All stories by Bob Ashby on BroadwayStars

Monday, September 25, 2023

‘Communicating Doors’ does odd time warp at Rockville Little Theatre by Bob Ashby

Even the most sterling production would have difficulty making Alan Ayckbourn’s comedy-thriller work well. By BOB ASHBY

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 03:16PM
Monday, September 11, 2023

‘Bathing in Moonlight’ bathes in superb production at GALA Theatre by Bob Ashby

Profound emotions swell as a Catholic priest must choose between the woman he loves and his vocation in the Church. By BOB ASHBY

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 07:28AM
Thursday, August 17, 2023

Gorgeous singing elevates well-worn ‘Bridges of Madison County’ at Signature by Bob Ashby

The score sounds luscious, but look elsewhere for musical complexity. By BOB ASHBY

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 09:02AM
Tuesday, July 11, 2023

‘Fever Dreams’ in rep at Contemporary American Theater Festival by Bob Ashby

Two men and a woman in a complex relationship triangle confront their hard truths.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 02:22PM

‘Your Name Means Dream’ in rep at Contemporary American Theater Festival by Bob Ashby

José Rivera's brilliant world premiere, breathtakingly acted, about artificial intelligence and aging.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 02:05PM
Monday, June 19, 2023

Keegan Theatre hatches an egg-sellent ‘Seussical’ by Bob Ashby

The musical mashup of stories by Dr. Seuss goes all in on color and energy.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 09:38AM
Saturday, June 3, 2023

A resounding redo of ‘Iphegenia’ from We Happy Few by Bob Ashby

The foundational Greek tragedy gets a shoutout.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 07:36AM
Saturday, May 20, 2023

Very funny ‘Exclusion’ tells serious story of anti-Asian bias, at Arena Stage by Bob Ashby

In this entertaining world premiere, a TV exec wants to fictionalize and commercialize a book about bigotry and the author wants the truth to be told.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 08:13AM
Sunday, May 14, 2023

María Irene Fornés’ ‘Life Is a Dream’ awakens at Baltimore Center Stage by Bob Ashby

The characters in this modern adaption of a 17th-century play make something of their lives in ways that have a real impact on the audience.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 11:09AM
Monday, April 24, 2023

Enjoyable nonsense in ‘Unnecessary Farce’ at Vienna Theatre Company by Bob Ashby

The comedy is sprinkled with amusing lines and entertaining bits, and the actors' characterizations are as exaggerated as advertised.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 08:47AM
Friday, April 14, 2023

An intimate and endearing ‘Talley’s Folly’ from Nova Nightsky’s Theater by Bob Ashby

The very real interaction of two characters we cannot help caring about.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 08:20PM
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

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