Vampires plus hospital soap opera equals the potential for many varieties of comedic mayhem, including bloody sight gags, sordid love triangles, devious plotting, and “acting” hammier than a Christmas dinner.  (Yeesh.  Sorry.) All of these, for better or for worse, are showcased in Nights at St. Januarius. [Read more...]

There are a number of ways a solo show can go wrong: narcissism, meandering (or lack of) narrative, simple difficulty sustaining audience interest, and so on.  That Tara T. Handron avoids these in her one-woman performance Drunk With Hope In Chicago is commendable.  That she does so in a show about alcoholism, a subject matter that is as frequently covered as it is sensitive, is a real accomplishment. [Read more...]

From the publicity (“Shakespeare’s bromance, with no bros”) and from Joshua Engel’s pleasantly erudite director’s note, I sat down expecting No Gentlemen of Verona to be an academic’s production.  That is, a loose adaptation of Shakespeare geared toward highlighting a specific theme—gender, I figured, in this case—or a radical re-appropriation of the text in the service of this Theory or that, or something in between. [Read more...]

Once upon a time there was a wolfishly predatory music teacher, a little red-faced high school student, a put-upon receptionist named Gretel who liked gingerbread cupcakes, and a caterer who, Cinderella-like, just wanted his Prince Charming.  They all lived in Washington, DC.  You can see their stories in a play called Twisted.  And you should. [Read more...]

Depending on who you are, the vast, fluorescent-bathed offices of the federal bureaucracy can serve as a symbol of government overreach, of competent management, or simply of a daily workplace grind.  But is it a world than can be mined for compelling drama? GS-14 attempts this, and meets with mixed success. [Read more...]

Commedia dell’arte, that venerable Italian theater form populated by masked stock characters and vaudevillian slapstick, makes for an interesting departure from conventional theater-going.  The energy is quick, light, and informal.  The actors roll with punches, figurative and literal.  The audience is allowed—encouraged, really—to be a character unto itself. [Read more...]

Santa’s Helper follows Jack (Joel White), a middle-aged serial child molester, as he kidnaps 8-year-old Jim (Jarrett Ley) on Christmas Eve.  Moved by something about the boy, Jack claims to be Santa Claus and offers Jim the chance to be his helper, which Jim eagerly accepts.  [Read more...]