Michael Hollinger’s Tiny Island certainly fits the theme chosen for the Washington Stage Guild’s 30th year—“A Season of Past & Future.” The premise of estranged sisters reuniting after decades of stony neglect—in the movie house sanctuary of their childhood, no less—and finding their way forward by confronting the past is ripe for exquisite theater but […]
“Ireland’s Chekhov” Brian Friel. A Washington DC remembrance
It was sad to wake this morning to the news that the wonderful playwright Brian Friel has died. Tributes have been quick, effusive, and plentiful, and ranging from the Michael D Higgins, President of Ireland (“One of the giants of Irish literature, and a great Irishman”) to Meryl Streep (“We’ve lost a tender dramatist, an […]
Stage Briefs: skateboarding, new plays, new musical, and happy 30th, WSG
A roundup of some of this week’s theatrical news and notes from The Kennedy Center, Washington Stage Guild and Signature Theatre.
Washington Stage Guild revives Lonsdale comedy On Approval (review)
When a story is forgotten, dropped out of view and from the canon, it may be justly, because it has fallen hopelessly behind the times, or unjustly, because it still has something to give – or it may be a mix of the two, as is the case with the once-popular society comedy On Approval, […]
Shaw sees the future: Back to Methuselah
It’s difficult to come into the middle of something, but, to take a stab at a George Bernard Shaw-like observation, aren’t we all living all our lives having come into the middle of history? If so, perhaps it’s not inappropriate to take in Washington Stage Guild’s production of Parts 3 and 4 of Back to […]
Terence Rattigan’s In Praise of Love
Washington Stage Guild made a wise choice in producing Terence Rattigan’s In Praise of Love. This literate and thoughtful work is well-suited for the company’s talents and is given an impeccable staging.
Pen from Washington Stage Guild
Helen Bayer (Emily Townley) has multiple sclerosis. And ten minutes into this odd, funny, sad play – God forgive me – I was ready to throw her and her wheelchair down a flight of stairs.
WSG debuts the funny, affecting Elling
Two mentally ill Norwegian roommates face the challenge of reintegrating into society in Elling. The result is an affectionate, amusing comedy that successfully targets both your funny bone and your heart in this latest production from Washington Stage Guild.
Washington Stage Guild on their love for George Bernard Shaw
Since its inception, Washington Stage Guild has done 22 productions of 27 plays by the playwright with whom the group is most closely associated, George Bernard Shaw. (Some of the productions were evenings of Shaw’s one-act plays, which is why the two numbers do not correspond.) Now, WSG has begun the ambitious project of staging […]
Back to Methuselah, Part 1
With Washington Stage Guild’s gusty production of Back to Methuselah, less is more, and, also, more is more. Less is more: The set is appealingly minimal, the blocking clear and simple, the plot both minimal and simple. All the better to leave plenty of room for more ideas and personalities. More is more: Every time […]
The Old Masters
Painter Chuck Close once bemoaned the wishy-washy state of art history and criticism, lamenting that “There’s nothing that tells you why the painting is great…descriptions of a great painting and a lousy painting will very much sound the same.” Washington Stage Guild’s production of The Old Masters proves Close’s point can apply to theater as […]
Inventing Van Gogh
A miserable and lonely artist is invited to paint a Van Gogh forgery. He initially spurns the offer, but when he later contemplates going along with the scheme he finds his reality blended with the world of Van Gogh, Gauguin, and other historical characters. That is the intriguing setup for Steven Dietz’s Inventing Van Gogh, […]