Elliot Lanes

I honestly think there is something in the water at Glen Echo Park because Adventure Theatre MTC is now four for four this season with their latest production Aesop’s Fables. This show is fast paced, well-acted, well- directed, and most importantly, educates as well as entertains.

Multi- Award winning composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz has had a long and distinguished career in writing for both theatre and film. He is probably best known nowadays for his work on Wicked, but his career goes far beyond that one hit show.

Today’s subject Charity Arianna is currently living her theatre life on tour playing Nabulungi in the current North American Tour of The Book of Mormon. The show will be in DC from April 28th to May 3rd at the National Theatre.

Tomorrow, April 25th, will mark the 32nd anniversary of the passing of vocal arranger, musical director, pianist, and musical genius James Raitt. He was only 41years old when AIDS took him from us far too soon. While James’ career was cut short, what he left us will always be a reminder of his many talents.

Today’s subject Lauren M. Gunderson is a prime example of an artist living her theatre life to the absolute fullest. She has had the honor of being the most produced playwright in this country three times and shows so signs of letting up with her always superb creative output. One of her latest projects is the world premiere of  I And You The Musical which is in performance at Olney Theatre Center through May 24th. The show is based on her play of the same name, which was part of a Rolling world premiere that played at Olney Theatre Center in 2015.

Today’s subject Kokayi is currently living his theatre life as the composer of John Lewis: Prodigy of Protest at Mosaic Theater Company. The show runs through May 3rd at Atlas Performing Arts Center in their Sprenger Theatre space.

Today’s subject Phoenix Assata LaFreniere is currently living her theatre life on tour playing Dorothy in The Wiz. The show is currently in town at the National Theatre through April 12th.

There is no question that actress/singer/not of this world performer Felicia Curry is true DC theatre royalty. There is a reason why those of us in the know address her as Dame. This recently Lortel Award nominated performer has been lighting up area stages for years while also making her Broadway debut in the revival of Into The Woods and beyond.

When it comes to the arts, there are a lot of things in DC that go either unnoticed or get lost in the shuffle. For almost twenty years now Ford’s Theatre has been presenting such a piece of theatre and it’s a very important one.

Today’s subject Bill Sherman is currently living his theatre life as the Musical Supervisor, Orchestrator, and Arranger for Signature Theatre’s new musical Safety Not Guaranteed. The production plays through April 12th in Signature’s MAX space.

Today’s subject Kemi-Bo Jacobs is currently living her theatre life onstage playing Agnes in the esteemed Royal Shakespeare Company’s (RSC’S) production of Hamnet. Yes, this is the role Jessie Buckley recently won the Best Actress Oscar for, just to end the comparison thing now. The show is presented by our very own Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) and runs through April 12th at Harman Hall.

Today’s subject Jefferson A. Russell is currently living the theatre life onstage at Folger Theatre playing the roles of Duke Senior and Duke Frederick in their current production of As You Like It. The production runs through April 19th.

Today’s subject Rebecca Madeira is currently living her theatre life onstage at Arena Stage as part in the role of Rachael Brown in Inherit The Wind. The production runs through April 5th in Arena Stage’s Fichandler Stage space.

Today’s subject Nick Blaemire is currently living his theatre life at Signature Theatre as the book writer for the new musical Safety Not Guaranteed. The show runs through April 12th in Signature Theatre’s MAX space.

With the 250th birthday of our nation approaching this July 4th, Ford’s Theatre’s current attraction, the musical that tells the how the Declaration of Independence came to be, 1776 is indeed the best choice for this historic theatre to be presenting for the occasion. With a score by Sherman Edwards and a book by Peter Stone, 1776 ranks in my opinion as a perfect musical and there are only a handful of those.

Being married to someone that was raised Christian and myself being raised Jewish I never thought that Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) would be something that I would ever enjoy. Over our fifteen plus years of marriage (so far) my wife has introduced me to the likes and talents of such artists in the genre as Nichole Nordeman, Ellie Holcomb, Natalie Grant, and of course Michael W. Smith who popularized CCM music. I fully enjoy listening to these artists.

Besides being the premiere theatre for musicals in the DMV, Signature Theatre also has a highly successful cabaret series. For many years the series has highlighted all genres of music featuring top flight talent.

Sometimes the most unlikely venues produce the most incredible night of music. Dumbarton United Methodist Church is an unassuming building on a side street in Georgetown. It isn’t the place you would necessarily think of as a concert venue. Never assume anything though because the Dumbarton Concerts series has been going strong for 48 years and shows no signs of stopping.

Today’s subject David Andrews Rogers Is currently living his theatre life and a lifelong dream on the conductor’s podium as the Musical Director and Conductor of the new touring production of Disney’s Beauty and The Beast. The show begins performances here in DC on March 18th and will play through April 5th at the National Theatre.

Today’s subject Suzy Eddie Izzard is an award-winning performer, marathon runner, and author. Her tour de force solo show The Tragedy of Hamlet will be seen right here in DC at Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) from March 27th to April 11th. The show will be performed in STC’s Klein Theatre.