2015

‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum’ at Montgomery College’s Summer Dinner Theatre

As promised by the lead character, Pseudolus (Gregory Atkin), there is indeed “something for everyone” at Montgomery College’s Summer Dinner Theatre production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to...

Comedy at the Kennedy Center: Kathy Griffin at The Kennedy Center

Guinness World Record-setter (with 23 stand-up specials), two-time Emmy and Grammy Award–winning comedian Kathy Griffin officially kicked off her 80-city tour last night at The Kennedy Center’s...

2015 Capital Fringe Preview #10 ‘315’ by JP Sisneros

“From 1932 to 2004 an estimated number of 250 people jumped off the George Washington Bridge. From 2004 to 2010, an average of 6 people jumped. In 2011, 10 people, and 2012, 18 people. Which leaves us...

Columbia Festival of the Arts: Part 5: ‘Butcher Holler Here We Come’

Imagine you are in a West Virginia coal mine, and there is a cave it. It is cold, and the only light is from the tiny one on top of your helmet or the helmet of a coworker. That is what Aztec Economy...

‘Garfield, The Musical With Cattitude’ at Adventure Theatre MTC

Garfield: The Musical With Cattitude Provides Plenty of Laughs for All Ages Adventure Theatre MTC serves up the charm for all ages with its original musical Garfield: The Musical with Cattitude,...

Columbia Festival of the Arts: Part 4: The Blind Boys of Alabama and Andy Poxon Band

The indoor performances of the Columbia Festival of the Arts began on Friday, June 20, 2015, at the Jim Rouse Theatre in Columbia, MD. It could not have picked a more inspirational group to start the...

DC Black Theatre Festival: ‘Letters from Zora: In Her Own Words’

The Harlem Renaissance was magically rebirthed through Vanessa Bell Calloway’s phenomenal one-woman performance of Letters from Zora: In Her Own Words at the gala opening for the 6th Annual DC Black...

‘Garfield, The Musical with Cattitude’ Now Playing at Adventure Theater/MTC by Amanda Bradley

GARFIELD, THE MUSICAL WITH CATTITUDE IS PLAYING NOW AT ADVENTURE THEATRE/MTC Through August 23, 2015 Based on the characters created by Jim Davis Book by Jim Davis and Michael J. Bobbitt Music and...

2015 Capital Fringe Preview #10: ‘The Wedding Party’ by Megan Dominy

Sharp, funny, and irreverent, the world premiere of The Wedding Party will be invading this summer’s Capital Fringe Festival! Playwrights Megan Dominy and Mimsi Janis sat down with Director Abbie...

Filichia on Friday: ‘A Classic(s) Saturday’ by Peter Filichia

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: A Classic(s) Saturday Purchase Peter Filichia’s...

2015 Capital Fringe Preview #9: ‘Cold As Death’

“People ask me ‘where do you find these plays?’ says Catherine Aselford, Artistic Director of Guillotine Theatre, “and I always wonder why they don’t ask me ‘why do you find these plays?’ I can’t help...

2015 Capital Fringe Preview #7: Interviews with the Writer/Director/Producer and Cast of ‘Girl with Two Belly Buttons’: Part 3: Matthew Sutphin

In Part 3 of a series of interviews with the writer, producer, and director and the cast of Girl with Two Belly Buttons, meet Matthew Sutphin. In Girl with Two Belly Buttons, Izzy, at age 60, is sick...

Lindsey Stirling at Wolf Trap

After the rain comes the rainbow—tonight the rainbow was Lindsey Stirling’s sublime performance at Wolf Trap following this afternoon’s thunder and hailstorms. With her own effervescent style, she won...

‘The Book of Mormon’ at The Kennedy Center

Two years ago I saw the touring production of The Book of Mormon at The Kennedy Center and was utterly blown away. I wrote a column at the time about the profound content of The Book of Mormon,...

2015 Capital Fringe Preview #7: Interviews with the Writer/Director/Producer and Cast of ‘Girl with Two Belly Buttons’: Part 2: Kathryn Martin

In Part 2 of a series of interviews with the writer, producer, and director and the cast of Girl with Two Belly Buttons, meet Kathryn Martin. In Girl with Two Belly Buttons, Izzy, at age 60, is sick...

2015 Capital Fringe Preview #8: Red Knight Productions Presents: ‘Witches’ by Scott Courlander

The working title for this show was Witches are Bitches. However, after much deliberation, we decided that Witches are Bitches didn’t quite evoke the fairy tale tone, or the family friendly nature of...

Meet the Cast of Damascus Theatre Company’s ‘The Wedding Singer’: Part 4: Megan Mostow

In Part 4 of a series of interviews with the cast of Damascus Theatre Company’s The Wedding Singer, meet Megan Mostow. Please introduce yourself and tell our readers where they may have seen you...

Meet the Cast of Damascus Theatre Company’s ‘The Wedding Singer’: Part 3: Tim Kurtzberg and Cam Sammartano

In Part 3 of a series of interviews with the cast of The Wedding Singer, meet Tim Kurtzberg & Cam Sammartano who play Robbie Hart’s bandmates Sammy and George in Damascus Theatre Company’s production...

‘Hand to God’ at The Booth Theatre in New York City

As summer fare this highly imaginative black comedy by Robert Askins is not what you’d expect. No Butterflies are Free, no Barefoot in the Park romantic romp is this play that features a grieving...

2015 Capital Fringe Preview #7: Interviews with the Writer/Director/Producer and Cast of ‘Girl with Two Belly Buttons’: Part 1: Jeryl Parade

In Part 1 of a series of interviews with the writer, producer, and director and the cast of Girl with Two Belly Buttons, meet Jeryl Parade. In Girl with Two Belly Buttons, Izzy, at age 60, is sick and...

2015 Capital Fringe Preview #5: Jane Franklin Dance’s ‘Niche’ by Jane Franklin

Part of the 10th Annual Capital Fringe Festival July 9 – 26, 2015 CAFRITZ FOUNDATION THEATER, DANCE PLACE 3225 8th STREET, NE, IN WASHINGTON, DC July 15th at 7:45 pm July 17th at 8:45 pm July 18th at...

2015 Capital Fringe Preview #6: Preview Article: ‘Girl Versus Corinth’ by Danny Baird and Michael Windsor

Medea’s back and she’s putting the pulse back in expulsion! The feminist revolution is in full swing, and Medea’s been resurrected by a band of feminist specters who are ready to riot grrrl. In Girl...

‘How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying’ at the Youth Theatre of Northern Baltimore County

People say that theatre has a magical quality to it and that when an actor appears onstage, he is transformed in such a way that you no longer think of the actor and only think of the character. Part...

In The Moment: 2015 Capital Fringe Preview #4: ‘Our Lady of the Clouds’ by David Siegel

Be transported to the far-away of the mind. What better place to explore provocative magical realism as a performing art than at this year’s Fringe Festival. Letting one’s mind drift into a world...

‘Murder for Two’ at Philadelphia Theatre Company

Whodunit? Who killed the famous author? Was it his wife, his mistress, or his psychiatrist? Maybe it was the author’s friends Murray and Barb, the ones who introduce themselves as “the feisty old...

‘The Comedy of Errors’ at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company

“This is not my beautiful house! This is not my beautiful wife!” sings Matthew Ancarrow at the end of Act 1, as Antipholus of Syracuse finds himself confusingly entrenched in the life of a stranger...

Save the Day and Get a Medal: An Interview with Charles Ross, Star of ‘One Man Star Wars Trilogy’ Coming to Baltimore Soundstage This Friday

DCMetro Theater Arts’ Winters Geimer had an exclusive interview with Charles Ross on what you should know before the show and his thoughts on the upcoming Star Wars films. This is the first time that...

‘The Little Prince’ at Creative Cauldron

Creative Cauldron at ArtSpace presents The Little Prince, based on the book by Antione de Saint Exupery, with music by Rick Cummins and book and lyrics by John Scoullar. Directors Denise Perrino and...

2015 Capital Fringe Preview #3: ‘Act Like a GRRRL’ by Rhonda Eldridge

Act Like a GRRRL (ALAG) is an autobiographical writing and performance program that inspires girls (ages 12-18) to write about their lives and transform their thoughts into monologues, dances and...

‘West Side Story’ at Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre

Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre is presenting one of American Theater’s timeless classics: West Side Story. With book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim,...

Meet the Director and Cast of Spooky Action Theater’s ‘Jarry Inside Out’: Part 3: Carla Briscoe

In Part 3 of a series of interviews with the Director and cast of Spooky Action Theater’s Jarry Inside Out, meet actress Carla Briscoe. Why did you want to become a member of the cast of Jarry Inside...

At War With Ourselves – A Visual Response to the Racial Legacy of the Civil War

The first thing you notice are the spent bullet casings embedded in a spiral against the red and white stripes of the American Flag. Then you notice the pearls in the place of stars, “tears” according...

Columbia Festival of the Arts: Part 3: Last Day at Lakefront

Mother Nature was kind to the Festival this weekend. Thunderstorms were predicted but there was only one close call. So, though many were sweltering, it was a wonderful day to listen to good music....

2015 Capital Fringe Festival-Preview #2: ‘Neda Wants to Die’ by Amanda Shaw

NEDA WANTS TO DIE by Luigi Laraia 10th Annual Capital Fringe Festival July 9 – 26, 2015 in Washington, DC Daring Play on Sexual Violence Explores Blurred Lines between Perpetrators and Victims Luigi...

‘I Think I Love You’ Cabaret to Benefit Playwright’s Family on Saturday, June 27, 2015 at 7:30 PM at Clifton Town Hall

Area performers will be performing a good deed on June 27th to help a theater family in need. On June 1, Kelly Hennessa, a social studies teacher for children with special needs at Centreville High...

‘(a love story)’ at Source Festival 2015

Sponsored by CulturalDC, the Source Festival presents 24 new plays over the course of three weeks that showcase the talents of a variety of artists from across the nation. These plays fall into three...

Spine: ‘In Session’ by La Petite Noiseuse Productions

Mónica López-González’s new play, In Session, now playing at Johns Hopkins’ Swirnow Theatre, ripples with ideas — rich ideas, fascinating ideas on such subjects as artificial intelligence (nay–life),...

Dangereuse: ‘The Madwoman of Chaillot: An Ode to Joy in the Midst of Corruption’

WSC Avant Bard’s current production of Giraudoux’ The Madwoman of Chaillot, an entertaining tribute to the power of joy over despair, reminds us of the importance of the artist in an inevitably...

‘The Pirates of Penzance’ at Wolf Trap

On June 13, 2015, Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts and New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players presented Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance, a two-act operetta that was first...

‘Ruddigore’ at The Victorian Lyric Opera Company

On Saturday night, I walked into the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre with certain anticipations. As my third Victorian Lyric Opera Company production, I expected phenomenal singing, beautiful costumes,...

The British Players’ 51st Old Time Music Hall

When Malcolm Edwards, the emcee and Mr. Chairman of the British Players Old Time Music Hall, stepped on the stage and asked the packed house, “Are we going to have some fun this afternoon?” he...

‘Occupied Territories’ at Theater Alliance

The theater is no a stranger to the wounds of war. Countless plays and performance pieces have opened our hearts and minds to that which is unhealed and raw, to that which persists as pain and trauma,...

‘Bring It On’ at Drama Learning Center

The wonderful young talents at the Drama Learning Center in Columbia are pushing youth theater ahead by leaps and bounds — literally. There are so many back flips required by their newest TYA...

An Evening of Theater Celebration at the 16th-Annual Cappies Gala

My first foray into the world of high school award programs began last year when I attended The National Capital Area Cappies award event. And, leading up to this year’s program, celebrating the...

Columbia Festival of the Arts: Day Two at the Lakefront

It was a hot day and a hotter night at the Lakefront but that did not keep the crowds away. Good music, especially free for the listening, is always a way to attract an audience. Folks listened while...

‘The Wedding Singer’ at Cockpit in Court

As someone who grew up in the 1980’s, I desperate try to forget my penchant for crimped hair, huge bangs and shoulder pads. Cockpit in Court’s production of The Wedding Singer, however, manages to...

‘Weird Al’ Yankovic at Wolf Trap

Who knew metro Washington was also the nation’s nerd capital? A sold-out crowd — many ectomorphs in geeky garb, monk/Jedi robes, foil caps, riotous colors, vintage tour shirts, and even one randy...

Columbia Festival of the Arts Part 1: Opening Night at the Lakefront

Last night the Columbia Festival of the Arts began on the Lakefront in Columbia. (This review is of the last two performances of the evening as those were the ones that were viewed and not to ignore...

‘The Wedding Singer’ at Damascus Theatre Company

Hearken back to New Jersey in the 1980s when self-absorbed Yuppies worshipped Wall Street, hair gel, and blow dryers, and you have the setting for the 2006 Tony-nominated Broadway musical, The Wedding...

The Marriage of Figaro’ at Wolf Trap

Wedding season is in full swing here in the DC area, and Wolf Trap is no exception, with their stellar production of The Marriage of Figaro. Opening tonight and running through Saturday, June 20,...