2016

Review: ‘Aquarium’ at Imagination Stage

For the newest generation of theatergoers, Imagination Stage’s Early Childhood production of Aquarium is a treasure. Wide-eyed and brimming with excitement, the young audience members are lost in the...

Review: ‘A Christmas Story: The Musical’ at The Media Theatre

A Christmas Story: The Musical was a breath of fresh air when it debuted on Broadway four seasons ago. Based on the 1983 movie that’s become a television perennial, it retained a great deal of the...

In Context: ‘Six Degrees of Separation’ at The Keegan Theatre

John Guare’s Six Degrees of Separation was widely admired as an ingenious, penetrating look at contemporary society when it premiered in New York back in 1990. Based on a true story, it concerns a...

Review: ‘The Merchant of Venice’ at Faction of Fools

Audiences can usually expect something distinct, and full of chutzpah, from the folk at DC’s scrappy Faction of Fools theater troupe with its Comedia dell’Arte mission. The recipient of the 2012 Helen...

Review: ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ at The George Mason University School of Theater and The Mason Players

A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare has long been among my favorite plays. If it isn’t already yours, the Mason Players production could well change your mind. What kind of comedy do you...

Review: ‘Metropolis’ at Constellation Theatre Company

Percussion and film enthusiasts, listen up! For five nights only, Constellation Theatre Company presents a unique combination of the silent-film Metropolis set to a new score by renowned percussionist...

Review: ‘Love Jones: The Musical’ at The National Theatre

Nearly 20 years after the cult classic, romantic comedy Love Jones made its big screen release, a celebratory musical reinterpretation takes stage at the National Theatre, showcasing award-winning...

Review: ‘A Child’s Christmas in Wales’ at Walnut Street Theatre

From the moment I entered the Independence Studio on 3 (3rd floor of the Walnut Street Theatre), the holiday spirit was evident. Hot cider was available for the audience to savor, and once inside the...

Spine: The Second City’s ‘Black Side of the Moon’ at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

“We are not a monolith! We are not a monolith! We are not a monolith!” chanted the six-member cast at the start of Woolly Mammoth’s Second City’s Black Side of the Moon. And, indeed, that large...

Magic Time! ‘Straight White Men’ at The Studio Theatre

Playwright Young Jean Lee’s audacious title refers to the particular—the white widowed father (Ed) and his three grown sons (Drew, Jake, and Matt) who are on stage for most of this naturalistic...

Review: ‘Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812’ at the Imperial Theatre in NYC

A most elaborate and tastefully glamorous musical has arrived in town to brighten the holiday season. That’s Natasha, Pierre and their sisters and their cousins and their aunts plus a few lovers,...

Review: ‘The Wizard of Oz’ at Walnut Street Theatre

A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others. ~ The Wizard of Oz to The Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz There’s no place like Philadelphia’s Walnut Street Theatre...

Review: ‘Doc Severinsen and Friends – The Art of the Big Band’ at Strathmore

Five BRASS Stars! Doc Severinsen may have not appeared on your screen since Johnny Carson turned the keys to The Tonight Show over to Jay Leno in 1992, but he hasn’t slowed down. Hired as a musician...

Henry Baratz on Playing Colin Craven in Shakespeare Theatre Company’s ‘The Secret Garden’

In our second interview with cast members of The Secret Garden at Shakespeare Theatre Company, meet Henry Baratz. Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell us how old you are and tell our readers what...

Meet the Cast of ‘Dinner with Friends’ at Greenbelt Arts Center. Part 5: Brian Lewandowski

In part 5 of a series of interviews with Greenbelt Arts Center’s Dinner with Friends, meet Brian Lewandowski. Joel: Please tell our readers where they may have seen your work on our local stages. Who...

Interview: David London and Francis Menotti Discuss ‘Cerebral Sorcery’

Magic shows are often full of tricks and spectacle, “smoke and mirrors.” Going to a David London show though tends to take more of a psychological turn. There are still plenty feats of magic but, not...

Meet the Cast of Damascus Theatre Company’s ‘Children of Eden’: Part 3: Kendall Sigman

In part three of a series of interviews with the cast of Damascus Theatre Company’s Children of Eden, meet Kendall Sigman. Joel: Where have local theatergoers seen you perform before on our local...

Review: The Second City’s ‘Black Side of the Moon’ at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

The Second City’s Black Side of the Moon— the Chicago-based comedy troupe’s first foray into post-Obama politics—launched the holiday season this week with an African-American cast and a show that is...

Chocolate City Burlesque and Cabaret Presents the Third Annual ‘Black Friday’ Burlesque on Friday, November 25th

Chocolate City Burlesque and Cabaret (CCBC) likes to do things a little differently. The troupe is known for its spectacular semiannual burlesque shows housed at the GALA Hispanic Theatre. Chocolate...

Interview: Tom Teasley on his Percussion Composition for ‘Metropolis’ playing at Constellation Theatre Company through November 19th

For five nights only, world renowned percussionist Tom Teasley is performing an original composition set to Fritz Lang’s 1927 sci-fi film Metropolis. I saw the first performance at Constellation...

Review: ‘An Iliad’ at Lantern Theater Company

A man sticks his head in through the door in the back wall. Broken down, dirty, dressed in old but modern clothes, he is delighted to see us, and sing his song. “It’s a good story,” and he’s been...

Magic Time! ‘(Re)Acts: Where Do We Go From Here?’ at Forum Theatre

“We certainly didn’t prepare ourselves for this,” said Forum Theatre Artistic Director Michael Dove Monday night at the Silver Spring Black Box Theatre. He was addressing a packed house of folks who...

Review: ‘Disney’s Beauty and the Beast’ at Charm City Players

Baltimore’s Charm City Players are back with their latest child-friendly production: Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. With music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice and book by Linda...

Review #2: ‘Straight White Men’ at The Studio Theatre

If your empathy for straight white men was strained by last week’s elections, go see Young Jean Lee’s 2014 play at The Studio Theatre. You’ll be privy to a rare, funny and poignant look under the fig...

Review: ‘One Singular Sensation – A Celebration of the Music of Marvin Hamlisch’ at Live Arts Maryland

One Singular Sensation, presented by Live Arts Maryland, was a loving tribute to the life and work of Broadway and film composer Marvin Hamlisch. J. Ernest Green led the Annapolis Chamber Orchestra...

In the Moment: A Report on The Edge of the Universe Players 2’s Workshop Production of Young Jean Lee’s ‘Pullman, WA’

The Edge of the Universe Players 2‘s workshop production of Young Jean Lee’s Pullman, WA was an evening that defies easy categorization. It was charming one moment, annoying the next. It was a...

Review: ‘Let’s Misbehave! True Confessions of GMCW’ at The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC

I can’t vouch for the truth of the confessions, at Let’s Misbehave! True Confessions of GMCW (The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC), but having each performer bare a bit of his soul as lead in to...

Center Stage’s November ‘Wright Now Play Later’

Last month, after several seasons of success with their Wright-Right-Now (“WRN”) program – the micro-commissioning series in which playwrights produce patron-prompted short plays on demand, Center...

Review: The Washington Chorus Presents Philip Glass’ Symphony No. 5

On Sunday, November 13, 2016, the pulsating, transcendent and visionary music of the modern musical giant of minimalist music, Philip Glass —came to vivid life in a unique and powerful concert event....

Review: ‘Urinetown’ at Wilson Theater at Woodrow Wilson High School

Urinetown,The Musical, the totally odiferous sounding but truly entertaining musical, comes up smelling like a rose in its production by the students and faculty at Woodrow Wilson High School. The...

Review: ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ at The US Naval Academy’s Masqueraders

The Masqueraders’ production of Much Ado about Nothing at the United States Naval Academy, directed by Dr. Megan Geigner, is an inventive twist on Shakespeare’s classic comedy. Set in New Mexico at...

Review: ‘The Waiting Room’ at Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center

Inside Montgomery College (MC) Online advertised The Waiting Room by Lisa Loomer as, “a dark comedy about the timeless quest for beauty–and its cost.” Director Dennis Mulligan masterfully animates...

Review: ‘Disney’s The Little Mermaid’ at Mount Vernon Community Children’s Theatre

Mount Vernon Community Children’s Theatre opened their production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid this weekend, and I had the pleasure of seeing their show with my three young boys. The musical is...

Review: ‘Dublin by Lamplight’ at Inis Nua Theatre Company

The founding of The Abbey Theatre in 1904 was one of the pivotal events in Irish history. The Abbey championed the perspective of Irish playwrights and actors, and its founding was the moment that the...

Review: ‘A Delicate Balance’ at Peace Mountain Theatre Company

Laurie T. Freed knows Edward Albee’s work and has directed his plays several times. Her brilliant direction is evident in the exceptional moving and powerful production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning A...

Spine: ‘Straight White Men’ by Young Jean Lee at The Studio Theatre

Young Jean Lee’s theatre, entitled Young Jean Lee’s Theater Company (2003-2016), was dedicated to producing “shows written and directed by Young Jean Lee.” The company produced 12 of Ms. Lee’s...

Meet the Cast of Peace Mountain Theatre Company’s ‘A Delicate Balance’: Part 6: Devora Zack

In part 6 of a series of interviews with Peace Mountain Theatre Company’s A Delicate Balance, meet Devora Zack. Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell readers where they have seen you perform before...

Meet the Cast of Peace Mountain Theatre Company’s ‘A Delicate Balance’: Part 5: Janet Constable Preston

In Part 5 of a series of interviews with the cast of Peace Mountain Theatre Company’s A Delicate Balance, meet Janet Constable Preston. Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell readers where they have...

Review: ‘Pericles’ at Delaware Shakespeare Festival

Thousands of years ago, people gathered in the great hall of a palace to hear a bard, like Homer, tell a magical tale of heroes undergoing a journey. Accompanied by a simple lyre, and a poem filled...

Review: ‘Oliver Twist’ at Creative Cauldron

Creative Cauldron presents Oliver Twist, an original adaptation based on Charles Dickens’ classic novel. Directors Laura Connors Hull and Ellen Selby and tailored this production for the performers of...

Review: ‘Straight White Men’ at The Studio Theatre

In these jagged days immediately after the election, Studio Theatre’s richly revealing production of Straight White Men by Young Jean Lee is bracing, to say the least. It deserves our attention no...

Review: ‘What’s Going On: Life, Love, and Social Justice’ at Dance Place

Walking into Dance Place for the world premiere of choreographer and dancer Vincent Thomas’s What’s Going On: Life, Love, and Social Justice, an homage to Marvin Gaye, the great Northeast D.C. native...

Review #2: The Washington National Opera’s ‘The Daughter of the Regiment’ at The Kennedy Center (Cast #2: Sunday, 11/13/16)

Sometimes a relationship between a child and a parent is truly uplifting. Multiply those emotions times twenty, and you experience the heartwarming plot of The Daughter of the Regiment. Broadway...

Dangereuse: She Will Rock You: ‘TAME.’ at WSC Avant Bard

One of Shakespeare’s greatest gifts is the inspiration he offers to other artists. In the case of Tame., playwright Jonelle Walker has captured the essence of Shakespeare’s Kate in The Taming of the...

Meet the Cast ‘Spring Awakening’ at Ovations Theatre: Part 1: Marjorie Long and Josie Weinberg

In part 1 of a series of interviews with the cast of Ovations Theatre’s Spring Awakening, meet Marjorie Long and Josie Weinberg who share the role of Ilse. Joel: What is your name, age, high school...

‘Marisol’ at Villanova Theatre

José Rivera’s Marisol is a dystopian look at a post-apocalyptic time when a war among machine gun-toting angels, part of a heavenly rebellion against a God pronounced senile, has caused devastation as...

Review #1: Washington National Opera’s ‘The Daughter of the Regiment’ (Opening Night Cast-11/12/16)

If your operatic desire is to hear one glorious aria after another sung by two operatic voices that would make the gods envious –set against a deliriously “light-as-air” comically sentimental soufflé...

Review: The American Pops Orchestra Presents ‘I’ll Be Seeing You: A World War II Love Story’ at Lisner Auditorium

I’ll Be Seeing You is a delightful portrait of the love and sacrifices of a newlywed couple separated by military service during World War II. The letters between Spark and Charley while Charlie is...

Review: ‘Broadway Bound’ at 1st Stage

As self-conscious plays go, Neil Simon’s Broadway Bound is both a self-fulfilling prophesy and a cross-examination of the creative process. The play, which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and a...

Review: ‘Peter and the Starcatcher’ at Georgetown Day School

If the idea of “sophisticated family entertainment” sounds like a contradiction in terms—an oxymoron if ever there were one—then Peter and the Starcatcher, which just opened for a quick run at...