Sam Shepard’s obituary in the New York Times describes his plays as hallucinatory, though his Pulitzer Prize finalist, True West, is relatively close to naturalistic. Critics often count it as part of Shepard’s tragic Family Trio, even though it has plenty of opportunities for comedy. Rep Stage leans into the comedic and the bizarre, giving the […]
Review: Girlfriend musical at Signature Theatre
Girlfriend, a distinctly gay love story built around a specific alt-rock album, delivers a universal narrative of first time young love and the music that makes the teen years survivable.
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.
Perisphere takes on Molière’s Tartuffe (review)
Perisphere Theater refreshes Molière’s classic Tartuffe with a skilled and playful cast. But you need be patient. The show digs itself a very deep hole in its first full scene, exhibiting most of its flaws well before it gets charming.
Safe as Houses from Pinky Swear Productions
Safe as Houses seizes a few opportunities to explore how unintentionally hurting loved ones does not make that hurt any less your responsibility. It gets bogged down, however, in handwringing over a fantastical plot and fails to fully process this trauma.
Hal Linden in The Price (review)
There’s something noble in sticking with your family no matter what, but there’s also something noble in finally cutting ties with a toxic parent. The Price grinds that contradiction against itself, making its characters crumble before your teary eyes.
Wilderness explores Utah teen therapy program (review)
This past weekend, En Garde Arts brought a new multimedia documentary theatre piece to the Kennedy Center. True to the best of its genre, Wilderness strikes right at the core with devastating and moving true stories.
Caryl Churchill’s Love and Information review
With a title like Love and Information, Forum Theatre’s newest show grants itself a wide warrant, delivering quite a bit of the former and volley after volley of the latter. The show really gets fun when you follow along with the meta-theatrical game Forum plays with the playwright, but whether there’s more than just a […]
In Cabaret We Trust at Blind Whino (review)
In Cabaret We Trust is a carnival of artistic talent from across a variety of media, even inviting the audience to participate. TBD Immersive earns its name by opening up a tremendous set spanning indoors, outdoors, and two floors, filled with fire, art, burlesque, and intrigue. If you don’t mind another Trump play, you’ll find a […]
Scena’s Julius Caesar, a bit of a muddle (review)
It’s very easy to wheel out Shakespeare for yet another production. It’s effortless to claim that your production is Important because it speaks to the current political climate. But without clear intentions or any focus, Scena’s Julius Caesar, directed by Robert McNamara, is serviceable, but not essential.
Synetic’s signature portrait of evil: Mark of Cain (review)
In their first original piece in five years, Synetic Theater tells a grand story, from humanity’s flawed origin all the way to an ignominious end. The non-stop display of physical prowess and intelligent design is entrancing, even as the show urges you to get up and do something about the state of the world.
P.I.C. : The Prison Industrial Complex (Capital Fringe review)
With P.I.C. : The Prison Industrial Complex, the Conciliation Project hits the cruelty of the American criminal justice system hard with just about everything they can throw at it: Scores of characters, plenty of song & dance, real last words from death row inmates, a talk show, a fashion show, a bonfire of strawmen, and […]