2015

Bernadette Peters at ‘Arts By George’ at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts

“Let Me Entertain You” belted Bernadette Peters as she burst onto the stage to begin the Arts by George! benefit at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts. And boy did she ever—this diva of the...

The Women’s Voices Theater Festival: ‘No Spring Chicken’ at NextStop Theatre Company

NextStop Theatre Company’s contribution to the Women’s Voices Theater Festival is the extraordinary No Spring Chicken, written and performed by Ginna Hoben and directed by Sullivan Canaday White. This...

The Women’s Voices Theater Festival: ‘Phoebe in Winter’ at the Single Carrot Theatre

War is a horrible thing. It not only affects those who fight in the trenches, but it impacts those waiting for their loved ones at home. And once these soldiers arrive home (or don’t, in some cases),...

‘Dogfight’ at Red Branch Theatre Company

Dogfight is a drama that deals almost entirely with surfaces — surface beauty, surface values, surface concerns and surface victories. Taken on that level, the fine new mounting of the musical by the...

‘Little Shop of Horrors’ at Fredericktowne Players

You know the story. A meek, mild-mannered floral shop worker meets an other-worldly plant during a solar eclipse, and the rest is doo wop history. Fredericktowne Players, a Frederick County-based...

NSO Pops: ‘Rajaton: Best of The Beatles’ at The Kennedy Center

I had never seen an a cappella group accompanied by a symphony orchestra before and I was thrilled to see that happen last night when the Finnish a cappella group Rajaton sang The Beatles hits backed...

Magic Time!: Women’s Voices Theater Festival: ‘Queens Girl in the World’ at Theater J

Theater J has just extended the run of Caleen Sinnette Jennings’ semi-autobiographical Queens Girl in the World through October 18, and my viewing of the play last night left no doubt in my mind about...

Review: ‘Wagner, Max! Wagner’ a Song Cycle at The Kennedy Center

Even those familiar with the work of Stew and Heidi Rodewald, the duo behind Obie and Tony-award winning musical Passing Strange, might find a description of their newest song cycle Wagner, Max!...

Filichia on Friday: ‘September’s Leftovers and October’s Brainteaser’

It’s an honor to bring Peter Filichia’s column every week on Kritzerland called ‘Filichia on Friday’ to our readers on DCMetroTheaterArts. This Week: September’s Leftovers and October’s Brainteaser....

The Women’s Voices Theater Festival: ‘texts&beheadings/ElizabethR’ at The Folger Theatre

“The past cannot be cured” is a phrase attributed to Queen Elizabeth I (ElizabethR). But it certainly can be revisited. And that revisit comes some 400 years after her death. It is...

The Women’s Voices Theater Festival ‘Destiny of Desire’ at Arena Stage

DC playwright Karen Zacarías’ world-premiere musical comedy Destiny of Desire is a delightfully soapy mix of magic realism and situation comedy – so sit back in this bubble bath of great storytelling...

KAT’s 2nd Stage Brings ‘Disney’s Aladdin Jr.’ to Arts Barn 10/16-25 by Amy McGuire

In partnership with Kensington Arts Theatre (KAT) 2nd Stage, Arts on the Green presents Disney’s Aladdin Jr. The show runs October 16 through 25, 2015, with performances on Fridays at 7:30 p.m. and...

‘Eurydice’ at Villanova Theatre in Villanova, PA.

Eurydice, Sarah Ruhl’s fresh take on a classic Greek myth, is irreverent and deadly serious at the same time. It’s profound… and at times it’s also profoundly silly. And its willingness to jump...

The Women’s Voices Theater Festival ‘Princess Margaret’ at The Thelma Theatre

Princess Margaret, a world premiere by Thelma Theatre, is an intriguing new play about a Catholic school and the universal power struggle between student and teacher, teacher and administrators, and...

‘Selma ’65’ at The Catholic University

Walking into the Callan Theatre at The Catholic University of America, one might be a little confused at what they are about to see. Two projector screens display an ominous white and black forest...

The Women’s Voices Theater Festival: ‘The Point’ at Arcturus Theater Company

Four-year-old Arcturus Theater Company—a group of DC theater enthusiasts committed to presenting plays that will “prompt discussion on topics that do not come up naturally in everyday...

Meet the Director and Cast of ‘All My Sons’ at Peace Mountain Theatre Company: Part 10: Dave Dieudonne

In Part 10 of a series of interviews with the Director and cast of Peace Mountain Theatre Company‘s production of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons, meet David Dieudonne. Joel: Please introduce yourself and...

Meet the Cast of Avant Bard’s ‘Friendship Betrayed’: Part 10: Mary Myers

In Part 10 of a series of interviews with the cast of WSC Avant Bard’s production of Friendship Betrayed—a classic comedy by Spanish playwright María de Zayas y Sotomayor—meet Mary Myers. Joel: Where...

Meet the Cast of Avant Bard’s ‘Friendship Betrayed’: Part 9: Christian R. Gibbs

In Part 9 of a series of interviews with the cast of WSC Avant Bard’s production of Friendship Betrayed—a classic comedy by Spanish playwright María de Zayas y Sotomayor—meet Christian R. Gibbs. Joel:...

Meet the Director and Cast of ‘All My Sons’ at Peace Mountain Theatre Company: Part 9: Leah Mazade

In Part 9 of a series of interviews with the Director and cast of Peace Mountain Theatre Company‘s production of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons, meet Leah Mazade. Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell...

An Interview with Playwright Gabrielle Fulton on ‘Uprising’ Now Playing at MetroStage by Debbie M. Jackson

Talking with Gabrielle Fulton was like connecting with a long-lost sister. While her roots are solidly Southern, she received degrees at Columbia U. and Northwestern, giving her an east coast and...

The Women’s Voices Theater Festival: Another Look at ‘Uprising’ at MetroStage

Uprising by Gabrielle Fulton, and directed by Thomas W. Jones II, integrates live blues guitar and song by local musician David Cole with the powerful storytelling of a highly talented ensemble. Set...

‘Nips at Nite’ Plays This Saturday, 9/26@7 & 10:30 PM at the Mobtown Ballroom

TimelessTease Productions, a young burlesque troupe out of Baltimore, burst onto the scene last year with a very elaborate and scripted production, Steampunk Seductions. Since then they’ve done some...

‘Carmen’ at Washington National Opera (Cast #2-9/20/15)

Washington National Opera opens its 60th season with Georges Bizet’s iconic verismo opera, Carmen, directed by E. Loren Meeker. Arguably the most popular work in the operatic repertoire, Carmen is a...

‘Sister Act’ at Riverside Center Dinner Theater

Riverside Center Dinner Theater presents Sister Act, a musical based on the Touchstone Pictures Motion Picture written by Joseph Howard. Music for this production is by Alan Menken, with lyrics by...

Christine Ebersole, Paige Faure & Nick Ziobro Join The American Pops on 10/16@8 pm at Lisner for ‘Stairway to Paradise: A Gershwin Spectacular’

LUKE FRAZIER CONDUCTS THE AMERICAN POPS IN ‘STAIRWAY TO PARADISE: A GERSHWIN SPECTACULAR’ With Tony® Award Winner Christine Ebersole, Broadway’s Paige Faure, Great American Songbook Ambassador Nick...

The Women’s Voices Theater Festival: ‘Queens Girl in the World’ at Theater J

Find my place in the world is a major question at the center of Queens Girl in the World now playing at Theater J. It is a beautifully engaging, semi-autobiographical personal and political memory...

‘The Velveteen Rabbit’ at Applause Unlimited/The Puppet Co

This Fall, The Puppet Company proudly hosts Applause Unlimited’s Christopher Hudert and his production of The Velveteen Rabbit, adapted by Terry Snyder from the book by Margery Williams. Mr. Snyder,...

Meet the Director and Cast of ‘All My Sons’ at Peace Mountain Theatre Company: Part 8: Bill Hurlbut

In Part 8 of a series of interviews with the Director and cast of Peace Mountain Theatre Company‘s production of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons, meet Joel: Tell readers where they may have seen you...

Meet the Cast of The Little Theatre of Alexandria’s ‘Laughing Stock’: Part 10: Melissa Dunlap

In Part 10 of a series of interviews with the cast of The Little Theatre of Alexandria’s production of Charles Morey’s Laughing Stock, meet Melissa Dunlap. Joel: Where have local audiences seen you on...

Meet the Cast of Avant Bard’s ‘Friendship Betrayed’ Part 8: Megan Dominy

In Part 8 of a series of interviews with the cast of WSC Avant Bard’s production of Friendship Betrayed—a classic comedy by Spanish playwright María de Zayas y Sotomayor—meet Megan Dominy. Joel: Where...

Meet the Director and Cast of Prince George’s Little Theatre’s ‘Once Upon a Mattress’: Part 6: Ken Kienas and Shane Conrad

In Part 6 of a series of interviews with the director and cast of Prince George’s Little Theatre’s Once Upon a Mattress, meet Ken Kienas and Shane Conrad. Joel: Tell our readers where they may have...

‘The New Morality’ at The Mint Theater Company in New York City

The Mint Theater, in a 100 seat space on the 3rd floor of an office building on West 43rd Street, has been fulfilling its mission of re-discovering forgotten gems from the past, and offering them at...

The Women’s Voices Theater Festival: ‘Uprising’ at MetroStage

Uprising is, quite simply, what live theater is meant to be. The gripping story, set in 1859 and told with pathos and humor, asks questions about the nature of freedom, family, sacrifice, and...

The Women’s Voices Theater Festival: ‘The Requiem’ at The Highwood Theatre

Think the promise, even the future of American theater lies in the hands of those imaginative, impassioned, gutsy young Millennials who for the last several years have musically and dramatically set...

The Women’s Voices Theater Festival: ‘Now Comes the Night’ at 1st Stage

Visceral, haunting, and beautifully executed, Now Comes the Night at 1st Stage is an excruciating and suspenseful look at lives of three journalists whose lives were ripped apart while covering the...

‘The Cerulean Time Capsule’ at The United States Botanic Gardens

I had the great pleasure this weekend of exploring the United States Botanic Garden with my three boys, who are 10, 8, and 6. It was a first for all of us and you would think we had gone to the...

‘Baby Doll’ at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, NJ

You can cut the air – and the tension – with a knife in Princeton these days. The McCarter Theatre’s new production of Baby Doll, adapted from Tennessee Williams’ 1956 screenplay (and his short play...

‘Seuls’ at The Kennedy Center

To witness Seuls is to witness a gifted artist toss his tools—la vie banale, literary idols, childhood—into the same spot in a stream. Each tool, each influence, creates a new circle on the surface....

‘Pride and Prejudice’ at Centerstage

Jane Austen’s mastery of manners and morals was on luxurious display in Centerstage’s world-premiere production of her beloved masterpiece, Pride and Prejudice, the first show of its 2015/16 Season....

‘Carmen’ at Washington National Opera (Cast 1-9/19/15)

The Washington National Opera launches their 60th season with a visually gorgeous and vocally stunning Carmen. Clémentine Margaine takes on the role of the gypsy seductress – a role that every mezzo...

‘The Midtown Men’ at Hylton Performing Arts Center

Ah, what a night! It was 1963 again, or there abouts. It was a carefree concert to recall a certain period in the ‘60’s full of happy days. A time of AM radio hits, high school and perhaps college...

The Women’s Voices Theater Festival: ‘Inheritance Canyon’ at Taffety Punk Theatre Company

How did you get to where you are today? Was it with help from your loved ones, or in spite of them? Are you experiencing déjà vu? What is the price of fame? Can you really achieve greatness just by...

‘Ragtime: The Musical’ at Toby’s Dinner Theatre

The emotionally stirring historical patchwork known as Ragtime: The Musical is back at Toby’s Dinner Theatre in a wonderful new professional mounting. It was twelve years ago that Toby Orenstein first...

‘Latina Supremes’ at The In Series

The In Series “Made in America” season launches in Latin and South America with a special cabaret of the works Latina songwriters as a part of the DC Women’s Voices Festival, Latina Supremes. The...

‘Private Eyes’ at Silver Spring Stage

Anyone who craves serious comedy—meaning humor leavened with wit and more than a dash of malice—will rejoice over Silver Spring Stage’s production of Private Eyes by Steven Dietz. The play was...

‘Eleanor: Her Secret Journey’ at Compass Rose Theater

Actress Sue Struve plays the one and only role – Eleanor Roosevelt – in the dynamic production of Eleanor: Her Secret Journey. This is the third play in the Rose Play Festival: A Celebration of Women...

‘Maurice Hines is Tappin’ Thru Life’ at Delaware Theatre Company in Wilmington, Delaware

Delaware Theatre Company perfectly kicks off its 37th season with Tappin’ Thru Life. A life as fascinating as Tony Nominated Maurice Hines’ deserves to be told in this theatrical manner. Tony-Award...

‘Much Ado About Nothing’ at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company

In Chesapeake Shakespeare Company’s production of Much Ado About Nothing, there is an endless menu of farce devices, a beautifully carved and textured faux-marble façade (Daniel O’Brien, the technical...

‘A Grand Night for Singing’ at Apollo Civic Theatre

A Grand Night for Singing at the Apollo Civic Theatre is a grand night of entertainment from a small ensemble cast singing intricate arrangements of Rodgers and Hammerstein classics in quirky and...