Actor and performer Charlie Varon has a definite propensity when it comes to storytelling: a laidback and welcoming presence, a passionate mind full of churning ideas, and what a voice! Spanning mellow depths to squeaking highs and with diction to put Henry Higgins to shame, his rich range and control are made to bring classical […]
About Michael R. Kelly
Medea’s Got Some Issues
After 2,445 years of hearing every other side of her story, it’s finally time for Medea to speak her mind. Yeah, she may have flown off in a golden chariot pulled by a dragon, leaving her hubby Jason alone to mourn over the bodies of their two murdered children. And she also may have given […]
Balloon Plays
Like man discovering fire, watching three clowns discovering balloons for the first time is both magical and momentous. Imagine the possibilities, the comedy, and all the things you can make with balloons!
Breast In Show
Breast In Show is something of a different beast for the DC Fringe Festival, and on opening night you could see it in the composition of the audience: many older theater-goers, women and men in their 50’s-70’s, many survivors (or “warriors” as the show names them) of and supporters of those that have been diagnosed […]
Cross the Line
Where does one take the leap between apathy and compassion for our fellow people? Are we content to pass by a grieving stranger on the street without a second thought, or can we extend a kind thought or word and maybe actually connect with them? That feeling, in both its positive and negative outcomes, is […]
Perfect Liars Club
With brand-new storytellers sharing their perfectly plausible (or completely unbelievable!) life adventures each night, showrunner and emcee Layla McCay throws out the following challenge to the audience: can you spot the liar?
From Shakespeare’s warrior, Lumina Studio creates Kabuki Coriolanus
One would think that a Kabuki-inspired adaptation of Shakespeare’s Coriolanus would be enough of a challenge to be tackled by a professional theater company. Factor into that equation two separate casts of over 45 student actors, some tackling Shakespeare for the first time, some for the 24th time. With no auditions. Sound like a recipe […]
4th Annual All New Cabaret Macabre
Happenstance Theater’s 4th Annual All-New Cabaret Macabre is an absolutely lovely show for this time of the year: a little spooky, a lot of whimsy, and plenty of morbid humor to keep you laughing throughout the evening of their brand new and fan favorite vaudeville sketches.
Beertown and A Killing Game
I’ve heard a lot of great things about dog&pony dc and the shows they produce. Almost near universal praise from friends and regular theater goers about their unique brand of audience interactive theater. Being the constant skeptic that I am, I approached their newly remounted productions of Beertown and A Killing Game, now running in […]
Sandra and Salvador Rosa
Absurdism, or as playwright Joseph White chooses to label his brief plays Sandra and Salvador Rosa “oxy-moronic”, is a hard theater genre to get right. The layering of meaning and futility beneath facades of outrageous circumstances and over-the-top characters requires a solid grasp of theatrical rules and a lot of chutzpah to break out of […]
The Beheading of Sister Mary Jasmine
Paying your final respects to Sister Mary Jasmine requires a bit of a pilgrimage off the beaten track of your favorite Fringe venues.Mourners gather in Studio 2 of the Emergence Studio Arts Collective near Howard University, hoping to get one last glimpse of their dear sister before she is interred in the earth, but alas, […]
Fish Outta Water
Ron Litman, the writer and actor behind Fish Outta Water, is a man of many talents: a great singer, smart actor, huge stage personality, and highly self-deprecating (which is a talent in and of itself). But above all else he is an excellent and concise storyteller.