There are a lot of theaters in and around this city. Many have identities and missions that overlap, or that may even be seen as indistinguishable from one another. The American Century Theater (TACT) is not one of those theaters. Its mission is crystal clear. It does American plays written in the 20th century. If […]
Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma’s Hung You in the Closet and I’m Feelin’ So Sad
Oh, Dad. Oh, brother! A comic bird, heavy on the dark meat, Oh, Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma’s Hung You in the Closet and I’m Feelin’ So Sad gives us a little family that makes the Addams brood look like the Waltons. Perhaps not to everyone’s taste, Oh, Dad is an exotic meal, but certainly one […]
Bang the Drum Slowly
Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan once said, “One of the beautiful things about baseball is that every once in a while you come into a situation where you want to, and where you have to, reach down and prove something.” As seen in Bang the Drum Slowly, two friends prove loyalty has no price-tag […]
A free Christmas Carol from American Century, listen from home
On Sunday, December 22nd, audiences and actors alike will be gathered around their phones for the live one hour telecast of A Christmas Carol Radio Drama, brought to you free of charge, thanks to American Century Theater.
Come Blow Your Horn
American Century Theater’s charming new production of Neil Simon’s Come Blow Your Horn follows the comically mismatched Baker brothers as they deal with mistaken identity, family drama, and romantic misadventures. As the play unfolds, American Century’s snappy, heartwarming production quickly proves it can stand toe to toe with Simon’s massively popular The Odd Couple on […]
American Century Theater delivers an I Do! I Do! for the 21st century
You have to hand it to Jack Marshall. While his company, American Century Theater, values works from the past, Marshall has dusted off a charming musical about traditional marriage from the 60’s and re-interpreted it for what he calls ” a post-DOMA America”. Does the concept work for the show subtitled “a musical about a […]
Jack Marshall refreshes I Do! I Do! for post-DOMA America
Marriage has undergone a few changes since the 1960s. Most notably, who can engage in it. While these changes are amazing in a civil rights sense, they can create some brambles when it comes to some older plays. Take I Do! I Do!, the 1966 Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt musical (based off the play […]
Behrman’s Biography, smart and witty at American Century
Sophistication, wit and a vivid leading female character are front and center in S.N. Behrman’s Biography. Thank you, American Century Theater for finding this forgotten gem. If you like your theatre smart and your characters fascinating, Biography is absolutely worth a look. This is high style, handsomely done.
Brian Childers returns May 6 with one night Evening with Danny Kaye
On May 6th, Brian Childers will perform a special “Evening with Danny Kaye” to benefit the theatre company which handed him the role of a lifetime.
Voodoo Macbeth
Back in 2007, theatre folks had a good chuckle over this satirical headline in The Onion: Unconventional Director Sets Shakespeare Play In Time, Place Shakespeare Intended The joke, of course, is on us. Washington theatres offer only rare exception to the trend that presumes to require, with each new production, the re-potting of Shakespeare’s text […]
American Century keeps Voodoo Macbeth under wraps. Here’s what we know.
American Century Theater is ready to open its next show, and what audiences will see, beginning tonight, is a closely guarded secret. Jack Marshall is betting it will be as shocking and innovative as its original production staged by Orson Welles in 1936.
The Show-Off
Most of us get our fill of chestnuts in December, but save a little room — if you’re feeling sentimental — for the one served up by The American Century Theater this month.