All stories by Anne Valentino on BroadwayStars

Saturday, September 14, 2024

Theatre Review: 'Jaja's African Hair Braiding' at Arena Stage by Anne Valentino

With a 2023 world premiere on Broadway, it would seem that "Jaja's African Hair Braiding" is already bound to become a canonical part of American theatre. The first leg of its tour kicks off…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 12:14PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, September 10, 2024

Theatre Review: 'The 22+ Weddings of Hugo' ('Las 22+ bodas de Hugo') at Gala Hispanic Theatre by Anne Valentino

Immediately, the set design of GALA Theatre's "The 22+ Weddings of Hugo" whisks you into a quasi-paradisiacal realm in which anything seems possible despite the obstacles and detractors that…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 03:36PM[SHARE]
Thursday, August 15, 2024

Theatre Review: 'Soft Power' at Signature Theatre by Anne Valentino

Presidential elections have this way of bringing out the claws. The desire to win, the need to have one party decimate the other"people's baser instincts tend to emerge, even in the nicest o…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 01:44PM[SHARE]
Monday, August 12, 2024

Theatre Review: 'A Number' presented by Edge of the Universe Theater at Gunston Arts Center by Anne Valentino

Caryl Churchill's work has this uncanny way of harnessing the big picture questions of history, science, and philosophy and distilling them down to what these kinds of questions mean for hum…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 06:01PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, August 7, 2024

Theatre Review: 'The Moors' presented by Faction of Fools Theatre Company at Capitol Hill Arts Workshop by Anne Valentino

Faction of Fools Theatre Company specializes in a type of theatrical practice known as commedia dell'arte. Most prevalent in Italy during the Renaissance, this art form leans heavily on stoc…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 04:07PM[SHARE]
Sunday, June 23, 2024

Theatre Review: 'Is God Is' at Constellation Theatre Company by Anne Valentino

Aleshea Harris' "Is God Is" has been hailed as "high-octane carnage," a mythic journey, and the ultimate revenge fantasy. After seeing Constellation Theatre's production, I can attest that H…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 08:23PM[SHARE]
Thursday, June 6, 2024

Theatre Review: 'Long Way Down' at Olney Theatre Center by Anne Valentino

Through music, dance, and pure emotion, the cast and crew of "Long Way Down" tell a penetrating story that stays with you long after you leave the theatre. Olney Theatre Centre's premiere of…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 10:48AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, May 28, 2024

Theatre Review: 'A Computer That Loves: And Why Not To Build One' presented by The Baltimore Rock Opera Society by Anne Valentino

Rock operas really are their own special breed of show, comprised of vivid costumes, powerful, edgy songs, and very often a heavy dose of fantasy and adventure. The Baltimore Rock Opera Soci…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 02:43PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, May 22, 2024

Theatre Review: 'Expecting' presented by c21 Theatre Company at The Keegan Theatre by Anne Valentino

Northern Ireland's c21 Theatre Company, in conjunction with The Keegan Theatre, is currently presenting "Expecting" by Irish playwright Charis McRoberts. Described as a "poetic one-act play"…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 11:36AM[SHARE]
Monday, May 13, 2024

Theatre Review: 'Momia en el Closet (Mummy in the Closet): Evita's Return' at GALA Hispanic Theatre by Anne Valentino

Eva Perón's story is the stuff of movies, books, and, yes, even ghost stories. The meteoric rise of Evita from Argentine "showgirl" to beloved political figure has been comprehensively do…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 12:00PM[SHARE]
Sunday, May 5, 2024

Theatre Review: 'Cindy of Arc' at The Baltimore Theatre Project by Anne Valentino

Often the hallmarks of the most provocative theatre experiences are irreverence, a willingness to push the envelope, and the approach that no subject is off the table and no topic is too tab…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 01:39PM[SHARE]
Friday, May 3, 2024

Theatre News: Signature Theatre Honors Nathan Lane at Its Annual Sondheim Award Gala by Anne Valentino

It was a night of fine dining, Broadway-caliber entertainment, and one truly touched honoree. On April 29, 2024, Signature Theatre presented the Sondheim Award Gala to the iconic Nathan Lane…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 04:45PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Theatre Review: 'The Last Drop' presented by Scena Theatre at The DC Arts Center by Anne Valentino

Imagining an apocalyptic world in which food, water, and essentially all of the basic necessities are in short supply has become popular fodder for television, movies and, yes, theatre as we…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 04:20PM[SHARE]
Monday, April 22, 2024

Theatre Review: 'Chicks in Heaven' at Creative Cauldron by Anne Valentino

Creative Cauldron's "Bold New Voices" initiative was designed to support the development of plays or plays with music written by women. As Artistic Director Laura Connors Hull emphasizes, in…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 06:15PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Theatre Review: 'Human Museum' presented by Rorschach Theatre by Anne Valentino

The End of Days is some 100 years past and the world is now populated by robots. All humans have tragically died despite their best efforts not to become extinct. Or have they? This is the b…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 05:22PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Theatre Review: 'The Nance' at 1st Stage by Anne Valentino

Set in the 1930s, "The Nance" harkens back to the heyday of the burlesque era with clubs and cabarets, featuring bawdy stripteases interspersed with comedic acts, dotting Greenwich Village. …

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 03:55PM[SHARE]

Theatre Review: 'Sunset Baby' at Anacostia Playhouse by Anne Valentino

Part deconstruction of a fraught father-daughter relationship, part dysfunctional love story, and part homage to Nina Simone, Dominique Morisseau's 2012 play "Sunset Baby" is now playing at …

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 02:01PM[SHARE]
Thursday, April 4, 2024

Theatre Review: 'Nancy' presented by Mosaic Theater Company at Atlas Performing Arts Center by Anne Valentino

Mosaic Theater's latest offering is, in large part, a searing and satirical look at the prevailing politics of the 80s. It invites audiences into a comic book world of then First Lady Nancy …

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 01:46PM[SHARE]
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Theatre Review: 'Every Brilliant Thing' at Workhouse Arts Center by Anne Valentino

Workhouse Arts Center's production of Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe's "Every Brilliant Thing" was not at all what I was expecting"it was so much more. Developed as part solo piece and p…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 01:47PM[SHARE]
Monday, March 25, 2024

Theatre Review: 'Murder on the Orient Express' at The Little Theatre of Alexandria by Anne Valentino

"Murder on the Orient Express" is one of Agatha Christie's most well-known novels. As adapted by Ken Ludwig, the play of the same name takes audiences on a train ride they will not soon forg…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 08:37PM[SHARE]

Theatre Review: 'Migraaaaants, or there's too damn many of us on this boat' presented by ExPats Theatre at Atlas Performing Arts Center by Anne Valentino

"Migraaaaants, or there's too damn many of us on this boat" is a play that seriously defies any sort of theatrical genre. Is it a comedy? Drama? Farce? Political satire? Lower budget musical…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 12:26AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Theatre Review: 'At The Wedding' at Studio Theatre by Anne Valentino

Weddings (as the reception wears on and the alcohol flows) tend to be drama-filled, emotionally-charged events that can, with the mere flip of a switch, devolve into overly confessional hotb…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 10:59PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Theatre Review: 'The Niceties' presented by Perisphere Theater at Silver Spring Black Box Theatre by Anne Valentino

Eleanor Burgess' "The Niceties" is a deeply intense two-hander that deftly blurs the line between hero and villain, as it is nearly impossible to completely ascribe any one category to the c…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 08:52PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Theatre Review: 'Rapture, Blister, Burn' at St. Marks Players by Anne Valentino

Pulitzer Prize finalist "Rapture, Blister Burn" gives playwright Gina Gionfriddo a theatrical platform from which to explore the topic of feminism from just about every conceivable angle"as …

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 11:46AM[SHARE]
Sunday, March 3, 2024

Theatre Review: 'The Lehman Trilogy' at Shakespeare Theatre Company by Anne Valentino

The sheer staying power of three actors playing countless characters over the course of three and a half hours is perhaps the most astounding part of Shakespeare Theatre Company's production…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 12:42PM[SHARE]
Monday, February 26, 2024

Theatre Review: 'Tempestuous Elements' at Arena Stage by Anne Valentino

Anna Julia Cooper became principal of M Street High School in DC in 1902. Deemed by many the "mother of Black feminism," Cooper was a staunch proponent of young students of color pursuing de…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 03:18PM[SHARE]
Thursday, February 8, 2024

Theatre Review: 'Anton in Show Business,' presented by The Arlington Players at Thomas Jefferson Community Theatre by Anne Valentino

  Jane Martin is the pseudonym for a playwright who, among other honors, has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. That very same anonymous "Jane Martin" is the author of "Anton in Show…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 03:43PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, February 7, 2024

Theatre Review: 'This Much I Know' at Theater J by Anne Valentino

Jonathan Spector's "This Much I Know" is currently having its East Coast premiere at Theater J. It was the winner of the 2023 Theatre Bay Area Will Glickman Award for best new play premiere.…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 05:57PM[SHARE]
Sunday, February 4, 2024

Theatre Review: 'Morning After Grace' presented by Valley Place Arts Collaborative at Anacostia Arts Center by Anne Valentino

Plays centering exclusively on people "of a certain age" are admittedly few and far between. "Morning After Grace" heavily mines the lives of those who fall into the 60+ category and comes u…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 09:16PM[SHARE]
Friday, February 2, 2024

Concert Review: Audra McDonald and the National Symphony Orchestra at The Kennedy Center by Anne Valentino

Audra McDonald's star just keeps rising. With a record six Tony Awards along with two Grammys and an Emmy adorning her mantle, the soprano powerhouse absolutely brought down the house in her…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 03:04PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Theatre News: Folger Theatre's Reading Room Festival " Wrestling with Shakespeare by Anne Valentino

The final day of the Folger Theatre's Reading Room Festival proved as plucky and spirited as ever. At the center of this Shakespeare-filled Sunday was a staged reading of "Everything That Ne…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 03:40PM[SHARE]

All that Chat

2025-2026 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 12, 2025: Call Me Izzy - Studio 54
Sep 16, 2025: Art - Music Box Theatre
Oct 08, 2025: Beetlejuice - Palace Theatre
Nov 13, 2025: Oedipus - Studio 54
Nov 16, 2025: Chess - Imperial Theatre
Mar 23, 2026: Giant - Music Box Theatre
Apr 06, 2026: Becky Shaw - Hayes Theater
Apr 16, 2026: Proof - Booth Theatre
Apr 26, 2026: Drama Desk Cut-Off