2016

2016 Capital Fringe Preview #27: ‘PowerPlays’ by Michelle Rago

Local, middle-aged playwrights become first-time Fringers They’re eager. They’re excited. They’re budding playwrights. Oh, and some of them are retired. Five local playwrights, somewhat older than...

OCCUPY EAST STREET: Frederick’s East Street Arts Center is now Open!

Landless Theatre Company announces the soft opening of The East Street Arts Center, a new performing arts studio in Frederick, MD. The 20,000 square foot space is available for local performing and...

Review: ‘Shining City’ at The Irish Rep Theatre in NYC

It’s been only 10 years since Conor McPherson’s word fest of a play ran at the Biltmore Theatre for 101 performance including 21 previews. It was well received not only for the eloquence of the...

‘Very Well-Connected’: Meet Cast Members of Montgomery College Summer Dinner Theatre’s ‘Side Show’: Part 2: Jehan Silva

In Part 2 of a series of interviews with the cast of Montgomery College Summer Dinner Theatre’s production of Side Show, meet Jehan Silva. Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell us what other shows...

‘Very Well-Connected’: Meet Cast Members of Montgomery College Summer Dinner Theatre’s ‘Side Show’: Part 1: Anna Phillips-Brown

In Part 1 of a series of interviews with the cast of Montgomery College Summer Dinner Theatre’s production of Side Show, meet Anna Phillips-Brown. Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell us what...

Magic Time! ‘Another Way Home’ at Theater J

You know you’ve just seen a play that hits a nerve about the distress of parents who have a troublesome, troubled son (whom they love but don’t know how to cope with) when you’re reading the paper the...

Review: ‘Another Way Home’ at Theater J

Is it a coincidence that Another Way Home—which opened at Theater J on Monday night—just happens to coincide with the start of sleepaway camp for kids in the DC area? Not at all. That’s because this...

Entertainment and More at Valley Forge Casino Resort in King of Prussia

Located just 20 miles northwest of Philadelphia, the freshly renovated Valley Forge Casino Resort offers visitors a wide range of activities, from gaming and swimming to fine dining and live...

Review: ‘The Jaws Project’ at Plays and Players Theatre in Philadelphia

A droll and inventive take on moviemaking, The Jaws Project mixes fact, fantasy and some show biz speculation to make a highly enjoyable comedy. Today, most people remember Jaws as one of the biggest...

Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) Playwrights Interviews: Part 3: Allison Gregory and “Not Medea”

Here is Part 3 of 5 interviews by Sharon J. Anderson, Contemporary American Theater Festival Trustee/Professional Story Listener and Creative Director. Meet Playwright Allison Gregory and learn about...

Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) Playwrights’ Interviews: Part 2: Christina Anderson and “pen/man/ship”

Here is Part 2 of 5 interviews by Sharon J. Anderson, Contemporary American Theater Festival Trustee/Professional Story Listener and Creative Director. Meet Playwright Christina Anderson and learn...

Capital Fringe Preview #26: ‘BECOMING’ at fusiondance by Candra Preshong

Why BECOMING will challenge everything you think you know about dance Becoming….’to begin to be’….you may be asking yourself, what does that even mean? I wasn’t sure either, I just knew I needed to...

Review: ‘Moxie: A Happenstance Vaudeville’ at Round House Theatre

Moxie: A Happenstance Vaudeville channels pre-radio\TV entertainment America’s Got Talent, The X Factor, Benny Hill, The Gong Show, and The Ed Sullivan Show are nothing new. The variety show has been...

Review: ‘Hadestown’ at The New York Theatre Workshop

You have until July 31st to treat yourself to a trip to the East Village where you will find Hadestown, a rich plum cake of a folk opera, happily ensconced at the New York Theatre Workshop. I came to...

Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) Playwrights Interviews: Part 4: Ronan Noone and “The Second Girl” by Sharon J. Anderson.

Here is Part 4 of 5 interviews by Sharon J. Anderson, Contemporary American Theater Festival Trustee/Professional Story Listener and Creative Director. Meet Playwright Ronan Noone and learn about his...

A Report on ‘AFI DOCS’ Part 3: ‘The Dog’ and ‘Chicken People,’ Sonita,’ ‘The Road,’ and ‘in the shadow of the hill’

Final Day of the AFI DOCS and it ends with a nice and easy day, just two but sadly for you, I can only talk about the one (well, you won’t regret that in a moment, I promise). I saw two films today,...

Review: ‘The Little Mermaid’ at Imagination Stage

Imagination Stage, in collaboration with The Washington Ballet, presents the world premiere of The Little Mermaid. This creative partnership follows the highly acclaimed award-winning production The...

Review: ‘Chapter Two’ at Montgomery Theater in Souderton, PA

There’s more to enjoy than simple comedy in Montgomery Theater’s production of Neil Simon’s Chapter Two. Directed by Artistic Director Tom Quinn, this heartfelt tale of a widower and a divorcee set up...

2016 Capital Fringe Preview #25: An Interview with Chè Monique on Her Cap Fringe Show ‘Cake’ and Her Cabaret ‘Summer SOULstice’

I think everyone who’s ever popped a pastie or twirled a tassel has thought about jumping out of a cake. When one actually considers the logistics of doing that though it quickly becomes a “No, that’s...

A Report on ‘AFI DOCS’ Part 2: ‘Sonita,’ ‘The Road,’ and ‘in the shadow of the hill’

One of my favorite strategies for navigating the sheer volume of films in a packed festival is to, on at least one day, let the screening committee do my work for me and put myself in one theatre for...

Review: ‘Evita’ at Olney Theatre Center

Evita, the Tony Award-winning musical, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, is now playing at Olney Theatre Center. The brilliance of the production is due to the collaborative...

Review: Dick Gregory: An Evening of Comedy & Jazz at The Kennedy Center

Internationally known comedian and civil rights activist, Dick Gregory, closed out the last of a series of five District of Comedy Festival performances along with a young all white jazz trio who...

Capital Fringe Preview #24: ‘The House of Yes’ by JP Sisneros

November 17th, 1983 Dear Capital Fringe: Hello Capital Fringe, I do hope you are doing well, as I am doing just fantastic. Well, I am reaching out to you to inquire about your Thanksgiving. As I,...

Capital Fringe Preview #23: ‘Glacier’ at MOVEIUS Contemporary Ballet

DANCING CLIMATE CHANGE: Merging Ballet, Science, and Film in MOVEIUS Contemporary Ballet’s “GLACIER” at the 2016 Capital Fringe Festival This groundbreaking, multimedia production puts an immersive,...

Review: ‘Silk Road Stories’ at The Columbia Festival of the Arts

The Columbia Festival of the Arts under Executive Director, Todd Olson has created a wonderful idea for cultural immersion. They incorporated food and a musical theme night as part of their venue. The...

Post-Play Palaver: ‘Next to Normal’ at The Keegan Theatre

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

An Interview with Patrick Garrity of ‘Round About’

I interviewed Patrick Garrity, who plays rhythm guitar and sings, about his band Round About, their favorite venue to play in the DC area and how they write their music. The band won Honorable Mention...

Review: ‘Million Dollar Quartet’ at Infinity Theatre Company

In addition to bringing Broadway to Annapolis on a more intimate scale, Infinity Theatre Company transported audience members to a magical moment in time, opening last night with the Tony...

Review: ‘Jumanji’ at Adventure Theatre MTC

Adventure Theatre MTC (ATMTC) finishes out its 2015-2016 Season with their fourth world premiere production, Jumanji. The adaptation was co-written by Sandra Eskin and ATMTC’s Artistic Director,...

Review: ‘The Bacchae: A Ritual Blood Sacrifice’ at The Phenomenal Animals in Philadelphia

With its production of Euripides’ The Bacchae: A Ritual Blood Sacrifice, The Phenomenal Animals presents a feminist spin on one of the classic works of Greek theatre. Seven of the cast’s eight...

Review: ‘Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story’ at Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, PA

As the world still mourns ‘The Day the Music Died,’ Bucks County Playhouse resurrects the amazing talent lost too soon. With book by Alan James and iconic songs by Buddy Holly such as, “That’ll Be the...

Meet The Cast of ‘Moon Over Buffalo’ at Vagabond Players: Part 7: Richard Manichello

In Part Seven of a series of interviews with the cast of Vagabond Players’ Moon Over Buffalo, meet Richard Manichello. Joel: Please introduce yourselves and tell me why you wanted to be in the cast of...

Meet The Cast of ‘Moon Over Buffalo’ at Vagabond Players: Part 6: Henry Reisinger, Jr.

In Part Six of a series of interviews with the cast of Vagabond Players’ Moon Over Buffalo, meet Henry Reisinger, Jr. Joel: Please introduce yourselves and tell me why you wanted to be in the cast of...

Meet The Cast of ‘Moon Over Buffalo’ at Vagabond Players: Part 5: Greg Guyton

In Part Five of a series of interviews with the cast of Vagabond Players’ Moon Over Buffalo, meet Greg Guyton. Joel: Please introduce yourselves and tell me why you wanted to be in the cast of Moon...

An Interview with Hannah Van Sciver on ‘Doing Whatever’s Scary!’

After receiving a classical education at the University of Pennsylvania and graduating with a degree in English and a minor in Theater in 2014, Hannah Van Sciver has appeared in productions at...

Review: ‘West Side Story’ at the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival in Center Valley, PA

In one of the collections of his theatre lyrics, Stephen Sondheim writes that while most people regard West Side Story as being about “racial prejudice and urban violence,” its actual purpose was to...

Review: ‘Everything’s Fine!’ at the SoLow Festival in Philadelphia

Directed by local theater artist Tommy Butler, #theaternow’s entry in Philadelphia’s 2016 SoLow Festival is New-York-based Alex Clothier’s delightfully eccentric reminiscences about his Midwestern...

Review: ‘Julius Caesar’ at the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival in Center Valley, PA

For the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival’s current production of Julius Caesar, Director Patrick Mulcahy views the Bard’s ancient Roman history through a post-modern lens. Set in an imagined future,...

Review: ‘Get Used to It! A Musical Revue!’ at Rainbow Theatre Project

The current production being produced by the theatrically provocative and cutting-edge Rainbow Theatre Project —entitled Get Used To It! A Musical Revue!–may be a bit of a misleading title, for this...

Review: ‘See Jane Sing’ at The Kennedy Center

It’s hard to imagine what to expect at a cabaret debut from a television actor turned Broadway performer turned television game host. Jane Lynch—who some know as Sue Sylvester from the hit-television...

In the Moment: Wolf Trap and the NSO Celebrate 100th Anniversary of National Parks Service on Friday, 7/1

American epic grandeur will be visible and heard at Wolf Trap when the National Symphony Orchestra presents America the Beautiful in a grand pre-July 4th event. There will be breath-taking large-scale...

Review: ‘Mariposa & the Saint’ by Arcturus Theater Company

The very transportable set for this touring production consists of a small enclosure of flimsy, fragile fabric cubes painted to look like stone blocks but really as insubstantial as little laundry...

Review: ‘Clybourne Park’ at Silver Spring Stage

At the center of Bruce Norris’ tragicomic exploration of American “community” hangs Kenneth (Win Britt), the Korean War Vet who returns home only to commit suicide in his family’s home. During the...

A Report on ‘AFI DOCS’ Part 1: ‘Zero Days’, ‘Tempestad,’ and ‘Haveababy’

The Opening Night Gala which featured a new documentary from Alex Gibney on that Stuxnet virus you’ve probably forgotten about called Zero Days. That has a much more prosaic explanation: Zero Days has...

Review: ‘Forever Plaid’ at Totem Pole Playhouse in Fayetteville, PA

Picture this: Four resurrected deceased men, donning duplicated white tuxedo jackets, parade down the center aisle of Jean Stapleton’s, Totem Pole Playhouse. Chanting, “Deus Ex Plaid”, the Lazarus...

‘Happy Days’ by Samuel Beckett: An Interview with E. Ashley Izard Who is Playing Winnie at Quintessence Theatre Group Through this Sunday

The much talked about Quintessence Theatre Group, one of the few ensemble theaters in Philadelphia, under the direction of Alexander Burns, is featuring two of its actors—E. Ashley Izard as Winnie and...

Review: The District of Comedy Roast of James Carville at The Kennedy Center

How do you make fun of someone who always makes fun of himself? Well, last night, Roastmaster Bob Saget and The Kennedy Center’s District of Comedy Festival managed to do just that, roasting Chester...

Review: ‘Riverdance: The 20th Anniversary World Tour’ at Wolf Trap

Some members of the company weren’t even born when lines of dancers with arms at their sides first performed at a Eurovision competition in 1994. I’d say the rest was history but I don’t think anyone...

2016 Capital Fringe Preview #22 ‘Hunt’ by Jean Bordewich

HUNT: A Political Drama NEW POLITICAL PLAY IS BASED ON A TRUE STORY OF PARTISAN POLITICS, HOMOPHOBIA, BLACKMAIL AND TRAGEDY IN THE U.S. SENATE HUNT: A Political Drama explores the dangers of extremism...

2016 Capital Fringe Preview #21: ‘Juiced’ by Glenn Ricci

Power Punk Dance Trio Penetrates The Fringe Are you worthy? The Gods of Rock command you to stand in awe before this fearsome feminist punk rock modern dance band! Some call them political, some call...