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Written and performed by Psalmayene24   

Directed by Kamilah Forbes                        

Reviewed by Debbie Minter Jackson

Never considered yourself to be a hip-hop aficionado? Not familiar with the ever changing lingo, look and style? Couldn’t bust a move if your life depended on it? No problem. Psalmayene24 (pronounced Psalm-ah-yé-ne) breaks everything down into clear artistic expressions, busts enough moves for all of us, and ratchets up discussions about life, race, class, and the power of expression to blast far beyond the latest Idol chatter –thankfully. Free Jujube Brown, now playing at the District of Columbia Arts Center (DCAC) is his latest incarnation that simply rocks the house and will blow your mind.

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Psalmayene24 and Debbie Minter Jackson

Interviewed by Debbie Minter Jackson with Lorraine Treanor

Psalmeyene24 speaks with Debbie Minter Jackson after his performance of Free Jujube Brown. This out-of-Brooklyn, hip hop inspired actor tells how the play, originally commissioned as a two person piece by Jennifer Nelson of African Continuum Theatre, has grown into an acclaimed one man show. In a performance that is both funny and moving, Free Jujube Brown challenges its audiences who may think it’s all about the bling and the hip hop community itself to think again.  

Click here to listen. (Podcast: 11.33 minutes)

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 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (400)

Produced by Olney Theatre Center   

Reviewed by Debbie Minter Jackson                     

     Musical revues are tricky. Without a gifted director’s vision to hold the sections together as integral pieces, the revue can easily deadpan into linear catalogues of disconnected musical numbers. Almost as daunting is the combined director-choreographer role—being gifted in one category does not assure superlative ability in the other. Olney Theater’s production of Eubie!, while acceptable, would have been better served with more creative direction, a semblance of vision, playful choreography and all around better artistry.

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Produced by Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company                    

Reviewed by Debbie Minter Jackson

 Kate Eastwood Norris(foreground) with Gia Mora, Jenna Sokolowski, Daniel Frithand Michael Russotto (Photo: Stan Barouh)

    David Greenspan’s She Stoops to Comedy is a fun loving riff on the spirit Shakespeare, fracturing time and spatial settings while pushing gender-bending to hilarious extremes. Showcasing some of the finest talent in the Washington area, the play is a multilayered (sometimes multidimensional) take on the Bard’s As You Like It, exploring aspects of love and longing, personal expression, and mistaken identity (of course), all rolled into a comical celebration of theater.

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By William Shakespeare. Maybe.

Produced by Washington Shakespeare Company

Reviewed by Tim Treanor

Karen Novack and Bruce Rauscher (Photo: Ray Gniewek)

Edward III was one of England’s most successful kings. To a remarkable degree, he is still remembered, six hundred thirty years after his death. The British celebrate him as much for his charm and impulsive acts of charity as they do for his victories in Scotland and France, and his image is well-preserved in paintings and coins.

Edward III, the play, has had a somewhat more checkered history. First appearing in print anonymously in 1596, the play had no author ascribed to it until 1760, when Edward Capell concluded that it was written by the most famous playwright of his, or any other, time. Those who reject his theory generally do so because they believe that its quality does not measure up to the quality of Shakespeare’s other work.

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Acclaimed Playwright Dr. Wole Soyinka Speaks at Bowie State Wednesday, Apr 4th

Dr. Wole Soyinka, winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature, will open the 2007 Spring Arts Festival on Wednesday, April 4, 2007 at 2 pm with a free lecture on the roots of conflict in Africa, its complexities and the future of the continent.

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The American National Theatre Critics (ANTC) today announced that it would be sponsoring worldwide theatre criticism of political events for the next two years. "Since theatre is becoming more political, and politics is becoming more theatrical, we thought the next logical step would be to have theatre critics critique political events.", an ANTC spokesperson, who asked not to be named or otherwise identified, said.  "The first set of criticism will be aimed at the Iraq War.".

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