2013

Capital Fringe Review: ‘The Politician’ by Francine Schwartz

The Politician is a satire poking fun at the politicians and media circus of Washington. A follow-up to The Pundit, last year’s Capital Fringe hit, it revolves around an escalating clash between a...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Mirabilia’ by Maddie Gaw

Electric Mayhem Productions announced their arrival with Mirabilia, a (literally) colorful tale about two friends on separate quests to find one another. Written by and starring Rebecca Rose Vassy and...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Married Sex’ by Sydney-Chanele Dawkins

The combination of sharing one’s vulnerability into insightful personal storytelling is not only an art. It’s a gift. Married Sex is an engaging one-woman show based on a true tale, written and...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Mark Twain’s Riverboat Extravaganza’ by Maddie Gaw

We have a few rules here at DCMetroTheaterArts, and one of those rules is to keep our reviews focused on the show that we, the reviewer, experienced. Not what the audience around us was doing, not...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Young Olympians and the Most Amazingly Awesome Adventure Ever!’ by Howard Lee Levine

Keeping the stories of Greek mythology fresh and evergreen for the present day, as well as instructive and entertaining to those of student age and older, is the tall order which Director Julie Herber...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Crime Buster Blast-Off 3000 (Yeah!)’ by Justin Schneider

Let’s get this out of the way: The Bradford Güild’s Crime Buster Blast-Off 3000 (Yeah!) is a hot mess. The plot (supposedly based on a poem written by Writer/Director Ian McDermott when he was 9) is...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Fireball XL’ by Justin Schneider

Here’s a quick test for you: if you start giggling when I tell you to imagine Captain Picard reading this review and shouting “There are FOUR AND A HALF stars!”, then Fireball XL is a must-see. If you...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Waiting for Orson’ by Pat Davis

Waiting for Orson is an engaging and well-acted meditation on mysticism, madness, and the confusion between the two. Camped out in Penn Station, Tristan (played by Christopher Scott Leith) is awaiting...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘The Elephant in My Closet’ by Leslie Weisman

Looking at the title of this show, you know it’s a metaphor. And even without knowing anything about what the show’s about, you probably feel sure you know what the metaphor’s for. Which makes it a...

Capital Fringe Review: “The Snuff Musical’ by Maddie Gaw

They’ll make anything into a musical these days. Well, not just anything. Any movie gets a musical these days. If all future movie-based musicals are half as clever as The Snuff Musical, then we might...

‘The Third Breast’ at Ambassador Theater by Yvonne French

In Ambassador Theater’s The Third Breast you are transported from an idyllic commune into a militaristic cult. The harrowing journey is the hallmark of thought-provoking theater. It will make you feel...

‘The Wiz’ at Montgomery College’s Summer Dinner Theatre by Ramona Harper

“This is an amazing production” — words of one of the visibly dazzled theatergoers following opening night’s The Wiz at Montgomery College’s Summer Dinner Theatre 2013. “Toto, we’re not in Kansas...

‘Fiddler on the Roof’ at Spotlighters Theatre by Amanda Gunther

If I were a rich man, I would buy you all tickets to go to the Audrey Herman Spotlighters Theatre’s production of Fiddler on the Roof where they are stirring up new traditions! The hit Broadway...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘The Crayon King, or Learning to Share’ by JR Russ

The Crayon King, or Learning to Share, by DC Character Coalition, is much more than a tale about sharing. This playful piece is thoroughly enjoyable, whether you’re an operetta fan or not, performed...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Marsha’ by Mike Spain

Marsha is both brilliantly written and performed and also quite disturbing. Alan Harris’ short play is about a kidnapped child who takes the same walk around her Welsh village, everyday, and she takes...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘The Burlesque of Broadway’ by Nicole Cusick

Burlesque is making a strong comeback in this year’s Capital Fringe Festival. It is quite possible that The Burlesque of Broadway could run away with the title of best Burlesque in town after the...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’ by Nicole Cusick

Someone to Watch Over Me is nothing but a pure DC fairytale. That is the simple way to describe the plot of this politically charged new drama of the Federal Theatre Project as part of the Capital...

Capital Fringe Review: “The D.C. State Players Present Agamemnon” by Andrew L. Baughman

There is a new titan in the DC Theatre community, and his name is Tonee Bollocks. Bollocks is the Artistic Director of The D.C. State Players, and together with his dashing Producer Gabriel...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘The Clocks’ by Grace Kim

The Clocks is quite a sensory experience and full of creativity and imagination. You’ll experience visuals, sounds, actions and activity that are all layered upon each other to tell the story in a way...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Big River (and Other Wayfaring Ballets)’ by Rick Westerkamp

If you are looking for accessible art, deeply rooted in a tradition that dates back to the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, but with unexpected, modern twists and turns, MOVEius...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘No Sex, Please’ by Jessica Vaughan

No Sex, Please local storyteller Derek Hills recounts the saga of the 28 years it took to lose his virginity in every hilarious, sometime heartbreaking, mostly humiliating detail. He touches on his...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Cabaret XXX – Who Do You Think You Are?’ by Keith Tittermary

Another steamy night in the Baldacchino Gypsy Tent Bar was courtesy of Pinky Swear Productions. This year’s annual offering, Cabaret XXXY: Who Do You Think You Are, is just what you need to get hot at...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Apples and Oranges’ by Joel Markowitz

Everything comes in twos at Apples and Oranges, directed with heart by Tim Chamberlain. In what starts out to be an interesting Pinter-esque concept, Dana and Rex are both a deaf couple (Sandra Mae...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘R.U.R.’ (Rossum’s Universal Robots) by Grace Kim

Leave it up to humankind to dream up of ways to improve life only to find that improvement biting them in the ass. In R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots), this construct is taken to the extreme. How...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Tell-Tale’ by Erica Laxson

Playwright Hunter Styles has created something truly special with Tell-Tale, a modern twist on Edgar Allan Poe’s classic short story. Directed by Carl Brandt Long and produced by Grains of Sand...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Madam Ambassador’ by Carolyn Kelemen

Madam Ambassador offers inside-the-beltway humor It helps if you are a “political junkie” or, at least, up to date on our State Department appointments to fully appreciate Madam Ambassador, a...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Carry a Big Stick’ by Erica Laxson

Carry a Big Stick produced by Bull Moose Theatre and written by playwright Paul Handy is a true political storytelling adventure. Delving into the politics of creating the Panama Canal, Director...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Mme. Macbeth’ by Anne Tsang

When you hear that a theater company is performing Shakespeare’s Macbeth, you probably think to yourself “Oh yea…I know Macbeth. How will this be any different from all the other times I’ve seen this...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Recovery’ by Flora Scott

An estimated 291,521 people in the US are living with, or are in remission from, leukemia. An estimated 48,610 new cases of leukemia are expected to be diagnosed in the US in 2013. Approximately...

Capital Fringe Review: ’21 King’ by Julia L. Exline

True Wit Productions presents 21 King, a disappointing drama written by Jessica Lloyd Krenek. Directed by Emily Jane Warheit, this production unfortunately failed to either catch or hold my interest....

Capital Fringe Review: ‘The Black-Jew Dialogues’ by Leslie Weisman

“So different. So alike. Who knew?” Such is the premise of this smash hit show, which has played across not only across the country but across the ocean (of all places—given the theme—Edinburgh), with...

100 Plays Produced as CATF Kicks off Ambitious 23rd Season by Sydney-Chanele Dawkins

Over the last 22 years, the Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, and has become a leading center for the production and development of new plays, having fully...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘To Know A Veil’ by Christina Marie Frank

I would say this show is a “must see,” but “see” isn’t the appropriate term. Artistic innovator Emma Crane Jaster and her lovely ensemble played by Naima Ramos-Chapman, Selome Samuel, Kate Folsom,...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Double Freakquency’ by Justin Schneider

One of the best things about Fringe is that you have a chance to encounter shows that push the boundaries of theater. AVAdventure Production’s Double Freakquency does just that. Using dual-channel...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘What’s in the Box?!’ by Nicole Cusick

Big hair, laughs, and lots of skin are three of the main reasons to see What’s in the Box?! the Burlesque and Belly Laughs production, created and directed by Justin Purvis, in this year’s Capital...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Kubrilesque’ by Yvonne French

Highly suggested: watch a Stanley Kubrick film marathon and then go to Kubrilesque, a mash-up his movies, which include The Shining, A Clockwork Orange, and Eyes Wide Shut. But you’ll want to keep...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Arlington National Cemetery: My Forever Home’ by Leslie Weisman

“Standard advice for people who are planning a move into a new home is ‘get to know your neighborhood’ before you move in,” writes Ellouise Schoettler. The widow of a Vietnam-era physician and flight...

‘The Book of Mormon’ at The Kennedy Center by Amanda Gunther

“Hello! My name is Elder Gunther and I’m here to spread the word!” Spread the word that a great life changing book is sweeping into the Nation’s Capital and taking sold out audiences by storm! With a...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘heady collectables’ by Carolyn Kelemen

Don’t turn your head away from ‘heady collectables’ or you’ll miss some terrific dancing Here’s a “heads-up” on a not-to-be-missed show during the Capital Fringe Festival. Head on over to the GALA...

‘Twelfth Night’ at The Maryland Shakespeare Festival by Amanda Gunther

Be not afraid of greatness, for some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them. The audiences of The Maryland Shakespeare Festival’s Good Will Tour Production...

Capital: Fringe Review: ‘Sanka, Ya Dead Mon?’ by Bev Fleisher

Within three minutes of bursting onto the stage, Ben (Manu Kumasi), had the audience eating out of his hand. His attitude, singing and dancing was one giant invitation to join in his story of love and...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Dementia Melodies: It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over’ by Steve Little

Steve Little opens his one man show with a simple tale: An elderly man goes to the village shaman to complain of general aches and pain. The shaman first asks, “When did you stop singing?” followed by...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Lore’ by Jessica Vaughan

Washington Improv Theater goes where they have never gone before with Lore, a long-form improv show that explores the history of story itself by making storytelling the subject of each skit. WIT is a...

Capital Fringe Review: “A Commedia Romeo and Juliet” by Jessica Vaughan

A Commedia Romeo and Juliet by DC Commedia dell’Arte troupe Faction of Fools Theare Company is Shakespeare like you’ve probably never seen it before performed by this company trained in the ancient...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Social Media Expert’ by Nicole Cusick

Everyone makes fun of social media sites and how heightens superficiality in today’s society, yet a person is practically an outcast if they do not have a smart phone giving them constant access to...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs: The Musical’ by Nicole Cusick

Now that Mike Daisey has become such a polarizing figure, how can his critically acclaimed but scandal-tainted monologue The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs be presented to new audiences? The answer,...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Funny Stories 2’ by Bev Fleisher

I was prepared for stories with odd twists and pithiness that only a great story teller can pull off. James Judd did not disappoint. He is a master in showing the heightening and changing of emotions...

Capital Fringe Review: “A Killing Game’ by Rick Westerkamp

dog & pony dc promises audiences that A Killing Game is “the most fun they’ll have dying.” I am here to tell you that they’re not lying! This revamped production of the December 2012 ensemble-devised...

Capital Fringe Review: ‘La Voce to Me’ by Julia L. Exline

Did you know that Ursula was inspired by a real-life drag queen? Pace Productions presents the enthralling drama La Voce to Me, a play that highlights similar themes between the fairy-tale classic The...

Capital Fringe Review: “How to be a Terrorist’ by Mariya Danilenko

How To Be A Terrorist is a one-man show starring Jimmy Grzelak, a registered Eagle Scout, who takes the audience through his personal stories on being a scout and being gay. Grzelak’s stories are...