2021

Celebrate the release of the new book ‘When The Lights Are Bright Again’ with a free livestream launch party on Broadway on Demand

NYC-based artist Andrew Norlen’s new book, When The Lights Are Bright Again, published by Applause Theatre & Cinema Books and spotlighting the 2020-21 theater shutdown, is available today in hardcover...

A top-notch ‘On the Town’ from Rockville Musical Theatre

The show’s sights are fixed on the joy of living this day — joy that the production gives the audience abundantly.

‘The Oresteia’ comes to Zoom via Virtual Repertory Theatre Collective

The classic Greek tragedy revisioned to reflect the turmoil and cloak-and-dagger of present-day DC.

ExPats’ prison drama ‘Pankrác ’45’ is moving and unforgettable

It is 1945. Five women share a cell in the famous Pankrác Prison in Prague. Their meeting is fictional, but the events they describe are true.

Roundabout’s Broadway revival of ‘Caroline, or Change’ is a must-see musical for these crucial times

It’s Louisiana 1963. The Civil Rights movement is igniting long-overdue progress and protests to end racial discrimination in America, MLK is preaching non-violence, and JFK is promising the help that...

NSO creates fine embroidery with Tortelier conducting

The entire program was united in evoking pastoral landscapes and idylls.

Upbeat ‘Little Women: the Broadway Musical’ uplifts at UMD

An evening of delightful entertainment by the University of Maryland School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies.

Dad and daughter wing it in ‘Birds of North America’ at Mosaic

Climate change, human choices, and the desire to find understanding color this compelling and unique narrative.

Yan Pascal Tortelier on conducting: ‘Art and beauty enlighten, elevate and open unexpected doors’

He returns to the National Symphony Orchestra’s podium for the first time in nearly three decades.

Visit ArtExpo, Bryant Park, and the Library for the Performing Arts between shows this weekend in NYC

With the reawakening of NYC after the long pandemic shutdown, theatergoers can enjoy a variety of events between shows this weekend, from art exhibitions to a seasonal favorite in the heart of...

New gender-neutral categories announced for Off-Broadway’s Lucille Lortel Awards

The Lucille Lortel Awards, honoring outstanding achievements Off-Broadway (productions in Manhattan venues with 100-499 seats), has announced that its awards for acting will no longer be defined by...

Halloween treats from NYC

Get into the spirit of Halloween with a themed selection of three top picks that include an online event, a live in-person show, and a new album release. I Put a Spell on You: The Sanderson Variant –...

Dominion Stage’s ‘Five Women Wearing the Same Dress’ opens Nov. 5

A biting comedy about the societal label of being “too much” that diminishes women.

Who’s getting DC theaters to do the work that undoes racism?

Among consultants working with local arts organizations to end racist and oppressive practices, Young Playwrights’ Theater is playing a leading role.

GTG’s stellar Off-Broadway production of ‘Mrs. Warren’s Profession’ remains sorely relevant today

In 2021, data shows that women across the US are still making only 82 cents on the dollar for what men make. What that means in effect is that US women stop getting paid on October 29 of this year,...

In praise of a resilient small theater: Fredericksburg Theatre Ensemble

Surviving the pandemic has highlighted the importance of community.

‘N’ at Keegan sheds light on a forgotten history of racism in theater

A compelling play based on the fascinating connection between renowned white playwright Eugene O’Neill and stellar Black actor Charles Gilpin.

How to fight injustice? Felicia Curry on the crux of ‘My Lord, What a Night’

The incisive and inspiring play filmed at Ford’s Theatre is now streaming through November 4.

The National Symphony Orchestra meets its audience at The Anthem

Musicians ditched their concert dress for casual-cool wear more in tune with the industrial-chic locale.

Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE takes a soul-infused journey from mercy to grace

At Kennedy Center, a rich triptych of works with historical underpinnings of the African American experience.

An exuberant fun-filled concert celebration of ‘The World to Come’ podcast at NYC’s The Green Room 42

Now that the first season of the post-apocalyptic podcast The World to Come is complete and available for binge listening on all popular streaming platforms, members of the audio cast and team...

A Q&A with Matthew Gardiner on his new gig at Sig

“What is important in this moment for Signature,” says its new artistic director, “is how we are creating a culture of consent going forward.”

Darren Lee Cole and Alexander Wright revisit 1929 ‘Tammany Hall’ at Off-Broadway’s SoHo Playhouse

For nearly two centuries, the NYC-based political organization Tammany Hall, founded as the Society of St. Tammany in 1786, functioned as the main local political machine of the New York Democratic...

Rooftop Productions takes a stab at Sondheim’s ‘Sweeney Todd’

A worthwhile engagement with the glories and complexities of the “dark operetta.”

Delightfully eerie listening in ‘A Midnight Dreary’ from We Happy Few

An entertaining audio series perfect for Halloween.

Constellation Theatre’s ‘Mysticism & Music’ goes nowhere

Despite aesthetically engaging music and an enthusiastic cast, the production does not work.

Exhibition and livestream performance series by theatrical artists group ‘My Barbarian’ at NYC’s Whitney Museum of American Art

Theatrical art collective My Barbarian, founded in Los Angeles in 2000, and now based in LA and NYC, is the subject of a new exhibition and live in-person and livestream performance series opening on...

Meet the dramaturg for ‘Hadestown’

Ken Cerniglia, a Catholic University grad, has been instrumental in developing work at the Kennedy Center and on Broadway.

Brazilian All Stars’ sultry sound comes to Parilla Performing Arts Center

At the newly renovated venue on the campus of Montgomery Community College, the audience was demanding an encore and dancing in the aisles.

Colonial Players entertains with complex ‘By the Way, Meet Vera Stark’

An illuminating exploration of Black erasure through typecasting in Hollywood.

An online auction from the collection of Marin Mazzie to benefit the Cancer Support Community

Three-time Tony Award nominee and Theater Hall of Fame inductee Marin Mazzie (Passion; Ragtime; Kiss Me, Kate), who lost her battle with ovarian cancer on September 13, 2018, would have celebrated her...

Dance and acting blend thrillingly in ‘Giselle’ from Ballet Theatre of Maryland

Drama and emotion as the company returns home to Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts.

In ‘Hadestown’ at Kennedy Center, a wildly exciting theatrical carnival

Borrowing from Greek mythology, a musical of love, loss, and the power of dreams.

An epic history of the rise and demise of one family’s American Dream and financial empire in ‘The Lehman Trilogy’ on Broadway

If you’re concerned about the potential discomfort or waning attention precipitated by sitting through a three-part production with a running time of more than three hours and two intermissions, don’t...

Happenstance Theater announces first post-COVID production

The comedic ensemble returns with ‘BrouHaHa’, an existential escapade for a two-week run at the Baltimore Theater Project.

BPN podcast ‘This Is Reality’ amplifies the true story of whistleblower Reality Winner, told in ‘Is This a Room’ on Broadway

In association with the Broadway Podcast Network, multi-award winner Dori Berinstein and Tony nominee Sally Horchow, producers of the acclaimed Broadway show Is This a Room (which I reviewed in its...

The comedy in Olney’s ‘Thanksgiving Play’ comes with a side of snark

Now available to stream: Playwright Larissa FastHorse’s satire about white “wokeness,” a brilliant middle finger.

Laugh, learn, and love with Broadway’s ‘Chicken & Biscuits’ at Circle in the Square

When the Jenkins family gets together for the funeral of their patriarch B – the late pastor of a Black Baptist church – personalities clash, conflicts resurface, sparks fly, and secrets are revealed...

Two centenarians recall their lives in ‘Having Our Say’ at Creative Cauldron

Who doesn’t love listening to older relatives telling stories about back in their day?

In time for Halloween, a haunting ‘Girls’ Night (with Spirits)’ from the Welders

An audio play about a Black woman who believes her home is being haunted—a realistic, immersive, and enjoyable audio play with fun twists in the script.

A powerful and meaningful ‘Celia and Fidel’ at Arena Stage

A new play based on a fight between Cuba’s most influential female revolutionary and its most notorious political leader.

The Broadway return of ‘Freestyle Love Supreme’ continues to amaze at the Booth Theatre

Before launching its national tour in 2022, the incomparable improv musical sensation Freestyle Love Supreme has made its return to Broadway for a limited engagement at the Booth Theatre, after an...

15 Questions in 15 Minutes with Broadway’s Jelani Remy

There’s no end in sight to the proverbial “fifteen minutes of fame” of triple threat Jelani Remy! The New Jersey native has been a non-stop presence on Broadway and beyond – including his recent...

‘A Black and White Cookie’ premieres at Silver Spring Stage

Can a bakery favorite repair the world?

Explosively beautiful ‘Hadestown’ gets down at Kennedy Center

The music steals the show, but there is much, much more to enjoy.

Little Theater of Alexandria has a winning thriller in ‘Wait Until Dark’

Good acting and taut direction in an enjoyably suspenseful evening of theater.

Sterling Playmakers debuts an original romantic comedy, ‘The Social Secretary’

Those who aren’t ready for summer to end will find warmth, love, and laughter in this beach read brought to life.

Peppermint to host ‘Dreaming the Queer Future’ virtual discussion on Zoom

A conversation about trans and gender nonconforming representation in the theater, Dreaming the Queer Future, will be held on Zoom on Tuesday, October 19, beginning at 6 pm. Presented by National...

Smart showtune satire from Reston Community Players teens

Their ‘Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)’ is meta entertainment and unbridled fun.

‘Where We Belong’ to play at Baltimore Center Stage prior to U.S. tour

Performing solo, Madeline Sayet personifies her Mohegan heritage of women as powerful carriers of their culture.