2012

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...

‘Filichia on Friday’ on Kritzerland: ‘Solid Gold Theater’ by Peter Filichia

This is the one article that got a way this month from Columnist Peter Filichia’s column on Kritzerland called ‘Filichia on Friday.’‘ This week: Solid Gold Theater Peter Filichia is a New York-based...

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...

LIMITED AMOUNT OF FREE TICKETS TONIGHT to ‘Ethan Lipton & His Orchestra-No Place to Go’ Sat Dec 15th @ 8 @ Artisphere

EXCLUSIVE OFFER FOR DC METRO THEATRE ARTS READERS: WE HAVE A LIMITED AMOUNT OF COMP TICKETS OBIE AWARD-WINNING ETHAN LIPTON + HIS ORCHESTRA: NO PLACE TO GO A live musical ode to the unemployed TONGIHT...

‘So Our Hearts are Broken Today’ – President Barack Obama

“We’ve endured too many of these tragedies in the past few years. And each time I learn the news, I react not as a president, but as anybody else would as a parent. And that was especially true today....

‘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...

WINNERS ANNOUNCED of Tickets to Ethan Lipton + His Orchestra on Saturday 12/15@ 8 at Artistphere

Congrats to Ming Lowe and Jeanne Welsh on winning the two pairs of tickets to Ethan Lipton and his Orchestra Tomorrow – Saturday, December 15th at 8 PM At Artisphere: 1101 Wilson Boulevard Arlington,...

‘Santaland Diaries’ at Blackfriars Playhouse by Mark Dewey

Shakespeare Yields to Sedaris in Staunton You hear a lot of laughter at Blackfriars Playhouse. Usually it builds, develops, accumulates slowly, and then overflows in torrents that are hard to stop....

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...

Final Weekend for Arts Collective @HCC’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Sue Kramer

Did we hear you right? Did you say “Bah-humbug..(groan).. Not another A Christmas Carol?!!! “*****A proverbial circus of entertainment for the whole family to enjoy, this delightful romp through the...

‘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 Arts Collective @HCC by Amanda Gunther

Clowns for Christmas? Why only in Howard Community College’s Arts Collective’s presentation of A Christmas Carol, written by Dickens and adapted by Doris Baizley. A proverbial circus of entertainment...

Ranting With Cyle: ‘When the Show Speaks to Me’ by Cyle Durkee

In our last foray into the philosophies of theater we began our journey into the relationship that we, as people, have with the art that we call theater (and pretentious people call theatre). We began...

‘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...

‘Seasonal Disorder’ at Washington Improv Theater by Flora Scott

I am an actress, but improv – although entirely and absolutely necessary to act organically – was not something I had ever tackled in and of itself, on it’s own turf. Thinking creatively on your feet...

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...

Lauren ‘Coco’ Cohn on Playing Rosie in ‘Mamma Mia!’ on Broadway by Joel Markowitz

There is one performance that I will always remember and that’s Coco Cohn’s performance of three kooky characters in Glimpses of the Moon at MetroStage. I was really happy to find out that Lauren...

‘How I Paid for College’ at The Hub Theatre by Francine Schwartz

The Hub Theatre should be the first stop in a long run for How I Paid for College – a ‘monologsical’ written by Marc Acito, based on his award-winning novel of the same name, and starring Alex...

Dance Exchange’s ‘Straight to the Source’ at U of MD’s Clarice Smith Tomorrow & Tues at 7 PM by Breena Siegel

Straight to the Source In true Dance Exchange form Artistic Director Cassie Meador and Sarah Levitt will be conducting Straight to the Source – a two-day improvised movement workshop at the Clarice...

‘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...

‘What A Girl Wants’ at Strand Theater Company by Amanda Gunther

Taking on new challenges and new works is what Strand Theater Company is all about. And What A Girl Wants is definitely a challenging new work. Playwright and Director Deletta Gillespie brings a new...

‘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...

Ethan Lipton & His Orchestra’s ‘No Place To Go’ on Saturday, 12/15 at 8 PM at Artisphere by Annalisa Meyer

THE FIRST COMMISSIONED WORK BY NYC’S JOE’S PUB Ethan Lipton and his Orchestra’s No Place To Go, the OBIE Award-winning music and timely performance art piece that chronicles the demise of the American...

‘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...

‘Filichia on Friday’ on Kritzerland: ‘Musical Theatre Musings’ by Peter Filichia

This is the one article that got a way this month from Columnist Peter Filichia’s column on Kritzerland called ‘Filichia on Friday.’‘ This week: Musical Theatre Musings Peter Filichia is a New...

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...

‘Once Upon A Christmas Carol’ at Run Rabbit Run Theatre by Mark Dewey

Christmas Carol Likely to Become a Loudoun Institution There’s a moment in Once Upon a Christmas Carol, a holiday musical by Run Rabbit Run Theatre, that appears to be a mismatch. Phil Erickson, who...