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Ben Demers, a Baltimore native, has been a theater enthusiast since a young age. He studied drama and voice at Vassar College, performing in numerous plays, musicals, and operas. By day, he is a legal assistant in a DC law firm, and in his spare time, he enjoys debating the artistic merits of horror movies, tearing up the dance floor, and performing music on guitar and piano. He is thrilled to experience all the dynamic, exciting theater that DC has to offer.

The Tooth of Crime

May 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment

In the well-known Greek creation myth, the Titan Cronus desperately seeks to prevent the prophecy that one of his offspring will overthrow him, as he did to his own father, Uranus. Cronus’ mighty power and desperate attempts to avoid his fate prove useless, and soon his enraged son, Zeus, appears to wage a climactic battle for the throne of the world.  [Read more...]

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Dancing at Lughnasa

April 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

When faced with the choice between the safety of a familiar life and the potential of an unwritten future, which would you choose? In Quotidian Theatre’s poignant production of Brian Friel’s Dancing at Lughnasa, five sisters maintain a comfortable yet monotonous routine in a small shared house, until male interlopers, implacable economic forces, and their own repressed desires threaten to permanently upset their cozy equilibrium. [Read more...]

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Working

April 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment

When was the last time you saw a musical about regular working stiffs? In Keegan Theatre’s breezy new production of Working, an assortment of blue and white-collar Americans offer a timely, uplifting meditation on the daily grind and all the rewards and regrets that accompany any job. [Read more...]

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Monty Python’s Spamalot

March 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

“Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam…” so sang the gallant Knights of the Round Table, once upon a time. This little slice of historical lunacy is par for the course in Monty Python’s Spamalot, Python alum Eric Idle’s twisted, technicolor vision of Arthurian myth, playing now through March 18 at the Warner Theater.  [Read more...]

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Wishful Drinking

February 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment

“I consumed massive amounts of opiates religiously.” “Having waited my entire life to get an award for something … anything … I now get awards all the time for being mentally ill.” “There’s no underwear in space.” Any of these zingers from Carrie Fisher’s winning one woman show Wishful Drinking could serve as wholly appropriate tag lines for her zany account of her struggles with fame, tempestuous family life, and the twin beasts of addiction and mental illness. [Read more...]

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The Religion Thing

January 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Faith can bind people together under the banner of common belief, or it can create deep rifts, irreconcilable by way of reason or shared history. In Theater J’s lovingly crafted production of Renee Calarco’s The Religion Thing, a polished cast navigates the playwright’s meditation upon the complex role of faith in relationships, marked by a heady brew of razor sharp humor, repressed secrets, and raw emotion. [Read more...]

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Black Nativity

December 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

In a season of well-worn holiday traditions, nothing brings a more welcome blast of fresh good will than the image of Baby Jesus being lovingly serenaded by powerful gospel music and surrounded with luscious Afro-Caribbean trappings.  Theater Alliance’s spirited production of Black Nativity takes the audience on a joyful, unique ride through the Christmas Story, set to a foot stomping gospel hit parade. [Read more...]

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The Santaland Diaries

December 8, 2011 By 2 Comments

If anyone can find the dark side of the happiest time of the year, it’s David Sedaris. The master of sardonic storytelling has found a talented vessel in Joe Brack, who has concocted an animated, multi-layered spin on Sedaris’ painfully funny Christmas chronicle, The Santaland Diaries. [Read more...]

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A Second Chance

December 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

At its core, romance is the same at any age: an exciting, gut-wrenching roller coaster of blessed highs and crushing lows. The only thing that changes as the years go by is the volume of emotional baggage standing in the way of new love and contentment. In A Second Chance, Ted Shen’s elegant ode to late-blooming love, two New York City residents grapple with personal demons and painful pasts as they try to open their hearts one more time. [Read more...]

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A Broadway Christmas Carol

November 23, 2011 By 1 Comment

The earlier and earlier onset of the holiday season, marked by 24-7 Christmas radio and Santa greeting you at CVS in early November, is enough to drive a sane person underground until December 26th. However, despite the onerous onset of “Christmas Creep”, the yearly retelling of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol somehow never goes out of style.

MetroStage puts their own stamp on Dickens’ tale with A Broadway Christmas Carol, a kinetic, toe-tapping holiday confection of a revue, featuring a talented trio of performers and clever Dickensian style parodies of Broadway show tunes.

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