Brothers and sisters, we understand nothing. Not the first breath of life, when we emerge, wet and bloody, from the womb; nor the last breath, when our defeated and desiccated bodies give up the ghost; nor all those terrifying and irrational and glorious moments in between, including that brief and eternal transit when, in ecstasy and bliss, we assure our own continuity. So have some compassion for our sad and confused forbearers and forerunners, including those in 1890s Germany, who in their terror and ignorance pretended that sex did not exist. [Read more...]

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...]

It seems counterintuitive, given how grave a barrier “beyond a reasonable doubt” sounds, but nineteen out of twenty criminal jury trials end in conviction. Sometimes, of course, the facts are overwhelmingly persuasive but in many instances the jurors – that is to say, people like us – are guided by prejudice. I speak here not only of racial or gender assumptions but the common, ordinary reflexive judgments we make so that we don’t have to think too hard: a disinterested eyewitness will always tell the truth or the police would never manufacture evidence. [Read more...]

You want funny? Keegan Theatre has funny. Laughter on the 23^rd Floor. They killed it, nailed it, knocked it out of the park. [Read more...]

Matthew J. Keenan’s new play, An Irish Carol just opened at Keegan Theatre, has a gritty realism that is unmatched among the holiday fare now playing in the DC area; it’s as bracing as a shot of Bushmills, but not necessarily pleasing to those seeking something a bit milder.  [Read more...]

- – This play will probably always be part of the dramatic canon, because it tells a story that seems to repeat itself as often as summer rain.  From Socrates to Christ, to Jan Hus, to Dreyfus, to the unthought-of victims of countless purges and pogroms throughout history, the human story is full of such moments. – -
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