George Mason News

About ten minutes into the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's (AAADT) performance on Tuesday evening at the Kennedy Center I put away my notebook on which I jot down my ideas for reviews. There are only so many times that you can write variations of 'wow, that was incredible' before the phrase becomes redundant. As the Ailey dancers do on every visit to the Center, they delivered an enrapturing evening of dance with new creations and classic items from their repertoire. Yet again, this company proves why it is one of the leading dance companies worldwide.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater announces the full company for Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and author Ayad Akhtar's (Arena's Disgraced) timely tale Junk. Inspired by the real junk bond giants of the 1980s, Akhtar explores how the riveting, hostile takeover of a family-owned manufacturing company paved the way to expose the rise of greed, power, race and wealth that led to reshaping the rules of Wall Street and the world. Directed by Jackie Maxwell, Junk runs April 5 - May 5, 2019 in the Fichandler Stage.

The Private Theatre, in association with TEA Creative, is pleased to present the world premiere theatre event Rocco, Chelsea, Adriana, Sean, Claudia, Gianna, Alex, created by Vieve Radha Price and John Gould Rubin.

When the American Ballet Theatre came to Washington, D.C. last year, they served up a delectable Whipped Cream at the Kennedy Center. In 2019, the company has returned with a similarly infectious Harlequinade which, even when viewed independent of Whipped Cream, never reaches the technical heights expected of such a revered company. At Tuesday's performance, the murmurs I overheard at intermission were largely mixed with one audience member calling the dance 'enjoyable but so thin it was like looking through cellophane.' Harlequinade is a fun evening-but it plays more as an introduction to ballet then as a truly triumphant production.

Rehearsals are underway for Prince William Little Theatre's 'Anne of Green Gables,' a charming play by L.M. Montgomery and Sylvia Ashby, produced by arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH.

NBCSN's college basketball coverage continues this weekend with five Atlantic 10 Conference matchups, highlighted by an A-10 doubleheader on Saturday, January 5, and a tripleheader on Sunday, January 6.

Some people go to the theater to find a place to escape from the world around them. If you are one of those people, Studio Theatre's production of Kings wont be your cup of tea. This production is often an uncomfortably real exploration of politics, lobbyists and daily life in the heart of our nation. It takes a moment for the plot to get moving, but once it has left the station, Kings proved to be a thoroughly enjoyable ride.

IMG Artists, today's leading global performing arts management agency, announces a 36-city North American tour with multi-genre recording artist Damien Sneed. The Sphinx Medal of Excellence recipient will bring his brand of classical, jazz, and gospel music to “We Shall Overcome: A Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., featuring Damien Sneed.” The tour will kick off on Friday, January 11, 2019, at the Empire Center at The Egg in Albany, NY, and will make stops at concert halls and universities in the U.S. and Canada. The tour will conclude on March 3 at the Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto, CA.

Prince William Little Theatre hits the stage at the Hylton Performing Arts Center again, this time presenting, 'It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play' directed by Caroline Scarborough, adapted by Joe Landry, and presented by special arrangement with Playscripts. This beloved American holiday classic comes to life as a live, captivating 1940s radio broadcast. With the help of an ensemble that bring a few dozen characters to life on the stage, the story of idealistic George Bailey unfolds as he faces difficult circumstances one fateful Christmas Eve. This production is for all ages and perfect for the entire family. For tickets and more information, please visit www.PWLT.org.

Producing Artistic Director Carolyn Griffin is pleased to announce that Christmas at the Old Bull and Bush 2018 will be returning to MetroStage (Nov 29-Dec 30). The play, written and directed by Catherine Flye, had an acclaimed six year run at the Old Vat Room at Arena Stage (1997-2003) before debuting at MetroStage last season. Two members of the original Bull and Bush cast will be joined by some new members of a very eccentric British troupe to entertain audiences for the holidays.

If you have ever attended an opera and thought 'all of these sets and costumes are so incredibly distracting' then Washington Concert Opera would be right up your alley. Stripping away the grandiose of an opera production, WCO presents their works in their most raw form: with just an orchestra, a chorus, and principles who sing their hearts out. This minimalist style isn't likely to convert opera skeptics, but it is a great way to deepen one's appreciation for the art form. Their most recent presentation of Charles Gounod's first opera, Sapho, benefits from some strong lead performances. It's just a shame that the libretto isn't better.

Producing Artistic Director Carolyn Griffin is pleased to announce that Christmas at the Old Bull and Bush 2018 will be returning to MetroStage (Nov 29-Dec 30). The play, written and directed by Catherine Flye, had an acclaimed six year run at the Old Vat Room at Arena Stage (1997-2003) before debuting at MetroStage last season. Two members of the original Bull and Bush cast will be joined by some new members of a very eccentric British troupe to entertain audiences for the holidays.

Prince William Little Theatre hits the stage at the Hylton Performing Arts Center again, this time presenting, 'It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play' directed by Caroline Scarborough, adapted by Joe Landry, and presented by special arrangement with Playscripts. This beloved American holiday classic comes to life as a live, captivating 1940s radio broadcast. With the help of an ensemble that bring a few dozen characters to life on the stage, the story of idealistic George Bailey unfolds as he faces difficult circumstances one fateful Christmas Eve. This production is for all ages and perfect for the entire family. For tickets and more information, please visit www.PWLT.org.

One hundred years after the armistice of The Great War, it is still crucial to honor the memory of all who fought to create a better world for the future. Washington National Opera's production of Silent Night, which opened on Saturday night at the Kennedy Center, is a glorious celebration of the brave soldiers who have risked their lives for their countries. The production is weakened by some questionable staging choices but serves as a suitable showcase for opera's rising stars.

Just because a work is new doesn't mean that it isn't able to honor the classic sources that paved the way for its creation. This idea is underscored in the Ragamala Dance Company's elegant and well-executed performance of Written in Water, which relies on the ancient Indian board game Paramapadam (a precursor to Snakes and Ladders) and Hindu mythology to craft the performance's three movements. Even though the performance could benefit from more dynamic shifts in tonality, the overall effect is gorgeous and precise.

Manoa Valley Theatre continues its momentous 50th anniversary play season with the world premiere of Shipment Day, by Hawaii-born playwright, Lorenzo DeStefano. The play, of which an earlier version received the 'Best Play' award in Playbuilders of Hawaii's 2016 New Works Festival, is set in Honolulu between 1934 and 1937, dramatizing the traumatic early life experiences of DeStefano's Portuguese cousin, the well-known leprosy activist Olivia Robello Breitha. It chronicles Olivia's diagnosis with the condition at 18, her two-and-a-half-year confinement at Kalihi Hospital, to the day before her shipment to Kalaupapa, the Hansen's Disease settlement on Molokai. As Hawaii State Department of Health parolee #3306, Olivia would spend the next seventy years of her life, until her death in 2006 at the age of 90, at Kalaupapa.

Theater J's new production of Actually, which opened on Monday night, provides new voices to the issue of campus safety and sexual assault. Anna Ziegler's script undoubtedly has important things to say-and Actually is a crucial piece which dives into the intricacies of campus safety. It's tough material that suffers from some uneven pacing but one which, nevertheless, encourages continued engagement and thought.

Hamlet Machine, an adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet and Henrikh Muller's Hamletmachine by Ani Vardanyan, will officially start performance Off-Broadway on October 24th, 2018 at Theatre Row (410 W 42nd St.)

Every now and then, a show comes along that is an undeniable "must-watch." The reasons for such a status may vary but the final verdict is unmistakable: the performance cannot be missed. With The Fall, Studio Theatre has such a scenario on their hands. This 80-minute performance, brought to D.C. by The Baxter Theatre Centre at the University of Cape Town, flies by so quickly that I didn't want it to end.

When Shakespeare Theatre Company first announced their 2018/19 season, I was hesitant. The season didn't feel grand enough to serve as a proper goodbye to Michael Kahn, who has developed this company into an international institution. Having now seen their first production, The Comedy of Errors, and their spectacular fall gala, I think it is safe to say my hesitation was unfounded. STC is sending their founder off with quite a spectacular farewell.