To grandmother’s house we go in the subtly affecting 4000 Miles, the second half of Center Stage’s Amy Herzog Festival. The first play, After the Revolution, set in 1999, delves into a proudly leftist clan’s politics, personal communication style and the family myths and stories they have invested their hearts and integrity in. 4000 Miles […]
Archives for April 2015
Pinch basement Drunkle Vanya makes for charming Chekhov (review)
Whenever I’m developing a new play and the playwright (or director or cast) gets stuck on figuring out a particular moment, I tell them this: a play is called a play for a reason. You’re supposed to have fun with it, fool around, try new things, and basically act like a child at recess for […]
Review: Arena Stages’ Vanya: much frisk but no risk
Last fall, when American Theatre Magazine published their annual list of “American Theatre’s Top 10 Most-Produced Plays Of 2014-15,” one play ruled them all: Christopher Durang’s Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. While the magazine’s numbers are problematic,* Durang’s Vanya has hard-to-deny accolades, like a 2013 Best Play Tony, a mythical recouping of expenses […]
Typographer’s Dream review: outstanding comic actors pull off Adam Bock’s comedy
Let me sum this up for you right away: if you love a good laugh, go see The Typographer’s Dream. Now, onto the more serious business of detailing why—witful, wisdom soaked, full of storytelling infused with snappy dialogue and emotional weight. The Typographer’s Dream explores the notion of identity tied to work and how our […]
Old Wicked Songs review: intimate and moving
Has it really been over 17 years since the regional premiere of Old Wicked Songs by Jon Marans at Studio Theatre? The 1996 Pulitzer Prize nominee for Best Drama (which lost to Rent) is given a welcome and first-rate return to the area by 1st Stage.
For Jason Loewith, staging Carousel at Olney is deeply personal
It seems you can’t turn on the news these days without hearing a story about some sort of domestic abuse. Whether it’s Ray Rice hitting his fiancée in an elevator, allegations against U.S. welterweight boxing champion Floyd Mayweather or just any of the 2 million domestic incidents that happen each year. Fans of the Rodgers […]
Brack’s Don’t Die in the Dark reveals Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth
There’s probably not a more perfect time to get inside of the head of John Wilkes Booth than now, the 150th commemoration of Lincoln’s death and Joe Brack smokes him out in his Don’t Die in the Dark.
Rebecca Gilman wins Steinberg; Source Festival play is runner-up
Luna Gale, Rebecca Gilman’s tale about a social worker struggling to place a newborn who has methamphetamine-addicted parents and a grandmother who belongs to an apocalyptic cult, last night won the $25,000 Harold and Mimi Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award at the Humana New Play Festival in Louisville, ATCA Board Chair Bill Hirschman […]
An American in Paris Broadway Review: A mesmerizing new Gershwin ballet
Both Gigi and An American In Paris are adapted from Oscar-winning 1950’s movie musicals directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Leslie Caron. Both take place in Paris. Both have revised books, tuneful songs, able performers, pleasing designs. So why does An American in Paris feel so fresh, and Gigi…not?
Hand to God Broadway review: Puppet pleasures and religious people’s pain
For an evil sock puppet who eventually bites a teenager’s ear off, Tyrone is quite the philosopher. In the prologue in Hand to God, Robert Askin’s funny, filthy, violent and sensitive play, Tyrone tells us that all the trouble began when some jerk “invented right and wrong,” which led to the invention of the devil. […]
theatreWashington’s Linda Levy Steps Down as President & CEO
Via theatreWashington: Washington, DC – theatreWashington President & CEO Linda Levy announced today that she is retiring after serving the organization and Washington’s theatre community for 27 years. Since December 2014, Levy has been on medical leave following spinal reconstruction surgery. While the surgery was successful, doctors discovered a serious neurological condition during the procedure […]
Possibly the funniest interview we’ll ever post: Robert McNamara and friends
War stories and insights from Hemmingsen, Ingvarsson, and McNamara — doing it together for decades Robert McNamara is Artistic Director of SCENA Theatre and Director of The Norwegians, the play by C. Denby Swanson receiving its D.C. premiere at Anacostia Playhouse through April 19th. The production reunites him with actors Nanna Ingvarsson and Brian Hemmingsen. […]