A war hero returns to his hometown after 17 years with a new wife with hopes for a new life. Yet the scandalous circumstances of his departure and long-standing regrets challenge his plans in Alan Ayckbourn’s Hero’s Welcome, a well-acted and intriguingly crafted play at 1st Stage.
Review: Unscripted at Capital Fringe
Unscripted is an apt name for an improvisational performance. The show is performed by two members of the improv company VI Lenin. While Unscripted demonstrates their skill and offers some laughs, this Capital Fringe offering suffers from the high degree of difficulty of the long form of improv.
Review: (Super) Friends at Capital Fringe
Given our divisive culture and the omnipresence of superheroes in our movie theaters, along comes this light-hearted riff on the whole hero-villain dichotomy, including who decides who is acting on behalf of “good.” Andrew Brockmeyer’s new play (Super) Friends feels just right for a contemporary and funny take on the whole super hero culture.
Review: On the Eve at Capital Fringe
On the Eve questions turning points in three famous stories, in which characters make decisions “on the eve of when the ordinary becomes extraordinary” to quote the Capital Fringe summary. In all three stories, Thomas Anawalt and playwright Amy Frey portray the famous figures.
Review: People for Whom the World Spins and Turns
The Essential Theatre’s new play People for Whom the World Spins and Turns is best described by its subtitle A World Premiere Play about Addiction & Recovery. It is a thoughtful and timely production by physician-playwright James J. Hsiao that makes a real contribution to understanding the challenges of our growing addiction problem.
Review: Trayf at Theater J
Two 19-year-old Yeshiva students set out on a mission to support less-dedicated Jews on the streets of New York, but their faith and friendship are tested in the world premiere of Lindsay Joelle’s Trayf. Theater J gives the new work an outstanding production that reveals Joelle as a playwright of great skill and promise.
Fly by Night musical gets first rate production at 1st Stage (review)
If you love musicals but aren’t in the mood for a familiar warhorse, then head out to 1st Stage in Tysons’ Corner for the area debut of Fly By Night. You will find, as I did, a charming chamber musical with a pleasing folk-rock score, wrapped around the timeless theme of finding your way through […]
Coriolanus from Brave Spirits (review)
One of the joys of theatre is seeing a classic play presented in a surprising manner that gives new life to the story. Brave Spirits Theatre’s lively production of Coriolanus once again illustrates the adaptability and greatness of Shakespearean tragedy.
Julia Cho’s Aubergine, a Korean-American family’s drama (review)
In Julia Cho’s Aubergine, a Korean-American chef deals with his dying father. Cho uses food as the cornerstone for a sensitive though meandering meditation on the difficulties of family, communication, and coming to terms with one’s life in this entry in the Women’s Voices Theater Festival.
Kennedy Center’s family friendly Digging Up Dessa (review)
Laura Schellhardt’s Digging Up Dessa tell the story of a troubled teenager who copes with a family tragedy through her interest in fossils. This world premiere production, commissioned by the Kennedy Center as part of the Women’s Voices Theater Festival, stretches the boundaries of family theater to offer a powerful and educational story.
Guilt at Scena Theatre (review)
If your theatre tastes favor new and challenging works, Scena Theatre’s world premiere of Guilt is worthy of your consideration with its interesting mélange of light comedy, dark tragedy, and challenging satire. Australian playwright John Shard takes the audience on a powerful journey that uses the story of a 17th century philandering French priest as a […]
Soldier Poet, an on-the-ground view of the war in Aleppo (review)
Perhaps in years to come we will better appreciate the horrors of the battle of Aleppo, Syria which stretched from 2012-2016. Playwright Darcy Parker Bruce makes a valiant attempt to render the story on a personal level in Soldier Poet, a world premiere at Theatre Prometheus which presents the human costs of war on the […]