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The Fantasticks

December 31, 2008 By Leave a Comment

The Fantasticks
By Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt
Directed by Lucinda Merry-Browne
Produced by Bay Theatre
Reviewed by Ted Ying

“Deep in December, our hearts should remember.  And follow.” It’s December and definitely a perfect time to “Try to remember” this classic show.  The original off-Broadway production ran for over 41 years and 17,162 performances.  It is also one of the most frequently performed shows ever, and with good reason.  This classic story of romance and fantasy has stood the test of time and the Bay Theatre shows why. [Read more...]

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Shrek, Cripple of Inishmaan

December 24, 2008 By 1 Comment

Shrek, The Cripple of Inishmaan, and a visit to the Players Club

by Richard Seff [Read more...]

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Sholom Aleichem: Laughter Through Tears

December 23, 2008 By 8 Comments

Sholom Aleichem: Laughter Through Tears
Written and Performed by Theodore Bikel
Directed by Derek Goldman
Musical Direction by Tamara Brooks
Produced by Theater J
Reviewed by Joel Markowitz

Light your Chanukah candles, eat your latkes and spin your dreidels! Let’s all dance Di Mezinke! Chanukah is here, and Theater J has given us reason for rejoicing. Theo’s back in Sholom Aleichem: Laughter Through Tears at Theater J , and he’s brought along two of his very best friends – Sholom Aleichem and Tevye, and two great musicians to help him spin his stories – his wife, the pianist Tamara Brooks, and accordionist Merima Kljuco. [Read more...]

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Grey Gardens director and star talk about the show

December 23, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Barbara Walsh, star of Grey Gardens
Interview by Joel Markowitz

She’s a hometown girl, and she’s back performing on the Metheny Stage at Studio Theatre as Edie and Edith in Studio Theatre’s production of Grey Gardens. An excerpt from their phone interview is below. Read the entire conversation here.

Joel: How difficult is it to try to put your own stamp on roles that other actresses have created – playing Joanne in the revival of Company, which was created by Elaine Stritch, and Edie/Edith in Grey Gardens, created by Christine Ebersole? [Read more...]

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Alice Ripley in Next to Normal

December 21, 2008 By 11 Comments


Interviewed by Joel Markowitz [Read more...]

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Four shows that are gifts from Santa

December 21, 2008 By 7 Comments

A Child’s Christmas in Wales, A Christmas Carol, Seasonal Disorder and An iMusical Christmas!

A Holiday Labor of Love!

It was a difficult week for me and some of my close friends. Many of us were called into to our human resources offices and heard those dreaded words, “I’m so sorry, but we had to make cuts because of the bad economy, and…well…it’s so hard to say this to you…but, we had to let you go, and would you mind signing this release form?” The last thing on my mind when I finally arrived home late that evening was Chanukah or Christmas or Kwaanza or holiday cheer.

So, I came home after getting “the pink slip,” and sat down at my computer, pondering how to begin picking up the pieces, when I logged into this website. I thought I was dreaming when I saw snow flakes falling on the DCTS banner. Growing up in Buffalo, NY – where we actually LOVE snow flakes – my spirits started to lift when I clicked on the title  - A Child’s Christmas in Wales, [Read more...]

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Legally Blonde

December 20, 2008 By 3 Comments

Legally Blonde
Adapted for the stage by Heather Hach from the MGM film, based on the novel by Amanda Brown
Music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin
Directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell
Presented by The Kennedy Center
Reviewed by Debbie Minter Jackson

Legally Blonde is a big splashy musical with heart.  Sure it’s got enough pink and fluff to overdose a sugary Disney cartoon, but the engaging story line, interesting character development, fun lyrics, and bouncy musical numbers are all surprisingly effective, even to the most pink-averse skeptic.  Believe me, I know.  It’s the last thing I thought I would enjoy [Read more...]

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Three Who Shone in Beauty and the Beast

December 19, 2008 By 1 Comment

A Beauty of a Beauty and the Beast
Interviews with actors Josh Simon and Mike Mainwaring and lighting designer Scott Selman

I had heard that Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, MD had a terrific drama department, and a huge Broadway size stage, so when Scott Selman – whose work I knew from Act Two – invited me to see a show, I gladly accepted, and have been a big fan ever since.

On December 6th I saw their spectacularly enchanting production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and, though I rarely see the same show twice,  I returned  with a friend on December 12th. Why? I wanted to see the terrific performances of Josh Simon, who played Lumiere and Mike Mainwaring, who played Lefou, and to see the eye-popping lighting design of Scott Selman. [Read more...]

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DC Theatre Scene Hosts New Radio Show

December 19, 2008 By Leave a Comment

by Lorraine Treanor

The snow is falling on DCTS to celebrate the first in a series of radio plays by The Audible Group, founded by actors Susan Lynskey and James Konicek, sound designer Matthew M. Nielson and myself.  We all worked together on this year’s Audience Choice Awards show, and discovered our common love for creating “theatre of the mind”.

A Child’s Christmas in Wales seemed like a natural gift to give the community this holiday season, and 23 DC actors and children, led by Carter Jahncke (Krapp’s Last Tape) as Narrator, can be heard on this lovely re-creation of Dylan Thomas’ poem about Christmas day in Swansea, Wales. [Read more...]

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Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind

December 18, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind
Written, Directed, Produced and Performed by the Neo-Futurists: Sharon Greene, Jacquelyn Landgraf, John Pierson, Caitlin Stainken and Jay Torrence
Created by Greg Allen
Produced by Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
Reviewed by Leslie Weisman

If you have a taste for the tawdry, the kinky, the sweet and the sublime… this show’s for you.  Given its premise – 30 plays in 60 minutes, with new plays added and old ones dropped for each performance – you’d be tempted to want to say that the only constancy in the new Too Much Light is change.  You would, however, be wrong. [Read more...]

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