All stories by Bob Ashby on BroadwayStars

Monday, March 20, 2023

Two authors, Black and white, spar in ‘The Storehouse’ at Perisphere Theater by Bob Ashby

One wrote of being enslaved; the other wrote 'Uncle Tom's Cabin.' Whose story matters more?

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 02:06PM
Thursday, March 16, 2023

A gorgeously detailed ‘Pacific Overtures’ opens at Signature Theatre by Bob Ashby

Stephen Sondheim once wrote a song titled “I Never Do Anything Twice.” It wasn’t about his career, but it might have been. The subject matter of each of his shows is distinct and singu…

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 08:10PM
Sunday, March 12, 2023

‘A Nice Indian Boy,’ a sweet comedy about love and mixups, charms at Olney by Bob Ashby

Set in the Indian-American community in California, Madhuri Shekar's play celebrates romance, misunderstandings, and the power of reconciliation.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 08:30PM
Friday, March 3, 2023

Shakespeare Theatre delivers a breathtaking ‘King Lear’ by Bob Ashby

Only rarely in a lifetime of attending theater is there a production that so engages the minds, hearts, and senses of an audience as to leave one nearly breathless with awe. Anchored by Patr…

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 12:52PM
Sunday, February 26, 2023

A moving and meaningful ‘Raisin in the Sun’ from Sterling Playmakers by Bob Ashby

The production combines Lorraine Hansberry’s commentary and the feelings of its characters and cannot but affect the minds and hearts of those who view it.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 07:53PM
Wednesday, February 15, 2023

The mind is an unreliable storyteller in memorable ‘Incognito’ at Constellation by Bob Ashby

In nonlinear short scenes involving multiple characters, the play probes the vagaries and mysteries of the human brain.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 04:38PM
Monday, February 13, 2023

A fluffy, funny spoof in ‘Something Rotten!’ at Toby’s Dinner Theatre by Bob Ashby

The livewire concoction eggs on the audience to enjoy exceedingly cheesy comedy.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 02:56PM
Wednesday, February 8, 2023

Two men share forbidden love as 1950s ‘Fellow Travelers’ at Virginia Opera by Bob Ashby

On a journey of love and loss, they face forces that make authentic lives unbearably costly.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 05:03PM
Monday, January 30, 2023

‘Lifespan of a Fact’ at Keegan Theatre asks how to tell the truth by Bob Ashby

An explosive contest between a creative nonfiction writer and a zealous fact-checker at a time when fabrication is politics as usual.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 08:32AM
Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Maryland Lyric Opera’s ‘Falstaff’ delights at Strathmore by Bob Ashby

The concert performance highlighted the musical, more than the theatrical, virtues of Verdi’s comic masterpiece

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 02:55PM
Saturday, November 19, 2022

The theater gods are shining on Sondheim’s ‘Into the Woods’ at Signature by Bob Ashby

A deliciously detailed production encompassing the deepest emotions of one of the greatest works of American musical theater.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 09:45AM
Saturday, November 12, 2022

‘Puffs’ spoofs ‘Harry Potter’ and delights its fans, at Potomac Playmakers by Bob Ashby

The play’s off-off-Broadway roots are evident in the deliberately dorky dialogue, physical comedy, and over-the-top characters.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 08:55PM
Monday, October 31, 2022

Electrifying ‘Elektra’ at Washington National Opera by Bob Ashby

A stunningly effective mixture of all the elements that make opera worth attending.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 05:14AM
Sunday, October 23, 2022

A searing ‘King Hedley II’ at Dominion Stage by Bob Ashby

Brilliant acting highlights August Wilson’s harrowing, imperfect play.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 06:01PM
Saturday, October 15, 2022

Vocal splendors shine in ‘A Little Night Music’ at Reston Community Players by Bob Ashby

Whether for first-time viewers or longtime Sondheim fans, the singing here is not to be missed.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 06:19PM
Tuesday, October 11, 2022
Saturday, September 10, 2022

‘Old Stock’ at Theater J tells two refugees’ deeply affecting love story by Bob Ashby

Klezmer, folk, and rock styles marry in this powerful musical based on playwright Hanna Moscovitch’s great-grandparents.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 07:35PM
Saturday, July 30, 2022

Unforgettably powerful ‘American Prophet’ is on fire at Arena by Bob Ashby

Inspiring new musical based on Frederick Douglass’ revolutionary speaking and writing evokes his public and private life.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 06:05AM
Monday, July 11, 2022

‘The House of the Negro Insane’ by Terence Anthony at the Contemporary American Theater Festival  by Bob Ashby

A grippingly intense experience of theater, and a microcosm of Jim Crow America, set in a mental hospital for Negroes in segregated 1935 Oklahoma.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 07:04PM
Sunday, July 10, 2022

‘Sheepdog’ by Kevin Artigue at the Contemporary American Theater Festival by Bob Ashby

She’s Black. He’s white. They are in love. They are police officers. Their acting is as close to perfection as one can expect to find on any stage.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 09:48PM

‘Ushuaia Blue’ by Caridad Svitch at the Contemporary American Theater Festival by Bob Ashby

In this vision of Antarctica in crisis. two married scienists explore what it means to coexist with the universe and each other.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 09:47PM
Tuesday, July 5, 2022

‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ set in the 1920s at Arlington Players by Bob Ashby

The gender-switched adaptation contains performances and production elements that are energetic and entertaining.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 07:45AM
Friday, June 24, 2022

‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ at Kennedy Center opens us to our political onus today by Bob Ashby

Aaron Sorkin's reimagining of Harper Lee's novel set in the 1930s is urgent and exhortative about the need to take sides against racism and ignorance now.

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 04:54PM
Saturday, June 18, 2022

Resonant ‘Fires in the Mirror’ at Theater J depicts communities in conflict by Bob Ashby

Anna Deavere Smith’s exquisite script and January LaVoy's compelling acting capture the truth of, and the contradictions among, all the voices.

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 10:30AM
Sunday, June 12, 2022

Race-casting jitters in ‘Playing Juliet and Casting Othello’ at Providence Players of Fairfax by Bob Ashby

The first portion of Caleen Sinnette Jennings’s play threatens to go full 'Noises Off' at any moment.

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 11:47AM
Monday, June 6, 2022

Singing superbly, Gay Men’s Chorus lauds queer history in ‘Unbreakable’ by Bob Ashby

At the beginning of Pride month, a musical celebration of what has been achieved, often at great cost.

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 01:37PM
Monday, May 16, 2022

‘The Joy That Carries You’ at Olney is a gem of the theater season by Bob Ashby

The playwrights’ skills and vibrant acting provide memorable portraits of two very different women seeking to be more fully together.

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 06:04AM
Thursday, May 5, 2022

‘John Proctor Is the Villain’ at Studio is provocative and gripping by Bob Ashby

Kimberly Belflower's entertaining new play embeds its feminist message in the very real, sometimes mercurial, emotions of teenagers.

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 05:45AM
Sunday, May 1, 2022

A ‘She Stoops to Conquer’ to admire at Rockville Little Theater by Bob Ashby

The comedy of manners spoofs the British class system. Direction, costumes, and set are worthy of Watch Awards.

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 07:36PM
Sunday, April 24, 2022

A circus of quirks in ‘You Can’t Take It With You’ from Goose Creek Players by Bob Ashby

In this family of comic eccentrics, they love each other as much because of as despite their oddities.

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 06:47PM
Thursday, April 21, 2022

Intense “We declare you a terrorist…” detonates and resonates at Round House by Bob Ashby

Tim J. Lord's brilliantly written play references a tragic event during Russia's war on Chechnya when theatergoers in Moscow were held hostage.

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 06:07AM

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