Breath, Boom By Kia Corthron Directed by Rahaleh Nassri Produced by Studio Theatre Reviewed by Debbie Minter Jackson The children’s slide sitting upstage would recall sweet memories of innocent children’s games except that it is dwarfed by a towering 7ft caged fencing traversing the stage. The dark lighting foretells of lurking present dangers yet unseen. […]
Antigone
Antigone By Jean Anouilh Produced by Forum Theatre and Dance Reviewed by Debbie Minter Jackson Antigone. The very name conjures up wailing, morose women dressed in long white togas, inescapable tragedy, reminders of the whole Oedipus mother-son mishap, and enough long sour faces to fill a Debbie Downer SNL sketch. Well, feast your eyes on […]
Christmas Carol 1941
Christmas Carol 1941 By James Magruder Directed by Molly Smith Produced by Arena Stage Reviewed by Debbie Minter Jackson Who knew that the age-old Christmas Carol story could be adapted to wartime Washington, D.C and filled with such local and national history? Talented playwright James Magruder has internalized the familiar messages of memory, retribution, and […]
The Studio
The Studio Written, directed and choreographed by Christopher d’Amboise Produced by Signature Theatre Reviewed by Debbie Minter Jackson The Studio is one of the most gorgeously enticing productions I’ve seen in ages. In true tour-de-force fashion, Christopher d’Amboise, yes, son of renowned dancer, Jacques, wrote, choreographed, and directed the production that explores the interior creative […]
Current Nobody
Current Nobody By Melissa James Gibson Produced by Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company Reviewed by Debbie Minter Jackson It’s a great premise – you take one of the literary wonders of the Western world, the Odyssey, switch the gender roles so the guy stays home as full time Daddy Daycare for years at a time, pining […]
redshirts
redshirts By Dana Yeaton Directed by Lou Bellamy Produced by Round House Theatre in conjunction with Penumbra Theatre Reviewed by Debbie Minter Jackson What do Emily Dickenson, iambic pentameter, and modern poetry have to do with a bunch of newly recruited black college football players, itching to make the next great play and score with […]
The Women of Brewster Place
The Women of Brewster Place Book, music and lyrics by Tim Acito Based on the novel by Gloria Naylor Directed by Molly Smith Produced by Arena Stage Reviewed by Debbie Minter Jackson The postcard artwork for the long awaited women of Brewster Place tells it all – women of various appearances, different bearings and expressions, […]
The Carpetbaggers Children
The Carpetbagger’s Children By Horton Foote Directed by Jack Sbarboni Produced by Quotidian Theatre Company Reviewed by Debbie Minter Jackson ‘Carpetbagger’ – we’ve all heard the term, learned about it in grade school history lessons of the Civil War. It doesn’t have a particularly kind connotation, and in the current quiet production at the Writer’s Center, it […]
tick, tick … Boom
Tick, tick…Boom! By Jonathan Larson Directed by Matt Gardiner Produced by MetroStage Reviewed by Debbie Minter Jackson The drama of turning thirty-years old – there’s something about leaving the safety nest of twenty-something, twenty anything, but thirty, according to Jon is the “boom,” in the title, and not in the good sense, more like a […]
Late Nite Catechism
Late Nite Catechism by Maripat Donovan and Vicki Quade Produced by Olney Theatre Reviewed by Debbie Minter Jackson Late Nite Catechism – even a caveman knows that the show’s been around for years, but for the uninitiated, the blaring clue in the title, the jargony spelling of “Nite,” speaks volumes about the silliness that awaits. […]
A Shayna Maidel
A Shayna Maidel By Barbara Lebow Directed by Peg Denithorne Produced by Rep Stage Reviewed by Debbie Minter Jackson A Shayna Maidel, the title is Yiddish meaning “pretty girl”, tells the story of what happens when two sisters reunite after years of separation brought on by the aftermath of the Holocaust. Set in Brooklyn, 1946, the beautiful […]
The Word Begins
The Word Begins Written and performed by Steve Connell and Sekou (tha misfit) Directed and developed by Robert Egan Produced by Signature Theatre Reviewed by Debbie Minter Jackson The Word Begins is a wickedly rough swirl of vignettes blended from the styles of Def Poetry Jam meets the Last Poets served with heaping helpings of […]