2012

The Best of 2012: Part 10: Designers, Cabarets & Concerts, Dance & University Shows

Here are DCMetroTheaterArts writers’ choices for their favorites designs of production in the the DC Metro Area in 2012. I always felt that Designers never received enough ‘ink’ or credit or respect...

The Best of 2012: Part 9: ‘Solo Performances, Children’s/Young Adult, Directors, Performances & Special Award

BEST SOLO PERFORMANCES Joe Brack in My Princess Bride at DC Capital Fringe Festival. Alex Brightman in How I Paid for College at The Hub Theatre. Mike Daisey in The Agony and The Ecstasy Of Steve Jobs...

‘An Iliad’ at The Studio Theatre by Mark Dewey

Bravura Performance at The Studio Theatre Early in Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare’s An Iliad, the Minstrel/Poet says he hopes he never has to tell this story again, meaning, I suppose, he hopes...

The Best of 2012: Part 8: ‘Best Director of a Play and Best Supporting Actor and Actress in a Play’

Here are our choices for Best Director of a Play and Best Actor and Actress of a Play in 2012. Feel free to leave a comment and share your favorites of 2012 with our readers by leaving comment at the...

The Best of 2012: Part 7: ‘Best Play’ and ‘Best Actor’ and ‘Best Actress in a Play’

Here are the writers of DCMetroTheaterArts’ choices for Best Plays of 2012 and Best Performances by an Actor and Actress in a Play in 2012 in the DC Metro Area. Congrats to everyone on our list and to...

Part 4: ‘The Tempest: Such Stuff as Dreams are Made on:Chessboards & Sea-faring’ by Tracey Elaine Chessum,Ph.D.

Pallas Theatre Collective’s The Tempest: Such Stuff as Dreams are Made on – Chessboards and Sea-faring. Last week, Board President John Horman gave you a picture of his experience with Pallas Theatre...

WSC Avant Bard Looking for a New Home and Artisphere Responds

WSC Avant Bard is now looking for a new home. Managing Director Kyle Jean Fisher and Artistic Director Christopher Henley explain why: “After two years as the resident theatre company at Arlington...

The Best of 2012: Part 6: ‘Best Ensemble of a Play’ and ‘Best Ensemble of a Musical’

Here’s our favorite Ensembles from plays and musicals in 2012 on DC Metro Area stages. Congrats to everyone on these lists and to everyone who appeared on our local stages in 2012! BEST ENSEMBLE OF A...

Ann Lowe on Directing Prince George’s Little Theatre’s ‘Moon Over Buffalo’ by Teresa McCormick Ertel

Prince George’s Little Theatre is in production for Ken Ludwig’s Moon Over Buffalo, which is a hilarious farce/comedy that takes the audience into the world of a theater company. It’s being produced...

The Best of 2012: Part 5: ‘Best Director, Best Musical Direction, and Best Choreography of a Musical’

For the next week we will be posting lists of our favorites of 2012 in several categories. These lists reflect the opinions of members of the writing staff of DCMetroTheaterArts. We were allowed to...

The Best of 2012: Part 4: ‘Best Performance by Supporting Actor and Actress in a Musical’

For the next week we will be posting lists of our favorites of 2012 in several categories. These lists reflect the opinions of members of the writing staff of DCMetroTheaterArts. We were allowed to...

December 31st at 8 PM ‘Altar Boyz’ Performance Added at 1st Stage! by Eileen Mandell

If you missed the exuberance of Altar Boyz at 1st Stage – you can catch up! Added for one night only: December 31 at 8 PM. Purchase tickets here or call the box office (703) 854-1856. Meet all the...

The Best of 2012: Part 3: ‘Best Performance by an Actor and Actress in a Musical’

For the next week we will be posting lists of our favorites of 2012 in several categories. These lists reflect the opinions of members of the writing staff of DCMetroTheaterArts. We were allowed to...

The Best of 2012: Part 2: ‘The Best Musicals of 2012’

After reviewing over 1,200 theatrical productions, concerts, and recitals on DCMetroTheaterArts in 2012 – it was no easy task to come up with this list of our ‘Best Musicals of 2012,’ because there so...

‘Bravo@KAT, Theatre for Young Artists Presents ‘The Music Man Jr.’ by Laurie Levy Issembert

They say when one door closes another opens. The same is true of theatre curtains, theatrical productions and theatre companies. BRAVO@KAT, Theatre for Young Artists, is the newest “kid” on the...

The Moscow Ballet’s ‘The Great Russian Nutcracker’ at George Mason U.’s Center for the Arts by Flora Scott

Getting dressed up and then bundled up to venture out into the weather to see The Nutcracker with family, friends ,or a date during the Christmas season is a tradition as uplifting, rich, and...

The Best of 2012: Part 1: ‘Dance Memories, 10 Favorites of 2012’ by Carolyn Kelemen

Alicia’s star still shines the brightest Off stage, she is a stunning five foot 10 inch woman with incredibly long arms and legs that go on seemingly forever. When she dances, she stretches her...

My Favorite Quotes From DCMTA’s 5 Star ‘Best Shows’ for December 15-22nd by Joel Markowitz

Here’s my favorite quotes from our 5-star reviews of our ‘Best Shows’ for December 14-21. Here we go! (1) Christmas Gift! at Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Audrey Thornton: “Christmas Gift!...

‘Apples from the Desert’ at Theater J by Doug Poms

The latest offering at Theater J, Savyon Liebrecht’s Apples from the Desert, is an emotional family drama set in Israel. Although the characters in the play come close to becoming stock stereotypical...

‘The Sound of Music’ at Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Baltimore by Amanda Gunther

The hills are alive with The Sound of Music, but only if those hills are the hills over at Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Baltimore. The holiday season and new year are coming to life with the classical...

‘A View of The Tempest: Such Stuff as Dreams are Made on’ Part 3: ‘From The Boardroom’ by John Horman

I have a confession to make: I first joined the Pallas Theatre Collective family not as a board member, but as a cast member! I was very interested in joining the Pallas board, but I wanted to learn...

‘Filichia on Friday’ on Kritzerland: ‘When Size Mattered on Original Cast Albums’ by Peter Filichia

Here is this week’s new article from Peter Filichia’s column on Kritzerland called ‘Filichia on Friday.’‘ This week: When Size Mattered on Original Cast Albums Peter Filichia is a New York-based...

‘Million Dollar Quartet’ at The Kennedy Center by Anne Tsang

On a chilly night in December 1956, kismet brought together four music legends Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Presley for an incredible jam session that would live on in the...

Natalie Zanin’s ‘Historic Strolls’ Announces Dickens Schedule by Natalie Zanin.

Natalie Zanin’s Historic Strolls announces Dickens schedule Our 12th year of outdoor theatre! Walk through time with us and see the city of Washington as you’ve never seen it … through anecdotes and...

‘The Screwtape Letters’ at Shakespeare Theatre Company by Anne Tsang

C.S. Lewis’ classic treatise on Christianity, faith, and the failings of the human race, The Screwtape Letters, has been brought to life on the stage through Jeffrery Fiske and Max McLean’s...

‘Holiday Follies’ at Signature Theatre by Doug Poms

If it is holiday cheer you seek this week, look no further than Signature Theatre’s Holiday Follies. The cabaret features four of the Washington area’s most talented performers, Eleasha Gamble, James...

“Billy Elliot’ at Hippodrome Theatre by Amanda Gunther

Baltimore is being electrified for two weeks only as Broadway Across America in conjunction with Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Working Title Films, Old Vic Productions, and NETworks...

‘How To Catch a Leprechaun’ on Saturday December 22 & 29 at The Keegan Theatre by Mario Baldessari

What’s red and green and has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas? Why, it’s Oillin the leprechaun in How To Catch a Leprechaun – a new, all-ages musical that I wrote with my pal, Ethan Slater. On...

‘The Hallelujah Girls’ at Prince George’s Little Theatre by Amanda Gunther

Need a break from the stresses of the holiday season? How about a soak in the sauna to ease all the pains of holiday shopping? Or a facial and mani/pedi to get your mind off all the decorating you...

Enter to win a pair of tickets to ‘The Screwtape Letters’ at The Lansburgh Theatre

Win two free tickets to THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS!! Send an email to dcmetrotheaterarts@gmail.com (Paste this email address into your email) and tell us why you want to see the show. You can select the...

Help Save Backstage! by Rick Claassen

Since opening its doors in 1981, Backstage has provided the DC theatre community with access to theatre scripts, books, make-up, costumes, and dance supplies. This company was founded due to the...

‘Mannheim Steamroller Christmas’ at The Music Center at Strathmore by Amanda Gunther

It was the most electrifying concert of the holiday season. Strathmore was proud to present for two shows only, the Mannheim Steamroller Christmas. An epic concert featuring the unique musical style...

Jordan Wright and Nibbles and Sips Picks ‘The Most Notable Cookbooks Of 2012’ by Jordan Wright

This year’s cookbooks brought us a wealth of ways to be engaged in food in one way or another – grow it, cook it, eat it, share it, broadcast it. While some cover the cuisines of far-off cultures,...

Choral Arts Society of Washington’s ‘Family Christmas Concert’ at The Kennedy Center by Audrey Thornton

An appreciative Washington, D.C. metro audience overflowing with young little people and their parents and grandparents, too, were treated to tales of Christmases’ past, performed in a 60 minute...

Jennifer Knapp and Margaret Becker’s ‘The Hymns of Christmas’ at The Birchmere by Jennifer Perry

I admit that despite my church upbringing and Christian faith I am not one to want to spend hours listening to Christmas music around this time of year. There’s something to be said about...

Idly Bent Theatre Company Comes to DC and Opens ‘The Birthday Party’ on January 9, 2013 by Scott Dunn

What’s new about a new theatre company? The question hums perpetually on the lips of DC theatregoers, as fresh independent art springs up beneath the layers of an established theatre community. It’s...

‘Finishing the Hat: A Tribute to Stephen Sondheim’ at Signature Theatre by Eric Denver

On December 11th, an article by James Gardiner and his cast of Putting It Together: A Tribute to Stephen Sondheim from George Mason University was posted on DCMetroTheaterArts. In it, they talked...

Paso Nuevo’s ‘Por cada lágrima (For Every Tear)’ at Gala Hispanic Theatre by Charles Miller

On Friday, December 14, 2012, Paso Nuevo, which recently won recognition by First Lady Michelle Obama, at the White House with the 2012 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award, presented Por...

‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’ at Synetic Theater Teen Ensemble by Jennifer Perry

4 stars (3 ½ stars for production execution; 4 ½ stars for the teen performances) Synetic Theater’s teen company’s production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is an example of a case where a...

‘A (Comic) Christmas Carol’ at The Greenbelt Arts Center by Amanda Gunther

Ever wanted to play the humbugging Scrooge in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol? Or what about the wicked and haunting ghost of Marley? Perhaps one of the three spirits that haunt the old miser? Well...

‘MARTYRS’ at Young Artists of America by Peter Grimm

Young Artists of America (“YAA”) performed the concert MARTYRS this past Friday and Saturday nights at the new, state of the art Performing Arts Center at the Sandy Spring Friends School, in Sandy...

‘The Pajama Men’ at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company by Amanda Gunther

Two men. One stage. In their pajamas? The infamous Pajama Men have come to town and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company is tossing their newest show In The Middle of No One up onto the stage just in time...

Jason Robert Brown’s Tribute “Twenty-Six Names”

Composer/Lyricist Jason Robert Brown has posted “Twenty-Six Names” – a tribute to the 26 victims of Friday’s massacre in Newtown, Connecticut on his website. Thank you Jason for this beautiful...

Tonight at 8 PM: ‘Finishing the Hat: A Tribute to Stephen Sondheim’ at Signature Theatre by James Gardiner

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...

Tonight at “La-Ti-Do’: Katie McManus, Emily Levey, John Loughney, & Caroline Rothstein by DonMike Mendoza

TONIGHT, 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....

The Moscow Ballet’s ‘The Great Russian Nutcracker’ at The Music Center at Strathmore by Jessica Vaughan

The Moscow Ballet delivers a sweet production of this holiday classic for their 20th anniversary tour. They work with over 3,600 children around the U.S. to fill many of the roles of the ballet and...

The Washington Chorus’ ‘A Candlelight Christmas’ at The Kennedy Center by Flora Scott

Engaging with the Christmas Spirit on 12/15/12, just one day after the massacre in Connecticut, in which 26 were killed – the least of which were 20 children for whom the holiday is truly intended –...

‘An Irish Carol’ at The Keegan Theatre by Jessica Vaughan

The Keegan Theatre’s An Irish Carol is destined to become one of the not-to-be missed DC holiday institutions that everyone sees whenever Keegan deigns to put it on. This production, the second...

‘A Christmas Carol’ at Lazy Susan Dinner Theatre by Julia L. Exline

When Christmastime comes around, there is one standout show that pops up all over town: Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. A theatre and audience favorite, this production is re-imagined countless...

Today at 2 pm: ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ at Montgomery Playhouse & 11 AM ‘Arkansaw Bear’

PRESENT TWO FAMILY SHOWS FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON: Adapted by George Seaton. Based on the story by Valentine Davies -DC Theater Arts NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 16 -DC Theater Arts DECEMBER 1 – 23 Fridays...