Comedian Carl Reiner called his comic novel Enter Laughing, because that is the first stage direction that his 17-year-old main character is given, at his first ever-audition, and he makes a hilarious hash of it. Reiner wrote his semi-autobiographical novel at the peak of his popularity in the 1950s, recalling his frustrating and sidesplitting effort […]
Archives for May 16, 2019
Happy Talk Review: Susan Sarandon as Marin Ireland’s matchmaker in Jesse Eisenberg’s sour play
From the moment Susan Sarandon makes her entrance in Happy Talk, Jesse Eisenberg’s latest play, it is clear her character Lorraine is extravagantly self-absorbed to the point of delusion. She fancies herself a grand dame of the theater, prattling on about how her supporting cast are “what make me possible,” although she’s actually a suburban […]
Constellation Theatre Company’s Season 13 ranges from ridiculous to sublime
Constellation Theatre Company, which has established a reputation for performing the sublime epics of our culture, will, in its 13th season, aspire to capture the ridiculous — and a little bit of the sublime as well. Are you considering a plant based diet? Well, meet Seymour, the plant who is considering a diet based on […]
Synetic Theater debuts Phantom of the Opera next season
Synetic Theater will produce — and reimagine — the classics for its 2019-2020 season, reviving two of its most notable productions — The Tempest and The Snow Queen — and adding a classic from the Spanish Golden Age and a story drawn from a Gaston Lereux novel and made famous by an Andrew Lloyd Webber […]
Contemporary American Theater Festival’s six show summer shows a society shaken up
The Contemporary American Theater Festival‘s 29th season will feature six new plays — four of them world premieres — which focus on the great cultural changes running through our society. If that intrigues you, you may wish to consider setting aside some time between July 5 and 28 for a jaunt to Shepherdstown, West Virginia. […]
The Kennedy Center’s 2019-2020 Season of Ballet and Dance: An Embarrassment of Riches for Washington Dance Lovers
The Kennedy Center’s 2019/2020 Ballet and Dance Season is an embarrassment of riches with seven of the world’s top ballet companies, and nine stellar modern and contemporary dance troupes. The ballet season opens on October 8, 2019 with the Mariinsky Ballet. The august institution has been a regular on the Kennedy Center’s annual roster for […]