A look, a memory, a word sparks an idea. Characters emerge; they tell their stories, and from their voices a play or musical insists on being born. Then the hard work begins. Playwrights and Lyricists responding: Alexandra Petri, Deborah Wicks La Puma, Happenstance Theater, Karen Zacarias, Meg Miroshnik, Mollye Maxner, Morgan Gould, Nathan Weinberger, Tearrance Arvelle […]
Archives for April 2018
UpClose with Sam Shepard’s True West at Rep Stage
“This season is our 25th anniversary and when I was planning it, I was really committed to representing what I thought was true to the history of the type of work that Rep Stage has produced over the years,” Rep Stage Producing Artistic Director Joseph W. Ritsch says. “For me, the focus of the work […]
Maria & Cecilia: Zarzuela a la Cubana from In Series (review)
In its latest offering, the In Series has pulled a twisty, two-for-one punch with aplomb, presenting two Cuban Zarzuelas, based on the same novel, as Act I and Act II in a single show. It’s kind of a gutsy move, and it works wonderfully. But first, some background.
Part II of the accidental Beckett festival: Play and The Old Tune from Arcturus (review)
April appears to be the month of celebrating locally not only cherry blossoms but playwright Samuel Beckett. There are three notable productions in town. Scena Theatre has just presented The Beckett Trio, a remarkable tour de force of three solo works with local actress Nanna Ingvarsson. Shakespeare Theatre Company hosts Ireland’s Druid Theatre in Waiting […]
Witch – new Conner-Smith musical – embraces the accursed word (review)
Witch opens with what appears to be a coven of women in black shiny robes circling the stage holding candles. One periodically reads from a book so iridescent that its pages glow in the dark. Then shift to a present day, and not just any day, but the happenings of the post-election 2017 Women’s March […]
Robin Hood at Imagination Stage (review)
Once again, Imagination Stage turns an ages-old classic into something modern and relatable for both kids and adults. In this fine adaptation of the story of Robin Hood by Greg Banks, director Janet Stanford reminds us that the Merry Men weren’t originally merry – they were homeless. Living the outlaw life in Sherwood Forest in […]
Review: Summer: The Donna Summer Musical
Summer features 23 of Donna Summer’s songs, including such dance hits as “Hot Stuff” and “Last Dance,” that a talented cast performs in glitzy disco drag. That may be all some fans need from this thin Broadway musical that purports to tell the life story of the singer born LaDonna Adrian Gaines, who had a […]
Powerful production of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible at Olney Theatre Center (review)
A witch hunt, properly viewed and conducted, is a necessary part of society’s advancement — if we understand “witch” to be some part of the invisible universe which causes human pain and havoc, and if we conduct the hunt with scientific rigor and humility.
Review: Constellation’s Caucasian Chalk Circle hits its mark
Powerhouse director Allison Stockman and her powerhouse resident designer A.J. Guban have created yet another minor miracle of transformation at the Source. As the 14th/U neighborhood around them becomes increasingly unrecognizable, it’s very comforting that this constant remains.
Signature Theatre announces its 2018-2019 season
A Sondheim, a couple of Broadway hits, a couple of brand spankin’ new shows, and a boatload of cabarets. Signature Theatre’s 2018-2019 follows the familiar contours of recent seasons. But this year, Signature is announcing not only next year’s productions, but some of the artists who will be making them happen. Also, the undead will […]
The Pointless team reveals their futuristic take on Rite of Spring
It takes a bold soul to approach the works of Igor Stravinsky. Only the most adventurous and sometimes reckless musicians approach pieces like Rite of Spring, taking on the intense difficulty of the tonality, the meter, and the rhythm of oddly accented notes.
Ivo van Hove directs two Bergman stage adaptations: After the Rehearsal and Persona (review)
Kennedy Center’s “Bergman 100 Celebration” continues with (through Sunday only!) a Toneelgroep Amsterdam production: stage versions of two screenplays by the great man whose centenary is being appropriately marked.