2016

Review: National Symphony Orchestra: ‘Shakespeare at the Symphony: From Tchaikovsky to Elgar’

It may be a little known, but hardly surprising, fact that the works of William Shakespeare have inspired more music than any other work of literature perhaps except for the Bible. The Bard’s most...

Review: ‘The Little Foxes’ at Arena Stage

The enduring popularity of Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes offers proof positive that themes of greed, racism, and misogyny continue to resonate with contemporary audiences. Though set in a small...

Inbal Pinto Speaks on Shimon Peres and her ‘Wallflower’

The eyes of the world have turned to Israel this week following the death of Shimon Peres. Twice the prime minister of Israel and a member of the Israeli parliament for more than thirty years, Peres...

Review: ‘MotherStruck’ at The Studio Theatre

I happen to like solo performance pieces a lot and I’ve seen many. There’s something I love about the immediacy of a single performer claiming my attention—and maybe stirring my emotions or...

Review: ‘Love’s LaBEERS Lost’ at LiveArtDC and Grain of Sand Theatre at DC Reynolds

Get Thee to This Beer Fest – er – Show! Love’s LaBEERS Lost is a production in danger of becoming a hot, must-see show that will bring the fire department roaring down on DC Reynolds to clear everyone...

‘Look at Me!’ Meet the Cast of Media Theatre’s ‘The Bridges of Madison County’

The latest offering at the Media Theatre, the popular musical The Bridges of Madison County, based on Robert James Waller’s 1992 novel, with a book by Marsha Norman, music and lyrics by Jason Robert...

Review: ‘Rizzo’ at The Philadelphia Theatre Company

A thunderbolt hit Philadelphia last night in the form of the play Rizzo. The quake was made memorable not only by the superb playwriting of Bruce Graham and the multi- megaton production by...

Fringe Encore Series Review: ‘Rent Control’ at The Huron Club at SoHo Playhouse in NYC

This autobiographical one-man show Rent Control, which won the 2016 FringeNYC Award for Overall Excellence in Solo Performance, Evan Zes turns his comic eye and adult humor on two of the greatest...

Magic Time! ‘The Gulf’ at Signature Theatre

One measure of the quality of a play is how it stays in one’s mind the next few days. Or the next weeks or months or years. Not just how it plays on stage. How it remains in the brain. There are no...

Review: ‘The Gulf’ at Signature Theatre

Signature’s premiere of The Gulf written by Audrey Cefaly is a daring dark venture about two women entwined with heartache and sadness. It is a scorching two-hander character study that takes place in...

Meet the Cast and Director of Providence Players’ ‘Amadeus’ Part 4: Debora Crabbe and Bobby Welsh as The Venticelli by Chip Gertzog

Amadeus, the late Peter Shaffer’s Tony Award and Academy Award-winning masterpiece opens this Friday, September 30, 2016 at the James Lee Community Center Theater and kicks off the Providence Players...

SPINE: Theresa Rebeck’s ‘What We’re Up Against’ at Keegan Theatre

Theresa Rebeck’s sharp-knuckled comedy, What We’re Up Against, received its regional premiere at Keegan Theatre this week, and the laughs abound. An architectural firm hires a young talented architect...

Review: ‘Jersey Boys’ at The Hippodrome Theatre

In the bright and tuneful world of jukebox musicals there are your basic pizza joints that sell by the slice and the hot-diggity neighborhood kitchens that dish up the whole pie. Jersey Boys belongs...

Review: ‘What We’re Up Against’ at The Keegan Theatre

Near the end of What We’re Up Against, Theresa Rebeck’s incisive comedy about workplace sexism—just opened in a kick-ass production at The Keegan Theatre—a question is posed by Eliza, a very talented...

Interviews with the Cast of McLean Community Players’ ‘Comic Potential’ Part 1: Frank Gorrell

In Part 1 in a series of interviews with the cast of McLean Community Players’ Comic Potential, meet Frank Gorrell. Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell us where our readers may have seen you...

Craig Wallace on Playing Louis ‘Satchmo’ Armstrong in ‘Satchmo at the Waldorf’ at Mosaic Theater Company of DC

He is one of my favorite actors and now Craig Wallace has received rave reviews and standing ovations for his riveting and tour de force performance as Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong in Terry Teachout’s...

The Opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture: Watch the Entire Ceremony Here

Hollywood actors, singers and local talent fuel the opening ceremony of the National Museum of African American History and Culture One-hundred years in the making, the National Museum of African...

Review: 2016 Philadelphia Fringe Festival Review: REV Theatre Company’s ‘Death is a Cabaret Ol’ Chum—A Graveyard Cabaret’ at the Laurel Hill Cemetery

Death is a Cabaret Ol’ Chum—A Graveyard Cabaret, or: When the dead come alive at the Laurel Hill Cemetery with REV Theatre Company Death, dying, and the supernatural have fascinated the public around...

In the Moment: NextStop Theatre Company’s ‘Paper-Free Programs’

Seeking out budget efficiencies with the often limited resources of a non-profit is a constant. Many of us known this from our own experiences as non-profit board members or on staff. In these current...

Duane Richards II on Playing Willie and Simon in ‘Blackberry Daze’ at MetroStage

Duane Richards II is a native Washingtonian who is appearing in Blackberry Daze at MetroStage. Here’s his journey… Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell our readers about your theater and vocal...

Review: ‘Louis and Ella! A New Jazzical’ at LiveArts

Louis and Ella! A New Jazzical was a fun, inventive journey with two greats of music. Written by Trent Armand Kendall and directed by Jeff Whiting, it imagines Louis Armstrong (Trent Armand Kendall)...

Review: ‘Knuffle Bunny’ at Adventure Theatre MTC

To the delight of children and children at heart, Adventure Theatre’s 2016/17 season kicked off yesterday with Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical. Based on Mo Willem’s first Knuffle Bunny book, the...

FringeNYC Encore Series Review: ‘ChipandGus’ at SoHo Playhouse in NYC

Winner of the 2016 FringeNYC Overall Excellence Award for Ensemble, ChipandGus— written, directed, and performed by John Ahlin and Christopher Patrick Mullen, and produced by Fat Knight Theatre, where...

Review: ‘National Symphony Orchestra: Season Opening Gala Concert’ at the Kennedy Center

In a political season where talk of building walls sometimes trumps the optimism of building bridges, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, named in honor of a President whose civil...

Review: ‘1776’ at The John W. Engeman Theater in Northport, NY

This year marks the 240th anniversary of the formation of our country, and what better way to experience a taste of this magnificent history than with the musical 1776 now playing at The John W....

Review: ‘Babes in Arms’ at The FrederickTowne Players

Babes in Arms, a classic Rodgers & Hart “let’s put on a show” show, blasts onto the stage in the latest FrederickTowne Players production. The youthful energy of the cast fuels this two and a half...

Review: ‘Underground Rooftop Coffee House’ at Arts Collective @ HCC

Thursday, September, 22, 2016, marked the beginning of the 22nd Season for Howard Community College’s Arts Collective. Thursday night’s performance of the Underground Rooftop Coffee House presented by...

Review: Martha Graham Dance Company at The Alden Theatre

Heraclitus may have said it first, but 20th century modern dance pioneer Martha Graham followed his dictum: “Change is the only constant.” The company the iconic dancer and choreographer founded in...

Review: ‘Turandot’ at Opera Philadelphia in Philadelphia, PA.

Danger and darkness lurk around every corner of Opera Philadelphia’s stunning new production of Turandot, a co-production with Minnesota Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Utah Opera, and...

Magic Time! ‘How To… Sex Education’ (Weekend Two)

Having enjoyed the first weekend of Rabble Crew Productions’ How To… Sex Education, I went back for seconds—another set of four short plays on the ever popular theme of sex…and the never popular topic...

Review: ‘Be Awesome: A Theatrical Mixtape of the 90s’ at Flying V

Be Awesome: A Theatrical Mixtape of the 90s is less a stroll down memory lane and more of a flying leap into an exploding memory bomb. Just a few steps into the Writer’s Center, where Flying V makes...

Review: ‘’Night, Mother’ at The Highwood Theatre

‘’Night, Mother’ explores depths of depression, family secrets The Highwood Theatre’s Night, Mother, expertly directed by Madison Middleton and wonderfully acted by Melissa B. Robinson and Jennifer...

Review: ‘How I Got On’ at Azuka Theatre in Philadelphia, PA

“You breathe in joy, you blow out joy” are the words that truly represent the breath of fresh air that Azuka Theatre’s How We Got On brought to their audience during their opening night this past...

Revolution Shakespeare’s ‘King John’: An Interview with Director Dan Kern

Revolution Shakespeare, aka RevShakes, a Philadelphia-based company, founded by Artistic Director Griffin Stanton-Ameisen in 2013, started out with a number of fascinating programs, including an...

2016 Philadelphia Fringe Festival Review: ‘The Performers’ at University City Arts League

The Performers, directed by Erica Janko at the University City Arts League, is a layered contemporary performance piece that also serves as social commentary without a clear thesis – allowing audience...

Review: The Midtown Men at ‘Arts By George’ at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts

One of Northern Virginia’s bright jewel arts events, ARTS by George! returned to the Center for the Arts, George Mason University Fairfax campus with plenty of sharp, crisp, musical style from the...

Review: ‘Vocalosity’ at Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, PA

Resounding applause met the awe inspiring, all a capella group, Vocalosity at the newly renovated Bucks County Playhouse opening night for their North American Tour Launch. Ten ultra-talented young...

2016 Philadelphia Fringe Festival Review: ‘Macbeth’ at Third World Bunfight

I’ve long felt that if someone is going to cut down a Shakespeare text, they should take the responsibility of claiming co-authorship, since any editing becomes interpretation. This year’s Fringe...

Review: ‘Man of La Mancha’ at The Arlington Players

In the early 1600s, Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes wrote what would become his masterpiece, the novel Don Quixote. The novel was a huge success and has become a staple in the literary world. In...

Review: ‘Memories & Legends’ at Wolf Pack Theatre Company

Director William Leary returns to Greenbelt Arts Center (GAC) with Wolf Pack Theatre Company’s world premiere of Writer/Composer Stephen Geddes’ inspirational new musical, Memories & Legends. Memories...

Review: Yusuf/Cat Stevens’ “A Cat’s Attic” Concert at The Kennedy Center

Cat Stevens (as he was known then) last performed at The Kennedy Center back in November 1971 just months after it opened. Much has changed since then, including his name (which became Yusuf after he...

Review: Anaïs Mitchell With John Gallagher, Jr. at The Hamilton

Anaïs Mitchell and John Gallagher, Jr. brought their five-stop East Coast tour to the Hamilton in Washington, DC for a one-night performance on Thursday, September 22, 2016. The two immersive...

2016 Philadelphia Fringe Review: ‘Incredible Dreamz’

A comedy collective, referring to themselves as a “polyamorous quad couple” or “Incredible Dreamz” starring The Incredible Shrinking Matt & Jacquie (Matthew Schmid and Jacquie Baker) and The New...

2016 Philadelphia Fringe Festival Review: ‘King John’ at Revolution Shakespeare

King John, one of Shakespeare’s lesser-known history plays, is filled with intrigue, betrayal, and a pair of kings who are constantly threatening to go to war. In other words, it’s perfect for this...

Review: ‘Eleanor Roosevelt: Her Secret Journey’ at Compass Rose Theater

This remarkable one-woman show is a testament to the power of theater. Using language and a few props, including a movie screen, this production, written by Rhoda Lerman and directed by Rick Wade,...

2016 Philadelphia Fringe Festival Review: ‘Imaginary Music’ by PhEAD at the Philadelphia Art Alliance

A one-night-only multimedia concert that paired Minimalist music–a movement that originated in downtown New York in the 1960s–with visual imagery and current digital technology, Imaginary Music by...

Review: ‘Euripides’ Medea’ at Britches and Hose Theatre Company by Jen Lofquist

Medea is often used as a byword for evil, for a woman scorned and her unquenchable rage. She is a warning of what a woman could do if she loses herself to her anger and jealousy—for what greater crime...

2016 Philadelphia Fringe Festival Review: ‘Philadanco! in Concert’

Youth, strength, beauty, rhythm, flexibility and technique—all synonymous with Philadanco! This Philadelphia dance troupe wowed audiences at Bryn Mawr College’s Goodhart Hall in their latest concert...

2016 Philadelphia Fringe Festival Review: ‘Walk to Topaz’ by Brendan Tetsuo

Brendan Tetsuo began his evocative Walk to Topazas a solo dance journey to further explore his family’s heritage, developing into a fabulous Fringe offering. Traditional Japanese movements are...

Spine: Jane Austen’s ‘Sense and Sensibility’ at Folger Theatre

Oh, what a difference 200 years make! Jane Austen’s novel, Sense and Sensibility, was published anonymously in 1811. Folger’s Sense and Sensibility, adapted by Kate Hamill and directed by Eric Tucker,...