In it’s month-long stop in Washington, The Book of Mormon’s national tour delivers earnest charm and gleeful irreverence in a crude send-up of organized religion.
Archives for July 17, 2013
Act a Lady
“What’s art about a man in a dress?” is Dorothy’s question at the start of Act a Lady, the latest production from the Hub Theatre. Thanks to the clever writing of Jordan Harrison and the high quality of Hub Theatre’s production, there’s ample art and abundant laughs in this gender-twisting comedy.
The No Rules Show
Joshua Morgan is the Artistic Director of No Rules Theatre Company. Fittingly, he’s the host of The No Rules Show, a variety show in the mind of The Late Show, in which Morgan plays piano, drinks, offers monologues, drinks, interviews guests and, umm, drinks.
The Afflicted
I didn’t really understand the greatness of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible until I learned that he wrote the play in 1953 at the time of McCarthyism, and that the House of Representatives’ Committee on Un-American Activities questioned Miller in 1956. Then the play’s themes of suspicion, fear, and other-ing, or demonizing what we cannot squelch […]
America All Better at Woolly extended
Woolly Mammoth announced that its fifth collaboration with Chicago’s Second City, America All Better!, is a box office hit, earning it a two week extension.
Thank You for Staring
Where do you turn when your own body betrays you? Who do you become when a defining factor slowly begins to fade away? The deeply personal Thank You For Staring is one woman’s attempt to answer these questions in the face of a crippling condition.
RFK
Russ Widdall’s portrayal of Robert F. Kennedy is an understated oral progression of a man who toiled happily in his brother’s shadow until he was propelled to run for president at a time when Americans were overcome by anger and grief.
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet: Shakespeare’s classic tragedy, hashed out a thousand times in hundreds of variations on both stage and screen. So what keeps a production of arguably the most famous love story in the world fresh, fun, and ultimately poignant?
The Young Wife
The unpainted concrete staircase to Redrum at Fort Fringe may not convey the import of grand opera, but don’t let the modest context fool you — Unmanned Stagecraft is presenting a polished, ambitious work of new opera at Capital Fringe 2013.
Old Time British Music Hall
So, full disclosure: I am kind of a history nerd. Which is why I was delighted to see that Old Time British Music Hall is an attempt to recreate the principal form of working-class entertainment in pre-TV-and-radio Britain for a modern audience.
& Afterwards
The minimalistic approach of Kevin Boggs’s one-man Fringe performance is perfectly suited to the tone of the piece. Picture a man in his best khakis, gleaming loafers, and blue V-neck sweater standing upstage center in a simple pool of white light. This is Kevin, and Kevin doesn’t need an elaborate set to tell his story. […]
Impossible to Translate but I’ll Try – True-Life Israeli Stories
Before me stood a human being. I remember thinking this several times throughout the show as a positive reminder. So rarely are we captured by the basic humanity of our performers. Noa Baum, through the carefully crafted art of storytelling, managed to take me in completely.