David Friscic

A sophisticated, slightly sweet, and satiric tone sweeps over the characters of the luxuriously professional production of the musical Some Like it Hot, now touring at the National Theatre. From the moment that the show opens with the ode to self-gratification and excess “What Are You Thirsty For?” to the hymn to misbehavior “Let’s Be Bad” to the rousing finale “Baby, Let’s Get Good” ---this show grabs the audience and never lets it go.

The autobiographical world of playwright Paula Vogel comes alive in the illuminating and fragilely evocative “tone poem” of a play entitled The Mother Play at the Studio Theatre. This very moving and occasionally caustic play explores all the hard issues of life in a family—such as death, illness, financial problems and –above all—the dislocation that occurs from constant moving to new locations. (Indeed, the subtitle of the play is “ A Play in Five Evictions”). The Herman family is composed of a very peripatetic mother who has survived the onslaught of a divorce and unwanted children, but she passes so much rage onto her two children, and she drowns herself in martinis.

Specific events in the intimate world of Anatevka, Russia are presented in a manner that propels universal understanding of the relevant themes of family, forgiveness, acceptance, and tolerance in the highly immersive and interactive staging of the renowned classic Fiddler on the Roof, now at the Signature Theatre. The engaging ensemble assembled here under the ingenious direction of Joe Calarco, shows why this landmark 1964 musical has spawned so many stage revivals through the decades as well as a magnificent 1971 film. (Based on the Sholem Aleichem stories by special permission of Arnold Perl).

The play Fremont Ave., which is now at the Kreeger Theater at the Arena Stage, is an interesting attempt to show the healing effects of intergenerational family bonds. The playwright, Reggie D. White, has attempted to convey a multitude of  themes and moods as affects the Plique family as they live their lives in a southern California  suburb from 1968 until the 2020’s. As the characters in the play confront their dreams, ambitions, and fears the audience reacted with such interactive yelling and talking back to the stage that the play certainly evoked much response –so much response that I was unable to hear the lines at many times.

The directing, composing, and writing team of the talented Matt Conner and Stephen Gregory Smith are presenting an intriguing revival of their 2015 world premiere of their intense and enigmatically ambitious production of The Turn of the Screw: The Musical. This adaptation from the acclaimed author Henry James’ novella—The Turn of the Screw, is highly provocative and moves along swiftly in a highly coiled and compressed eighty-minutes in the intimacy of the Creative Cauldron Theatre space.

The Inheritance (as in the title of the same award-winning epic play now being presented in a moving and masterly production at Bethesda’s Round House Theatre) is the legacy that must be respected, remembered and passed on from generation to generation so that a record of the tortuous winding road of LGBTQ history can never be forgotten or erased.

The title of the devastating and psychologically complex play entitled Everything is Wonderful is considered to be code in the Amish way of life, but it is, concurrently, a bit of an ironic title as well for a play that looks to differing points of view for its appeal (the “English” culture might consider this phrase to be almost ironic). 

The Sound of Music is a veritable old warhorse of the Broadway musical canon, and it has stood the test of the vicissitudes of time. No amount of changing source material, cynicism, saccharine, or negativity can puncture the universal themes of familial love, romantic love, devotion spirituality, perseverance, forgiveness, and devotion that permeate this beloved musical. These universal themes have resonated with audiences from time immemorial---and are especially pertinent in today’s polarized times. 

Twenty-three songs from the catalogue of the legendary composer and musician Duke Ellington creatively exploding with swinging energy or calming with mellow moods are enough to make one’s mind spin ---but combine this with a creative book by Cheryl L. West (the project was conceived by Sheldon Epps) that is based on playwright William Shakespeare’s famous comedy Twelfth Night, and you have hit the merriment mother lode courtesy of the Signature Theatre. 

The ever popular and hardy perennial of the operatic canon, composer Georges Bizet’s Carmen, was given a unique yet solid interpretation by the Wolf Trap Opera under the direction of John de los Santos. (Originally directed by Anne Bogart, according to the program). This opera is so well-known (and almost ubiquitous)---that I could feel the palpable excitement in the audience as the opera was about to begin ---even on a hot and humid August evening at the cavernous Filene Center at Wolf Trap.

The H Twins is a welcome debut at the District Fringe (as well as worldwide). This compelling piece is alternately intriguing, dramatically involving, suffused with touches of bittersweet dark comedy, and continually surprising in its narrative development. There is no listed director but the author and one of the leading performers ---Hope Campbell Gundlah (as Hilda) ---might possibly have something to do with this enticing blend of satire, dark humor, and horrid dramatic reality --that is infused in this absorbing and penetrating play.

An air of breezy improvisation (spurred on by challenges from the audience –wordplay, free association and audience interaction are all involved) is on-hand in the District Fringe offering entitled Out of My Wheelhouse. Director and producer Nora Dell states that “this show pushes the boundaries between performance art, improv, sketch, and game show. More is more.” Indeed, this escapist show has many moments of mirth but at times it seems to be no more than a heightened game of charades for the audience to laugh at.

A diverse mix of women songwriters were presented in  a series of sixteen innovatively arranged song performances by the Signature Theatre Cabarets series Wednesday evening.

Dolly Parton’s “larger than life” and generous, warm persona  - which captivates millions with her artistry, vocals, instrumental prowess, philanthropy, film stardom, stellar business sense, songwriting skills, producing and children’s book writing - hovers over the audience (including myself) in the multi -media event concert: Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs in Symphony.

The Marriage of Figaro, Mozart’s beloved opera of amorous lovers, mistaken identities, and affairs of the heart, is replete with warmth, lyricism, and a touch of sweetness. Though there is formal elegance galore in Mozart, Director E. Loren Meeker has opted for a warm and affectionate approach to the material.

What can one say about Hunter S. Thompson, the infamous “Gonzo” journalist who wrote about the Hell’s Angels, The Kentucky Derby, who wrote prolifically in Rolling Stone Magazine and who plunged into Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (with drug -fueled adrenalin) and who embraced political passions in Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail? It seems quite a hell of a lot ---especially if one witnesses the jam-packed minutiae and layers of Hunter J. Thompson’s musically embellished narrative, --where autobiography, history and psychological facets of consciousness collide and converge in the explosive Signature Theatre production of The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical.

The play King James –now at the Round House Theatre ---is like a pleasurable afternoon shooting hoops with a friend in the summer. This character-driven play by Rajiv Joseph (who gave us the play Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo---which was presented at Round House in 2012) is entertaining and refreshingly absorbing in moments; it lingers in the mind like a fond glow.

The pivotal and star-crossed main characters and the Catfish Row community come alive in the highly influential, thought-provoking, and engrossing opera Porgy and Bess. This much discussed opera has its partisans and detractors but there is a distinct need to ponder and consider a work of this quality. This Washington National Opera production beautifully melds content and form in this story of a crippled man (Porgy) who must travel the lonely road (“When Gawd make cripple, He means him to be lonely. Night time, day time, He got to travel that lonesome road.”) to find wholeness with the easily gratified yet complex and caring Bess.

An evening of the myriad modes of music that constitute the American Experience was celebrated at the Kennedy Center’s production of American Rhapsody. The evening was a rich treasure trove of the glory that is American music from opera, spirituals, modern composers, classic songwriters, and Broadway.

My emotional and artistic journey with performer extraordinaire Mandy Patinkin was renewed as I watched the Signature Theatre’s Sondheim Award Gala celebrating Mandy Patinkin (at the Anthem on the Wharf on April 14, 2025).  Mr. Patinkin is a truly intersectional artist who has conquered the world of Broadway, concerts, albums, television, and film. Mr. Patinkin’s talent and skills cross-pollinate across all cultural touchstones.