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• 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…)

• Lost & Foundling
• By Eric R. Pfeffinger
• Directed by Janet Stanford
• Produced by Imagination Stage
• Reviewed by Janice Cane

The dark woods are so overdone as a scary-story setting that the forest has lost its fright. And kids these days don’t really wander around in the forest. So why not set a fairy tale in a more familiar place-like, say, a buy-in-bulk mega-store? That’s where we meet the heroine of Lost & Foundling, Pryce. (more…)

High School Musical
Book by David Simpatico
Based on the Disney Channel original movie written by Peter Barsocchini
Directed by Jeff Calhoun
Produced by Disney at National Theatre
Reviewed by Jonny Perl

Personally, I am not a fan of the entire “High School Musical” phenomenon. The 2006 Disney Channel original movie featured a completely forgettable score, terrible acting, and mediocre cinematography. Despite all this, it turned out to be a huge success!

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The Sound of Music

• Jan 6 -How do you solve a problem like Maria? By having Jessica Ball play that role. Toby’s Dinner Theater has found the perfect Maria for their production of The Sound Of Music. Jessica Ball is so charismatic and so intriguing, that she has everybody in the audience smiling and tapping their feet along to the music. (more…)

• 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…)

• Twice Upon A Time: Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax and
• The Emperor’s New Clothes
• By Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty
• Directed By Nick Olcott.
• Produced by Imagination Stage.
• Reviewed by Max Talisman.

Imagination Stage’s Twice Upon a Time opens with a well staged musical number which tells the story of The Lorax. The Lorax is the story of Onceler (Bobby Smith) who begins cutting down all the trees in the land and The Lorax, who speaks for them, will not have it! (more…)

Music and Lyrics by Arnold Black and Sheldon Harnick
Based on the book by Norton Juster
Directed by Timothy A. McDonald
Produced by The Kennedy Center
Reviewed by Jonny Perl

Imagine a show that teaches kids academic subjects such as words and numbers, as well as explores subjects like the power of thinking, overcoming fear, and heroism. Next, imagine this show in a magical, fantasy sort of setting. Finally, add many great songs, smart dances, and genius special effects and you’ll get The Phantom Tollbooth.

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• 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…)