The Seafarer

The Seafarer
by Conor McPherson
Directed by Paul Mullins
Produced by The Studio Theatre
Reviewed by Leslie Weisman

Some plays set the stage not only literally but figuratively, preparing the audience for what will occur over the course of their action.  And then there are those whose sets are more deceptive: where a cozy walnut, velour and floral-carpeted interior, a slim Christmas tree ablaze with lights, and the familiar strains of “Do You Hear What I Hear?” from a home stereo are not indicators, but prevaricators.  [Read more...]

Orpheus in the Underworld

Orpheus in the Underworld
by Jacques Offenbach
English adaptation by Kelley Rourke
Directed by Rick Davis and Joel Lazar
Music Director and Orchestra Conductor Joel Lazar
Produced by The In Series
Reviewed by Rosalind Lacy

How do you escape the cold? Climb Mt. Olympus and let The In Series send you to Hell. Orpheus in the Underworld at The Atlas Performing Arts Center is the best trip you’ll take all winter. Let well-trained, beautiful voices that need no microphones steam up your opera glasses. If this is Hell, you want to go there. [Read more...]

Karen Olivo

An Interview with actress Karen Olivo, who plays Anita in West Side Story
by Joel Markowitz

When I saw Karen Olivo playing Faith in the musical Brooklyn, I knew, by the power and beauty of her voice,  that a star had been born. When I saw Karen as Vanessa in the 37 Arts Off-Broadway production of In The Heights, I told everyone I knew to run to NYC and catch her performance. After the show transferred to the Richard Rodgers Theatre, Broadway audiences were treated to Karen’s feisty Vanessa in last year’s Tony Award Winning Best Musical.

More than 50 years after it opened at the National Theatre, the new production West Side Story , under the direction of the legendary Arthur Laurents, returned to the National in preparation for its Broadway opening. DC audiences and critics alike cheered Karen Olivo’s scorching portrayal of Anita. Before she left Washington, Karen did this interview for us. [Read more...]