Ethan McSweeny’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a feast for the senses. The Shakespeare Theatre Company has turned McSweeny loose to traffic in the magic of the theatre that weaves its potent spell in Sidney Harman Hall. From the opening scene in the court of Athens – circa late 1940s – to the […]
Archives for November 2012
Howard Breitbart assumes the piano bench at MetroStage’s Broadway Christmas
It’s seldom that Howard Breitbart, one of Washington’s most sought-after pianist/musical directors, has an opening in his schedule. If not working for the major musicals producers in town, he can usually be found performing with The Capital Steps.
Holiday Gifts for Theatre Lovers
by Brad Hathaway with contributions from: Ro Boddie, Bob Butler, Mark Chalfont, Ben Demers, John Hauge, Aaron Posner, Hunter Styles, Tim Treanor and Lorraine Treanor
Company – New York Philharmonic concert presentation
It works both ways, of course. Last week I wrote about a disc that surprised me by being so much better than I had expected. (Ghostlight’s original cast recording of the musical Calvin Berger.) This week it is a disc that surprised me by being less enjoyable than I had every reason to expect it […]
The Night Before Christmas
Scottish playwright Anthony Neilson is known across the pond as a visceral force in contemporary theater, from the vanguard of the brash “in-yer-face” genre, and creator of challenging works about sex, violence and mental illness. In a digression from his usual penumbral stabs, the commercialism of the Christmas holiday gets a slight, mostly unfunny critical […]
Pullman Porter Blues arrives at Arena Stage – our talk with its playwright and stars
During the bygone era of glamorous passenger trains connecting major cities with small hamlets, those customers who could afford to board a sleeping car, would be greeted by a smiling attendant, one of an army of African American gentlemen charged with making their train journey as pleasant and safe as possible.
If There Is I Haven’t Found it Yet
Here we have another dysfunctional family just in time for the holiday season. This one, in the play with the title I have trouble remembering, is by a gifted writer named Nick Payne. His play Constellations was well received at the Royal Court in London earlier this year and will transfer to the West End […]
Jekyll & Hyde
Headlined by Broadway star and American Idol veteran Constantine Maroulis and pop and R&B singing sensation Deborah Cox, Jekyll & Hyde has pumped up the vocals and ramped up the sex appeal for the pre-Broadway national tour, now in brief residence at the Kennedy Center Opera House.
Getting ready for Killing Game. Here’s how to play along.
Rarely does a theater company hope that its audience will die during a performance, but that’s exactly what dog & pony dc aspires to as it prepares its latest production, A Killing Game, which opens at the Capital Hill Arts Workshop on November 28th.
The Aliens
So called “Laureate of American lowlife” Charles Bukowski’s nostalgic poem “Two Toughs” revolves around a fleeting, golden moment when the sad sack narrator for once had the world at his feet. Bukowski’s world of flickering hope and quiet desperation gets a fitting tribute in The Aliens, Annie Baker’s challenging portrait of unexpected friendship, addiction, and […]
A Broadway Christmas Carol
In an age of uncertainty, sometimes it’s nice to get exactly what you expect. The main ingredients in MetroStage’s holiday show, back for a third season at this cozy theatre space near Old Town, Alexandria, are right there in the title A Broadway Christmas Carol: your favorite showtunes plus your best-loved Dickens.
A Little House Christmas
Prairie girls are in the house and will steal your heart in the Adventure Theatre/MTC production of A Little House Christmas.
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