Friday, September 29, 2023

New play extols Atlanta’s Maynard Jackson, but lacks his inspiration by Peter Marks

Ford’s Theatre stages Pearl Cleage’s “Something Moving: A Meditation on Maynard,” the first play to be produced by its Legacy Commissions program.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 04:25PM

Avery Wilson is headed for Broadway. He took the scenic route. by Helena Andrews-Dyer

Singer Avery Wilson made a name for himself online. Now he’s headed to Broadway.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 06:33AM
Thursday, September 28, 2023

Melissa Etheridge is giving fans a piece of her heart on Broadway by Peter Marks

‘Melissa Etheridge: My Window’ brings the drama in a concert-style solo show built for Broadway

SOURCE: Washington Post at 09:43PM

Miranda, Rashad join theaters asking Congress for $2.5 billion in aid by Peter Marks

In the midst of a financial crisis for theater, the Professional Non-Profit Theater Coalition holds a briefing on Capitol Hill.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 06:25PM

The 16 best theaters in the D.C. area to catch a play by Thomas Floyd

From escapist eye candy to heady experimental shows, the Washington area has a playhouse for every taste.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 10:43AM
Wednesday, September 27, 2023

‘Purlie Victorious’ with Leslie Odom Jr. laughs wryly at racism by Peter Marks

Ossie Davis’s 1961 comedy, starring “Hamilton’s” Leslie Odom Jr., has its official opening on Broadway at the Music Box.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 10:37PM
Tuesday, September 26, 2023

At Ford’s Theatre, Maynard Jackson’s ex-speechwriter reflects on his legacy by Thomas Floyd

Pearl Cleage wrote “Something Moving: A Meditation on Maynard” about the first Black mayor of Atlanta after working as his press secretary decades ago.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 10:19AM
Monday, September 25, 2023

Signature’s delightful ‘King of the Yees’ pulls you into its zaniness by Celia Wren

Lauren Yee’s 2017 comic play about identity, family and heritage is bolstered by a top-notch cast and direction.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 06:55PM
Saturday, September 23, 2023

Oh, do laugh, deary. The Brits have made the year’s funniest musical. by Peter Marks

“Operation Mincemeat,” a musical by a fresh young British team, is a hit in London’s West End and may head across the Atlantic.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 06:25AM
Thursday, September 21, 2023

In new D.C. play, Zelensky and Putin meet their match in an irate Mama by Peter Marks

“My Mama & the Full-Scale Invasion,” a portrait of the playwright Sasha Denisova’s own mother, is a world premiere event at Woolly Mammoth Theatre.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 02:49PM
Wednesday, September 20, 2023

In ‘Espejos: Clean,’ the performances gleam by Celia Wren

Christine Quintana’s compassionate bilingual play, “Espejos: Clean,” is deftly acted and directed at Studio Theatre.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 02:37PM
Monday, September 18, 2023

Stand back, Washington. ‘Evita’ has never been more thrilling. by Peter Marks

“Evita,” Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s operatic bio-musical, gets a stylish revival at D.C.’s Harman Hall.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 04:25PM
Friday, September 15, 2023

In a new D.C. play, Lincoln’s head goes missing. Cue the laugh track. by Peter Marks

‘Monumental Travesties’ at Mosaic Theater Company makes the vandalism of a controversial statue a source of comedy.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 03:55PM
Thursday, September 14, 2023

On the wounded turf of Ground Zero, a new arts center offers renewed hope by Peter Marks

The Perelman Performing Arts Center, an exquisite marble cube at the World Trade Center, opens with concerts that present New York as a beacon for those seeking refuge.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 06:55AM
Tuesday, September 12, 2023

A playwright takes down a problematic memorial, with comedy by Celia Wren

In Mosaic Theater’s “Monumental Travesties,” playwright Psalmayene 24 critiques D.C.’s controversial Emancipation Memorial.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 04:25PM
Monday, September 11, 2023

Playing a conflicted priest, Raúl Méndez steals this GALA show by Celia Wren

Nilo Cruz’s wistful “Baño de luna (Bathing in Moonlight)” is running at GALA Hispanic Theatre through Oct. 1.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 06:25PM

With ‘Evita,’ a young director follows in a Broadway icon’s footsteps by Thomas Floyd

Sammi Cannold, 29, looks at Harold Prince’s “Evita” through a feminist lens at the Shakespeare Theatre.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 09:37AM
Thursday, September 7, 2023

At this show, tickets start at $17. To wash dishes. by Peter Marks

In “Dishwasher 2,” performance artist Brian Feldman asks ticket buyers to do a household chore as an adventure in submersible theater.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 03:25PM

Broadway director Stevie Walker-Webb to head Baltimore Center Stage by Peter Marks

The director of Broadway’s recent “Ain’t No Mo’” takes over as artistic director of Baltimore’s premier theater company on Oct. 1.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 05:33AM
Wednesday, September 6, 2023

‘Ink’ is a savvy look at how Rupert Murdoch learned to sell sex by Peter Marks

James Graham’s drama about Murdoch’s acquisition of London’s the Sun newspaper gets a fine Round House Theatre staging.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 02:07PM
Tuesday, September 5, 2023

The stakes are high this fall as theaters seek to lure audiences back by Peter Marks

“Fat Ham,” “Ragtime” and a Broadway-bound “The Wiz” are among the old favorites and provocative new works on the agenda.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 07:19AM

Eclectic fall performances span decades of dance history by Celia Wren

Highlights include NYCB, Martha Graham, Dorrance Dance and Urban Bush Women.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 07:19AM
Saturday, September 2, 2023

The perils and pirouettes of staging a ballet aboard the Queen Mary 2 by Peter Marks

The Cunard line’s flagship offers passengers a rare opportunity for performances at sea with the English National Ballet.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 06:43AM
Friday, September 1, 2023

Tina Howe, playwright who gave women center stage, dies at 85 by Emily Langer

Known for works both poignant and absurd, she became one of the most prominent female playwrights of her generation.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 05:33PM
Tuesday, August 29, 2023

Neil Patrick Harris will direct Kennedy Center’s ‘Tick, tick...Boom!’ by Peter Marks

Kennedy Center stages Jonathan Larson musical, “Tick, tick...Boom!” directed by Neil Patrick Harris, starting Jan. 26.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 10:19AM
Monday, August 28, 2023

Earthquake the comedian is ready to shake things up by Alexis P. Williams

Nathaniel Stroman, a Southeast Washington native who performs standup comedy under the name Earthquake, celebrates 30 years of comedy after a breakthrough year.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 10:07AM
Tuesday, August 22, 2023

Signature’s ‘Bridges of Madison County’ sings with old-school pleasure by Peter Marks

The story is familiar, but Jason Robert Brown’s vivacious score is rife with passion.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 04:19PM
Friday, August 18, 2023

Johaar Mosaval, S. African ballet star who challenged apartheid, dies at 95 by Brian Murphy

Mr. Mosaval rose to became a principal dancer in Britain’s Royal Ballet after facing discrimination at home because of his heritage and skin color.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 07:55PM

Idina Menzel reinvents herself — with a dance album and quirky TikToks by Ashley Spencer

The Tony winner, best known for her roles in “Wicked” and “Frozen,” is entering a new music era with an unconventional social media rollout.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 07:49AM
Thursday, August 17, 2023

Pass the absinthe: This ‘Moulin Rouge!’ is a cynical steamroller by Celia Wren

While the musical dazzles visually, its tired tale and bloated jukebox score fall flat at the Kennedy Center.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 03:19PM

Jason Robert Brown on building ‘The Bridges of Madison County’ by Thomas Floyd

A Tony-winning composer looks back on his 2014 show — now onstage at Signature Theatre — and reflects on the state of modern musical theater.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 10:55AM