The Paul Selig play that Edge of the Universe Players 2 is now performing in the Woolly Mammoth rehearsal space could, with justice, be called Five Interesting Women, Some of Whom Have Issues with God or, in this specific production, Nora Achrati Shows Us Some Features from her Theatrical Toolbox. But Mystery School seems a […]
Archives for October 2017
Shakespeare in Love at Baltimore Center Stage
Before he was Shakespeare with a capital “S,” he was just plain Will (Nicholas Carriere), an ordinary guy—a fledgling playwright, somewhat disheveled, a bit of a skirt-chaser, and frantic for a play that will rival the mellifluous prose of his friend and rival Kit Marlowe (Avery Glymph).
Charlotte’s Web: they’re putting together the beloved children’s story at Imagination Stage
Hi Theatre Fam! Jon Jon here! I got a chance to correspond with some of the wonderful folks at Imagination Stage, who are gearing up to open E B White’s classic Charlotte’s Web. Even though I have not read the story in many, many years, it still has a fond place in my heart. There’s […]
National Theatre announces Mean Girls ticket lottery, $25
The hottest ticket in town right now is Tina Fey’s bound-for-Broadway musical Mean Girls, at the National only through December 3. According to the National’s online box office today, fans have already scooped up the majority of tickets with fewer than 30 seats remaining for many performances.
Illyria Review: a Scrappy Joe Papp and the Public Theater’s Birth Pains
Before Hamilton, A Chorus Line, Hair, before Joseph Papp built the Public Theater into an institution, he was faced with a fight for survival of his newfound free Shakespeare in Central Park that he seemed destined to lose.
Inherit the Wind gets superb production at Compass Rose (review)
The real trial of the 20th century did not involve some imbecile driving a Bronco in a low-speed chase. Instead, it happened nearly a hundred years ago. In it, the greatest trial lawyer in American history, Clarence Darrow, faced down famed orator and three-time presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan. The issue: freedom of thought in […]
True account of the dramatic “Trial of the Century” behind Inherit the Wind
Author’s note: The following is an account of the Scopes Monkey Trial, the real-life inspiration for Inherit the Wind. If you are unfamiliar with either the trial or the play, I recommend you see Compass Rose’s superb production, and then read this at your leisure as this is full of spoilers.
Review: Brave Spirits’ Doctor Faustus
A political rival once said of the famed French foreign minister, Talleyrand, that he “would sell his soul for money and he would be right, for he would be exchanging dung for gold.” And it is this observation which is at the bottom of Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus, and also of all the deliberate evil […]
Review: The Book of Mormon. If you’re not into South Park, will BOM win you over?
There was reason behind the fact that I had not yet seen The Book of Mormon. The show, a pop culture lodestone and the apex theatrical event until it ran up against the wave of adoration over Hamilton, has been available for inspection since 2011. Its spell has spread near and far, selling out playhouses […]
Safe as Houses from Pinky Swear Productions
Safe as Houses seizes a few opportunities to explore how unintentionally hurting loved ones does not make that hurt any less your responsibility. It gets bogged down, however, in handwringing over a fantastical plot and fails to fully process this trauma.
Why you should see Belarus Free Theatre tonight (review)
“It’s almost as much a political event as an artistic one,” Al Jirikowic (my companion at Thursday night’s performance of Burning Doors from Belarus Free Theatre) said to me. He also said, “This place should be filled.” The crowd was large, but seats were empty.
Paata Tsikurishvili on creating Synetic’s Peter Pan
When he was 12 years old, Paata Tsikurishvili was introduced to the story of Peter Pan on stage. “My dad took me and I just loved the story; the little conflicts with their parents, you want to do something your way because you think you’re grown up, but you’re not, and that was fascinating for […]