Alexander C. Kafka

Alexander C. Kafka

Alexander C. Kafka is a journalist and photographer. He has written about books and the arts for The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, D.C. Theatre Scene, and many other publications.
 






MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

Review: AN IRISH CAROL at The Keegan Theatre
Review: AN IRISH CAROL at The Keegan Theatre
December 16, 2022

This contemporary Dublin-pub take on a Dickensian tale is affecting as far as it goes. But it feels like only half a play.

Review: WICKED at Kennedy Center Opera House
Review: WICKED at Kennedy Center Opera House
December 15, 2022

Though musically uneven, this touring production of the Stephen Schwartz blockbuster is a treat.

Review: CENDRILLON at Eisenhower Theater, Kennedy Center
Review: CENDRILLON at Eisenhower Theater, Kennedy Center
November 19, 2022

Think you know the story of Cinderella? Think again. Jean-Christophe Maillot's version is warped and wonderful -- frenetic, funny, erotic, and emotionally powerful.

Review: HOLIDAY at Arena Stage
Review: HOLIDAY at Arena Stage
October 14, 2022

Philip Barry's 1928 classic is a romantic comedy, as advertised, but its layers of bittersweet emotional valence come through in this handsome production, directed by Anita Maynard-Losh.

Review: DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM at Sidney Harman Hall
Review: DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM at Sidney Harman Hall
October 8, 2022

Dance Theatre of Harlem presents the world premiere of 'Sounds of Hazel,' a celebration of Hazel Scott, at Sidney Harman Hall.

Review: LEONARD BERNSTEIN'S 'MASS' at the Kennedy Center
Review: LEONARD BERNSTEIN'S 'MASS' at the Kennedy Center
September 16, 2022

Bernstein's hugely ambitious ecclesiastical fever dream is a beautiful mess well worth experiencing.

Review: NO PLACE TO GO at Signature Theatre
Review: NO PLACE TO GO at Signature Theatre
September 9, 2022

The cabaret act turned full-production evening is well executed, but the script and songs are thin and in the Covid era the premise seems like a historical artifact.

BWW Review: AMERICA'S REQUIEM: A KNEE ON THE NECK and Mozart's REQUIEM at Strathmore Music Center
BWW Review: AMERICA'S REQUIEM: A KNEE ON THE NECK and Mozart's REQUIEM at Strathmore Music Center
March 27, 2022

Hailstork and Martin’s requiem is a grand, troubling, rich, and worthy work for an America still struggling to rise from its sometimes sordid history and violent predilections toward its lofty goals and promise.

BWW Review: THE NUTCRACKER at Kennedy Center Opera House
BWW Review: THE NUTCRACKER at Kennedy Center Opera House
November 26, 2021

The company hasn't visited The Kennedy Center for more than a decade. It's great to have it back with this charming Caribbean-inflected version of the Balanchine classic.

BWW Review: XENOS at Eisenhower Theater, Kennedy Center
BWW Review: XENOS at Eisenhower Theater, Kennedy Center
November 19, 2021

War is hell, but what, exactly, is served by a hellish choreographic critique of it -- alternatingly assaultive and monotonous -- in Akram Khan's final solo performance project?

BWW Review: THE GREAT LEAP at Round House Theatre
BWW Review: THE GREAT LEAP at Round House Theatre
November 16, 2021

At Round House Theatre, an alluring production of Lauren Yee's somewhat contrived 'The Great Leap,' a 'socio-political fable' about sports and Sino-American politics

BWW Review: WAITRESS at Capital One Hall
BWW Review: WAITRESS at Capital One Hall
October 30, 2021

The show still has a winning recipe, but this touring production doesn't measure up to its 2018 D.C. predecessor.

BWW Review: REMEMBER THIS: THE LESSON OF JAN KARSKI, at the Michael R. Klein Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company
BWW Review: REMEMBER THIS: THE LESSON OF JAN KARSKI, at the Michael R. Klein Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company
October 9, 2021

David Strathairn amazes in this tour-de-force one-man play, at Shakespeare Theatre Company through October 17. He portrays the Polish resistance fighter and diplomat who tried to warn the world about the Nazis' decimation of the Jews.

BWW Review: GOOD PEOPLE at Keegan Theatre
BWW Review: GOOD PEOPLE at Keegan Theatre
September 12, 2021

The mouthie from Southie was knocked up in high school and her now-grown daughter, Joyce, is disabled. Unreliable help from her landlady, the aptly named Dottie (Linda High) makes Margie late to work as a dollar-store cashier, so she loses yet another job. Without the nine-something an hour, how will she make rent?

BWW Review: NORM LEWIS AND THE NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA at Wolf Trap's Filene Center
BWW Review: NORM LEWIS AND THE NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA at Wolf Trap's Filene Center
July 31, 2021

A selection of Broadway standards by this accomplished singer and actor is a welcome summer treat.

BWW Review: IN THE MOMENT: A DRAWING DANCE at The Kennedy Center's Digital Stage
BWW Review: IN THE MOMENT: A DRAWING DANCE at The Kennedy Center's Digital Stage
June 8, 2021

'In the MOment: A Drawing Dance' will inspire its intended audience of 4-and-ups with its delightfully sleek, bouncy, playful universe of human movement and green-screen geometric exploration.

BWW Review: FIRST DATE at NextStop Theatre Company
BWW Review: FIRST DATE at NextStop Theatre Company
May 2, 2021

NextStop Theatre Company's 'First Date' has some chemistry, but the script can't figure out quite what genre it wants to be.






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