Nearly 3,000 years after Homer first penned and, possibly, performed The Iliad, co-authors Lisa Peterson and the actor Denis O’Hare created a solo play from Homer’s ode to larger than life warriors, Olympian gods and man’s weakness for violence. Their adaptation is an intimate theatrical piece which returns to the oral tradition of a poet […]
Voices from Apples from the Desert: we talk with the director, Michael Tolaydo and Ari Roth
The Negev accounts for more than half of Israel’s land area. Extending over Israel’s southern region, this sparsely populated desert area has a rich history that stretches back thousands of years to nomads and Abraham. News from today’s Negev is often a grim reminder of ongoing conflicts with missile attacks and escalating tensions.
Derek Goldman takes us inside Sherwood Forest with young Robin Hood and its Sheriff
Even legends have to go through the awkward years. Take that icon – stealing from the rich and giving to the poor – Robin Hood. Celebrated in song and story for hundreds of years, Sherwood Forest’s most famous resident was once a teenager, just like an average guy, with girl problems and troubles at home. […]
The Holiday Guys: Happy Merry Hanu-mas
If the holidays have got you down or you need a refreshing break from the hustle and bustle, why not try a visit with the Holiday Guys? In a relaxed, cabaret setting, two abundantly talented performers charm the stockings right off the mantelpiece and help the Hanukkah bush bloom early this year.
Behind Signature’s dream for Dreamgirls with its director and costumer
Audiences familiar with Arlington’s award-winning Signature Theatre know that size matters, but not necessarily how one would expect. Signature is known for intimate productions that pack creativity and a myriad of talent into shows both new and old. In the past, big classics such as Showboat and Les Misérables have been given re-thought and re-sized […]
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Ethan McSweeny’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a feast for the senses. The Shakespeare Theatre Company has turned McSweeny loose to traffic in the magic of the theatre that weaves its potent spell in Sidney Harman Hall. From the opening scene in the court of Athens – circa late 1940s – to the […]
Pullman Porter Blues arrives at Arena Stage – our talk with its playwright and stars
During the bygone era of glamorous passenger trains connecting major cities with small hamlets, those customers who could afford to board a sleeping car, would be greeted by a smiling attendant, one of an army of African American gentlemen charged with making their train journey as pleasant and safe as possible.
Jekyll & Hyde
Headlined by Broadway star and American Idol veteran Constantine Maroulis and pop and R&B singing sensation Deborah Cox, Jekyll & Hyde has pumped up the vocals and ramped up the sex appeal for the pre-Broadway national tour, now in brief residence at the Kennedy Center Opera House.
My Fair Lady
I have fallen in love all over again with My Fair Lady. I cannot speak for the rest of the capacity crowd sitting in the Fichlander at Arena Stage the other night, but I was bewitched by the artistry and finesse of this production. How do I love Molly Smith’s production of My Fair Lady? […]
Bruce Dow on being Bottom
Actor Bruce Dow had a confession to make. “I never thought I’d do Bottom.”
From Mulan to Eliza Doolittle. Manna Nichols on her new starring role
– This is a the second in our 2 part look at the new production of Lerner and Loewe’s masterpiece musical My Fair Lady about to open at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. – The last time audiences in Washington saw Manna Nichols, she was performing as a proud Chinese girl […]
You For Me For You
North Korea. There are probably immediate connotations associated with this Asian country with a storied past. The Korean peninsula, bordering Russia, China and the Sea of Japan, was once an empire. After early times of isolation, and annexation by Japan from 1910 to the end of World War II, Korea was divided into two separate, […]