Large swatches of fabric move time forward or weave through space. The bold colors catch the eye. Confrontational dialogue sets characters in opposition while bodies remain static or surge forward with pedestrian-like purpose. We hear familiar phrases and grasp for a glimpse of a connection, but it is momentary and fleeting. Jane Franklin reviews for […]
Archives for July 8, 2017
Hevagon 2017: Let Freedom Zing! (Capital Fringe review)
Described as “D.C.’s only all-original political satirical musical comedy troupe,” Hexagon gives a musical zing to the political madness of the past year. Now in its 62nd year, Hexagon brings its unique brand of original music and sketch comedy to Fringe, lampooning politicians, popular culture, and even the D.C. Metro. And the best part? Hexagon […]
The Words She Gave Me (Capital Fringe review)
The Words She Gave Me, Solia Bickersteth’s ambitious multimedia project, is a bighearted and moving exploration of how African-American women have shaped one another’s concept of womanhood. Sisterhood is powerful, she tells us. It is also intensely spiritual. Amy Kotkin reviews for DC Metro Theater Arts
Everything Is Wonderful (CATF review)
So tell me what’s better: living in the love, support, and strength of a community at the cost of your independence, or living a life that’s free and lonely?
Ladies in Waiting: The Judgement of Henry VIII (Capital Fringe review)
Divorced. Beheaded. Died. Divorced. Beheaded. Survived. What a clever mnemonic device to track the tragic lives of Henry VIII’s many wives. And this play will not let you forget it.
Last Ditch Playlist (Capital Fringe review)
The unofficial rules for crafting a successful play also tend to apply to compiling the perfect mixtape: tell a compelling story, know your audience but keep them guessing, set a tone, stick to your theme, and when in doubt, always keep it short. And while Brad Baron’s autobiographical new play, Last Ditch Playlist, may flout […]
Lazarus (Capital Fringe review)
The notion that medical technology will one day enable human beings to live indefinitely is not just science fiction. Preventing the aging process (or “ending aging”) is an actual field of scientific research. The possibility of living forever is also the sort of plot device that could well be made into a play. It would […]
Abortion Road Trip (Capital Fringe review)
Abortion Road Trip tells the story of three women in a cab headed to New Mexico from Texas for an abortion. In this reviewer’s experience, shows covering the oh-so-taboo topic tend to be heavy handed, both in their delivery and their politics. Playwright Rachel Lynett and Theatre Prometheus bring levity and lightness to something that […]
The Blind (Capital Fringe review)
Against a backdrop of trendy dramedies and raunchy musicals, the Wheel Theatre Company’s The Blind leads its audience to a cold, dark forest a century old. Your experience depends on how far you are willing to follow.
Blue Over You (Capital Fringe review)
It’s winter in Evanston, Illinois, and a woman has gone missing. Her name is Mitzi, and beyond that we know just a scant few details: she works as an Administrator, is unafraid of bumble bees, appreciates expensive red wine, and has a good friend named Louise. So that’s a start.
Four Broke Guys: LIVE! (Capital Fringe review)
Four Broke Guys: LIVE! is classified as a comedy, but don’t expect mere fluff or pratfalls from this one-man show. Actor and playwright J. Shawn Durham’s sequence of four monologues from four separate characters is funny, but it can turn on a dime from darkly witty to mournful to self-aggrandizing. It’s Durham’s emotional range that gives this […]
Caveat (Capital Fringe review)
Caveat (written and directed by Ben Lockshin and playing at Gallaudet University’s Eastman Studio Theater) is a “One’s-a” show, where each character is an idea of a person more than an actual person. Of the people we’re introduced to in the cutthroat world of D.C. house-sharing, one’s a prig (“Anna,” played by Eva Coll), one’s […]