At the top of Dominique Morisseau’s Blood at the Root, teens burst onto the stage in a blast of energy and music, reciting lines filled with wild rhythms and formations coming every which way, bodies in a cacophony of movement, stopping in a freeze to elucidate salient points about their lives. They are exuberant teens, […]
Review: Dickens’s Davy Copperfield at Imagination Stage
Dickens’s Davy Copperfield is the musical retelling of the classic tale that covers and crystalizes the first ten years in the hardscrabbe life of young “Davy”. When Charles Dickens wrote it, David Copperfield was released monthly, and became a popular newspaper column. In Janet Stanford’s script, each chapter is announced with a subtitle that hints about […]
Review: Thunder Knocking on the Door. Creative Cauldron’s hit returns
Filled with down home moaning blues sprinkled with glittering magical realism, Thunder Knocking on the Door is packing the house at Creative Cauldron. In a small southern Alabama town, a mysterious guitar player who calls himself Marvell Thunder shows up on the doorstep of an unassuming musical family bringing a challenge, wreaking havoc and possible […]
Philosophus review. Best Medicine Rep finds a farce to remedy our times
Farce is not as easy to pull off as it looks. Add mounds of glorious text inspired by the freedom spouting French philosopher Francois-Marie Arouet, a.k.a Voltaire, and you’ve got quite a mix on your hands. Specifically, you’ve got Philosophus as presented by Best Medicine Rep. As they’ve demonstrated in previous engagingly worded scripts, Best Medicine […]
Review: Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights gets the Pointless treatment in Visions of Love
The Pointless Theatre collaborators are skilled adaptors of familiar stories. Using a unique visual approach to theater and storytelling, the company finds the pulse points, the underlying heart beats of each story, and finds fresh ways to bring it all to the stage. They accomplished this with Sleeping Beauty, Minnie the Moocher, Imogen, and now […]
Review: Driving Miss Daisy at Anacostia Playhouse
I wasn’t planning to catch this – the Morgan Freeman/Jessica Tandy movie was enough, so I passed on all the other enticing offerings. Yes, the play is beautifully written and quaint, and ends with a touching reminder of how interconnected we really are, but the servile implications and gentility of the Old South – well, […]
Review: Madeline’s Christmas at Creative Cauldron
There’s something magical about Madeline – the child who can handle every obstacle, can rectify any situation, and is adored by legions. Creative Cauldron brings one of the beloved stories to life with the perfectly holiday themed Madeline’s Christmas. What’s known in this umpteenth tale of the legendary Madeline is her celebrated “esprit de corps” […]
Review: August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean at Round House Theatre
Round House Theatre is providing a rare opportunity to catch one of August Wilson’s most mystical productions, Gem of the Ocean. It is magical, theatrical, and historical all rolled into one. Director Timothy Douglas is the perfect medium to lead the cast on this legendary journey. Over the years I have watched his amazing ability […]
Review: Operetta Wonderland from In Series
Boundless talent, enthusiasm and creativity bring out The Magic of Victor Herbert Operetta Wonderland in the In Series production playing at the D.C. Scottish Rite Temple venue. Who knew that such interesting vignettes could be staged from music created over 100 years ago? The performing artists and musical stage designers have brought this treasure trove […]
Review: Running on Glass, a tribute to female athletes
Running on Glass, now at Venus Theater, reminds us of the history of female athletes who burst through the metaphorical glass ceiling only to be forgotten throughout history. It’s actually a joy seeing the mostly unknown names of women athletes listed and walk out with a better idea of their lives and struggles at the […]
Review: The Agitators. Friends and fighters, Frederick Douglass and Susan B Anthony
The first time they met in western New York, in the fall of 1849, playwright Mat Smart imagines, Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony would have had a wary interchange. Both are strong willed social activists, but as a friendship develops, Douglass reminds her that, while her life’s devotions are honorable, his view is based […]
Review: Coraline, Neil Gaimon’s creepy graphic novel, brought to life by Landless
From the onset, Coraline makes it clear in no uncertain terms that her name is pronounced “core” instead of the usual “care.” As such, the independent Coraline stakes out a solid sense as a girl who can fend for herself, deal with danger, and could pop into and out of unnerving places, just for the […]