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• Cinderella
• Script and puppets by Christopher Piper
• Directed by Allan Stevens
• Produced by The Puppet Co
• Reviewed by Hunter Kieserman

Spending an afternoon at Glen Echo’s puppet theatre is such a pleasure! Just walking around on the grounds where the theater is located brings back great memories of all the shows I have seen there. I have been seeing productions at Glen Echo since I was seven or eight years old and I am very happy to see that Glen Echo Park is still going strong.   (more…)

• The Bremen Musicians
• Adapted and Directed by Nicholas Allen
• Music by John Milosich
• Produced by Classika Theatre
• Reviewed by Hunter Kieserman

I was very excited to see the world premiere of the musical The Bremen Musicians at Classika Theater. I was familiar with the popular folktal, the story of a Donkey whose only goal in life is to be a musician so he decides to travel to the city of Bremen to become a musician. On his way to Bremen, he encounters a worn out hunting dog, a scared cat, and a cocky rooster who join him on his journey to Bremen to become musicians as well. The production was fantastic. (more…)

• The Story of the Lost Sock
  Original Story, Music and Lyrics by Petko Kolev
• Play Written and Directed by Lilia Slavova
• Puppets and Design by Julia Tasheva
• Produced by Classika Theatre
• Reviewed by Hunter Kieserman

On the heels of their successful production of  The Snow Child,  I was happy to return to Classika Theatre to review The Story of the Lost Sock. (more…)

• Go, Dog. Go!
• Adapted by Allison Gregory and Steven Dietz from the book by P. D. Eastman
• Directed By Karin Abromaitis
• Produced by Adventure Theatre
• Reviewed by Hunter Kieserman

Seeing a show at Adventure Theater is such a treat! Just walking around the grounds of Glen Echo Park where the theater is located brings back great memories of all the shows I have seen there. I have been seeing productions at Adventure Theatre since I was seven or eight years old and I am very happy to see that the theatre is still going strong.  

Unlike many of the children at the theater, I had never read or heard the story of “Go, Dog. Go!” by P.D. Eastman.  

 A Kids Stages review. Continue reading here.

• Treasure Island
• By Ken Ludwig
• Adapted from the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson
• Directed by Blake Robison
• Produced by Round House Theatre
• Reviewed by Hunter Kieserman

Ahoy Mateys!

Since I was a baby I’ve always had an interest in pirates and treasure. My mother used to tell me stories of the notorious Captain Hook or of the fearsome Blackbeard. My favorite pirate was the villainous yet lovable, one-legged Long John Silver from Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel Treasure Island. (more…)

• Written by Julia Tasheva
• Directed By Julia Tasheva and Lilia Slavova.
• Produced by Classika Theater
• Reviewed by Hunter Kieserman.

I was glad I had bundled up for Classika Theater’s production of The Snow Child, which is set in a winter wonderland.  I had never heard the story of The Snow Child before, which is not surprising since it is based on a Russian fairy tale called Snegoruchka. This puppet show production of the fairy tale tells the story of an old man and a woman who want a child so they build one out of snow. When spring comes, the child must leave for the frozen north (where the ice queen has the scoop) otherwise she will melt. In the end, the Snow Child returns to her “parents”.

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Ed’s note: Will Synetic’s Christmas Carol thrill children and adults? DCTS reviewer Gary McMillan speaks for the adults, (See Take 2) and our young reviewer gives his perspective here.

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• A Christmas Carol
• By Charles Dickens
• Directed by Paata Tsikurishvili and Dan Istrate
• Produced by Synetic Theater at Rosslyn Spectrum Theatre
• Reviewed by Hunter Kieserman

I was not prepared for the visual excitement of Synetic Theater’s production of A Christmas Carol. I have seen many film and stage versions, so I was very excited to see the Synetic Theatre production because it was Synetic Theatre’s first family show, it was my first review for DC Theatre Scene and my Dad was joining me.

Like most kids, I was familiar with the plot of A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens’ classic tale of grumpy old Ebenezer Scrooge who is selfish and does not fully understand the meaning of Christmas until visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve. They open his eyes to the true meaning of Christmas and fill him with Christmas spirit. What I saw at Synetic Theater was absolutely phenomenal! It was a visual treat! (more…)