For a couple of guys for whom death is inevitable, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are having a pretty good time. Prince Hamlet’s school chums are of course the title characters in Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, a comic riff on Shakespeare’s tragedy where minor characters in Hamlet are thrust in to the spotlight.
Archives for May 2015
Forum’s The Shipment delivers its package using minstrel, standup (review)
Forum Theater’s affecting rendition of Young Jean Lee’s polemical The Shipment doesn’t dance around the truth, but opts instead to rip the Band-Aid off the raw, tragic, funny, and bewildering dimensions of life in black America.
John Lescault stars as General Sherman in outdoor Civil War drama, June 6
Acclaimed actor John Lescault, a familiar sight on DC stages, will be planting his boots on the bare ground of The Amphitheater of Stone Hill Farm in Flint Hill, VA in a one night only performance of Sherman the Peacemaker by James Reston, Jr. (June 6, 2015 – rain date: June 14). Performance of the […]
Memorable Mud: dry bones rising at Venus Theatre (review)
dry bones rising is a dystopian think piece with dreamy undertones. It’s a peek into how a child makes believe to survive hate and find hope. To make everything right.
The spooky action of Richard Henrich and Alfred Jarry
As the founder of Spooky Action Theater, Richard Henrich is always searching for unique works to stage at his 16th Street NW venue. For his season closer, he had to search no further than his desk drawer.
Imagination Stage announces its next magical season
Imagination Stage, which closes out this season by bringing its hit childrens’ show The BFG (The Big Friendly Giant) to the National Theatre (July 14-25), has announced its “Magic Is in The Air” 2015-2016 season. Besides the familiar A Year with Frog and Toad, Imagination Stage will present a modern version of Jack and the […]
Inspired comedy: A Tale of Two Cities at Synetic (review)
Alex Mills in assless underwear. ……….. I have been informed by my editor that “Alex Mills in assless underwear” does not constitute a sufficient review of Synetic Theater’s generally fabulous, if sometimes sluggish, production of Everett Quinton’s camp late-80’s take on the classic Dickens tale of Revolution-era France. I disagree, but fine!
The Call playwright and TV writer Tanya Barfield: “It’s nearly impossible to make a living in the theatre”
The Call by Tanya Barfield is one of those rare plays that puts the most intimate of situations into a compelling global context. It’s the story of a white couple in the U.S. who decide to adopt a child from Africa. The intersection of the couple’s personal struggles and the international implications of the transaction […]
Puppet Co’s charming version of Cinderella (review)
Having seen the movie, the Royal Ballet, and even the opera, it just makes sense to finish off my Cinderella fixation with the puppet version. In my case, no matter how many renditions I see, the story never feels old, especially in the hands of the creative team at The Puppet Co in Glen Echo […]
Director PJ Paparelli, age 40, died today
We regret to report that PJ Paparelli, director and Artistic Director of American Theater Company in Chicago, died today at the age of 40 from injuries sustained in a car accident. He was on vacation in Scotland. Details of the accident are included in today’s article on BroadwayWorld. Paparelli established his theatrical roots here in […]
Comedy at its finest – Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (review)
Ninety-two coins spun consecutively have come down heads ninety-two consecutive times, all confirming that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, now onstage at the Folger Theatre, is one to see. For the linguistically inclined, banter and wordplay abound. For the Shakespeare aficionado, there’s more than a sprinkling of the Bard. For the philosopher, there’s that sticky […]
Arthur Miller’s The Price at Olney Theatre Center (review)
The Price is a slow-burn, a meticulous unwrapping of truth and consequences that erupts when past and present collide. The result is a magnificent look into family—the drama, the dynamics, and the dysfunction—well-worth the wait through an almost leisurely first act.