Andrew White - Page 9

Can a show about death and dying leave you dancing in the aisles? Well, actually it can - and blowing bubbles and tossing beach balls in the air, too. Fur real. Just come on down to Bethesda's Writer's Center for Flying V Theatre's latest offering, New York playwright Young Jean Lee's We're Gonna Die. Flying V company member Farrell Parker takes you on a young woman's gut-wrenching journey, punching back at every piece of rotten luck that comes her way.

Scena Theatre's artistic director, Robert McNamara, offers us a fresh look at some of Pinter's sparsely-written, tightly-plotted dramas-- and the American stage premiere of the postumous 'The Pres and the Officer,' which anticipates (sadly) the misrule of our current Commander in Chief.

Maryland's own Rude Mechanicals have taken on a Chekhov classic and infused it with the irony and wry humor that-believe it or not-were just what Dr. Chekhov ordered. His play Uncle Vanya, set in a provincial farm and featuring a wide variety of clumsy, maladroit characters, is given a warm, funny, and tremendously sympathetic production.

The idea of a spectacle dedicated to global warming might seem slight, with all the charm of a 3rd grade play featuring your neighbor's daughter in a polar bear suit; but Dehlholm's careful work, rooted in both the science of climate change and the raw emotions of a natural world in flux, aims high and generally hits its mark.

The performance of Alison Luff in the title role is nothing short of miraculous; her transformation from a trash-talking orange-monger to a star of the stage is unforgettable, and for theatre-goers to neglect this rare gem would border on criminal negligence.

Timothy Douglas' production of Wilson's Gem of the Ocean is as rich an experience as you could possibly ask for; set at the turn of the twentieth century, it offers a lesson in the trials of Pittsburgh's African-American community at a pivotal time in the Hill district's history. More importantly, it is an examination of a violent, exploitative past from which we, as a nation, have yet to emerge.

Sheila and Moby is a Flying V classic, and a surprisingly layered, complex look at the messy business of growing up - whether you think you have or not.

Teatro El Publico's production of Petra von Kant, which regrettably only saw two performances at the Kennedy Center's Family Theatre, is both a thoughtful exploration of humanity and a classic actor's vehicle. Featuring leggy poseurs, lavish costumes, wild hairstyles (thanks to a small vault's worth of wigs), the show is a fascinating character study, and a showcase for some of Cuba's most brilliant theatrical talent.

Serene in his knowledge of what he has done, and why he had to do it, Jon Hudson Odom's performance of Nat Turner never wavers; the man is determined to die the death of a martyr-unrepentant, unafraid, certain of his reward.

Flying V's 'Jonathan Coulton' delivers a rich evening of songs delivered with passion and more than a touch of wry-to-broad humor. A perfect antidote to those mid-winter blues!

As seasonal offerings go, An Irish Carol is perfect for those who love the narrative arc of Dickens' original, and who could use the spiritual uplift, but who are sick to death of Marleys in chains, let alone all those cheery Fezziwigs. Down-to-earth, but with heart, it shines to remind us that there is often decency hiding behind the most gruff of exteriors.

Bergman's protege Liv Ullmann directed the film version of Private Confessions in 1996, and now with the arrival of the centennial of Bergman's birth, Ullmann has returned to the scene of Bergman's heartbreak, with added depth and humanity.

If you think the late Texas-born playwright Horton Foote and his fictional home town of Harrison, Texas are little more than genteel curiosities, think again. In Quotidian Theatre's season-opening production of Foote's A Coffin in Egypt, we are confronted with a life that is complex, dark and unapologetic. The cordial but tough-willed Myrtle Bledsoe (played by Quotidean stalwart Jane Squier Bruns) is a well-heeled widow way past the age when she would care what anybody thinks.

Steven A. Butler, Jr., a Maryland native, has a truly compelling story about his La Plata great-great grandparents, whose love blossomed when the Jim Crow, Blackface era was at its height. With talent and drive, they struggled against the odds and against an exploitative white manager to operate a touring circus featuring only performers of color.

Given that it's the time of year when Synetic brings out ghoulish Halloween fare, the choice of a children's favorite like Peter Pan may come as a bit of a surprise. But in this incarnation, adapted in fine fashion by Ed Monk, this is a Peter with bite and enough darkness to keep even the grownups on the edge of their seat.

As effervescent and fun as it is filled with the world of ideas (and equations), 'Emilie: La Marquise du Chatelet Defends Her Life Tonight' is a heady evening, bringing a great women back to brilliant life both onstage and in our collective memory.

What do you do, when you find yourself with a ballet artist who can seemingly levitate at will? A lithe male body that floats and leaps with such an airy insouciance it seems almost unfair he has to come back to earth? Answer: you seek out an equally lithe, supple prima ballerina whose talents match his, but with her own distinct gestural vocabulary.

Marie Jones, a native of Belfast, brilliantly punctures our tin-whistle conceit of the Irish in her poignant drama Stones in his Pockets. The play is also an actor's dream, because it calls for two actors to take on an entire village of roles, American as well as Irish.

In keeping with their love of open-air, marketplace theatre the company embraced a variety of outdoor spaces (I saw them on the west lawn at the National Building Museum), creating a vibrant atmosphere well before the first actor took the stage.

Stop for a moment to think how things have changed; how the election of Donald Trump and the imposition of a travel ban on Muslims and openly anti-immigrant, pro-white nationalist sentiment have torn away at the nation. It is no wonder that Akhtar's searing drama deserves its place on the stage right here, and right now.