Alan Katz

Some plays are so good, or so popular with audiences, that their return to the stage is inevitable. But some plays, like high velocity music revue Bessie's Blues, take quite awhile to flow back from their ebb.

As the show opens, Jonah is innocently trying to play video games to distract himself from the days events while Daphna harangues him into attentiveness to her complaints about Liam and the world, generally. Liam, who was not at the funeral (much to the aggravation of Daphna), is soon to arrive at the apartment and is bringing, unbeknownst to Jonah and Daphna, his very blonde and very goyische girlfriend, Melody. When they arrive, civility between Liam and Daphna is clearly moot, and Jonah and Melody are forced to play peacekeepers. From there, the situation devolves into one of the most vitriolic confrontation I've ever seen between two characters onstage.

Here's the key: the play takes place in 5 different physical locations within and outside Venus Theater's compound. You, the audience, choose how to experience the play. One could stay in the same location for the majority of the play or follow a particular character around. The best way to experience the play though, is to go wherever you feel like. Is something interesting happening over there? Walk on over. Horrified scream from the kitchen? Best check it out. In this way, We Are Samurai is very much like a mystery, where you try to piece together exactly what is going on and the relationships between the characters.

The catchy and clever script more than makes up for the drags during movement pieces, and that dragging might have been as much from my desire to get back to the story and its characters as from anything else. I was giggling throughout, and there were some nice moments of genuine tenderness. Most of the characters were lovable, and those that weren't were eminently hateable, which is just as useful and twice as hard. If you lived through the 1990's, and especially if you were young during that time, you'll recognize these characters instantly, and this production is made to tickle your nostalgia thoroughly

As the strange and sharp-turning story unfolds, it becomes clear that there are eerie similarities between the regime of the genocidal dictator and the living arrangements of these six men. They are a group of urban creatures who have moved out into the country to live a self-sufficient life. They live in a supposedly egalitarian commune that actually has strong class-based divides. And all isn't as it seems to be.

If you invest yourself even a little bit into Dani Girl, it will leave you exhausted. You will grin until your cheeks hurt. Your throat will tighten when you choke back tears. You will most likely audibly say, 'Awwww.' You may want to drive home in silence just to recover from the hilarity and the hardship, from the overall intensity of this play, the moments in it, and the moments that it recalls in your memory.

Who knew a funeral could be so fun? Pinky Swear Productions blows the roof off the Fringe tent with what may be the last installment of their award-winning cabaret series.

This is a play for people who like twisted and difficult puzzles, impossible riddles, and impenetrable modern art. This is a play for people who want to see raw impulse onstage, but can't stand the hokeyness of improv. If you've always wanted to ride the waves electric inside someone's brain and see through the unfiltered mind's eye, see The Tumbling.

The Capital Fringe Festival brings DC some hilarious and exciting new offerings: a spoof of fighting movies and 'Romeo and Juliet' set in a bar. See 'The Tournament' to take in some great stage combat. Check out 'R+J: Star-Cross'd Death Match' to get involved in some excellent debauchery,

The Wonderful World of Dissocia, which is wonderful indeed, is lovingly crafted by Theater Alliance, who have bounced back in a big way in their new space.

The Artist, the Canvas, and the 'thunderous boss' come together to make 'Bareback Ink' a must see at the Iron Crow Theatre Company's Swirnow stage.