Although Gordon Kiyoshi Hirabayashi might not be a name people recognize, many know his story and the historic Supreme Court case which bears his name— Hirabayashi v. United States. The son of Japanese immigrants, Hirabayashi, then a student at the University of Washington, was convicted of violating two of President Roosevelt’s orders during World War […]
Schenkkan’s Great Society: President Lyndon Baines Johnson’s tumultuous term (review)
If the shade of Lyndon Johnson permitted himself a small smile last night, who could blame him? The irony of having the Washington opening of the second of Robert Schenkkan’s two-play cycle about our 36th President — who presided over the enactment of Civil Rights, Voting Rights, Medicare, Medicaid, the end to the Poll Tax, […]
Groundbreaking Sovereignty educates on Native American history(review)
Whether or not you will enjoy Sovereignty at Arena Stage depends on why you value theatre. If you attend this show with the intent to learn, you will find it an incredibly enriching experience. If you go to support underrepresented voices, you will gain great inspiration. But if you arrive with the hope to feel […]
Sovereignty actors on the Cherokee Nation story at Arena Stage
Sovereignty by Mary Kathryn Nagle at Arena Stage brings the rarely-heard Native American voice to the DC stage. Tribal sovereignty is defined as “the concept of the inherent authority of indigenous tribes to govern themselves within the borders of the United States.” Yet, tribal courts have no jurisdiction over crimes committed by non-Indians on Native […]
Nina Simone: Four Women at Arena Stage (review)
Nina Simone: Four Women at Arena Stage slams you from the moment you see the set depicting a blown-up church with pews flying in mid-air, windows shattered and still smoldering, dust settling, debris scattered on all sides.
Infectious Pajama Game at Arena Stage (review)
It might be tempting to write off The Pajama Game as a slight, dated musical from the 50s that doesn’t have much relevance today. After all, this is a show where characters throw around phrases like “dandy fellow” without even a trace of irony. And the plot centers around a heated dispute over a mere […]
Speaking from the Heart: Playwright Christina Ham on Nina Simone: Four Women
A play with music, Nina Simone: Four Women meditates on songstress Nina Simone’s transition from a singer to an activist, eventually writing songs that would underscore the Civil Rights Movement.
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.
Native Gardens review: laugh out loud comedy
Karen Zacarías’ laugh-a-minute comedy Native Gardens has arrived at exactly the right time, delivering a dearly-needed burst of satire and levity to Washington, DC audiences. Director Blake Robison and a game cast grace Arena Stage with a rollicking take on assimilation, culture clashes, and the conflicted ideal of the American Dream – with a distinctly […]
A DC dinner party inspired Karen Zacarías’ new comedy Native Gardens
“I was at a dinner party and someone brought up a fight they were having with their neighbors and someone else brought up a fight their parents were having with their neighbors, and we all started talking about how awful that is, because it’s where you live,” playwright Karen Zacarías says, when asked what propelled her […]
The Originalist returns to Arena Stage (review)
All rise! Not so much for an associate Supreme Court Justice, but for Edward Gero, the man currently embodying the late Antonin Scalia in the remounted and revised production of The Originalist at Arena Stage.
Building the Wall and A Raisin in the Sun – theatre that matters in the dangerous times we live in
“The Authoritarian playbook is well known. Create a constant state of crisis that only a “strong” leader can solve. Encourage fear, divide the populace and scapegoat racial or religious minorities and immigrants.