In politics, the expression "Marxist farce" could well be a slur hurled by some puerile and petulant presidential hopeful (you never know these days). In theater, however, the term "Marxist …
Even if you already know how inspiring and moving this show is, from seeing the film or the musical on stage, you are in for a spirit-lifting, heart-leaping, foot-stomping thrill when you ex…
There is a critical conversation going on in Anacostia right now that may be one of the most urgent and honest exchanges between black women and black men the American theater has ever k…
Last night in a small, tucked-away space in Silver Spring, I watched a "real time" drama so exciting and original, so drop-dead funny and knock-out suspenseful, that I left the theater dazed…
At a point in Mosaic Theater's Promised Land"a powerhouse of a play performed inside an intimate space that's more like a concrete bunker than a black box"we see the searing image of people …
"The situation in 1940s apartheid South Africa is very similar to what was seen in 1940's America, 1960's America, 1980's America, and even what we see in the present day." I was talking wit…
We enter a mini coliseum and take our seats on cushions of many colors on one of several rows of blue benches encircling the blank stage. The dim lighting feels hallowed; the music, reverent…
Last night I had the great satisfaction of watching Howard University students take on the challenge of a certifiably risk-taking play"Tarell Alvin McCraney's Marcus; Or the Secret of Sweet"…
When I recently read Wendy Wasserstein's The Sisters Rosensweig, which opened in 1992, I sensed it was written in response to the women's movement at the time. Wasserstein's 1988 The Heidi C…
This play by Andrew Bovell in this 1st Stage production burned so many astounding images onto my brain"and sent into my ears so many searing exchanges"that my head is still spinning. For ins…
The production of Suzan-Lori Parks' acclaimed three-part saga now having its regional premiere at Round House Theatre is some of the most amazing storytelling I've seen on stage. Amazing on …
What's the best way to stage a modern classic that is both reverential and revelatory? How does one mount a production that is respectful of the author's intent yet freshly insightful. How c…
It was a record-setting blizzard, not prescient season planning, that resulted in Mosaic Theater Company's rescheduling the opening of I Shall Not Hate to last night, International Holoca…
When I first saw Love in Time of HIV in May 2012, I was deeply impressed. Giving voice to a young generation's encounter with the health crisis left them by their elders, the play by Kieyont…
I just love it when theater laughs at itself. Who can forget the clockwork guffaws of Michael Frayn's Noises Off, or Shakespeare's enchanting send-up of theatrical conceits in the "Pyramus a…
"It's complicated." So begins"on a note of supreme understatement"Writer/Performer Aaron Davidman's captivating and insight-rich solo show, Wrestling Jerusalem, the third provocative product…
The event had a provocative hashtag in its title: As if to reference an emergency that is tragically trending worldwide. As if to signal the evening's explicit link to a global community of …
Stars of David: Story to Song"a rapturously beautiful concert musical now in a limited engagement at Theater J"is a unique blend of thrilling singing and insightful biography. Illuminating i…
Rorschach Theatre has produced another one-night-only show in its adventurous and eclectic Klecksography series, and Saturday night I went to report on what I saw. If I had to encapsulate th…
Signature Theatre's production of West Side Story is every bit as eye-filling and ear-thrilling as any lover of this great American musical could wish. On a spacious thrust stage inside the …
There is a shibboleth shared by liberals and conservatives alike that when a young black man shoots to death another young black man in the inner city, the fault lies in themselves. Somethin…
This being a show meant for kids, I defer to a critical opinion I overheard right afterward, voiced by a child not yet 5: Â "That was really cool! Really funny too!" Coauthored by Mario Ba…
‘Tis the season for jolly laughter, and if you like humor that's loopy, irreverent, quick-witted, and fresh, you'll fit right in at Washington Improv Theater's annual Seasonal Disorder…
Plays about playmaking have an enduring appeal. Think Noises Off, Six Characters in Search of an Author. Shows about shows on the musical stage have indelible charm. Think Chorus Line, Kiss …
When I first saw Joshua Harmon's brilliant play Bad Jews at The Studio Theatre about this time last year, I could not contain my enthusiasm. I praised it to the skies: Bad Jews is so over-th…