2015

‘Next To Normal’ at Rockville Musical Theatre at The Gaithersburg Arts Barn

I am a Next to Normal fan and have been since I saw it Off-Broadway and then at Arena Stage, and then several times on Broadway, and I have seen several local productions at universities and in...

‘Greater Tuna’ at Compass Rose Theater by Danielle Angeline

Greater Tuna by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears, and Ed Howard is a good ol’ down-home laugh-out-loud fest. Director Lucinda Merry-Browne and Founding Artistic Director of Compass Rose Theater, always...

‘Peter Pan’ at The Arlington Players

The Arlington Players presents Peter Pan, based on the play by Sir J.M. Barrie, with music by Morris (Moose) Charlap and additional music by Jule Styne,with lyrics by Carolyn Leigh and additional...

Bach’s ‘St. John Passion’ with the National Philharmonic at Strathmore

Johann Sebastian Bach wasn’t just fulfilling a professional responsibility when he wrote religious music. A devout Lutheran, Bach meant what he wrote and sought musical texts and texture that would...

‘Old Wicked Songs’ at 1st Stage

Occasionally, a show blows me away and I want to grab the arm of people walking by on the street and steer them to the production. “Come. Join in experiencing this beautiful piece of art.” This is the...

The Washington Ballet’s ‘Swan Lake’ at The Kennedy Center

Under a moonlit, cloudy sky, a young, overwhelmed Prince Siegfried seeks refuge in the forest following an evening of birthday revelry. A weighty anticipation gives a lag to his steps, for tomorrow he...

Neil Simon’s ‘Fools’ at APL Drama Club

Fools by Neil Simon opened this weekend presented by the APL Drama Club located on the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab campus in Laurel, MD. The members and performers are mostly the scientists,...

‘Drunkle Vanya’ at LiveArtDC

When I arrived to see Drunkle Vanya last night, the first thing I did was order a vodka. I don’t typically drink before I review, but in this circumstance it seemed part of my job, since the show was...

‘The Typographer’s Dream’ at The Hub Theatre

In this town of powerful out-sized personalities of all persuasions, and the ever-increasing shift to delivery of entertainment through pixels and with headsets on, The Hub Theatre’s satisfying...

‘Greater Tuna’ at Compass Rose Theater by Sophia Howes

Hail, Tuna! Greater Tuna will delight you, whether you have ever lived in a small town or whether the closest you have ever been to one is the East Village in New York. As directed by Lucinda...

‘Emerge’ at Howard University

Watching the annual student spring dance concert last night at Howard University, I was taken aback from the get-go. What I saw was so impressive in conception and execution, so powerful in its...

‘The Language Archive’ at Silver Spring Stage

The Language Archive at the Silver Spring Stage, is not a play about the language of love but of language and love, or more specifically, communication and emotion. The play centers on the marriage,...

Synetic Teen Company’s ‘Hamlet…the rest is silence’ at Synetic Theater

Fans of Synetic Theater: it’s time to celebrate! While the original company members of Hamlet…the rest is silence are maturing, the new generation of brilliant performers is being groomed for...

‘Nunsense’ at Wolf Pack Theatre Company

St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church has been taken over by Catholics! And they’re doing the Time Warp? Last night, St. John’s and Wolf Pack Theatre Company premiered their spring show, Nunsense, a...

‘The Secret Garden’ at The Theatre Lab School for The Dramatic Arts

Director Deb Gottesman and Musical Director Buzz Mauro could not have chosen a better piece for The Theatre Lab’s “Creating a Musical Role” class than the Marsha Norman/Lucy Simon musical. The Secret...

Meet the Director and Cast of Vienna Theatre Company’s ‘Other Desert Cities’ Part 2: Director Rosemary Hartman By Richard Durkin

Veteran director Rosemary Hartman has directed 40+ plays for regional and community theatres in New England, Washington, DC, and Northern Virginia. Previous VTC productions include The Prisoner of...

George Mason University’s Center for the Arts Announces 25th Anniversary Season of Great Performances at Mason by Jill Graziano Laiacona

Celebrating 25 years of bringing outstanding performing arts to George Mason University and audiences in the greater Washington, DC area, George Mason University’s Center for the Arts in Fairfax...

Meet Cast Members of Synetic Teen Company’s ‘Hamlet…the rest is silence’

Let me introduce you to these young, talented, and athletic cast members of Synetic Teen Company’s production of Hamlet…the rest is silence, playing through April 18, 2015. Joel: Please introduce...

Magic Time!: ‘Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike’ at Arena Stage at The Mead Center for American Theater by John Stoltenberg

There is no humor in one’s own unhappiness. To be lonely and disappointed in life is not to be amused. To feel empty and over the hill is not to be tickled. Yet when we laugh at the woes and sorrows...

‘Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike’ at Arena Stage at The Mead Center for American Theater by Michael Poandl

You really don’t need to know anything about Chekhov or his work to enjoy Arena Stage’s hilarious production of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, the 2013 smash hit by comedy playwright...

‘4000 Miles’ at Centerstage

Sometimes, odd couples make the perfect pairings, such is the case in Amy Herzog’s Obie Award-winning play 4000 Miles (finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Time Magazine ‘s #1 Play or...

‘The Laramie Project’ at McLean High School

A well-cast and convincing docudrama directed by Amy Poe is giving audiences a lot to talk about, opening a few minds, and lending high school students with fluid gender identities a degree of...

The Washington Ballet’s ‘Swan Lake’ at The Kennedy Center

Swooning over the first ‘Swan’ Step aside, Baryshnikov. There’s a new kid on the block and he’s taking the dance world by storm. The Washington Ballet’s Brooklyn Mack took his royal place last night...

Linda Levy Retires as President & CEO of theatreWashington by Brad Watkins

theatreWashington President & CEO Linda Levy announced today that she is retiring after serving the organization and Washington’s theatre community for 27 years. Since December 2014, Levy has been on...

“It’s Only Words…But Words are All We Have”: The ‘Language Archive’ Opens Tonight at Silver Spring Stage by Lennie Magida

With so many words in the world, why do people so often have trouble finding the right ones to say to each other? It’s what Joseph Coracle calls “the conundrum of language.” Coracle is director of a...

Rockville Musical Theatre’s ‘Next to Normal’ Opens Tomorrow Night at The Gaithersburg Arts Barn by Director Shelly Horn

As soon as I saw Next to Normal at The Kennedy Center in 2010, I knew I wanted to direct it. The show was new and novel both in impact and in approach. Billed as a rock musical, the twists and turns...

A Q&A with Mezzo-Soprano Magdalena Wór on Her Training in Washington and Return This Weekend to Strathmore

Mezzo-soprano Magdalena Wór pretty much creates an unforgettable impression everywhere she performs. Her strikingly rich voice – it’s been called “plush,” “chocolatey” and other adjectives redolent of...

‘Skylight’ at The Golden Theatre in New York City

For those of you who love live theatre enough to cherish the teamwork of two major acting talents, Skylight by David Hare should motivate you to book yourself a seat this spring, for the run is...

New York City Ballet: Program B: 21st-Century Choreographers’ at The Kennedy Center

Principal dancer Teresa Reichlen unwraps her leg into a développé, a blade curling a bow, then—suspends—playfully, before hiding it away. Her partner, principal Zachary Catazaro, approaches with a...

Meet the Cast of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ at Rockville Little Theatre: Part 6: Liz Weber

In Part 6 of a series of interviews with the cast and director of To Kill a Mockingbird at Rockville Little Theatre, meet Liz Weber. Please introduce yourself and tell our readers where they may have...

Jay Leno at The Kennedy Center

A magnificent stage usually filled with a full orchestra and a hundred-person chorus might feel empty with just a stool, a microphone, and a lone person, but not when Jay Leno is in control. With the...

‘Gigi’ at The Neil Simon Theatre in New York City

The current stage revival on Broadway of Lerner and Loewe’s film Gigi is lovely to look at. It’s filled with principal performers in supporting roles, who have played leads on Broadway, and for those...

New York City Ballet at The Kennedy Center-Program A: 20th Century Classics

There’s no company like the New York City Ballet, performing the old, new, and, especially, Serenade. Last night was one of those magical evenings of ballet and beauty. First it was a smooth ride to...

‘Gone Country’ at Signature Theatre

Three accomplished performers are singing their hearts out in a real crowd-pleaser at Signature Theatre’s Gone Country cabaret, a short engagement conceived and directed by Walter Ware II. Maria...

The Philadelphia Orchestra with Washington Performing Arts at the Kennedy Center

Subtext abounded as the Philadelphia Orchestra arrived at The Kennedy Center Tuesday night. In Washington, rising politicians are “mentioned for president.” In classical music, rising conductors are...

Meet the Cast of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ at Rockville Little Theatre: Part 5: Sydney Lauricella-Reed

In Part 5 of a series of interviews with the cast and director of To Kill a Mockingbird at Rockville Little Theatre, meet Sydney Lauricella-Reed. Please introduce yourself and tell our readers where...

In the Moment: ‘Off the Wall’ at George Mason University on Saturday, April 18th

Its title beckons with a “come hither” attitude; Off the Wall. Three small intriguing words that are total catnip when strung together. And, then a connection to something called the Virginia Serious...

Stunt Double Social Club: A Weekly Event for Local Writers and Actors! by Michael Samuel Deigh

If you’re a writer or an actor, you know how hard it is to show off your talent! This event is an opportunity to hear your work come to life and a place for actors to practice their craft. Every...

Post-Play Palaver: Robert Michael Oliver and John Stoltenberg Look at ‘Light Rises on Grace’

Robert Michael Oliver and John Stoltenberg saw and wrote about the same opening night performance of Lights Rise on Grace at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, but they seem not to have seen the same...

‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ at Adventure Theatre MTC

Adventure Theatre MTC presents the famed classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, based on the novel by L. Frank Baum and adapted by Jacqueline E. Lawton. Roberta Gasbarre directs this highly anticipated...

Here Are The Recipients of This Year’s 2015 Helen Hayes Awards – in Order of Presentation With 2 Videos

Here are the recipients of the 2015 Helen Hayes Awards in the order they were announced tonight at The Lincoln Theatre. THE RECIPIENTS ARE IN RED! https://youtu.be/acNtQ0cq6Tw Outstanding Supporting...

Bowie Community Theatre’s ‘Flyin’ West’ Opens This Friday, April 10th

Those who grew up with classic Hollywood Westerns filled with cowboy heroes shooting their way to justice will find a sharp departure in Bowie Community Theatre’s production of Pearl Cleage’s “Flyin’...

“What, Mr. Todd, What is that Sound?” Arranging The Prog Metal Version of ‘Sweeney Todd’: Part Two: Andrew Lloyd Baughman

It has been over a year since Stephen Sondheim gave DC’s Landless Theatre Company unprecedented permission to create a Prog Metal orchestration of Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. The...

Recipients of 47 Helen Hayes Awards to Be Announced Tonight at The Lincoln Theatre Beginning at 8 PM. Here Are the Nominees

The 2015 Helen Hayes Awards recipients will be unveiled tonight beginning at 8 PM at The Lincoln Theatre. This is the first time that the new Awards Process will be effect, and there are 47 categories...

‘Being Leonardo da Vinci (An Impossible Interview)’ at The Kennedy Center

Italian director and actor Massimiliano Finazzer Flory brought his latest project, Being Leonardo da Vinci (An Impossible Interview), to The Kennedy Center on April 2, 2015, for a single engagement....

‘An Experiment with an Air Pump’ at George Mason University

Shelagh Stephenson’s 1997 An Experiment with an Air Pump toggles between the dawn of the 19th and 21st centuries to examine the role of science in society, bioethics and the status of women at the...

Spine: ‘The Margins’ at Molotov Theatre Group by Robert Michael Oliver

David Skeele’s The Margins opened this Saturday at Adams Morgan’s DCAC with its own brand of intimate terror. Take the small theatre — and I mean 45-person tiny; put 4 psychics around a table; throw...

‘The Margins’ at Molotov Theatre Group by John Stoltenberg

There be eerie goings-on inside the DC Arts Center black box where Molotov Theatre Group is staging a spell-binder of a show about a psychic experiment to create a ghost by occultish committee....

‘Simply Sondheim’ at Signature Theatre

Including everything from Sunday in the Park with George to Company to Into the Woods and everything in between, the work of has graced the stages of Signature Theatre an astounding twenty-four times;...

DCMTA Scene Stealers-Week Ending March 31, 2015 Part 2

Here is Part 2 of DCMetroTheaterArts’ Scene Stealers ending March 31, 2015. Congrats to our honorees! ______ Charles Edwards as Charles in a Ghostly Encounter he National Theatre “Not even Angela...