Help

Welcome to our new website. We hope you enjoy exploring our new features. In case you get a little lost – here’s a roadmap.

Where is Their Reviews?

In the gold header bar, hover over Reviews.  Two drop-down boxes appear: Our Reviews, an archive of all our reviews, and the one page listing of other reviewers for currently running productions: Their Reviews.

Where is Joel Markowitz’s column?

Joel is a prolific writer. In the Columns section of the gold bar, you will find his Theatre Schmooze, along with our New York columnist, Richard Seff.

Check under Podcasts too. Most of them are done by Joel.

What happened to  Onstage Now?

A great deal, actually,

First, it’s now called Find A Show.  Here’s how it works:

Hover over Find A Show in the gold bar.  You will see 6 drop down boxes. Hover over Onstage. The list of all shows which are either currently onstage or opening soon will appear in the red right hand column. Chances are, it’s a long list. Scroll down the column using the wheel in your mouse. When you see a show that interests you, click on its link, and go to its Show page.

You can see those same shows by location of the venue (MD, VA, DC).

We haven’t forgotten the children. Kids Stages give you those productions produced specifically for children.

And, finally, for all those of you who have written over the last 2 years asking for more info on upcoming shows:  we’ve loaded each Show page with everything we think you need to know:

what’s the show about
what it costs
where it is
how to get there
the website for the producer
and our coverage of the theater.  (Once we’ve reviewed the show, you’ll be able to see that review by clicking the link just below the company’s website.

That map at the bottom of the Show page is awfully small.

Boy, it’s fun making up these questions!  Under the small map is a link that says ‘View larger map’. Do that and you’re in Google™  glory.

I don’t visit the site every day. Can you send me an email when you publish an article?

Okay. No one has actually asked us this. But the answer is that we have an ENewsletter that emails  subscribers every day that articles appear. The signup is on our right hand column.

Or you can click the News Feed link at the top of the website to see the last 10 posts, and subscribe to the RSS feed. There’s one there for Comments, too. In case you like to keep up with the conversation.

How to Search:

I’m looking for a particular show

The easiest way to find it is to put the show title bracketed by ” ” in the Search box. Or if we have reviewed it, and you remember which month we published it, drop down to the bottom of the right hand column and click on that month.

I’m interested in one of your writers. How do I find their reviews?

If you see a review they have written, click on their name in red under the show title. That will bring you to his or her archives.  or enter their name in the Search box.

I’d like to see what you’ve written about my favorite theatre company.

No problem. The best way is to go to any of our reviews for that company. At the end of the review you will see their name in Tags. Click that.

or if they have a show listed in Find A Show, click on the show, and on the Show’s page, see “Other articles for this company”. Click there.

The Search box will have it too, but will probably bring up every other article mentioning ‘arena’ or ‘constellation’ etc.

I’m looking for a review in City Paper from last month. Where is it?

If you don’t see it in Their Reviews, that means the show has closed. We don’t archive this page. But you can check the original publication. They probably have it archived.

Any other questions?  Just leave a comment.

Shear Madness

Set in present-day Georgetown, Shear Madness engages locals and visitors alike as armchair detectives to help solve the scissor-stabbing murder of a famed concert pianist who lives above the Shear Madness unisex hairstyling salon.  The show combines up-to-the-minute improvisational humor and a mixture of audience sleuthing to deliver a unique performance each night.

Shear Madness has been running in the Kennedy Center’s Theater Lab for over 20 years, giving more than 9,000 performances and is the second longest play in the history of American Theater (its sister production of Shear Madness in Boston is #1.)

A special One Red Flower and a young man you should know

Author Paris Barclay attends a special performance  of One Red Flower

parisbarclaySaturday, March 7th was an emotional evening for the Vietnam veterans and their families who walked into a former armory – the Kensington Town Center  - to see Kensington Arts Theatre’s (KAT)  production of Paris Barclay’s One Red Flower, a musical about Vietnam veterans who wrote letters back home, and the impact the letters and the war had on their lives, and the lives of their families. [Read more...]

The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd and Cabaret Girl

The New York season traditionally divides itself into two halves; one that lasts through the Christmas holidays, and one that begins in February. The current season behaved itself,  despite the rest of the world breaking with all tradition and going quite mad on all fronts. [Read more...]

Oleanna

oleannaZemfira Stage, in its serviceable production of this incendiary David Mamet play, does an interesting thing: it diffuses the issues of gender exploitation and political correctness, and allows us to see what is at the bottom of the play, which is the deliberate, political misuse of language. [Read more...]

Not Such Stuff

notsuchstuffThis world premiere collection of monologs derive from eight female Shakespearian characters speaking from their hearts, describing aspects of their lives with a modern feminist sensibility.  Deconstructing the traditional interpretations of some of the most fiercely fascinating female characters of all time, the playwright is able to “have at it” and the characters finally have their say.  And oh, what tales they have to weave. [Read more...]

Vincent

vincentOn the morning of May 28, 1890, Vincent Van Gogh began work on the first of 100 works of art, all of which he would complete in the next 60 days. His output included “Wheat Field with Crows”, “Portrait of Doctor Gachet”, and 68 other oils. Immediately after completing this work, he walked into a field and shot himself in the chest. Two days later, he died. [Read more...]

After the Garden: Edith Beale Live at Reno Sweeney

afterthegardenIf you’ve seen the documentary (The Beales of Grey Gardens) and/or the musical (Grey Gardens) you already know “Little Edie” Beale.  If you are a hard core fan of this absurdly pathetic character and cannot wait for the upcoming Jessica Lange/Drew Barrymore movie, you can feed your appetite further with Ganymede Arts’ world premiere production, After the Garden: Edith Beale Live at Reno Sweeney.  If you lack any special affection for her, however, you’ll find this show only sporadically funny and increasingly tiresome. [Read more...]

The Gin Game

gingameYou never really know what to expect when you first enter a retirement home.  It might be tired and run-down in desperate need of some fixing up.  It could be comfortable and well run.  The Gin Game is a classic well-written character study set in a retirement home that sounds like the former, cold and uninviting.  Fortunately, the Bay Theatre Company has presented us with a production like the latter, giving us a full and entertaining evening of theater. [Read more...]

In Memory of Horton Foote

hortonfootePlaywright Horton Foote  passed away on March 4th in Hartford, Connecticut.  That night, the lights on Broadway were dimmed in honor of the prolific writer, who Ben Brantley in his essay in the NY Times described as “the playwright who cozied up to the chill in the hearth.” [Read more...]