JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series, which has had a profound effect on many people including me (see Background below), can only be called a cultural phenomenon of titanic proportions.The two man Potted Potter, now at Sidney Harman Hall, both draws from that deep lexicon and adds to it simultaneously. Potted Potter plays to sold out houses around the […]
Archives for April 2018
Riding the Metro inspired this playwright. The result: Use All Available Doors opening at Dupont Underground
Brittany Alyse Willis, a non-binary trans person, who uses the singular “they” as their pronoun, used to commute to work by riding the Red Line from Maryland into Metro Center to work at one of the shops at the Natural History Museum, and although they didn’t know it at the time, their daily journey would set […]
MET’s Rapture, Blister Burn is sharp and engaging (review)
Rapture, Blister, Burn is a masterful exploration of feminism in practice, and Maryland Ensemble Theatre (MET) gives it a sharp, engaging production sure to stoke important conversations over coffee after the show.
Review: Landless’ symphonic metal version of Mystery of Edwin Drood
When I last encountered Landless — full disclosure, I performed with the group in a 2006 production — they seemed to delight in being charmingly slapdash and a bit ramshackle in their approach. Like rock n’ roll, the mess and lack of polish is the point, right? And it’s still the case now in their, […]
Review: The Underground Railroad Game. Uncomfortable? Yes. Cringe-worthy? Yes.
The title alone – The Underground Railroad Game – gives you hint of the slippery slide towards impropriety and breach of all kinds of correctness about to happen. And that’s not even the half of it.
Tonya Beckman is a sultry, playful Don Juan in Taffety Punk’s production (review)
Molière’s Don Juan—the 17th Century tale of a rakish nobleman whose insatiable libido and incorrigible charm lead him from town to town, deceiving (and deflowering) damsel after damsel to his ultimate doom—is nothing if not timeless. And (dare we say) timely in the #metoo era. Yet Taffety Punk Theatre Company keeps it light and playful […]
Review: August Wilson’s Two Trains Running at Arena Stage
Seeing Two Trains Running at Arena Stage marks the halfway point of my consummation of playwright August Wilson’s decalogue of dramas expressing the 20th century black experience in America. Viewing Wilson’s Century Cycle—each play is assigned a decade from the 1900s to 1990s—has been one of the great pleasures of my theatergoing life. In past […]
Review: New opera Florida from UrbanArias
With Florida, the world premiere of an opera by composer Randall Eng and librettist Donna Di Novelli, Urban Arias just got bigger. It’s not just that the piece of ninety-five minutes didn’t feel like the company’s proverbial “quickie.” The robust seventeen-person orchestra included a gorgeously featured brass section and contained some serious licks on drums […]
Gay comedy Top and Bottom (review)
Rainbow Theatre Project’s production of Kevin Michael West’s comedy Top and Bottom contains total male nudity—of both the physical and emotional varieties. What begins as a bondage-filled romp between two strangers quickly evolves into something even more vulnerable. It’s a journey that’s funny and cringe-filled, if not entirely free of a few bumps in the road.
Anything goes in Faction of Fools’ 10th season
Murder. The conquest of France. Learning to become an actor. And food. Lots and lots of food. Gut-busting portions of foods; enough to last a decade.
Review: Max McLean’s return visit with C. S. Lewis Onstage: The Most Reluctant Convert
Wit and intelligence are under attack in today. So is faith. And the idea of intelligence working in tandem with religious convictions are often at odds with one another. The argument could be that a great thinker with a worldview informed by science or reason could not possibly believe in an skyward invisible being that […]
Review: Potted Potter laughs its way through all 7 Harry Potter books in 70 minutes
It’s simply magical when a family-friendly comedy show can make children and adults laugh wildly in their seats. Throughout Potted Potter, J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world serves as the backdrop to two chuckle-inducing performers: Dan Clarkson (who doubles as the show’s co-creator and co-writer) and Scott Hoatson. We watch as they purposely scramble to condense the […]