All stories by Barbara Papendorp on BroadwayStars

Monday, March 30, 2026

Theater Review: THE TRAGEDY OF HAMLET (International Tour at Shakespeare Theatre Co, DC) by Barbara Papendorp

ONE ACTOR, A KINGDOM OF SOULS Eddie Izzard's virtuosic solo turn reframes Shakespeare with clarity and control Eddie Izzard's Hamlet is far from a traditional staging of William Shakespeare'…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 09:26PM[SHARE]
Sunday, February 22, 2026

Theater Review: CHEZ JOEY (Arena Stage) by Barbara Papendorp

A CLASSIC MUSICAL REBORN AS A RHYTHM-DRIVEN NIGHTCLUB EXPERIENCE A propulsive, jazz-infused staging that reclaims Pal Joey's cultural roots At Arena Stage, Chez Joey is less a revival of Pal…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 10:00PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Theater Review: OCTET (Studio Theatre in DC) by Barbara Papendorp

DAVE MALLOY'S A CAPPELLA SUPPORT-GROUP MUSICAL ABOUT INTERNET ADDICTION Intimate, exacting, unplugged, emotionally bracing" an in-the-round ritual that is a communal act of listening Dave Ma…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 12:00AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, September 23, 2025

Theater Review: DAMN YANKEES (Arena Stage) by Barbara Papendorp

DAMN YANKEES SWINGS BACK IN STYLE: ARENA'S REVIVAL IS MORE THAN A MUSICAL " IT'S A MILESTONE When Damn Yankees first opened on Broadway in 1955, it was the ultimate baseball fantasy: a middl…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:56AM[SHARE]
Monday, September 8, 2025

Concert Review: CYNTHIA ERIVO & THE NSO (Wolf Trap) by Barbara Papendorp

CYNTHIA ERIVO CASTS A SPELL AT WOLF TRAP Cynthia Erivo returned to the Filene Center at Wolf Trap for two performances with the kind of fire, artistry, and vocal power that turned her into o…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 11:42PM[SHARE]
Friday, September 5, 2025

Concert Review: JOHN LEGEND (Get Lifted 20th Anniversary Tour at Wolf Trap) by Barbara Papendorp

A LEGEND AT WOLF TRAP Two decades after Get Lifted announced him as a singular voice in modern R&B, John Legend is celebrating the album with a tour that feels both polished and personal…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 09:45PM[SHARE]
Saturday, August 23, 2025

Theater Review: PARADE (Tour at Kennedy Center, D.C.) by Barbara Papendorp

A stark and haunting Parade marches into the Kennedy Center, the final stop of this Broadway tour, confronting history with stripped-down staging and searing urgency The national tour of …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 03:26AM[SHARE]
Saturday, August 2, 2025

Concert Review: ONE NIGHT ONLY (Sutton Foster & Kelli O'Hara with the National Symphony Orchestra at Wolf Trap) by Barbara Papendorp

A GLORIOUS NIGHT OF BROADWAY, FRIENDSHIP AND FEMALE ICONOGRAPHY Wolf Trap could not have conjured a more exquisite evening last night for Sutton Foster and Kelli O'Hara's long-awaited joint …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 05:26PM[SHARE]
Sunday, July 6, 2025

Concert Review: DIANA KRALL (International Tour at Wolf Trap) by Barbara Papendorp

DINANA KRALL BRINGS OLD-HOLLYWOOD ELEGANCE TO WOLF TRAP On the warm evening of July 3, the Filene Center at Wolf  Trap filled nearly to capacity, its 7,028 seats glowing under th…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 09:06AM[SHARE]
Thursday, July 3, 2025

Concert Review: BROADWAY IN THE PARK (Signature Theatre and Wolf Trap with Lindsay Mendez and Jessie Mueller) by Barbara Papendorp

BROADWAY WELL-REPRESENTED IN A NIGHT OF MUSIC AND COMARADERIE From the first gleaming brass notes of Bernstein's Candide Overture, music director Jon Kalbfleisch deftly led the…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:59AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, June 3, 2025

Theater Review: TWELFTH NIGHT (Folger Shakespeare Library) by Barbara Papendorp

A WORLDPRIDE CELEBRATION OF QUEER IDENTITY, DISCO, AND SHAKESPEAREAN DELIGHT Folger Theatre's 2025 production of Twelfth Night, directed by Mei Ann Teo, is a visually sumptuous, sonically…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 06:44PM[SHARE]
Thursday, May 1, 2025

THeater Review: HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH (Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA) by Barbara Papendorp

Upon entering the Ark Theater, one is immediately transported to a grungy, offbeat club where Hedwig and her band, The Angry Inch, are about to take the stage. Richie Ouellette's set design …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:50AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, April 16, 2025

Concert Coverage: 2025 SONDHEIM AWARD GALA HONORING MANDY PATINKIN (Signature Theatre at the Anthem Theatre) by Barbara Papendorp

A Dazzling Night of Song and Tribute Broadway took up residence on the banks of the Potomac last night as the Anthem Theatre played host to the Signature Theatre's annual Sondheim Award Gala…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:59AM[SHARE]
Saturday, April 5, 2025

Theater Review: UNCLE VANYA (Shakespeare Theatre Company) by Barbara Papendorp

A BEAUTIFULLY SHABBY, STARKLY HUMAN TRIUMPH From the moment the house opens, Shakespeare Theatre Company's Uncle Vanya, directed by Simon Godwin and starring Hugh Bonneville, signals that…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 12:46PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Theater Review: #CHARLOTTESVILLE (Keegan Theatre in D.C.) by Barbara Papendorp

HAUNTING, URGENT, AND SPEAKS VOLUMES Priyanka Shetty's #Charlottesville, currently running at the Keegan Theatre, is a searing and deeply personal exploration of one of the darkest moment…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 12:50AM[SHARE]
Sunday, March 9, 2025

Theater Review: THE AGE OF INNOCENCE (Arena Stage, DC) by Barbara Papendorp

FORBIDDEN LOVE AND THE GILDED AGE GLOW IN ARENA'S DAZZLING PRODUCTION, BUT THE AGE OF INNOCENCE LINGERS Playwright Karen Zacarías (Destiny of Desire which premiered at Arena in 2015, Nati…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 12:00AM[SHARE]
Monday, February 24, 2025

Theater Review: IN THE HEIGHTS (Signature Theatre in VA) by Barbara Papendorp

MORE THAN JUST A REVIVAL, THIS INTIMATE IN THE HEIGHTS IS A JOYFUL TRIBUTE TO COMMUNITY AND DREAMS Before Hamilton changed the face of Broadway, there was In the Heights"Lin-Manuel Miranda's…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 08:54PM[SHARE]
Friday, February 21, 2025

Theater Review: THE BEDWETTER " A NEW MUSICAL (Arena Stage in D.C.) by Barbara Papendorp

URINE LUCK WITH THIS NUMBER ONE MUSICAL Sarah Silverman's The Bedwetter splashes onto Arena Stage's Kreeger Theater with a gleeful irreverence that belies its emotional depth. Adapted from S…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 11:11PM[SHARE]
Saturday, February 15, 2025

Cabaret Review: AN EVENING WITH TITUSS BURGESS (The Barns at Wolf Trap) by Barbara Papendorp

DID TITUSS EXCITE US? AND HOW! You may know Tituss Burgess best for his scene-stealing performances in 30 Rock, Schmigadoon! and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, as well as his star tu…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 06:20PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Theater Review: SCHMIGADOON! (Broadway Center Stage, Eisenhower Theatre at Kennedy Center) by Barbara Papendorp

IT'S A SCHMIGAHIT! Adapting from his Apple TV+ series that satirized and saluted the glories of old timey musicals like Oklahoma! and Carousel, co-creator and writer Cinco Paul brings his st…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:59AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Theater Review: DEATH ON THE NILE (Arena Stage, D.C.) by Barbara Papendorp

DEATH IS ALIVE AND BETTER THAN WELL Ken Ludwig's stage adaptation of Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile premiered to a packed house at Arena Stage, with the playwright himself attendi…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:50AM[SHARE]
Saturday, November 9, 2024

Theater Review: DATA (Arena Stage in D.C.) by Barbara Papendorp

SURE, LET SILCON VALLEY DO ITS JOB WITH THE GOVERNMENT " WHAT COULD GO WRONG? Along with The Other Americans, Arena Stage is offering yet another world premiere. A highly relevant corporate …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 07:40PM[SHARE]
Saturday, October 19, 2024

Concert Review: AN INTIMATE EVENING WITH NORM LEWIS (The Barns at Wolf Trap in VA) by Barbara Papendorp

NORM SETS THE STANDARD An Intimate Evening with Norm Lewis at The Barns last night was a magical journey through his musical theater career, brimming with charm, humor, and breathtaking voca…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 08:47PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Theater Review: 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE (Broadway Center Stage at the Kennedy Center) by Barbara Papendorp

S-T-U-P-E-N-D-O-U-S AND S-I-D-E-S-P-L-I-T-T-I-N-G The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a delightful and unconventional musical comedy that debuted in 2005. With music and lyrics by …

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 07:52PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Theater Review: THE COMEDY OF ERRORS (Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington D.C.) by Barbara Papendorp

DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE, DOUBLE YOUR FUN The Comedy of Errors is one of William Shakespeare's earliest and most farcical comedies, centered around themes of mistaken identity and slapstick humo…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:58AM[SHARE]
Saturday, August 24, 2024

Theater Review: SOFT POWER (Signature Theater, Arlington, VA) by Barbara Papendorp

A FABULOUS FEVER DREAM Soft Power at Signature Theatre is a meta-theatrical production that begins with a semi-autobiographical portrayal of David Henry Hwang, who, following a near-fatal in…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:50AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, August 7, 2024

Theater Review: NINE (Broadway Center Stage at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts) by Barbara Papendorp

NINE IS A TEN AT THE KEN CEN In Nine, the musical adaptation of Federico Fellini's 1963 film 8½ now playing at the Kennedy Center, Guido Contini, a renowned Italian film director of…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:59AM[SHARE]
Sunday, July 7, 2024

Theater Review: FUNNY GIRL (National Tour at Kennedy Center) by Barbara Papendorp

KATERINA MCCRIMMON IS INDEED THE GREATEST STAR Funny Girl is a beloved musical that first premiered on Broadway in 1964, with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Bob Merrill, and a book by Isobel…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 09:58PM[SHARE]
Monday, July 1, 2024

Concert Review: BROADWAY IN THE PARK (Laura Benanti and Jordan Fisher at Wolf Trap Center for the Arts) by Barbara Papendorp

DAZZLED BY THE STARS UNDER THE STARS Last night, Signature Theatre and the Wolf Trap Center for the Arts (the only national park dedicated to presenting the performing arts) collaborated aga…

SOURCE: Stage and Cinema at 02:00AM[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