Being mocked for one's looks or unconventional point of view; stirring up crowds against a perceived threat to society " sounds like just another day in contemporary politics. But such edgy …
When it comes to tragedy, it's still hard to beat the one about "a pair of star-crossed lovers" named Romeo and Juliet, who defy their feuding families and are denied happiness by a dreadful…
Are you among the zillions of people trying desperately to get tickets to "Hamilton" in New York? Now you can be among zillions more who will no doubt be trying to get tickets when the natio…
The ten-dollar founding father stole the cannons of his Broadway rivals as Lin-Manuel Miranda's "Hamilton" dominated the 2016 Tony Award nominations. When the smoke had cleared from the dela…
From the astounding prelude -- 136 measures of orchestral music swirling through an E-flat major chord evoking the river Rhine-- to the profound close, when that river overflows and Valhalla…
Few guests arrive with as much baggage as Blanche DuBois when she alights from a New Orleans streetcar named Desire, transfers to another called Cemeteries and rides six blocks to reach an a…
There is never a shortage of reasons to head off to New York, but last weekend's musical activities there proved particularly enticing. I always like to see the hometown team play Carnegie H…
Any theater or movie enthusiast has undoubtedly seen William Ivey Long's work.His costume designs have graced the big screen and on stage, resulting in 15 Tony Award nominations and six wins…
As Baltimore marks the first anniversary of the Freddie Gray riots, Center Stage presents a rewarding opportunity for people to examine the familiar issues " race, justice, family, poverty, …
The weighty chapter of American history that stretches from the assassination of President John F. Kennedy to the struggles by his successor to push civil rights legislation through a recalc…
It has been 400 years since William Shakespeare "shuffled off this mortal coil" ("Hamlet"). We don't know if he had "immortal longings" ("Antony and Cleopatra") as he departed, but the world…
To mark its 15th season, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company will stage its namesake's "Othello" for the first time, and add some musical theater for the first time with a production of "The Fant…
A plantation owner with the pop-culture-reference-loaded name Orry Main Scarlet looks out over his domain: "It's a beautiful day," he says, with great warmth of feeling. "A beautiful day to …
If your idea of a great Broadway show includes Las Vegas and cruise ship revues, "The Illusionists" should provide abundant satisfaction during its run at the Hippodrome Theatre. For some of…
On Monday, Center Stage announced its 2016-2017 season, and with it, its return to its Mount Vernon home after a major renovation. After staging productions like "As You Like It" and …
At 85, Marjorie sometimes forgets to eat, or just doesn't bother " especially since even taking a spoonful of peanut butter means having to confront the type with "the oil slick at the top" …
In 1791, the year we ratified our Bill of Rights and Louis XVI tired to escape revolution-rattled France and Mozart died in Vienna, a sprawling comedy titled "Wild Oats" premiered in London.…
The message was loud, clear and irresistible: "Calling out around the world: Are you ready for a brand-new beat?" That opening line from the Martha and the Vandellas 1964 single "Dancing in …
The Lyric Opera House has been galvanized by the voices of some extraordinary women during its 122-year history, starting with Nellie Melba on opening night and going on to include such lumi…
"Motown the Musical," a hearty, hefty celebration of Berry Gordy and the downright revolutionary record label he built from scratch, reached Baltimore this week. From the sound of things ope…
The more distance we get from the appalling early days of the AIDS crisis, you might think that "The Normal Heart," Larry Kramer's tense play about that time and its seemingly unstoppable to…
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will honor the 100th anniversary of its namesake's birth during the 2016"2017 season, which will also see the arrival of three new "artisti…
The brooding Danish prince looks like Kurt Cobain, reads "Trainspotting" and clearly has issues in Cohesion Theatre Company's staging of Shakespeare's "Hamlet." That this grunge-evoking char…
It really isn't a spoiler to quote the last line of Stephen Sondheim's "Road Show," which is enjoying a rare and welcome revival at Signature Theatre: "Sooner or later we're bound to get it …