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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…)

• The Secret Garden
• Based upon the book by Frances Hodgson Burnett
• Directed by Michael J. Bobbit
• Produced by Adventure Theatre
• Reviewed by Jonny Perl

Like a ballet that tells a story, The Secret Garden opens with a series of magnificent tale-telling dances. A snake in India is cleverly charmed. Mary’s parents suffer a horrid death from cholera and Mary is shipped off on a long journey to the estate of her guardian, Uncle Craven across the ocean. This is just one of the many poetic dances choreographed by the talented Dana Tai Soon Burgess in The Secret Garden. (more…)

THE JUNGLE BOOK

The Jungle Book is about a young “man-cub,” named Mowgli, who is raised by wolves in the jungles of India. Mowgli goes to school and learns the rules of the jungle from Baloo, the bear, and Bagheera, the Jaguar. Mowgli and his animal friends work together to defeat the evil tiger, Shere Khan and the comical “Bander Log”(which are the Hindi words for “The Monkey People”). In the end Mowgli is reunited with his human mother or “mataji” in a heartwarming scene in which Mowgli recognizes the physical similarities between himself and Messua, his mother. (more…)