Elliot Lanes - Page 14

Today's subject Judy Kuhn has been living her theatre life as a working actress/singer/recording artist for over thirty years. On May 5th you will be able to see this incredible Tony-nominated talent live in concert at Dumbarton Church in Georgetown as part of the Dumbarton Concerts series. The program is entitled Judy Kuhn: A Broadway Cabaret.

Adventure Theatre's visionary Artistic Director Michael J. Bobbitt has, for many years, pushed the boundaries of Theater for Young Audiences (TYA).  For example, out of its location at Glen Echo Park, Adventure Theatre has created original productions of the popular comic strip Garfield, Big the Musical and a two character The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. Those are only a few examples of the company's vast repertoire.

As many of you know, Arena Stage's Artistic Director Molly Smith has been very active on a number of national social issues, including LGBT rights and gun control in addition to her exemplary artistic work. In this way, perhaps it's only natural that the headliner at this year's Arena Stage Gala on May 10th is not only a great singer/songwriter, but also an accomplished speaker and humanitarian.

Today's subjects Carla Crawford, Diego Maramba, and Matt Calvert are currently living their theatre lives as cast members in The Theatre Lab School of the Dramatic Arts' production of If/Then. The production runs through April 28.

Most of us in this area know Michael Kahn as the Artistic Director of Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC). It's a post he will have held for over thirty years when he retires at the end of the company's 2018/19 season.

The tale of Robin Hood has provided source material for several famous screen adaptations over the years, including the classic Hollywood film with Errol Flynn and the Disney animated feature that portrayed all the characters as animals. With the exception of Young Robin Hood at Round House Theatre a few years back, there really hasn't been a good stage treatment for the guy who steals from the rich to give to the poor...until now.

I like, many musical theatre nerds get excited every time a world premiere musical comes to town. Arena Stage is providing that fix right now with an Alaskan-rooted premiere of Snow Child. Today's subjects Christiane Noll and Matt Bogart are currently living their theatre lives as the leads in this production, which runs through May 20, 2018.

One of the great things about DC theatre is that we have the opportunities to experience theater from all over the world, including from some of the most artistically renowned companies.  Take for example the Druid Theatre Company in Galway, Ireland.  Today's subject Garry Hynes is living her theatre life as Artistic Director of that esteemed company.  The Druid's production of Waiting for Godot is embarking on its year-long tour with a run at Shakespeare Theatre Company through May 20.

One thing can be said about award-nominated playwright Annie Baker. She captures the human condition in the most realistic of ways. This is no more apparent than in Signature Theatre's production of Baker's latest work, John. Director Joe Calarco delivers his finest staging to date. He's assembled a superb cast that includes the grand dame of DC theater, Nancy Robinette.

I have seen and worked on plenty of solo shows in my more than twenty years in the business and sometimes I see one that just leaves me asking, 'How did this performer get to do this show?' Unfortunately Deb Filler is in that situation right now at MetroStage with her concoction called I Did it My Way In Yiddish (In English).

The company that makes great theater for everyone is at it again. Taffety Punk Theatre Company's mission is, and always will be, to put out a good product while making it affordable for everyone. Tickets are $15 and there are also “pay what you can” performances. The current production, well worth the ticket price and then some, is a knockout version of Moliere's tale of the great lover Don Juan. It stars the superb DC actress Tonya Beckman in what, so far, is the role of her career.

It's getting to that time of year when we think about things that are truly American. We might think about baseball games and hot dogs.  There's also,  of course, the annual Fourth of July concert on PBS featuring Maestro Keith Lockhart and the world famous Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra. If you can't wait until the 4th however, you can catch this true American institution on Sunday, April 8 at the Music Center at Strathmore in Bethesda, MD.  Performances are at 2 PM and 7 PM.

As if there weren't enough scary things in the world right now, I've come to realize that I have been going to live theatrical productions for over 43 years. That means I have been sitting in the dark for a long time (no jokes please).

Today's subjects, Bill Largess and Ann Norton, are living their theatre lives as the Artistic Director and Executive Director of one of the gems in our local theatre scene.

I often state that a solo show is the hardest kind of theater performance to put together because it's just the performer and the audience. In most cases, the show would be an actor telling his/her story or portraying multiple characters. Most of these are easy to follow because there is a clear story line. Now, consider Scena Theatre's latest offering featuring the dynamic actress Nanna Ingvarsson performing three short pieces by the master of easy to follow, minimalist, avant garde material...Samuel Beckett. Yes, you read that right. If you go in thinking of the three pieces as acting exercises rather than full pieces of complete theatrical storytelling, you are sure to have a good experience.

Today's subject, Andrew Walker White, is currently living his theatre life onstage at Quotidian Theatre Company in Bethesda, MD. in the title role of Hobson in Hobson's Choice. The production runs through March 11th.

Last season on Broadway there was a play called Time and the Conways presented at Roundabout Theatre Company. The play hadn't been seen on Broadway since 1937 and after seeing it I understood why. That said, the production had a great look and a very good cast so you could forget about the stodginess of the script. Bethesda, Maryland-based Quotidian Theatre Company's current production of Hobson's Choice bears a resemblance to Time and the Conways because you don't ever see it performed. Unfortunately, the production values – a result of a limited budget – and some questionable casting can't hide all the warts of Harold Brighouse's over 100-year-old script.

We all have bad days; it's inevitable. Something happens to us every once in a while that turns our day from good to bad. However, nothing can top the day that twelve-year-old Alexander has in Adventure Theatre's latest offering, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

Sometimes touring productions of Broadway musicals are better than their original versions. When I first saw the Tony Award nominated musical Something Rotten in NYC, I found it to be forced and too over-the-top. The current touring production, now playing DC's National Theatre, features a cast that some might say is even better than the original. While all the laughs are still there, everything feels more natural.

Sometimes playwrights have a good idea for a script, but can't leave well enough alone. Such is the case with Laura Schelhardt and her world premiere commissioned play Digging Up Dessa, now playing in the Family Theater at Kennedy Center as part of the Women's Voices Theatre Festival.