2017

Review: ‘This Is the Week That Is’ at 1812 Productions

If you’re looking for an evening of escapist entertainment at the theater this holiday season, 1812 Productions’ twelfth installment of its perennial hit This Is The Week That Is provides the...

Interview: Beyond ‘Seinfeld,’ Brian George Moves From Sitcom to Stage in ‘Vicuña’ at Mosaic Theater Company of DC

Chances are you’ve seen him before, either as an angry Pakistani cook on Seinfeld or a benign Indian doctor on The Big Bang Theory. That’s because Brian George – the character actor now dazzling...

News: A Vintage Theater Inspires a New Generation

A Treasure from the Past Damascus, Maryland is tucked away among more well-known towns in Montgomery, Howard, Carroll, and Frederick counties. It’s easy to overlook, but you won’t soon forget it after...

Review: ‘Annie’ at Charm City Players

Five years on, Charm City Players Annie-versary production of Annie closes to a nearly sold out house. Reviewed by James Gilbert On Sunday, November 26, I was able to see the closing performance of...

Interview: Violinist Tessa Lark Discusses Her Career and Her Upcoming Performance at the Phillips Collection

Don’t just call Tessa Lark a crossover artist. The fast-rising classical violinist may also be known for playing at jazz clubs in New York and elsewhere, and for her country fiddling at bluegrass...

Review: ‘Miracle on 34th Street: The Musical’ at Toby’s Dinner Theatre

It doesn’t exactly live up to its billing as a miracle, but Miracle on 34th Street: The Musical at Toby’s Dinner Theatre has its heart in the right place. It is a lovely way to gather the family...

Post-Play Palaver: ‘The State’ by Forum Theatre at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

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

News: The West Wing’s Allison Janney Named Honorary Chair of 2018 Women’s Voices Theater Festival

Allison Janney (The West Wing, and the Broadway revival of Six Degrees of Separation) is returning to Washington to lend her voice to support the 2018 Women’s Voices Theater Festival as Honorary...

Review: ‘Brigadoon’ at New York City Center

I was about to resignedly sigh about another tired revival of a favorite musical from the Golden Age, when along came Brigadoon from the remarkable New York City Center “Encores!” series to force me...

Review: ‘Who’s Holiday!’ at Westside Theatre

If your fond childhood memories include Dr. Seuss The Grinch, his dog Max, and a Ville filled with Whos You might like a sequel from 40 years hence Though if you’re a Grinch, too, you might take...

Review: ‘Disney’s Beauty and the Beast’ at The Media Theatre

“Tale as old as time”? If you’re the parent of a young child who has watched a certain Disney animated film on video over and over and over, it might seem that way. But when you take that child – or...

Philadelphia’s ‘Christmas Village’ Returns to LOVE Park

Now celebrating its tenth year, Philadelphia’s Christmas Village – an open-air German-style holiday market – returns to the newly restored LOVE Park with more than 80 vendors offering authentic food,...

Review: ‘A Christmas Carol’ at Annapolis Shakespeare Company

Annapolis Shakespeare Company’s production of A Christmas Carol is a fun, faithful translation of Charles Dickens’ famous holiday classic. Adapted by Sally Boyett and Donald Hicken, and directed by...

Review: ‘The Miser’ at The Stagecrafters Theater

A play by Moliere in the Philadelphia area? Be still my heart! I took a quick unscientific survey in the lobby, prior to the performance, and discovered that not many visitors to The Miser, presented...

Preview: ‘A Christmas Carol’ at Charm City Ballet

While it’s “Nutcracker” season for most dance companies across the region, Charm City Ballet presents something unique: its original full-length ballet, A Christmas Carol, to be performed at The...

Review: ‘Harry Clarke’ at The Vineyard Theatre

Only on rare occasion have I found a one-man (or woman) play rich enough for my blood. I do recall John Gielgud’s mesmerizing performance in Shakespeare’s Ages of Man, and there have been some plays...

Review: ‘Office Hour’ at The Public

The playwright Julia Cho now has Office Hour on at the Public Theatre, but she has been a steady and welcome contributor to the contemporary scene for some time. Works of hers have been produced at...

Review: ‘A Child’s Christmas in Wales and Other Stories’ at Washington Stage Guild

Dylan Thomas–known in the theatre world for his radio play, Under Milkwood, and in the prose world for Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog, and in the poetry world for “Do Not Go Gentle into that...

Review: ‘A Christmas Carol’ at Kensington Arts Theatre

Reviewed by Meredith Fogle Prepare to be swept into the holiday spirit alongside Ebenezer Scrooge by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future in Kensington Arts Theatre’s production of A...

Review: The Philadelphia Orchestra Gives a Haydn Masterpiece a Local Premiere

The programming of music by Haydn is unusual for The Philadelphia Orchestra. The choice is even more surprising coming from conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who is more associated with modern...

Interview: David Rohde Interviews Mezzo-Soprano Isabel Leonard

When Washington National Opera presents one of opera’s top examples of musical comedy next spring, it’s only fitting that the production will star a singer whose background sounds as ready-made for...

Review: ‘The Wizard of OZ’ at Greenbelt Arts Center

Greenbelt Arts Center’s The Wizard of OZ, directed by Jon Gardner, is the epitome of joy, happiness, and sunshine; a theatrical ride to magic and wonder. With lyrics and music by Harold Arlen and E....

Review: ‘A Night with Janis Joplin’ at the Strathmore

If any singer from the hippie era could take a little piece of your heart, it was the legendary Janis Joplin. In A Night with Janis Joplin, the story of the iconic rock star emblazoned the stage of...

Review: ‘The Portuguese Kid’ at the Manhattan Theatre Club

Jason Alexander was a Broadway baby long before he achieved fame on Seinfeld, but he’s had trouble re-establishing himself even though he’d appeared in Merrily We Roll Along, The Rink, Jerome Robbins’...

Review: The Kansas City Ballet’s ‘The Nutcracker’ at The Kennedy Center

The Kansas City Ballet’s The Nutcracker, with its classic composition by Tchaikovsky and choreographed by Artistic Director Devon Carney, is a stunning and opulent spin on a classic ballet. This...

Dangereuse: ‘Twelfth Night’ at the Shakespeare Theatre Company – Present Mirth Hath Present Laughter

Many consider Twelfth Night Shakespeare’s supreme achievement in comedy. It is also one of his most popular and frequently produced plays. George Bernard Shaw, who hated Shakespeare, described it as a...

Review: ‘The Exterminating Angel’ at the Metropolitan Opera

Metropolitan Opera audiences, paying up to $393 for a ticket, can relate to the wealthy party guests in The Exterminating Angel. And so do some prestigious critics, who called this “the one opera to...

Review: ‘Crimes of the Heart’ at Curio Theatre Company

Curio Theatre Company’s production of Beth Henley’s Pulitzer Prize winning tragicomedy, Crimes of the Heart, is the dark and hilarious tale of the Magraths — as twisted a set of sisters as you will...

Review: ‘Me…Jane: The Dreams & Adventures of Young Jane Goodall’ at the Kennedy Center

The story of Jane Goodall – primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist – has been told numerous times in various media forms. The British born naturalist is said to be the leading expert on...

Review: ‘My Name is Asher Lev’ at 1st Stage

From the beginning of the 1st Stage production of My Name is Asher Lev, we are told that the young Asher is an amazingly gifted artist. Asher, who is played by Lucas Beck, narrates the play, and every...

Review: ‘Bound to the Rocks’ at Charm City Fringe Festival

Bound to the Rocks, written by Laura Katherine Hayes and produced by Something About KAZ, deals with domestic violence in a relationship. Based on the music of Sylvan Esso, this play is full of...

Review: ‘Finding Neverland’ at the Academy of Music

I went into Finding Neverland with high hopes. I had been enchanted by the 2004 film from which this musical has been adapted. The story, based on a play by Allan Knee, follows the (highly...

Review: Christian Sands in Discovery Artist at the KC Jazz Club

Jazz pianist Christian Sands appeared at the KC Jazz Club last Friday evening with drummer Jerome Jennings and bassist Eric Wheeler: together, the pulse and rifts and energy lifted both heart and...

Review: ‘Christmas at the Old Bull & Bush’ at Metro Stage

One of the best parts of the holiday season is being transported to another time and place, putting our worries on hold, and enjoying the moment with friends and family. Christmas at the Old Bull &...

Review: ‘Frosty the Snowman’ at Adventure Theatre MTC

Adventure Theatre MTC presents Frosty the Snowman, written by William Francis, with additional dialogue and lyrics Jason Schlafstein and Kenny Neal. Schlafstein also directs this production alongside...

Review: ‘A Midnight Dreary’ by We Happy Few Productions

A Midnight Dreary is a promenade-style event that will have you on your feet, enjoying a drink, and experiencing Edgar Allan Poe’s stories like never before. The performance, directed by Bridget Grace...

Review: Broadway-Bound ‘Mean Girls’ at the National Theatre

It’s fun, it’s pink, it’s very Tina Fey. The pre-Broadway world premiere of Mean Girls officially opened at the National Theatre last night. Judging from the excitement in the theater (care to wait in...

Review: ‘Harry Clarke’ at Vineyard Theatre

At the core of all great theater is the art of great storytelling. Harry Clarke, a solo show with a compelling story told by a riveting actor in a tour-de-force performance, is just that. Now in its...

Review: ‘Twelfth Night’ at Shakespeare Theatre Company

Shakespeare Theatre Company has set Twelfth Night inside of an airport lounge, and why shouldn’t they, it is their production, not ours, and Lee Savage’s design is a marvel of verisimilitude, so it...

Review: ‘Rasheeda Speaking’ at Allens Lane Theater

The setting is ordinary – an office with two desks side by side. The desks are covered with plants, knickknacks, and piles of paperwork. The sort of thing we see every day in corporate America. But...

Review: André Watts with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at Strathmore Music Center

André Watts brought an ecstatic audience to its feet after his magnificent performance of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s beloved Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor. Playing with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra...

Review: ‘Coffin in Egypt’at Quotidian Theatre Company

Anyone who thinks that storytelling is a lost art should hurry on over to the Quotidian Theatre Company, where Jane Squier Bruns is now holding forth in A Coffin in Egypt, Horton Foote’s masterfully...

Review: ‘Hamlet’ at American University Rude Mechanicals

There are some who argue that the works of William Shakespeare should never be altered, but instead be treated as sacred texts, performed just as the Bard intended and left untouched for as long as...

Review: ‘Misterman’ at Solas Nua

A tour de force performance by Thomas Keegan and masterful stage arts combine to make Solas Nua’s Misterman a jaw-droppingly good show. Directed and choreographed by Artistic Director Rex Daugherty,...

Review: ‘Charlotte’s Web’ at Imagination Stage

If you’re on the lookout for an engaging, kid-friendly activity this holiday season, look no further than the classic tale of Charlotte’s Web at Imagination Stage. Based on the renowned children’s...

Review: ‘St Nicholas’ at Quotidian Theatre Company

Make no mistake, St Nicholas at Quotidian Theatre Company is not a Christmas play. Conor McPherson’s one-man-show starring Steve Beall and directed by Jack Sbarbori is a Gothic meditation on power,...

Review: ‘What We’re Up Against’ at WP Theater

Office politics, gender-based inequality in the workplace, and self-damning outbursts of flagrant misogyny fuel the flames of Theresa Rebeck’s razor-sharp feminist comedy What We’re Up Against, making...

Review: ‘The Book of Merman’ at DC Arts Center

Review by Jason Williams Playfully tagged as a less expensive alternative to The Book of Mormon, which it satirizes, The Book of Merman quickly moves beyond just being a parody of the aforementioned...

Review: ‘The Lion King’ at the Hippodrome Theatre

The Lion King is epic. It is so full of throat-tightening spectacle and aural splendor that Baltimore’s grand Hippodrome Theatre can appear at times like a modest host. With Julie Taymor’s magical...

Review: ‘From the Diary of Sally Hemings’ at Unison Media

The New York premiere of William Bolcom’s composition, From the Diary of Sally Hemings, could not be more timely. With so much news focused on racial tensions, as well as the recent uproar over sexual...