All stories by Anne Valentino on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘Hazardous Materials’ presented by Perisphere Theater at The Writer’s Center by Anne Valentino

Perisphere Theatre’s production of “Hazardous Material” by Beth Kander paints a post-World War II, Lavender Scare-era portrait of two women whose “scandalous” behavior sets the ton…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 12:45PM
Monday, November 6, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘Agreste (Drylands)’ presented by Spooky Action Theater by Anne Valentino

Spooky Action Theatre has deemed this season, under new Artistic Director Elizabeth Dinkova, as one that extends “Beyond Borders”—both literal and also more metaphorical as far as the …

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 10:48AM
Thursday, November 2, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘Night of the Living Dead Live’ by Rorschach Theatre by Anne Valentino

The DC theatre scene is on fire this fall! Just about every theatre I’ve had the opportunity to visit and every production I’ve thus far seen has had a critical hand in helping define wh…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 05:29PM
Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘Confederates’ presented by Mosaic Theater at Atlas Performing Arts Center by Anne Valentino

As is the case with many of her plays, Dominique Morisseau is not afraid to depict what many are hesitant to say out loud. “Confederates” is no exception. Tackling racism, sexism, slaver…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 05:01PM

Theatre Review: ‘Proof’ presented by McLean Community Players at The Alden Theater by Anne Valentino

David Auburn’s “Proof” won both the Pulitzer and the Tony for Best Play. It has become a widely produced American classic. Ostensibly, it centers on mathematical equations and the head…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 04:25PM
Sunday, October 29, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘Trees’ presented by Bethesda Little Theatre at The Writer’s Center by Anne Valentino

Musicals are notoriously difficult to get off the ground. Local DC-area composer, Neal Learner, was not deterred. Inspired by the often-passionate conversations centered around urban land-us…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 01:54PM

Theatre Review: ‘The Mountaintop’ at Round House Theatre by Anne Valentino

Plays that “rewrite” history are always intriguing to me. Positioning history as something other than a static set of dates or names or images allows you to draw lines that perhaps weren…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 01:40PM
Tuesday, October 24, 2023

Theatre Review: August Wilson’s ‘Seven Guitars’ presented by The AngelWing Project at the Chesapeake Arts Center by Anne Valentino

The plays of August Wilson are indeed theatrical treasures. The pieces comprising the acclaimed Pittsburgh Cycle (10 plays spanning every decade in the 20th century) are among the most treas…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 04:50PM

Theatre Review: ‘POTUS; Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive’ at Arena Stage by Anne Valentino

When thinking about how far the fight for women’s rights has come, how much has been accomplished, and how many glass ceilings have been shattered over the course of the past 100 years, ce…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 03:25PM
Saturday, October 21, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘The Chameleon’ at Theater J by Anne Valentino

When people conjure images of superheroes, what generally comes to mind are more traditional caped figures in six-pack outlining body suits with personal branding emblazoned across their che…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 07:06PM
Tuesday, October 17, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘The Caretaker’ presented by The Edge of the Universe Theater at The Writer’s Center by Anne Valentino

Not all plays are about the story. In fact, with many Harold Pinter plays, the story is the least interesting part. His works tend to center on character, the turbulence inherent in the rela…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 05:11PM
Sunday, October 8, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘The Brothers Paranormal’ at Olney Theatre Center by Anne Valentino

Stunning, haunting, and entrancing are the words that came to mind as I watched Olney Theatre Center’s production of Prince Gomolvilas’ play “The Brothers Paranormal.” The show’s d…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 09:24PM
Tuesday, October 3, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘Dorothy’s Dictionary’ at Washington Stage Guild by Anne Valentino

  Intergenerational stories that spotlight that moment, or moments, when a younger person suddenly “gets” what an older person is going through and vice versa can be difficult to pull o…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 03:42PM
Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘Dishwasher 2: I Pay You’ at Brian Feldman’s Apartment by Anne Valentino

I had no idea what to expect going into Brian Feldman’s “Dishwasher 2: I Pay You.” Was this going to be some sort of performance art piece? A no-holds-barred theatrical experiment? An …

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 04:45PM
Tuesday, September 26, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘Baño de Luna’ (‘Bathing in Moonlight’) at GALA Hispanic Theatre by Anne Valentino

The emotional stakes are high in Nilo Cruz’s “Baño de Luna” (“Bathing in Moonlight”). Cruz, a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, also directs GALA Hispanic Theatre’s production …

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 04:50PM
Monday, September 18, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘My Mama and the Full-Scale Invasion’ at Woolly Mammoth Theatre by Anne Valentino

“My Mama and the Full-Scale Invasion” defies genre. It defies any sort of easy categorization. In many ways, it even defies a label like “play,” and that is precisely why it is so me…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 04:56PM

Theatre Review: ‘Circle Mirror Transformation’ at Spotlighters Theatre by Anne Valentino

Pulitzer Prizing-winning dramatist Annie Baker’s “Circle Mirror Transformation,” like many of her plays, focuses as much on what is not said and the awkward silences as it does on the …

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 04:14PM
Tuesday, September 12, 2023

Theatre Review: ‘Out of the Vineyard’ presented by Joe’s Movement Emporium in conjunction with the Freedom Stories Initiative by Anne Valentino

Psalmayene 24’s play “Out of the Vineyard,” now running at Joe’s Movement Emporium in Mt. Rainier, offers an incisive look at racism and slavery in America through stories conveyed b…

SOURCE: mdtheatreguide.com at 08:10PM
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

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