All stories by Kristin Franco on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, December 6, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘The Little Mermaid, A Family Pantomime’ presented by The British Players at Silver Spring Stage by Kristin Franco

The holidays mean a lot of different things to different people, but to the British and Anglophiles, it means something very special—it’s time for panto! The British Players deliver thei…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 12:27PM
Thursday, July 27, 2023

Concert Review: ‘Jurassic Park in Concert’ with the National Symphony Orchestra at Wolf Trap by Kristin Franco

On a hot day in July of 1993, my family walked into the movie theatre. This was a big deal. My dad thought movies were expensive so we didn’t go as a family very often. Little did I know t…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 08:54PM
Tuesday, July 25, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘The Play that Goes Wrong’ at the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater by Kristin Franco

I would wager that most people have seen at least one show before and even a fair few have been in a show. What all of these people know is that there is a specific magic to live theatre and…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 09:21PM
Tuesday, June 13, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘Blood Brothers’ by The British Players at Kensington Town Hall by Kristin Franco

Many of us face tough choices in our lives, but those choices become much more difficult when placed in circumstances unimaginable to most of us. This is explored in the classic British musi…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 02:33PM
Saturday, April 8, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘As You Like It’ by The British Players at Kensington Town Hall by Kristin Franco

“All the world’s a stage/and all the men and women merely players.” The players this time are literal as The British Players take on one of the Bard’s most endearing comedies, “As …

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 03:04PM
Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Ballet Review: ‘Balanchine!’ by The Washington Ballet at the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Auditorium by Kristin Franco

George Balanchine is widely regarded as the father of American ballet and a giant of dance in general. His over 400 works helped to define modern ballet as we know it. The Washington Ballet …

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 09:51PM

Theatre Review: ‘Into the Woods’ at the Kennedy Center Opera House by Kristin Franco

Most of us have heard fairy tales growing up—the beautiful maiden, the handsome prince, a curious boy climbing a beanstalk, a precocious girl with a red cape, a mysterious witch, and so ma…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 09:34PM
Friday, December 16, 2022

Concert Review: NSO’s ‘A Holiday Pops! with Laura Benanti’ at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall by Kristin Franco

The holidays were in full swing last weekend in the Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall as Broadway darling Laura Benanti joined the National Symphony Orchestra to celebrate the sounds of the se…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 11:24AM
Thursday, December 15, 2022

Theatre Review: ‘Rapunzel: A Tangled Panto’ by The British Players at Kensington Town Hall by Kristin Franco

The holidays mean a lot of different things to different people, but to the British and Anglophiles, it means something very special—it’s time for panto! The British Players deliver thei…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 01:17PM
Friday, December 9, 2022

Theatre Review: The Improvised Shakespeare Company at the Kennedy Center’s Theatre Lab by Kristin Franco

This holiday season, there are so many performances from which to choose. Whether holiday-themed or not, the DMV has a cornucopia of choice during December. This reviewer wants you to know t…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 10:49AM
Thursday, December 9, 2021

Theatre Review: ‘The Wizard of Oz’ at the British Players by Kristin Franco

  “There’s no place like home,” and after a long, pandemic related hiatus, the British Players are thrilled to be back in their performance home, Kensington Town Hall, to present thei…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 04:32PM
Monday, July 5, 2021

Theatre Review: ‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’ in Concert presented by Wolf Trap Opera and the National Symphony Orchestra by Kristin Franco

After over a year of only virtual theatre, this reviewer walked up to the gates of the Filene Center at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts on a gorgeous warm and sunny evening. …

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 10:34AM
Saturday, May 22, 2021

Theatre Review: American Conservatory Theatre and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company present The Bushwick Starr’s production of ‘ANIMAL WISDOM’ by Kristin Franco

If you are not well versed with some of theatre’s backstage traditions and superstitions, you may be unfamiliar with the concept of the “ghost light.” It is a light that is kept on at …

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 07:24PM
Sunday, May 2, 2021

Concert Review: ‘Spring Affair 2021: A Ruby Jubilee’ by the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C. by Kristin Franco

While music is an excellent way to enjoy yourself and be entertained, it can also be a powerful tool to deliver a message. The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC has been using music as a …

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 03:01PM
Tuesday, February 23, 2021

‘A Quick 5’ with Liz Muller, Founder of Pipe Dream Theatre by Kristin Franco

While the Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc within the theatre community, it has also presented opportunities for some out-of-the-box ideas for performances. One company who has explored t…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 12:21PM
Sunday, May 3, 2020

In Memoriam: ‘A Tribute to Joe Kaplan’ by Kristin Franco

On April 22, 2020, our theatre community lost a vital and beloved member when Joe Kaplan lost his battle with COVID-19. Joe’s day job was as an attorney, and an impressive one at that. In …

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 03:50PM
Friday, March 6, 2020

Theatre Review: ‘Bandstand’ at National Theatre by Kristin Franco

So often for people affected by war, the battles don’t end with one side’s victory. This harsh reality is examined in the winning and moving musical “Bandstand,” playing through Marc…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 04:10PM
Thursday, February 27, 2020

Theatre Review: ‘No Sex Please, We’re British’ at Kensington Town Hall by Kristin Franco

Be advised- there is some adult content in this review. In the days before the internet, one might have wondered where people got their pornography. Well, in Kensington Arts Theatre’s “N…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 07:46AM
Thursday, February 13, 2020

Theatre Review: ‘The King’s Speech’ at the National Theatre by Kristin Franco

“Duty is the sole justification of our privilege.” This belief is at the very heart of the British monarchy, and thusly it is central to the story of the “The King’s Speech,” the p…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 09:31PM
Saturday, February 1, 2020

Theatre Review: ‘Next to Normal’ at The Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Auditorium by Kristin Franco

“Everything is perfect; nothing’s real.” A complex tale of mental illness and a family on the brink becomes the latest entry in the stellar Broadway Center State series at the Kennedy …

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 04:41PM
Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Theatre Review: ‘Alice in Wonderland’ by the British Players by Kristin Franco

A DMV holiday tradition is sticking around a bit longer than usual this year, which is a treat for the end of the decade. The British Players’ annual panto is here, and this year it will t…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 03:14PM
Saturday, October 19, 2019

A Quick 5: ‘Anne Carrere’ by Kristin Franco

Critically-acclaimed singer and performer Anne Carrere is reprising her role as Edith Piaf in “Paris! The Show,” coming to George Washington’s Lisner Auditorium this coming Tuesday, Oc…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 08:17PM
Monday, October 14, 2019

Ballet Review: ‘Paquita’ at Mariinsky Ballet at The Kennedy Center by Kristin Franco

A feast for the eyes and ears, the prestigious Mariinsky Ballet sweeps back to The Kennedy Center’s lavish Opera House this week for their annual engagement. While this is something that D…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 08:32PM
Friday, July 19, 2019

Theatre News: ‘Ruby Griffiths Awards’ Honor Local Theatres by Kristin Franco

  This past Sunday, the local theatre community came together to celebrate an outstanding year of community theatre achievement. The 2019 Ruby Griffith awards were handed out on a gorgeous …

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 07:27PM
Monday, July 15, 2019

Theatre Review: ‘Side Show’ at Wildwood Summer Theatre by Kristin Franco

Sadly, people who are different haven’t always been treated kindly by our society. This is largely true of the Hilton sisters, a pair of conjoined twins that were born in the early twentie…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 08:00PM
Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Concert Review: ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ at National Symphony Orchestra by Kristin Franco

“Dark and difficult times lie ahead. Soon we must all face the choice between what is right, and what is easy.” Dumbledore’s warning acts as a harbinger of a tonal shift to the Harry P…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 08:28PM
Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Theatre Review: ‘Oliver!’ at Kensington Arts Theatre by Kristin Franco

With well-known songs like “Where is Love,” “Consider Yourself,” and “Who Will Buy,” “Oliver!” can be considered one of the best known and beloved musicals of the 20th centur…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 10:06PM
Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Theatre Review: ‘Sherlock’s Veiled Secret’ at Rockville Little Theatre by Kristin Franco

The game is afoot! But with a different lens, as the women of Sherlock Holmes’ life take center stage in “Sherlock’s Veiled Secret,” presented by Rockville Little Theatre. Perhaps on…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 10:29PM
Thursday, May 9, 2019

Theatre Review: ‘Songs I Never Get To Sing’ at Bethesda Little Theatre by Kristin Franco

I think every performer has a song that they wished they could sing in performance, but there’s something that takes it out of your reach. In Bethesda Little Theatre’s latest cabaret sho…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 10:54PM
Monday, May 6, 2019

Concert Review: ‘Strathmore Annual Spring Gala’ with Matthew Morrison & Shoshana Bean by Kristin Franco

No doubt many of you are familiar with Strathmore – it is a preeminent performance venue right here in our backyard. Not only does it boast the impressive Music Center, which draws some of…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 10:09PM
Sunday, May 5, 2019

Concert Review: ‘Iron and Wine’ with National Symphony Orchestra Pops by Kristin Franco

The album “Our Endless Numbered Days” was released in March 2004 and quickly became a definitive indie album of the decade. Sam Beam, the driving force behind the band Iron and Wine, joi…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 01:44PM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards