkamp, Lisa Traiger, Samantha Machar, Madeline Duff, and Yasmeen Enahora’s Best Performances in Dance honors: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performing Hofesh Schechter’s...

Review: ‘A Jazz New Year’s Eve: Diane Schuur and Strings’ at The Kennedy Center

Having been a fan of Diane Schuur’s since college, I was excited to have the opportunity finally to see her in concert. In fact, the sense of excitement was palpable throughout the audience. I met...