George Mason News

Manoa Valley Theatre presents its season finale live on stage from July 5 - 22 at Kaimuki High School. What can happen when a traditional fairytale princess falls in love with a local Japanese prince? Just about anything imaginable! Fun and adventure abound when Princess Alexis journeys to a faraway kingdom where she encounters outrageous characters, meets the prince of her dreams and must pass a most unusual test. It's a fun and crazy adventure great family entertainment as they go on a fun and crazy adventure!

An original devised play, The Tragical Comical Fool's Game (Or, Nun of Your Business) follows Bella (an almost nun) as she grapples with her destiny and a crazy crew of characters all trying to sway her in various directions. Very (very) loosely based on Measure for Measure, The Fool's Game shows on July 10th at 5pm, 11th at 7pm, 18th at 9:15pm, 21st at 6:15pm, and 26th at 5pm. It runs approximately one hour. All performances will be held at the Christ United Methodist Church at 900 4th Street, SW - Orange Venue. Individual tickets go for $17 and can be purchased on the Capital Fringe website. Please note that you will need a Capital Fringe button ($5 through July 6th) to enter the venue!

The Foreplay, a comedic play by Michael Knight, will be presented by Something Clever Productions, in association with Generation Productions (Heathers, First Date, Hand To God), at The Venue in Orlando, Florida on June 30th and July 1st, 2018.

With so many things to worry about or be sad about in 2018, there is no shortage of people searching for solace wherever they can find it. Thankfully, six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald provided that and more during her one-night-only concert with the National Symphony Orchestra last Tuesday. Ms. McDonald, whose limitless abilities have made her the most awarded Broadway performer, gives all she has to those in attendance. The final result is the closest thing to a religious experience one may have in a theater or concert hall.

The Washington Chorus begins its 58th season on Sunday, November 18, 2018 with performances of Johannes Brahms' magnificent A German Requiem, Op. 45 and Benjamin Britten's Ballad of Heroes at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Brahms' beloved work looks to console the living, while Britten's Ballad urges the listener to remember the sacrifices made on their behalf by soldiers killed in war. Artistic Director Christopher Bell conceived the program to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day (November 11, 1918), which marked the end of World War I, now recognized as Veterans Day in the United States. Christopher Bell conducts the Chorus and orchestra. Soloists include Laura Choi Stuart, soprano and Rob McGinness, baritone.

Columbia University School of the Arts is thrilled to announce its inaugural International Play Reading Festival, set to take place in the new Lenfest Center for the Arts from June 15 to 17, 2018. Organized by Dean Carol Becker and David Henry Hwang, the festival will present readings of three plays by living international playwrights that were not originally written in English:  

Summer theater offerings in D.C. tend to pull out all the stops to draw Washingtonians off of the streets and into their venues. This shouldn't be a difficult sell if there is air conditioning: after all, escaping the humidity is a high priority for people surviving summer in the District. Nonetheless, theaters pack their summers with big exciting productions from Signature's Scottsboro Boys to Arena Stage's upcoming Dave to an unknown little show known as Hamilton at the Kennedy Center. Amongst all of the madcap mayhem for biggest summer smash, GALA Hispanic Theatre has delivered a small and intimate musical that could be one of the best times you have in D.C. this summer.

Virginia's Signature Theatre opens its air-conditioned doors once again for the annual Sizzlin' Summer Nights Series. Two and a half weeks of live music and performances by Signature favorites and DC area stars. The cabaret series runs July 19 through August 4, with a different performance every night.

An original one-man rendition of the Kurosawa epic "Seven Samurai" will be performed by David Gaines at Honolulu Theatre for Youth's Tenney Theatre, June 1, 2018 at 7:00pm.  Tickets are $10.

Pan Asian Repertory Theatre (Tisa Chang, Founding Artistic Producing Director), continuing its 41st milestone season on themes of social justice and historic amnesia, presents the new staged reading series NUWORKS 2018, a unique range of short new plays that vary from modern to ethnic dance, comedy to puppets, to family-sturm und drang.   Performances begin Tuesday, June 12, 2018 for a limited engagement through Sunday, June 17, 2018 at The Studio Theatre at Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street). 

59E59 Theaters (Val Day, Artistic Director; Brian Beirne, Managing Director) is thrilled to welcome the NYC premiere of THE ORIGINALIST written by John Strand and directed by Molly Smith. Produced by Middle Finger Production, LLC [Beth Newburger, Executive Producer] and Arena Stage and part of 59E59's Subscription Series, THE ORIGINALIST begins performances on Saturday, July 14 for a limited engagement through Sunday, August 19. 

As both a celebration of the Washington National Opera and a culmination of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts' Leonard Bernstein at 100 celebration, last weekend's Opera Gala definitely found success. While the evening had its share of disappointments (Titus Burgess of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt fame fell ill and was unable to perform; Patti LuPone, the top-billed artist of the evening, performed only two fairly short numbers) there was an undeniable electricity to the night. Previously, the WNO held an annual ball which, according to Kennedy Center Chairman David Rubenstein, included neither opera nor a ball. Switching the format to one with a formal gala reception, an opera-filled performance, and elegant dinners hosted by Ambassadors and foreign dignitaries proved the Kennedy Center can still pull off some new tricks.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater Executive Director Edgar Dobie and Artistic Director Molly Smith announce that Khady Kamara, who joined the organization in 2001 and most recently served as Associate Executive Director, will move into a newly created position as Managing Director.

The first five minutes of Theater Alliance's new production of Flood City are some of the most gripping that have graced a D.C. stage in the past year. As two women wrestle the torrential disaster which laid waste to Johnstown, Pennsylvania in 1889, the ensemble creates an immensely satisfying flood across the stage at the Anacostia Playhouse. Just when the dramatic storm is reaching a natural conclusion, the action is cut short by an announcement for the audience to turn off their phones. It's admittedly a humorous turn to the scene but it sets up a dangerous precedent for the remainder of the production: almost every scene is cut short just as it starts to settle into a groove. The result is two hours of wading through a black comedy that can't settle on a pace, tonality, or even a central theme.

As acknowledged by Director Kiernan McGowan's program note, Pericles is a hot mess of a show. It was only half-written by Shakespeare, completed later by George Wilkins (who isn't remembered for good reason). The incoherence of the plot reveals the fractured nature of the play's creation. It's understandable why this play is rarely produced. As We Happy Few demonstrates, however, this show can still be a fun ride if your performers lean into the script's ridiculousness.

The Washington Chorus sure knows how to throw a party. Capping off their 2017-18 season, the organization's recent West Side Story Ball allowed the organization to showcase their strong vocalists while celebrating famed composer Leonard Bernstein's 100th birthday. A festive evening such as this also underscored the importance of choral performances in classical spaces like churches: it makes the performance ten times better.

When defining theatrical productions, people like to break down the categories into two basic camps: plays and musicals. Anyone believing those two monikers are the only labels for modern theatrical productions have never witnessed a show like that put on by Synetic Theater in Arlington, VA. As the regions' premiere physical theater, Synetic continually pushes the boundaries of what can be on stage. This statement rang true during Tuesday's one-night-only engagement of Pygmalion & Galatea created by Founding Artistic Director Paata Tsikurishvili and his wife, Co-Founding Choreographer Irina Tsikurishvili. This powerful and highly stylized performance reveals all the best qualities of Synetic.

10 Hairy Legs, the all male repertory dance company, dèbuts at Baryshnikov Arts Center for its sixth consecutive New York Season for four performances June 7 -10. The program features World Premieres by Bessie Award Nominee and company member Nicholas Sciscione, and Yin Yue. Works by Al Blackstone, Raja Feather Kelly and Christopher Williams complete the program. Sciscione will perform his solo work and Ofer Pelz his original composition at all performances. Tickets are $25 for Adults and $20 for Students and Groups of 10 or more through 10HL.org.

There's something incredibly rewarding about a simplistic production. Once you strip away the lights, sounds, costumes and set there are shockingly few shows that can stand on their own merits. Thankfully, classic storytelling is alive and well with the talented Rosemary Cipriano who, if her recent Even Olympians Have Asthma is any indication, is ready to move to the next level of her performing.