2016

Review: ‘The Critic’ & ‘The Real Inspector Hound’ at Shakespeare Theatre Company

The theatre critic might well be the focus of the satiric lampoon, now on stage at Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Lansburgh Theatre, but it is the entire Theatrical Industry that gets speared. Witty...

Interviews With the Cast and Director of Kensington Arts Theatre’s ‘The Laramie Project’: Part 3: Natalie McManus

In Part 3 of a series of interviews with the Director and cast of Kensington Arts Theatre’s The Laramie Project, meet Natalie McManus. Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell our readers where they...

Meet the Cast of Avant Bard’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Part 1: Annalisa Dias

In Part 1 of a series of interviews with the cast of Avant Bard’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, meet Annalisa Dias. Joel: Where have local audiences seen you perform recently on the stage?...

Review: ‘Snow White’ at Encore Stage & Studio

Encore Stage & Studio presents the beloved childhood tale Snow White, a musical adaption by Tim Kelly, with music and lyrics by Bill Francoeur. A company who produces shows “by kids, for kids,” Encore...

In the Moment: Dr. King Commemorations in Reston and McLean

In Northern Virginia, two community centers have had long-standing and continuing activities commemorating the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday. They are the McLean Community Center and the Reston...

Pianist Brian Ganz and Mezzo-Soprano Magdalena Wór in Their All-Chopin Performance at Strathmore

Songs you’ve never heard of in a foreign language you rarely hear, performed by two artists who started rehearsing them two days earlier. What kind of a formula for success is that? This kind: When it...

Review: ‘A Change Gon’ Come’ by ANKH Repertory Theatre Company, The Finest! Performance Foundation, Inc., and Arts on the Green at The Arts Barn

One concern of many parents and grandparents is that their children will lose sight of family history. A Change Gon’ Come, by Kashi-Tara, dramatically ties together the civil rights issues of today...

Review: ‘A View From the Bridge’ at The Lyceum Theatre in NYC

Arthur Miller, in this, the celebratory season of his 100th birthday, is having a banner year, with productions of his major and minor works popping up all over the place. From the first group we have...

Review: ‘Approaching Zanzibar’ at The Players Club of Swarthmore in Swarthmore, PA

Do you know the way to Zanzibar? I’m not sure that any of the characters in Approaching Zanzibar do – even the one character who claims she’s actually been there. But that hardly matters, in because...

Review: ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ at The Broadway Theatre in NYC

I am so glad that Sheldon Harnick, the last surviving member of the creative team of the original production of Fiddler on the Roof, has been able to participate in this glorious revisical. His late...

Review: ‘Venus in Fur’ at The Colonial Players

Like all David Ives plays, Venus in Fur is built on everyday life becoming fantasy, as the primary devices of drama, language, and character, systematically move from ambiguity, to instability, to...

Review: ‘Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike’ at Prince George’s Little Theatre

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike by Christopher Durang, currently showing at Prince George’s Little Theatre in Bowie, is a comedy of zany characters that are caught up in their own personas....

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2015 #21: Best Design of 2015 in DC Metro Area Theatres

The staff of DCMetroTheaterArts is pleased to honor the following designers for their work in 2015: CHOREOGRAPHY Germaul Barnes for Marley at Centerstage. Michael Bobbitt for Guys and Dolls at Olney...

Review: ‘Twelfth Night’ at Iron Crow Theatre and Cohesion Theatre Company As Part of the Trans Voices Workshop Series

“I say there is no darkness but ignorance.” That’s a direct quote from the Bard himself, good old Willy Shakespeare. It seems appropriate to mention it, because Iron Crow and Cohesion Theatre Company,...

Review: ‘Better Gods’ at The Washington National Opera

Friday night, the Washington National Opera (‘WNO’) premiered a brand new opera, based on the life of the last sovereign in Hawaii, Queen Liliʻuokalani. Better Gods, directed by Ethan McSweeny, was...

Review: ‘Our Town’ at Vagabond Players

Because of technology, our lives move much more quickly than in the past. We can find out information faster, travel places faster, and even have packages arrive at our home faster than we ever could...

Review: ‘Humble Boy’ at Silver Spring Stage

Humble Boy, written by Charlotte Jones, is obviously based on the plot of Shakespeare’s famous Dane, Hamlet. The parallels are purposefully obvious. A young man comes home to his mother. His father...

Review: ‘Moonlight & Magnolias’ at the Audrey Herman Spotlighters Theatre

What better way to start the new year, but with the delightful comedy Moonlight & Magnolias about the frustratingly funny writing process for the screenplay of the American classic Gone With The Wind....

Magic Time! A Look at ‘Wrestling Jerusalem’ at Mosaic Theater Company of DC

“It’s complicated.” So begins—on a note of supreme understatement—Writer/Performer Aaron Davidman’s captivating and insight-rich solo show, Wrestling Jerusalem, the third provocative production in...

Review: ‘Wrestling Jerusalem’ at Mosaic Theater Company of DC

Aaron Davidman’s deeply personal solo performance, Wrestling Jerusalem, the opening gambit in Mosaic Theater’s Voices from a Changing Middle East Festival, takes its audience deep into the...

Teatro de la Luna’s Children’s Theater Festival: 6 Hours of Drama and Magic on Sat 1/16 at The Rosslyn Spectrum

On Saturday, January 16, 2016 – from 11 AM until 5 PM – it’s six Children’s Hours, full of continuous mystery and magic, drama and dance: “al major estilo latinoamericano” (with the best Latin...

Interviews With the Cast and Director of Kensington Arts Theatre’s ‘The Laramie Project’: Part 2: Zoe Bulitt

In Part 2 of a series of interviews with the Director and cast of Kensington Arts Theatre’s The Laramie Project, meet Zoe Bulitt. Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell our readers where they may...

Prince George’s Little Theatre Opens ‘Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike’ at the Bowie Playhouse Tonight

Prince George’s Little Theatre will produce Christopher Durang’s award-winning comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at the Bowie Playhouse from January 8 – 23. All Friday performances and...

‘Physics, Family, and Bees: “Humble Boy” Opens Tonight at Silver Spring Stage’

Every excellent comedy offers an unexpected mix of elements. In Humble Boy – opening tonight, Friday, January 8, 2016, at Silver Spring Stage – that mix includes physics, family, forlorn love, and...

The Unified Scene Theater and Women From Mars Presents ‘Silent Reflections: A Clown Noir Cabaret’ on 1/12-13

Unified Scene Theater and Women From Mars are proud to present Silent Reflections: A Clown Noir Cabaret, for two shows in January (January 12th and 13th), at The Unified Scene Theater, located at 80 T...

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2015 #20: University Productions, Performances, and Ensembles

The staff of DCMetroTheaterArts is honored to announce that their 2015 Best Productions, Performances, and Ensembles honors in University productions go to: UNIVERSITY PRODUCTIONS: A Funny Thing...

Interviews With the Cast of Kensington Arts Theatre’s ‘The Laramie Project’: Part 1: Susan S. Porter

In Part One of a series of interviews with the Director and cast of Kensington Arts Theatre’s The Laramie Project, meet Susan S. Porter. Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell our readers where they...

Filichia on Friday: ‘December’s Leftovers and January’s Brainteaser’

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: December’s Leftovers and January’s Brainteaser....

Pianist Brian Ganz and Mezzo-Soprano Magdalena Wór Team Up for Special Chopin Concert This Saturday Night at Strathmore

They say the show must go on, and a set of unusual circumstances is bringing together two of Washington’s most distinctive classical performers this Saturday evening for a special concert at The Music...

Bravo Productions’ Disney’s ‘Peter Pan JR’ Takes Flight on January 16th and 17th at 4 & 7:30 PM at The Randolph Road Theatre

Sir James Matthew Barrie wrote Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up in 1904, a “fairy play” about an ageless boy and an ordinary girl named Wendy who have adventures in the fantasy setting of...

Meet the Cast of Reston Community Players’ ‘Master Class’: Part 2: Lisa Anne Bailey

Here is Part 2 of a series of interviews with the director, producer, and cast of Reston Community Players’ production of Terrence McNally’s Master Class. Meet Lisa Anne Bailey. Maria Callas, one of...

Review: ‘Twelfth Night’ at Laurel Mill Playhouse

William Shakespeare’s delightful comedy Twelfth Night rings in the New Year at Laurel Mill Playhouse. The run of the show cleverly opens on the actual twelfth night, which was the original intention...

Filichia on Friday: ‘Broadway’s People of the Year’

It’s an honor to bring Peter Filichia’s column every week on Kritzerland called ‘Filichia on Friday’ to our readers on DCMetroTheaterArts. Broadway’s People of the Year (12/25/15) Purchase Peter...

In the Moment: An Interview With the Creative Team of MetroStage’s ‘Shake Loose’

Shake Loose, the new musical bound for Alexandria’s MetroStage, aims to bear witness to a swirling whirlwind century of events in the lives African American people. Its purpose is “to bring order to...

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2015 #19: ‘A Look Back at Dance in 2015’ by Lisa Traiger

For reasons that continue to surprise me, 2015 was a relatively light dance-going year for me. That said, I managed to take in nearly a top ten of memorable, exceptional or challenging performances...

Filichia on Friday: ‘Two Vintage Plays; Two New Hits’

It’s an honor to bring Peter Filichia’s column every week on Kritzerland called ‘Filichia on Friday’ to our readers on DCMetroTheaterArts. Two Vintage Plays; Two New Hits (12/18/15) Purchase Peter...

Meet the Cast, Director, and Producer of Reston Community Players’ ‘Master Class’: Part 1: Director Rosemary Hartman and Producer Kate Keifer

Here is Part 1 of a series of interviews with the director, producer, and cast of Reston Community Players’ production of Terrence McNally’s Master Class. Meet Director Rosemary Hartman and Producer...

Filichia on Friday: ‘It’s the Most Ticket Scarce Time of the Year’

It’s an honor to bring Peter Filichia’s column every week on Kritzerland called ‘Filichia on Friday’ to our readers on DCMetroTheaterArts. ‘It’s the Most Ticket Scarce Time of the Year’ (12/11/15)...

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2015 #17: Best Directors of a Play in Community Theatres

The staff of DCMetroTheaterArts is honored to announce that their 2015 Best Directors of Plays in Community Theatres honors go to: Mark T. Allen for Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None at...

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2015 #16: Best Directors of a Musical in Community Theatres

The staff of DCMetroTheaterArts is honored to announce that their 2015 Best Directors of Musicals in Community Theatres honors go to: Hans Bachmann for Company at Tantallon Community Players. Lisa...

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2015 #15: Best Directors of Musicals in Professional Theatres

The staff of DCMetroTheaterArts is honored to announce that their 2015 Best Directors of Musicals in Professional Theatres honors go to: Patrick A’Hearn for The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber at...

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2015 #14: Dance Performances

Here is Rick Westerkamp, Lisa Traiger, Samantha Machar, Madeline Duff, and Yasmeen Enahora’s Best Performances in Dance honors: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performing Hofesh Schechter’s...

Review: ‘A Jazz New Year’s Eve: Diane Schuur and Strings’ at The Kennedy Center

Having been a fan of Diane Schuur’s since college, I was excited to have the opportunity finally to see her in concert. In fact, the sense of excitement was palpable throughout the audience. I met...

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2015 #12: ‘Memorable Dance in Baltimore and Beyond’ by Carolyn Kelemen

There were many big, wonderful dance events in 2015, including world premieres, new renditions of the warhorse ballets, made-for-TV series (Flesh & Bone),dance documentaries, and grand dance on the...

DCMetroTheaterArts’ Best of 2015 #11: New York’s Ten Best of 2015 by Richard Seff

It was an active year, heavily marked by new and revisited musicals. The attendance and box office numbers were good, both on and off Broadway. I, as the only writer covering New York theater for...