All stories by Anne Valentino on BroadwayStars

Friday, September 8, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘Ink’ presented by Round House Theatre, Co-produced with Olney Theatre Center by Anne Valentino

The depressing opportunism that takes on a life of its own in James Graham’s drama “Ink,” is largely embodied by the set design as conceptualized in Round House Theatre’s production,…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 09:52AM
Friday, September 1, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks’ presented by Theater Alliance at Anacostia Playhouse by Anne Valentino

Creating a show that appeals to both children and adults can be a bit of a tricky feat. You have to incorporate enough action, color, and vibrancy to appeal to young people while sustaining …

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 07:50PM
Tuesday, August 22, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘Sweat’ at The Keegan Theatre by Anne Valentino

When Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Sweat” first opened on Broadway in 2017, New York Times critic Ben Brantley, reflecting on the play’s blue-collar, Reading, PA roots,…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 03:24PM
Tuesday, August 8, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘Grounded’ presented by In Character Productions at Maryland Hall by Anne Valentino

“Grounded” is a one-woman show that chronicles an Air Force pilot’s transition from flying actual fighter jets to becoming part of what she deems the “Chair Force.” Not previously …

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 11:24AM
Monday, August 7, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘Agnes of God’ by The Maryland Theatre Collective at Chesapeake Arts Center by Anne Valentino

In rather vehemently discussing the stark differences between the cold, hard facts of science and the reassurance of belief, Mother Miriam exclaims, “I want the opportunity to believe. I w…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 10:07AM
Tuesday, August 1, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘The Absence of a Cello’ presented by Bowie Community Theatre at The Bowie Playhouse by Anne Valentino

Admittedly, I had never heard of “The Absence of a Cello.” This was also my first time attending a performance by the Bowie Community Theatre. Happily, I have to say that BCT delivered, …

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 04:07PM
Sunday, July 30, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘Monsters of the American Cinema’ presented by Prologue Theatre at Atlas Performing Arts Center by Anne Valentino

Prologue Theatre seemingly isn’t afraid to take some risks when it comes to the types of productions they mount. They are happily in the process of laying the groundwork for a reputation t…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 09:40AM
Tuesday, July 18, 2023

Capital Fringe Review: ‘The Road to the End’ by Bella Panciocco at Theater J by Anne Valentino

“The Road to the End” by Bella Panciocco first developed during her senior year at George Mason, is probably among the weightier pieces premiering at Capital Fringe this year. Its subjec…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 09:11AM
Monday, July 17, 2023

Capital Fringe Review: ‘RiverShe Collective Arts: Queer Family Summer Sanctuary’ at Theater J by Anne Valentino

“RiverShe Collective Arts: Queer Family Summer Sanctuary” is part religious revival, part variety show and part platform for the kind of quiet activism that emphasizes kindness over in-y…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 01:22PM
Saturday, July 15, 2023

Capital Fringe Review: ‘My Name is Norma’ by Erin Joy Schmidt at 1050 Thomas Jefferson Street by Anne Valentino

I was not at all sure what to expect from Erin Joy Schmidt’s one-woman show about the somewhat elusive figure at the center of Roe v. Wade. I went in expecting something akin to a politica…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 10:13AM
Thursday, July 13, 2023

Capital Fringe Review: ‘Bell Wringer’ by Pinky Swear Productions at Theater J by Anne Valentino

You never know what you’re going to get when it comes to Capital Fringe. With Pinky Swear Productions’ “Bell Wringer,” the cleverly contrived, highly entertaining randomness of it al…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 11:26AM
Tuesday, July 4, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘Fun Home’ at Studio Theatre by Anne Valentino

Plays containing lesbian leads are sadly—at least in this lesbian’s opinion—few and far between. Broadway musicals containing a lead character who is lesbian are even scarcer. In fact,…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 10:47AM
Saturday, June 24, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘The Last Match’ at 1st Stage Theater by Anne Valentino

Anna Ziegler’s 2015 play, “The Last Match,” on its surface is the depiction of an intense tennis match between two rivals, the old guard and the new, and two very different approaches …

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 03:59PM
Thursday, June 22, 2023

Theatre Review: Alison Leiby’s ‘Oh God: A Show About Abortion’ at The Kennedy Center by Anne Valentino

Alison Leiby’s 70-minute stand-up show, “Oh God: A Show About Abortion” is not just about abortion. While the story she tells does ultimately wind its way to her self-professed “anti…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 09:40AM
Tuesday, June 13, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘One Jewish Boy’ at Theater J by Anne Valentino

In “real life,” the course of a relationship rarely runs smoothly. In Theater J’s production of “One Jewish Boy” written by British playwright Stephen Laughton, the relationship at…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 05:05PM
Monday, June 12, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘The Laramie Project’ presented by The Montgomery Playhouse in partnership with the Gaithersburg Arts Barn by Anne Valentino

“The Laramie Project,” the most iconic and widely produced play developed by the Tectonic Theater Project under founder Moisés Kaufman, chronicles a very well-known and heinous anti-LGB…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 04:26PM
Friday, June 9, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘Hurricane Diane’ presented by Avant Bard Theatre by Anne Valentino

Having strong chemistry on stage suggests that the actors are not only invested in playing their own parts to the utmost of their ability but, also, they are mindful of helping their cast ma…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 11:50AM
Tuesday, June 6, 2023

Concert Review: ‘ Dolly’ presented by the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington DC at Lincoln Theatre by Anne Valentino

Can I get a “Gay-Men!” as part of their season of celebrating phenomenal women which included Whitney, Judy, and Cher, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington DC (GMCW), rounded out their h…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 10:56AM
Sunday, June 4, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘Dissonance’ presented by The Essential Theatre at Anacostia Arts Center by Anne Valentino

DC area theatre is alive and well! That was my initial reaction after watching a performance of The Essential Theatre’s Washington DC’s premiere of “Dissonance,” presented by their W…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 10:51AM
Friday, June 2, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘The Humours of Bandon’ presented by Solas Nua & Fishamble at Atlas Performing Arts Center by Anne Valentino

Beyond dancing, beyond the hours and hours of practice that go into the artistry of movement, and beyond the insider’s glimpse of a cutthroat teenage competition, Margaret McAuliffe’s �…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 11:12PM
Saturday, May 27, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘Open’ by Nu Sass Productions by Anne Valentino

Nu Sass Productions’ “Open” might best be described as a very personal show that invokes some big themes to depict a rather intimate story. Magic is at the center of this one-woman per…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 10:57AM
Friday, May 19, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘Life is a Dream’ at Baltimore Center Stage by Anne Valentino

The theatrical works of María Irene Fornés are generally big, bold and unafraid to move far away from the realm of realism toward the absurd, magical and surreal. Part of the genius that w…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 05:09PM
Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘Finding Neil Patrick Harris’ presented by Nu Sass Productions by Anne Valentino

More intimate theatre spaces often lend themselves to a completely different type of performance experience. Such was the case when I attended Nu Sass Productions’ “Finding Neil Patrick …

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 01:50PM
Saturday, May 13, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘Here There Are Blueberries’ presented by the Shakespeare Theatre Company at Sidney Harman Hall by Anne Valentino

There is no shortage of plays, movies and television shows centering on the Holocaust. It is an incredibly difficult subject to broach and yet an important one to depict. Shakespeare Theatre…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 12:02PM
Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘La Valentía’ (‘Valor’) at the GALA Hispanic Theatre by Anne Valentino

Sadly, I am not conversant in Spanish, so I was a bit worried that some of GALA Theatre’s production of “La Valentía” (“Valor”) might not resonate or might prove beyond my immedia…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 01:34PM
Monday, May 8, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘ ‘night Mother’ at the Anacostia Playhouse by Anne Valentino

To bring the extraordinarily difficult topic of suicide to the stage is one thing, to do so while at the same time provoking your audience to see some humor, love, and moments of familial co…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 10:55AM
Friday, May 5, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘Passing Strange’ at Signature Theatre by Anne Valentino

Raymond O. Caldwell, Producing Artistic Director of DC’s Theater Alliance, makes his Signature Theatre directing debut with the Tony Award-winning rock musical “Passing Strange”—a sh…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 01:00PM
Monday, May 1, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘The Cassette Shop’ presented by Theatre Prometheus at Anacostia Arts Center by Anne Valentino

Asif Majid’s play, “The Cassette Shop,” is inherently a story about people trying to find their place in a society that is often indifferent to them, if not at times hostile. These cha…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 02:33PM
Sunday, April 30, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘The Body of a Woman as a Battlefield’ presented by ExPats Theatre at Atlas Performing Arts Center by Anne Valentino

In the 90s, the Bosnian War not only ravaged a region, but the toll that it took on the people directly in the path of all of the violence and devastation was perhaps the most tragic element…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 11:44AM
Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘New Voices, New Works’ At Anacostia Playhouse by Anne Valentino

If you want to understand how a play is born, how playwrights begin their careers, and how theatres nurture new projects, then you need only check out Anacostia Playhouse’s “New Voices, …

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 02:37PM
Tuesday, April 18, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘The Wilting Point’ at The Keegan Theatre by Anne Valentino

Taking a serious and frightening issue such as climate change and turning it into a thought-provoking, heartwarming, and overall entertaining show is no small feat. Graziella Jackson’s new…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 02:22PM

All that Chat

2024-2025 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 05, 2024: Home - Todd Haimes Theatre
Jul 11, 2024: Oh, Mary! - Lyceum Theatre
Jul 30, 2024: Job - Hayes Theater
Sep 12, 2024: The Roommate - Booth Theatre
Nov 14, 2024: Tammy Faye - Palace Theatre
Dec 12, 2024: Cult of Love - Hayes Theater
Dec 19, 2024: Gypsy - Majestic Theatre
Mar 15, 2025: Purpose - Hayes Theater
Apr 01, 2025: Glengarry Glen Ross
TBA: Titanic