2015

In the Moment: A Chat with Director Aaron Posner and Scenic/Properties Designer Paige Hathaway at ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead’ at the Folger Theatre

Walking into the Folger Theatre, I did a double-take. This clearly was going to be a different visual experience for Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead as directed by Aaron Posner....

Magic Time!: ‘I’m an Improviser by Trade’: A Q&A With Matthew R. Wilson, Director of Faction of Fools’ ‘Our Town’

It’s kind of a tossup these days whether Matthew R. Wilson is more newsworthy because he’s leaving as artistic director of Faction of Fools, the Commedia dell’arte company he founded, to teach...

Magic Time! ‘Unpacking Racism’: A Q&A with Psalmayene 24, Director of Forum Theatre’s ‘The Shipment’

Before I spoke with Psalmayne 24 about his direction of The Shipment—which plays through June 13, 2015, at Forum Theatre—I read the play by Young Jean Lee. John: I found the script powerful and deep....

‘The Servant of Two Masters’ at Annapolis Shakespeare Company

There is nothing more enjoyable than a pleasant summer evening, unless, you happen to be at Annapolis Shakespeare Company’s ‘Comedy in the Courtyard’ at Reynold’s Tavern. The patio behind Reynold’s...

‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead’ at Folger Theatre (Review)

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead at the Folger Theatre is a sumptuously original production of the breakthrough play of one of England’s greatest living playwrights. “I write plays” Tom Stoppard...

Spine: ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead’ at Folger Theatre (Article)

I first read Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead back in 1974. It was but one of many plays I devoured as part of my thirst for the absurdist perspective. It’s now playing at Folger...

‘A Tale of Two Cities’ at Synetic Theater

If only Alex Mills was available to tell stories to my now 31 year old daughter when she was a baby. While I read to her aplenty, she would have marveled and communicating happily through gurgles at...

Magic Time! ‘Cabaret’ at Signature Theatre

By the end of Act One, I was stunned and shaken. By the end of Act Two, I was speechless, not wanting to move. And I had seen this show before. The movie too. I already knew that it has a dark...

Spine: ‘Jumpers for Goalposts’ at The Studio Theatre

Life’s endless struggles — from the daily variety, like getting your mates to behave appropriately, to the emotionally cataclysmic, like the death of a loved one — such is the subject of Tom Wells’...

‘The Letters’ at MetroStage

MetroStage’s Producing Artistic Director Carolyn Griffin, has found yet another extraordinary ‘gem of play’ – The Letters by John W. Lowell – and gave it a setting worthy of a diamond. Expertly...

‘Jumpers for Goalposts’ at The Studio Theatre

There have been some great plays set in locker rooms that lay bare the anxieties underlying men’s lives. After all, the sports locker room is the archetypical site of respite from the male-male combat...

GI Film Festival Opens Tonight and Runs Through May 24th at Angelika Film Center

GI Film Festival Opens Tonight through May 24th at Angelika Film Center The GI Film Festival (GIFF) is back in town for the ninth year in a row. It runs from May 18-May 24, 2015 with its primary...

‘Last of the Boys’ at Fells Point Corner Theatre

As Memorial Day weekend approaches, we prepare for barbecues and trips to the beach, but some of us forget about the true reason for the three-day weekend: acknowledging the accomplishments of those...

‘Cabaret’ at Signature Theatre

Signature Theatre’s Cabaret is a formidable musical that abundantly succeeds in taking the audience by its collective throat and jolting it into alertness to the rise of evil and terror. Under Matthew...

‘The Price’ at Olney Theatre Center

Arthur Miller’s The Price, now playing at Olney Theatre Center, is brilliantly directed by Michael Bloom. The play, which opened in 1968 on Broadway, takes place in the late 1940s. Like Arthur...

Talkback Today Following 3 PM Matinee of ‘The Letters’ with Playwright John W. Lowell at MetroStage by Carolyn Griffin

THEATRE-GOING PLAY LOVERS: We had a great, informative, engaging talk back with playwright John W. Lowell after the matinee performance of The Letters yesterday and will have another talkback with...

‘Born This Way’ at The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC

Like a torrential, cleansing rain washing away intolerance and hate, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington (GMCW) immersed the audience in flowing torrents of song in their current production Born This...

‘Godspell’ at Silhouette Stages

Silhouette Stage’s Godspell, directed by Stephen M. Deininger, opened last night at Slayton House in Columbia. With music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by John-Michael Tebelak, it’s based...

‘Marley’ at Centerstage

Director/Book writer Kwame Kwei-Armah showcases the three most productive years of Bob Marley’s career (1975-78) in a jukebox musical experience nearly as electric as the legend and his Wailers...

In the Moment: Hylton Performance Center Presents Rosanne Cash on 6/26 and The Castleton Festival on 6/28

It’s never too early to begin thinking about summer entertainment plans, both venues and entertainment. Early this summer, the Hylton Center for the Performing Arts, entering its sixth season on...

‘Major Barbara’ at Pallas Theatre Collective

It’s not always easy to figure out what view of life George Bernard Shaw is trying to express in Major Barbara. Though he was a freethinker, he gives us a witty, tolerant, idealistic heroine, Barbara,...

‘Filichia on Friday’: ‘Give Your Regards to Cagney and Creighton’

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: Give Your Regards to Cagney and Creighton ______...

Toby Mulford Named the New Producing Artistic Director of Faction of Fools

I am a huge fan of Matthew R. Wilson and Toby Mulford‘s work. They have brought so much joy to my life and to the lives of our theatre community. When I found out that Matthew and his wife Sarah were...

‘Tour-de-Force: Serenade’ at The Washington Ballet at The Kennedy Center

The dancers, dusted in long, white tulle, reflect—shells on a dark beach. It is an opening, a closing, a commencement, an ending. Arms raise. Hands flex. Heads turn, diagonally, toward a common...

‘Avenue Q’ at Stillpointe Theatre Initiative

Avenue Q Gets an “A”! As a child, I was obsessed with Sesame Street. I often wax nostalgic, thinking about how the delightful and whimsical Muppets taught me my ABC’s and about the importance of...

‘Fiddler on the Roof’ at St. Mark’s Players

St. Mark’s Players production of Fiddler on the Roof is a must-see. Those in the theater industry (and even those who’ve been around for the past 40 years), have heard of this Tony Award-winning show...

Aretha Franklin at The Music Center at Strathmore

Diamond-studded diva dazzles at The Strathmore The house was packed Wednesday night at Strathmore Hall in North Bethesda, MD. It was crammed with a diverse, ready to rock audience of seniors, Boomers...

Meet the Cast of ‘Once on This Island’ at Creative Cauldron: Part 5: Avia Fields

In Part 5 of a series of interviews with the cast of Once on This Island, meet Avia Fields. Please introduce yourself and tell our readers where they may have seen you perform before on our local...

Meet the Cast of ‘Once on This Island’ at Creative Cauldron: Part 6: Jade Jones

In Part 6 of a series of interviews with the cast of Once on This Island, meet Jade Jones. Please introduce yourself and tell our readers where they may have seen you perform before on our local...

‘My Way – A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra’ at Riverside Center Dinner Theater

Riverside Center Dinner Theater presents My Way; A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra, conceived by David Grapes and Todd Olson, who also provides the book for this production. Director/Choreographer...

‘Cinderella’ at The Puppet Co.

The Puppet Co. presents Cinderella, arguably the world’s most beloved fairy tale, with over thirteen hundred different versions of this story spread over countries and cultures. One thing about The...

Pianist Alon Goldstein at the Odeon Chamber Music Series

Franz Schubert’s Piano Sonata No. 19 in C minor is a sprawling, at times even rambling composition that takes a full half hour to spin out. Not even one of the world’s greatest living pianists, András...

‘Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage’ at The Hippodrome Theatre at The France-Merrick Performing Arts Center

If you absolutely adored the movie Dirty Dancing and wouldn’t change a thing about it, Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre has just the show for you. Dirty Dancing — The Classic Story on Stage is easily...

‘P is for Perfect’ and ‘Man of the House’ at The Greenspring Players

This Double Feature Production of two One-Act Plays is presented by The Greenspring Players for their Washington DC community Spring offering. Although P is for Perfect may be considered a hyped-up...

An Interview with David London on ‘Creative Spirit Seance’ – May 15-31, 2015 at Church and Company in Baltimore

One of the coolest events I went to last year was David London’s Creative Spirit Séance. At its core, Séance is a eerily wonderful magic show but it’s also a creative playground where one has the...

‘Cinderella’ (‘La Cenerentola’) at Washington National Opera #2 (Tara Erraught)

“The best laid plans of mice and men, often go awry.” In this case, to the great enjoyment of all in the Washington National Opera’s dazzling, fun production of Gioachino Rossini’s Cinderella (La...

Meet the Performers of GMCW of DC’s ‘Born this Way’: Part 2: Michael “Cabbie” Caban

Joel: Please introduce yourself to our readers and tell us how long you have been in GMCW and where we may have seen perform on our local stages? Michael: My name is Michael “Cabbie” Caban. I was born...

‘The Call’ at Theater J

Tanya Barfield’s play The Call seeks to give dramatic expression to the stark chasm between first world problems and third world problems. In so doing it tackles a topic with vast global consequence...

Meet the Cast of ‘Once on This Island’ at Creative Cauldron: Part 4: Tiara N. Whaley

In Part 4 of a series of interviews with the cast of Once on This Island, meet Tiara N. Whaley. Please introduce yourself and tell our readers where they may have seen you perform before on our local...

Nibble and Sips Around Town: ‘A Visit to The Virginia Gold Cup’ and 2 Recipes

Whisk and Quill was delighted to accept an invitation to attend the 90th running of the Virginia Gold Cup last weekend in The Plains, Virginia, as a judge for their prestigious tailgate competition –...

Next Day Theater: ‘Hitting Like a Truck’ on May 16th by Matt Spangler

Next Day Theater: Hitting Like a Truck on May 16th For years, I’ve been thinking, man, I’ve got to get into this theater scene in DC. Then it hit me: 24 hour theater. That’s right, 1,440 minutes to...

Daisha Graf and Alicia Graf Mack Share Their D(n)A with Local Dancers on May 17th in Columbia, MD

Sisters Daisha Mack and Alicia Graf Mack, co-creators of D(n)A Arts, will host The D(n)A Xperience, which aims to draw aspiring dancers from across the region. They have achieved extraordinary success...

‘Once on This Island’ at Creative Cauldron

Creative Cauldron’s production of Once on this Island (book and lyrics by Lynn Aherns and music by Stephen Flaherty) starts off with a bang. Well, to be more precise, a thunderclap. What follows is...

‘Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea’ at Theater Alliance

A bright 18-year-old named Dontrell has had a dream. He saw a man with the face of his father who is captive on a slave ship crossing the Atlantic. In the dark hold of the vessel he saw that man and a...

‘An Evening with Shirley MacLaine’ at the Music Center at Strathmore

“This is the nicest reception I’ve had in 600,000 years!” And with that telling introduction, Shirley MacLaine charmed a crowded house of adoring fans on a personal journey filled with funny stories...

‘Chess’ at Kensington Arts Theatre

Rock musicals have engaged audiences in the US and abroad for over 50 years. Coming to prominence in the late 60’s the genre hit its stride in the 70’s and 80’s with classics like the Rocky Horror...

‘Cinderella’ (‘La Cenerentola’) at Washington National Opera #1 (Isabel Leonard)

Every spring, the Washington National Opera launches a family friendly show in time for their M&M’S® Opera in the Outfield, and this year they tackle Rossini’s wickedly funny Cinderella. I love what...

Ari Roth’s Mosaic Theater Company’s Inaugural 2015-2016 Season Lineup is Announced

Ari Roth’s Mosaic Theater Company’s Inaugural Season Lineup is Announced The inaugural season of Ari Roth’s new Mosaic Theater Company has been announced: Unexplored Interior (This is Rwanda: The...

In the Moment: ‘Anne & Emmett’ at MetroStage

Created and handsomely rendered with boundless love, heart and soul, the short-run Metro Stage/Race and Reconciliation in America (RARIA) production of Anne & Emmett was a production of grace and...

‘The No Rules Sketch Show’ at No Rules Theatre Company

In The No Rules Sketch Show, written by Ashley Nicole Black, Rick Foucheux, Michael Malarkey, Joe Mallon, Brian Sutow, and Gray West, there really are no rules. Everyone and everything is fair game to...