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Produced by Olney Theatre

Reviewed by Debbie Minter Jackson

Michael McKenzie as John Middleton, F.R.C.S. and Ashley West as Marie-Louise Durham

The Constant Wife at Olney Theater is best savored as a rich delicacy enjoyed over a full evening, a change in pace from the quickie snacks of today’s fare. W. Somerset Maugham (yes, that one) takes his time setting up the characters, and although the mid-section drags a little rehashing what had already been laid out with crystal clarity, it’s still refreshing to sit back and bask in the mood and setting of another period in time. Before reality T.V. there were comedies and dramas such as The Constant Wife, (set in the 1920’s) that allowed one to peer through the heavy draped curtains of the upper crust and glimpse the familiar and common elements that make us all tick. (more…)

Written by William Shakespeare

Produced by Firebelly Productions

Reviewed by Tim Treanor

Closeted conspirators: Dave Daniels (Aguecheek), Brian Lee Huynh (Fabian) and John Tweel (Belch) (Photos Ray Gniewek)

This is good Shakespeare. This is damn good Shakespeare.

Twelfth Night is one of Shakespeare’s most difficult comedies, full of implausible developments and astonishing cases of mistaken identity. Firebelly just plays the heck out of it, squeezing out every conceivable laugh with fully realized characters, slam-bang comic timing, and assured, well-conceived direction. In the end, as every comic playwright from Aristophenes to Christopher Durang has known, if the laughs are a-comin’ the plausibilities don’t matter. (more…)

Produced by Washington Shakespeare Company

Reviewed by Tim Treanor

Betsy Rosen (foreground) and (l to r) Denman C. Anderson & Abby Wood (Photo: Ray Gniewek)

The Washington Shakespeare Company had originally planned to stage a production of King Lear, but when actor Brian Hemmingsen fell ill the Company substituted an even more interesting choice: it commissioned local playwright Callie Kimball to turn Shakespeare’s lengthy narrative poem, ‘The Rape of Lucrece’, into a play.

Kimball is a gifted writer and I wish that more of her works were in production. But this was a formidable challenge indeed. It is a bold writer who agrees to edit, supplement or otherwise manipulate The Bard. Moreover, Lucrece is more poem than narrative; in large part, it is a meditation on the psychology of the rapist and the agony of the victim. Aside from the rape and Lucrece’s consequent suicide, Shakespeare tells the story in exposition, not scene. Finally, Kimball had a matter of days (she ended up taking three) to complete her task. And the result is a brand spanking new Shakespearean play. (more…)

Produced by Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company   

Directed by Colette Searls
Reviewed by Gary McMillan

Naomi Jacobson, Michael Russotto, and J. Fred Schiffman (Photo: Stan Barouh)

Death doesn’t take a holiday, it’s grounded on standby in Woolly Mammoth’s superb production of Noah Haidle’s Vigils.

I must first note that Colin K. Bills very nearly steals the show with his extraordinary lighting design, illuminating (no pun intended) the heart of each scene in spectacular fashion. His pallet of light is a feast for the eyes and subliminally prepares the audience as the story unfolds. Take a special bow, Mr. Bills. And Daniel Ettinger’s set is a perfect canvas. (more…)

Produced by Solas Nua
Reviewed by Ronnie Ruff

Podcast with Kate Debelack by Joel Markowitz with Lorraine Treanor (follows the review)

Chris Davenport and Kate Debelack (Photo: C. Stanley Photography)

Irish playwright Enda Walsh, who was recently appointed Playwright in Residence for Dublin’s Abbey Theatre, is becoming very familiar to Washington audiences. His 2005 play The Small Things does not tell a clearly defined story in the same way as last year’s Misterman or the excellent, well reviewed Bedbound – it does though, shower us with brilliantly constructed and colorful language. Frequently edgy and often shocking scraps of human cruelty, genocide and individual loneliness are accessible beneath the multiple layers of Walsh’s styled vocabulary. Walsh is a master at making you laugh at his characters and later feel really creepy that you found some things funny at all. (more…)

 

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Theatre Schmooze by Joel Markowitz

Podcast by Joel Markowitz with Lorraine Treanor

Lypsinka: The Passion of the Crawford
Written and performed by John Epperson
Studio Theatre until Feb. 25th

Part One: Setting the Stage: Memories

It’s rapid fire craziness - visually stunning and colorful, has funny costumes, impeccable lighting and sound and watching the lip-synching carefully to see if John might actually miss something, while at the same time, staring in awe at how perfect his lip-synching is. (more…)

 

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Produced by Arena Stage
Reviewed by Debbie Minter Jackson

Lynnie Godfrey as Aunt Ester  (Photo: Scott Suchman)

Gem of the Ocean reminds us why August Wilson is considered by some to be the Shakespeare of our time. Beautifully mounted at Arena Stage, it is nothing short of an epic. Issues involving Honesty, Redemption, Forgiveness, Self-love, Faith, Life, and Death — all spin around in an oceanic swirl, commanding attention and are sure to leave a gut-wrenching impact. (more…)