A  Little Bit of This…A Little Bit of That… It’s been a while (5 weeks to be exact) since we’ve last schmoozed, so let’s catch up. Lion in Wait with The Pillow Brothers March went out with a scary roar as I sat down to podcast the Pillow Brothers-Aaron Munoz and Tom Story who were […]

THE HELEN HAYES NOMINEES NOSH AND SCHMOOZE and INSIDE A READ THROUGH –TUNING OF THE MUSICAL OF MUSICALS. Congratulations to all Helen Hayes nominees – 123 pictured here (Photo: Kip Pierson) Lots of Talent In This Embassy! The maple leaf flag is flapping in the wind. It’s 6 PM on March 19th as Lorraine Treanor and […]

Yankee Doodle Boy, Rapping Slaves and Feline Memories – Purr! By Joel Markowitz Jeffrey Shankle is a Yankee Doodle Dandy! This multi-talented pistol can tap dance, glide along the stage, perform cane tricks and sings with a beautiful, lyric tenor voice. He also is one helluva server. I learned that first hand at a matinee […]

By Joel Markowitz Strings, Organs, Ravens, Benefits and Should’ves AND THEY CALL IT PUPPET LOVE … You have to hand it to these theatres. It’s puppets…puppets… puppets everywhere! First they appeared this year in Studio Theatre’s elegant production of The Long Christmas Ride Home, and next year they will appear from November 27-December 9th at […]

Carol, Bricktop, Stephen, Act Two and The Boar Here’s why they call me the Wandering Jew. This month alone I attended two National Symphony concerts, two Kirov Opera performances, press openings of a Neil Labute play and a Jewish memoir turned into a play, took a tour of the new spacious high tech theatre that […]

  YOU’RE GONNA LOVE TOMORROW!! It’s Thursday, January 4th. Only nine days to go before hundreds of enthusiastic theatregoers, subscribers and Shirlington neighbors come to see what all the fuss is about. Will they be ready? Wearing hard hats with the word “SIGNATURE” on it,and surrounded by drywallers, carpet layers, chandelier installers and carpenters, Lorraine […]

RAVES FOR THE FISH BUT WHY WAS THE FISH TANK HALF EMPTY? by Joel Markowitz Girl in a Goldfish Bowl, Woyzak and Tintypes I have a bone to pick with all you theatre goers in this area, for it’s hard to scale down my intense disappointment that a beautifully written Canadian play that worked so […]

Nubians, Pissers, Cheating Queens, A Puffing Maid, A Lot of Heart, Deerlick, Bli-Blip, Marilyn Monroe, and Bosom Buddies: I saw 36 musicals locally and on Broadway this year, and boy are we blessed in the DC/MD/VA area!! Here are my favorite musical experiences of the 2005-2006 (from August to August). 1 BLOOD BROTHERS AT THE ELDEN STREET […]

CATCH THESE 4 RISING STARS: As the new fall musical season approaches, let’s look back at five performances that left me breathless from musicals that graced our local stages the past year. (1) AND (2) FELICIA CURRY IN AIDA AT TOBY’S-THE DINNER THEATRE OF COLUMBIA, AND TWO QUEENS, ONE CASTLE AT METROSTAGE. A hot and […]

by Joel Markowitz FIRST TEENY SWEENEY, NOW SIGNATURE’S TEENY LADY TICKLES THE IVORY (2 OF THEM), AND A LOCAL STAR EMCEES, WHILE LOLA CAUSES A FUHRER AT ARENA. TOBY DOES IT TEENY WITH HEART Helen Hayes Award Winning local Director Toby Orenstein has been doing it for years-it’s in your face theatre, taking musicals that […]