2016

Post-Play Palaver: ‘Angels in America: Part Two: Perestroika’ at Round House Theatre and Olney Theatre Center

Post-Play Palaver is an occasional series of conversations between DCMetroTheaterArts writers who saw the same performance, got really into talking about it, and decided to continue their exchange in...

Review: ‘DAS BARBECÜ’ at Spotlighters Theatre

DAS BARBECÜ, as directed by Greg Bell, and with Book and Lyrics by Jim Luigs, was a rousing and at times, funny-bone-breaking re-telling of Wagner’s Ring Cycle, reimagined as a Texas fable with merely...

Review: Patti LuPone at Wolf Trap

The Barns at Wolf Trap resonated with the powerful belt of one of Broadway’s reigning divas tonight as Patti LuPone brought her concert “Don’t Monkey with Broadway” down to DC. A whirlwind tour...

Flying V’s ‘Be Awesome: A Theatrical Mixtape of the 90s’ Bob Manzo’s Mixtape

Flying V is winding down its awesome run of Be Awesome: A Theatrical Mixtape of the 90s, and here is cast member Bob Manzo’s personal Mixtape. Bob Manzo: Meat Puppets – Backwater Butthole Surfers –...

Review: ‘Poe … And All the Others’ at Annapolis Shakespeare Company

Poe … And All the Others is an imaginative, entertaining production, with an incredibly creative use of space. With just two people, a minimum of props, and lighting, Annapolis Shakespeare Company...

Flying V’s ‘Be Awesome: A Theatrical Mixtape of the 90s’ Jon Jon Johnson’s Mixtape

Flying V is winding down its awesome run of Be Awesome: A Theatrical Mixtape of the 90s, and here is cast member Jon Jon Johnson’s personal Mixtape: Tool – Sober https://youtu.be/hglVqACd1C8 Mary J...

Review: ‘The Blues Project’ by Dorrance Dance with Toshi Reagon and BIG Lovely at The Kennedy Center

If you want to know how America dances, don’t tune in to those kitschy television competition shows So You Think You Can Dance? and Dancing With the Stars. Check out Dorrance Dance in The Blues...

Review: ‘Fringe POP [Performance over Projection]’ at Capital Fringe-

Fringe POP [Performance over Projection] is an interesting and laudable new theatrical experiment from the Capital Fringe creative team. Fringe POP, which launched last night at the Logan Fringe Arts...

Meet the Cast of ‘Ruthless! The Musical’ at Creative Cauldron: Part 3: Meet the Cast of ‘Ruthless! The Musical’ at Creative Cauldron: Part 3: Tamarin Ythier

In Part 3 of a series of interviews with the cast of Ruthless! The Musical at Creative Cauldron, meet Tamarin Ythier. Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell our readers where they may have seen you...

Review: ‘The Encounter’ at The Golden Theatre in NYC

Simon McBurney is one of European theatre’s most original and controversial artists working today. For more than 30 years he has led Complicite, the theatre company he co-founded in 1983 and his works...

Review: ‘Grounded’ at InterAct Theatre Company in Philadelphia

InterAct’s Grounded, directed by Kathryn MacMillan, follows the journey of an Alpha-female military pilot (Kittson O’Neill) who grapples with a multitude of difficulties and decisions revolving around...

Twisted Knickers Burlesque and The Round World Present ‘The Bard and the Beautiful’ and ‘The Bard and ‘The Beautiful Two: Elizabethean Boogaloo’

Oh Mama, Mama what am I to do? I like Shakespeare but I like to shimmy too! It’s ‘Shakespeare with Shake Appeal’ for two nights, Saturday, October 8th in Baltimore and then Sunday, October 9, 2016, in...

Review: ‘Radio Golf’ at Howard University

August Wilson made it his lifelong project to chronicle the African American experience in every decade of the 20th century with his Pittsburgh Cycle. With its production of Radio Golf, Howard...

Review: ‘This Is The Week That Is: The Election Special’ at 1812 Productions in Philadelphia

An annual favorite at 1812 Productions is its irreverent take on the current news. This year’s show, This Is The Week That Is: The Election Special, has hit the motherlode of material with the two...

Spine: For the Love of ‘Angels in America: Perestroika’ at Round House Theatre

Part II of Tony Kushner’s Angels in America opened last weekend at the Round House Theatre. A joint production with the Olney Theatre Center, the restaging of Kushner’s modern day epic has been long...

Meet the Cast of ‘Ruthless! The Musical’ at Creative Cauldron: Part 2: Sophia Manicone

In Part 2 of a series of interviews with the cast of Ruthless! The Musical at Creative Cauldron, meet Sophia Manicone. Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell our readers where they may have seen you...

Interviews with the Cast of McLean Community Players’ ‘Comic Potential’ Part 4: Caity Brown

In Part 4 in a series of interviews with the cast of McLean Community Players’ Comic Potential, meet Caity Brown. Joel: Introduce yourself and tell us where else we have seen you performing in the...

An Interview with Actress Michele Loor Nicolay about Appearing in ‘Rapture, Blister, Burn’ at Allens Lane Theater

I had the honor of speaking with Michele Loor Nicolay who is playing Alice Croll, in Rapture, Blister, Burn at Allens Lane Theater. Henrik: If you could rapture, blister, and burn about this much...

‘Hexwork – A Spellbinding Burlesk Revue’ Interviews with Eyrie Twilight and Mab Just Mab

There is a spiritual element and aspect of ritual to burlesque and sideshow, two artforms linked to Carnival (literally translated – a farewell to the flesh). Hexwork pushes those elements front and...

Review: ‘The Masque of the Red Death: An Evening of Spirits & Consumption’ at Going Dark Theatre Company and the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia

Guests arrived for the party in formal wear, as requested by the host. Inside the historic building, constructed in 1909, they donned masks in carnival colors and enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and libations,...

Interviews with the Cast of McLean Community Players’ ‘Comic Potential’ Part 3: Mike Scott

In Part 3 in a series of interviews with the cast of McLean Community Players’ Comic Potential, meet Mike Scott. Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell us where our readers may have seen you perform...

Director Sun King Davis on ’43 1/2: The Greatest Deaths of Shakespeare’s Tragedies’ Playing 10/20-11/13 at Nu Sass Productions by Clare Shaffer

Clare Shaffer interviews Sun King Davis on Nu Sass Productions’ upcoming production of 43 1/2. Clare: What inspired you to create 43 1/2? Sun King: A lot of things went into the creation of 43 1/2....

Meet the Cast of ‘Ruthless! The Musical’ at Creative Cauldron: Part 1: Kathy Halenda

In Part 1 of a series of interviews with the cast of Ruthless! The Musical at Creative Cauldron, meet Kathy Halenda. Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell our readers where they may have seen you...

Interviews with the Cast of McLean Community Players’ ‘Comic Potential’ Part 2: Scott Duvall

In Part 2 in a series of interviews with the cast of McLean Community Players’ Comic Potential, meet Scott Duvall. Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell us where our readers may have seen you...

Review: Melba Moore at Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club

The indefatigable legendary singer and actress, Melba Moore, dazzled the crowd at the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club on Sunday evening. With a very strong family background in music and an early...

Meet the Cast and Director of Providence Players’ ‘Amadeus’ Part 5: Director Julie Janson by Chip Gertzog

In Part 5 of interviews with the cast and Director of Amadeus, meet Julie Janson who directs Providence Players of Fairfax’s production. Chip: Please tell our readers where they may have seen your...

Seven Days in Italy with Playbill’s ‘Broadway on the High Seas 7’

I took me a busman’s holiday from September 20 to 30, 2016, by joining Playbill on its seventh cruise featuring Broadway stars and Broadway “Ambassadors” who are on board to mix, mingle and entertain...

Review: ‘Fools’ at Aldersgate Church Community Theater

Aldersgate Church Community Theater presents Neil Simon’s Fools, the comedic tongue-in-cheek fable that became a hit in spite of itself. Popular theory contends that Simon, who wrote this play as a...

Review: ‘The Mountaintop’ at People’s Light & Theatre Company

The Mountaintop is a fantasia rooted in one of the most tragic events of the twentieth century. Set on the final night in the life of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Katori Hall’s play takes King into an...

In the Moment: Synetic Theater’s ‘Dante’s Inferno’

The roaring wordless “silence” of Synetic’s remount of Dante’s Inferno is potent; it will swiftly suck you into its ferment depicting what sin might look and feel like if you are in Hell. Don’t brush...

Ayana Reed on Playing Carrie in ‘Blackberry Daze’ at MetroStage

Ayana Reed is a native Washingtonian who is appearing in Blackberry Daze at MetroStage. Here’s her journey… Please introduce yourself and tell our readers about your theater and vocal training and...

Review: ‘Biography’ at East Lynne Theater in Cape May, New Jersey

The East Lynne Theater Company is a little theatre on the coast in Cape May dedicated to being “a vehicle for rediscovering the enduring values of the American heritage and for deepening our...

Review: ‘The Wild Party’ at Iron Crow Theatre

Queenie was a blonde and her age stood still, And she danced twice a day in vaudeville. So begins Joseph Moncure March’s 1928 narrative poem “The Wild Party” about a group of show people and the...

Review: ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ at Castaways Repertory Theatre

Power struggles come in many forms. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, by Tennessee Williams can be used as a case study in a book titled, How to Win Arguments, and Influence People. Maggie uses sensuality and...

Review: ‘Angels in America: Perestroika’ at Round House Theatre and Olney Theatre Center

Prophetic Messages continue in the stunning second part of Tony Kushner’s masterwork, Angels in America: Perestroika –now appearing at the Round House Theatre as a joint production of the Round House...

Review: ‘Angel Street’ at Hedgerow Theatre in Rose Valley, PA

Hedgerow Theatre captivatingly brings Patrick Hamilton’s Angel Street, directed by Cara Blouin, across the pond, into the year 1924 in Philadelphia where Bella Manningham (Jennifer Summerfield) and...

Review: ‘The Call’ at University of Maryland’s School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies at The Clarice

Annie and Peter, a white married couple, haven’t been able to conceive a child of their own so they decide to adopt a child from Africa. Rebecca and Drea, a newly married African American lesbian...

Review: ‘Dante’s Inferno’ at Synetic Theater

Synetic Theatre, which gave Washington a Silent Hamlet, now brings audiences a wordless Dante’s Inferno. And a silent 100 minutes never sounded so good. Created by Paata Tsikurishvili and directed by...

Review: ‘A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline’ at Bristol Riverside Theatre in Bristol, PA

A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline marks the second time in two years that Bristol Riverside Theatre has staged a show about the life of Cline, one of country music’s greatest stars. (Always… Patsy Cline,...

Review: ‘Legally Blonde: The Musical’ at Fauquier Community Theatre

Oh my God, ohmigod you guys, looks like this show is going to win the prize. Legally Blonde: The Musical, now playing at the Fauquier Community Theatre (FCT) is like a non-stop party, a party with all...

Review: ‘Molly Sweeney’ at Irish Heritage Theatre

Filled with poetic language, engaging characters, and penetrating insights into the human condition, Brian Friel’s Molly Sweeney represents the tradition of Irish storytelling at its very best. Told...

An Interview with Tony Award Winner Melba Moore-Appearing at Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club-Tomorrow, October 2nd at 8 PM Night

Tonight I had the great pleasure of a brief but extremely rewarding and stimulating telephone interview with the Tony Award-winning (Purlie) and Grammy and Emmy –Award nominated singer and actress...

Review: ‘Tappin’ Thru Life’ at the Penn’s Landing Playhouse in Philadelphia, PA

About half the audience was standing and moving to the rhythm of the music. A few patrons remained in their seats and clapped while the Diva Orchestra played one last piece. There were no dancers on...

Review: ‘The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence’ Co-Presented by Washington Performing Arts and StepAfrika! in Cooperation with the Phillips Collections

There’s a pulse, a simple rhythm. It is both complex syncopation that rushes on, and an inviting and relaxed embrace of the moment. The percussive energy of StepAfrika!, a professional company...

Review: ‘Rock of Ages’ at the Apollo Civic Theatre

Get ready to rock out at the Apollo Civic Theatre with a rocking and energetic production of Rock of Ages! With a book by Chris D’Arenzo and orchestrations and arrangements by Ethan Popp, this jukebox...

Review: ‘Driving Miss Daisy’ at Riverside Center for the Performing Arts

Riverside Center for the Performing Arts presents Alfred Uhry’s beloved classic Driving Miss Daisy, starring Karen Grassle and directed by Rick Hammerly. Lauded as one of the finest American stories...

Review: ‘Jake’s Women’ at Rockville Little Theatre

Rockville Little Theater (RLT)’s production of Jake’s Women, written by Neil Simon, takes us through Jake’s (Keith Cassidy) emotional journey as he converses with his daughter, wife, sister, and...

Review: ‘Amadeus’ at Providence Players of Fairfax

Envious skullduggery, a beautiful interweaving of Mozart’s music, and a fictionalized but fascinating plot are just a few of the reasons to see the Providence Players of Fairfax’s spectacular...

Review: ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ at Aquila Theatre at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts

‘Much Ado About Nothing’ brings amusement, merriment and mirth Appearances can be quite deceiving, especially in the realm of love. Deception, misunderstandings and much merriment were on display in...

Celebrate the Pulitzer Prize: Staged Readings of Six Pulitzer Prize-Winning Plays/Musicals Tonight Through Sunday at Olney Theatre Center

Happy Birthday, Pulitzer Prize! This weekend only, Olney Theatre Center and Maryland Humanities celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Pulitzer Prizes with Celebrate the Pulitzer Prize: Staged...