All articles by Carolyn Kelemen
Wolf Trap Park is the perfect place to spend a summer evening. The setting is serene, and the music seems to shimmer with the stars. You’re always invited to bring a picnic or indulge in s…
"Assassins" is the 1990 musical by Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman about people who have tried to kill an American president. It is bold and brutal, ironic and chilling"and entertaining. "…
Those looking for an introduction to what's au courant in contemporary dance could have stopped by George Mason University this weekend where faculty and students were mounting the annual Ma…
Director Rob Gorman greeted us for an informative post-show discussion with the cast of "Enough To Let The Light In" at the Silver Spring Stage. He raised the question that haunted many in t…
Most dance audiences are content with the usual outlets for expressing appreciation: applause, shouts of bravo and an occasional demand for an encore. Fans of the Alvin Ailey American Dance …
It takes more than two hands to stage a ballet production. Many hands are needed to sew costumes, build sets, hang lights, wire speakers, print tickets and calm a furrowed brow or two. When …
With bright lights, bouncy tunes and an abundance of Yuletide cheer, "Elf The Musical" will get you into the holiday spirit! When was the last time you hummed along to a show tune like "Spar…
Call it intuition, good vibes, or a hunch, but the guess here is that The Washington Ballet's (TWB) 2025-26 Season (its 49th in DC), is going to be special. Youthful, fresh faces and a new d…
Just blocks from the Friday night-time activity in Dupont Circle, the Amish community is depicted in the DC premiere of "Everything Is Wonderful" at The Keegan Theatre. How lovely to sit in …
Kudos to the folks at Small Town Stars Theatre Company for its heart-wrenching and poignant production of the Tony Award-winning "Falsettos," which premiered on Broadway in 1992. With music …
 Have you ever wondered how Peter Pan learned to fly? Or how he got his name? How did Captain Hook really lose his right hand? For answers to the above, you can read the 2004 novel by Da…
With music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Whitman, and a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan "Hairspray, the Broadway Musical" won eight Tony Awards in 2002. It was based …
At the Kennedy Center this past Wednesday night, Twyla Tharp's pick-up company displayed contemporary dance at its best. Her dance creations are often mind-blowing, humorous, and always …
Thirty years of elevating contemporary dance, Complexions performs a 'NIQUE' show that delights both young and old. Complexions Contemporary Ballet didn't have to dance "Black Is Beautif…
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's 2024"2025 season celebrates the life and legacy of Artistic Director Emerita Judith Jamison and the glory of dance. Ailey's troupe of multiracial, intern…
Dozens of  theater critics, writers, and bloggers gathered in Manhattan, November 7-10, 2024, the first time that the now-called American Theatre Critics/Journalists Association has in…
Remember the way the holiday season used to make you feel? Remember walking around full of expectation, certain that wonderful, impossible, and magical things were about to happen? If you ha…
Toby's is currently celebrating its 45th year of presenting outstanding, live musical theatre in Columbia, MD. Toby's is proud to continue to support the amazing local talent that the DMV ar…
As the curtain rose in Wolf Trap's Filene Center, Artistic Director Edwaard Liang entered down stage center to welcome us to "An Evening of Ballet with the Washington Ballet." It was a super…
A strange figure wrapped in a large tie-dye fabric (that doubles as a curtain) emerges from the wings. It creeps downstage and attaches itself to a second such figure. Suddenly, like an amoe…
Sixteen years ago the dance planners at the Kennedy Center came up with a terrific idea:Â Invite nine regional ballet companies to perform one special work in three separate concerts, hel…
The performance of the ballet, "Jewels" at the Kennedy Center Opera House was a trip down memory lane"a journey through the brilliance of George Balanchine's choreography and the artistry of…
With a well-rehearsed rendition of "The Sleeping Beauty," Ballet Theatre of Maryland brought the opening night audience at the Maryland Hall to its feet. From the moment the curtain rose…
Recalls the assimilation of Jewish immigrants with a poignancy rarely seen in theater. Step into the world of "Hester Street" at Theater J and be prepared to be transported back to the 1890s…
When was the last time you laughed aloud at a classical ballet concert? Maybe never? Well, get ready for some big belly laughs if you're lucky to catch Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo,…
The Washington Ballet shakes up expectations at the Kennedy Center. Yes, even classical ballerinas let their hair down once in a while. They relish tossing off those stiff upper body movemen…
It's been a "wow" of a week! Celebrating Black History Month, the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater performed at the Kennedy Center while DC's Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company opened the world premier…
When the Alvin Ailey Dance Company celebrates Black History month, count on a festive party. Looking for a respite from the political craziness that surrounds our lives? Want something fresh…
"The Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble is the living legacy company dedicated to presenting Anna Sokolow's vast body of emotionally riveting works that are relevant to the times we live in and …
From the producer of "The Lion King" and "Aladdin," "Frozen," the Tony® Award"nominated Best Musical, is now on stage at the Kennedy Center. "Frozen" features the songs from the original …
Both riveting and haunting, the world premiere of Bill T. Jones' "Watch Night" at the new The Perelman Performing Arts Center (PACNYC) was the highlight of our American Theater Critics Assoc…
With apologies to T.S. Elliot and his 'Wasteland" poem, Step Africa!'s holiday show at Arena Stage last Friday evening began with an explosive bang and ended with an even bigger one. No whim…
Dorrance Dance dives into Duke Ellington's "Nutcracker Suite" score with flash and jazzy tap. The Dorrance Dance's "Nutcracker Suite" at the Kennedy Center is not your grandmother's holiday …
"We Walk in Moonlight," the recent collaboration between Full Circle Dance Company (FCDC) and Ballet Theatre of Maryland (BTM) the Gordon Center, was a harmonious dance experience that left …
A tip of the "shapka" (Russian for "hat") to Ballet Theatre of Maryland's Artistic Director Nicole Kelsch for digging up old records of a ballet created in St. Petersburg during the golden a…
In the world of musical theater, few names command as much respect as that of Hal Prince. The legendary director and producer is responsible for some of the most memorable Broadway productio…
Hee Seo and Daniel Camargo captivate in a night of ballet magic. The American Ballet Theatre (ABT) danced a hauntingly beautiful production of "Giselle" on the Filene Center stage that resem…
I'm going out on a limb with this observation of "A Moment in Time," five dances that touched us in different ways. More than other dance forms, modern dance can be uniquely gut wrenching an…
The Misako Ballet Company is well-known for its talented and skilled performers, and Sunday's afternoon program at the Jim Rouse Theatre promises to be no exception. One of the highlight…
No one ever said the New York City Ballet (NYCB) was like any other dance company in the world. Everything is bigger with this world class troupe. This week's performance at the Kennedy Oper…
 On Sunday, June 4, the Howard Community College Smith Theater will witness a truly remarkable event that celebrates the indomitable spirit and resilience of one extraordinary woman: Mar…
In the world of musical theater, few names command as much respect as that of Hal Prince. The legendary director and producer is responsible for some of the most memorable Broadway productio…
When we think of story ballets performed by classical companies, images of princesses, dancing swans, and castles hosting balls come to mind. Not so for The Scottish Ballet's opening night p…
 Staging the full-length "Don Quixote" is a monumental feat. Nonetheless, Ballet Theatre of Maryland's Artistic Director Nicole Kelsch took the challenge and made an old ballet new and e…
Dancer/choreographer Vincent Thomas touches us with his powerful dance message. Â Off stage, the dancer/choreographer stands a stunning 5 foot 11 inches tall, with incredibly generous arm…
 The Joffrey Ballet visits the Kennedy Center this week and dancing for all its worth. As it turned out, it was worth a lot on opening night"as dance, as terrific theater, as a living le…
Signature puts Japanese culture front and center. Â It's unlikely that you'll leave Signature Theatre humming familiar show tunes from "Pacific Overtures," set in 19th century Japan. You …
 ABT enthralls once again in a grandly staged production.  American Ballet Theatre's opening night of "Romeo and Juliet" at the Kennedy Center Opera House topped all other ballet pro…
United Ukranian Ballet's "Giselle" captures the crowd. We don't need any reminder why the Ukrainian National Ballet is operating under difficult circumstances. The company, temporarily house…
"Between Riverside and Crazy," the Pulitzer prize-winning play by Stephen Adly Guirgis, is currently making its Broadway debut, and people"especially New Yorkers"are raving. Although the pla…