22 stories by "Cordelia Dreisonstok"
Does one follow justice to the letter of the law or is true justice following the spirit of it? Thus asks Victor Hugo in his epic novel "Les Misérables" and in its famous Broadway incarnati…
 Many people think of Steve Martin as a comedian"as goofy gumshoe Rigby Reardon in "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid" or as con-man Freddy Benson in "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels." In "Bright Star,"…
"In my happy poverty, I squander like I have a millionaire's soul." These sanguine sentiments are evoked in the libretto to "La Bohème," but can an impoverished, bohemian life truly result …
In Workhouse Art Center's "The Drowsy Chaperone," a somewhat lonely musical enthusiast, Man in Chair played convincingly by Jeffrey Davis, spins a record on his phonograph of a 1920s musical…
In Washington National Opera's unique and fascinating production of the classic opera "Turandot" by Puccini (directed wonderfully by Francesca Zambello), the setting has been updated to the …
One of the strongest points of the Puppet Co. in Glen Echo Park and its puppet shows is the ability to captivate everyone, from the youngest excited squirmy audience member to the most stark…
During the height of the inferno of a blazing summer, Wolf Trap Opera took its audiences "to hell and back" with its unusual production of "Faust." Charles Gounod's opera, based on the liter…
"Arma virumque cano, Troiae qui primus ab orisItaliam, fato profugus, Laviniaque venitlitora, multum ille et terris iactatus et altovi superum saevae memorem Iunonis ob iram;multa quoque et …
Riverside Center for the Performing Arts is currently presenting "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." Director and producer Patrick A'Hearn correctly describes this as a "fun show…
Flamboyant, sci-fi style costumes help bring "The Valkyrie" ("Die Walküre") to a new generation in the Virginia Opera production with Claudia Chapa as Fricka and Kyle Albertson as Wotan.Â�…
Verdi's "Don Carlo" was recently performed at the Music Center at Strathmore by the Maryland Lyric Opera. While based largely on the history play by Friedrich Schiller, the production might …
The story of Turandot has appeared in a surprising number of works, including an eighteenth-century play by Carlo Gozzi, a romantic drama by Friedrich Schiller, and even a modernist offering…
The Opera Philadelphia Channel, created during the Coronavirus pandemic to stream productions for an opera audience deprived of live productions at the Opera House, has produced a highly acc…
"Momentary as a sound, Swift as a shadow, short as any dream…" This quote by Shakespeare's character Lysander perfectly describes the INSeries production of Henry Purcell's "A Fairy Queen,…
Theatre-goers surely miss attending musicals, plays, and operas in person during the pandemic. While theaters remain closed, the Philadelphia Opera has launched its 2020-2021 season via stre…
"Peanuts," the classic comic strip featuring "good ol' Charlie Brown," spawned a 1967 musical "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" with book, music, and lyrics by Clark Gesner. This musical ve…
 A rainy night in Fairfax was just the right night for Clue, a game played on a board with dice, pieces, and facsimiles of murder instruments " a murder in a drawing room mystery. The Fa…
"Degas at the Opéra," an excellent exhibition of Impressionist art with a theatre theme, is currently at the National Gallery of Art. We were fortunate to have had a look at this ex…
 At a time when theaters are closed, Blackfriars Playhouse of the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, Virginia is streaming productions of Shakespeare's plays. Currently "Much Ado A…
The anti-hero has a long literary lineage. In the ancient Greek epic tradition of Homer's "Iliad," the warrior Achilles is plainly presented viewed as a flawed character " a character urged …
Two World War II-era sailors tap-dancing along "on the town," so to speak, visit a movie studio with a vintage movie camera ready to film. "What Ought We to Do?" In this conceit, the…
The Olney Big Band plays swing music from the 1930's-1940's era. Yet the fact it is  able to play in different styles and perform diverse material makes its unique repertoire accessib…
