National Theatre's latest shows part of non-Equity trend by Nelson Pressley

The National Theatre spectacularly broke out of its years-long funk last fall with "If/Then," a splashy Broadway tryout of a major new musical showcasing a genuine star in Idina Menzel. The …

SOURCE: Washington Post at 12:08pm on March 21, 2014☆⚑

Synetic Theater's 'Hamlet' is wordless but there's plenty good to say about the play by Nelson Pressley

How has Synetic Theater performed Shakespeare without words for the past dozen years? Here's a snapshot from the current revival of "Hamlet . . . the rest is silence," the inno…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 11:48am on March 18, 2014☆⚑

Rage meets misery in 'Harmsaga,' at the Kennedy Center by Nelson Pressley

Rage meets misery in "Harmsaga," the marital death grip of a play from Iceland that opened Saturday night for two performances at the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater. How psychotic is it? M…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 3:52pm on March 17, 2014☆⚑

by Nelson Pressley

Ari Roth expects protests when the new play "The Admission" finally takes the stage at Theater J this week. Agitation against the very premise of the yet-unseen drama was so strong last fall…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 11:22am on March 14, 2014☆⚑

Molotov Theatre's 'Normal' is a chilling look at serial killer the Vampire of Dusseldorf by Nelson Pressley

If horror suits your taste, then the small Molotov Theatre Group may be your bucket of blood. The hour-long creeper "Normal" is on display in the closet-sized District of Columbia Arts Cente…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 11:33am on March 11, 2014☆⚑

Brian d'Arcy James at Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater by Nelson Pressley

Brian d'Arcy James listens to the anthem "Who I'd Be" from the Broadway version of "Shrek" and hears Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes." He convincingly mashed them together to wrap up his 90-mi…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 2:24pm on March 9, 2014☆⚑

At World Stages: 'Les Souffleurs Commandos Poétiques,' from Japan and France by Nelson Pressley

"Les Souffleurs Commandos Poétiques" March 28-30, in public spaces throughout the Kennedy Center Country: Japan and France Description: "Les souffleurs" means "whisperers," and that's …

SOURCE: Washington Post at 8:58pm on March 8, 2014☆⚑

At World Stages: 'A Great Wilderness,' from United States by Nelson Pressley

"A Great Wilderness" March 22 at Terrace Gallery Country: United States Description: A staged reading of a new play from on-the-rise dramatist Samuel D. Hunter, a writer in residence at…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 8:58pm on March 8, 2014☆⚑

At World Stages: 'Green Snake,' from China by Nelson Pressley

"Green Snake" March 27-30, Eisenhower Theater Country: China Description: An interpretation of a timeless Chinese myth about two sister snakes becoming human and attempting love, adapte…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 8:51pm on March 8, 2014☆⚑

At World Stages: 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,' from England and South Africa by Nelson Pressley

"A Midsummer Night's Dream" March 20-23, Eisenhower Theater Country: England and South Africa Description: Shakespeare's fairy-fueled comedy, from the minds of the acclaimed "War Horse"…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 8:45pm on March 8, 2014☆⚑

At World Stages: 'Harmsaga,' from Iceland by Nelson Pressley

"Harmsaga" March 15-16, Terrace Theater Country: Iceland Description: From the National Theatre of Iceland, a young couple with two children find themselves adrift online as their marri…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 8:45pm on March 8, 2014☆⚑

Lauren Gunderson's 'I and You' is a crafty drama that mostly escapes sentimentality by Nelson Pressley

"How do you hate poetry?" an earnest and disbelieving high-schooler named Anthony asks a prickly, bedridden girl in "I and You," a crafty two-character drama by Lauren Gunderson. The reply f…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 2:13pm on March 7, 2014☆⚑

The Twinkie of musicals, 'Mamma Mia!' arrives at National Theatre, somehow not totally stale by Nelson Pressley

Only about a half dozen shows have run longer on Broadway than "Mamma Mia!," which will disco past "Rent" this week on the all-time durability chart. It still tours, too, and a non-Equity co…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 3:24pm on March 5, 2014☆⚑

Grim reality meets supernatural mystery in 'Pluto,' at Forum Theatre by Nelson Pressley

Early Monday afternoon, a rumor flickered across Twitter about a possible gunman on a Big Ten campus. The report was false, but for a moment it was terribly easy to believe it was all happen…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 4:29pm on February 26, 2014☆⚑

Washington Stage Guild gives mostly thrilling voice to Shaw's relevant 'Back to Methuselah' by Nelson Pressley

"Life must not cease," the serpent declares to Adam and Eve in George Bernard Shaw's "Back to Methuselah." "That comes before everything." That may sound obvious, but Shaw wasn't so sure Eur…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 2:52pm on February 25, 2014☆⚑

Source Theatre's 'The Cole Porter Project' sends up the Beltway crowd by Nelson Pressley

How inside the Beltway is the puckish new "The Cole Porter Project" at Source Theatre? House Speaker John Boehner's name gets worked into the lyrics of "You're the Top." Robert Griffin III g…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 2:51pm on February 24, 2014☆⚑

Washington Stage Guild is taking a risk in tackling Shaw's 'Back to Methuselah' by Nelson Pressley

In 1923, a British theater manager told George Bernard Shaw that he wanted to produce the playwright's latest work, a sprawling five-play cycle called "Back to Methuselah." "I asked him was …

SOURCE: Washington Post at 12:56pm on February 21, 2014☆⚑

Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin bring a mature energy to Kennedy Center by Nelson Pressley

You really don't need more on a stage than this: Patti LuPone, her hip slightly cocked, standing next to Mandy Patinkin, his hands gravely folded in front of him, with both of them singing "…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 10:37pm on February 20, 2014☆⚑

On breathless, barnstorming tour, 'American Idiot' feels less than electric by Nelson Pressley

The touring company of "American Idiot" has already played two dozen cities this year, some of them one-nighters in places such as Manhattan, Kan., and Elmira, N.Y. That grind didn't stop th…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 2:11pm on February 19, 2014☆⚑

Woolly Mammoth's 'We Are Proud' is both explosive and ungainly by Nelson Pressley

The new show at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company is wild and windy, living up to a title so long and full of fanfare that it practically demands its own paragraph. Ladies and gentlemen: "We Ar…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 2:39pm on February 17, 2014☆⚑

Iris Rainer Dart on 'Beaches' at Signature - The Washington Post by Nelson Pressley

Now "Beaches" is washing ashore again as a brand-new musical starting Tuesday at Arlington's Signature Theatre. That might give you the impression that Dart has been a re-purposing one-hit w…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 12:50pm on February 16, 2014☆⚑

Iris Rainer Dart on 'Beaches' at Signature by Nelson Pressley

"Beaches" is what Iris Rainer Dart is best known for, and if it's all she ever did, her career would have reached an enviable high tide. The 1985 novel followed an urchin showgirl and an ari…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 2:08pm on February 14, 2014☆⚑

D.C. actors' favorite tearjerker songs by Nelson Pressley

When things go bad for Barbara Hershey's character in the 1988 movie "Beaches," the soundtrack swells. Bette Midler sings "Wind Beneath My Wings," and for many viewers the mysterious faucets…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 2:03pm on February 14, 2014☆⚑

Small Landless Theatre receives unexpected buzz over plan to stage 'Sweeney Todd' by Nelson Pressley

Landless Theatre Company, a small Washington outfit known for satire and, perhaps more distinctively, cult rock dramas, has obtained permission to amp up a new prog metal version of "Sweeney…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 9:38am on February 14, 2014☆⚑

Style Blog: Exclusive video: Duet from Signature Theatre's new musical 'Beaches' by Nelson Pressley

The new musical of "Beaches" begins previews Tuesday at Signature Theatre, so reach for your hankies and bathe in heartbreaking show tunes. Signature is sharing exclusive rehearsal video of …

SOURCE: Washington Post at 4:53pm on February 12, 2014☆⚑