In a world where facts are malleable, the working government gets shut down, good people are without protection of the law, bureaucrats are colluding with the powerful and mad, and officials are left to stir up chaos wherever possible, who better to turn to than Franz Kafka? And who better to deliver theatre that speaks […]
Paata Tsikurishvili on creating Synetic’s Peter Pan
When he was 12 years old, Paata Tsikurishvili was introduced to the story of Peter Pan on stage. “My dad took me and I just loved the story; the little conflicts with their parents, you want to do something your way because you think you’re grown up, but you’re not, and that was fascinating for […]
Synetic imagines The Adventures of Peter Pan (review)
Peter Pan and Captain Hook should see a therapist together. How can they not realize by now that their commonalities are greater than their differences? Both are childish, boastful, and untrustworthy. They distance those close to them. They substitute violence for introspection and romance. They generate chaos in a narcissistic bid to be the center […]
Synetic’s signature portrait of evil: Mark of Cain (review)
In their first original piece in five years, Synetic Theater tells a grand story, from humanity’s flawed origin all the way to an ignominious end. The non-stop display of physical prowess and intelligent design is entrancing, even as the show urges you to get up and do something about the state of the world.
Synetic’s Hunchback of Notre Dame: thrilling and heartbreaking (review)
A wordless production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame makes plenty of sense: Quasimodo has literally gone deaf from ringing the bells of Notre Dame. And on a deeper level, the primal forces at work in Victor Hugo’s story are well served by Synetic Theater’s masterful movement. In their hands, Hugo’s story is thrilling, heartbreaking, […]
Next season, Synetic gets kid-friendly in 2017. 2018 Will Be a Different Story
Synetic Theater, a DC area company known nationwide for its movement-based productions, will be taking a two-toned approach to its 2017-2018 season. The 2017 portion will be full of light-dappled, kid-friendly stories. Things get dark quick in 2018, though.
Synetic’s wordless Taming of the Shrew, take 2 (review)
A viscerally entertaining romp about a grieving woman tortured until she falls in love with her captor, Synetic’s wordless-Shakespeare adaptation of Taming of the Shrew is a quality showcase for the company’s famed high-energy theatrics. First produced in 2012, it returns to the stage with most of the original principal cast, a few updates to the […]
Synetic’s silent Sleeping Beauty (review)
Arlington’s Synetic Theater transports audiences to the fairy tale realm of enchanted forests and love at first sight in its latest wordless adaptation.
Synetic’s Sleeping Beauty a holiday treat for all ages
Since its beginning in 2001, Synetic Theater has included, among its unforgettable visceral offerings, shows targeted for younger audiences including the much ballyhooed Alice in Wonderland and Beauty & The Beast, both with little to no dialogue.
Dante’s Inferno at Synetic Theater (review)
This isn’t Dante’s Inferno. It isn’t disco inferno either. I don’t know whose inferno this is. But it’s not Dante’s. Dante’s Inferno is a story of a poet’s visit to Hell, where he views the wrath of God being visited upon sinners, each in their own measure. Dante’s Inferno may be a hell of a […]
My won’t-miss shows for this season
If you’re like me, you’ve already done your Christmas shopping, filled out your budget for the next fiscal year, and made arrangements for your final repose after The Event Which Awaits Us All occurs. Now it’s time for something much more difficult: planning your theater season.
Man in the Iron Mask (review): Synetic Theater speaks
All over the promotional material for Synetic’s Man in the Iron Mask, there is a dire warning: THIS PRODUCTION WILL HAVE DIALOGUE. As if audiences have to be warned of talking actors as much as they must be warned of flashing lights, deafening gunshots, vomit-inducing gore, or, heaven forfend, titillating nudity.