Jeffrey Walker - Page 8

Eddie Redmayne is having a very good year. The 33-year old actor is nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for playing physicist Stephen Hawking in THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING. In the film, Redmayne has been singled out for his sensitive portrayal of Hawking that goes from his younger days through the onslaught of the progressive motor neuron disease that binds him to a wheelchair.

THE METROMANIACS might not be Moliere but it is a delicious romp thanks to the expert direction by Shakespeare Theatre Company artistic director Michael Kahn and playwright David Ives. Ives new comedy in English is taken from a rediscovered farce, LA METROMANIE by Alexis Piron. If the winter weather has got you down, I urge you to get tickets to THE METROMANIACS for disguises and ruses and verse-ical abuses. Kahn and Ives third collaboration as director and playwright/adapter - after THE LIAR and THE HEIR APPARENT - have struck gold again finding high art in the silliness of lesser known French comedies.

John Patrick Shanley's thought-provoking drama DOUBT, A PARABLE certainly has earned its share of accolades since it premiered at the Manhattan Theatre Club in 2004. Winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize and the Tony Award for Best Play, Shanley's screenplay for the film adaptation was also nominated for an Academy Award. The single act play has been brought back in a meticulously detailed production by 1st Stage in Tysons. The playwright's work is reason enough to head to the intimate space 1st Stage calls its home near Tysons Galleria. Shanley's tense, four-person rumination on scandal, gender roles, Catholic church politics, and the power of doubt to bind us or tear us apart is worth a look any time it finds its way to a stage. I just wish the 1st Stage production had more of a spark to ignite the passionate debate and ambiguous mystery Shanley has written.

MARY STUART at Folger Theatre is a must see production. As directed by Richard Clifford and featuring the dual leading ladies Kate Eastwood Norris and Holly Twyford, this is a show that catches lightning as only live theatre can do. This is not a documentary, however, it is vibrant, exciting, intriguing theatre presented by artists at the top of their game.

Speaking of villains, tonight we meet the fear-mongering Dr. Crane, who is the father of the villain known by the moniker Scarecrow. Penguin is tested by one of his mob bosses, while Fish Mooney slips away from Gotham by sea. Things heat up between Dr. Thompkins and Jim Gordon, just as Detective Bullock is smitten by a fearful lass. Tonight is part one of a two part saga, “The Fearsome Dr. Crane” and next week's episode, 'The Scarecrow.'

No one needs a crystal ball to foresee we will see twists and turns before we wrap up the season. Let's head back to Philadelphia and see what happens next for “Hello Raskolnikov,” episode 10 of HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER.

Tonight on GOTHAM, we see how Jim Gordon will proceed now that he is back on the police force. And just when things look bad for Fish Mooney and Butch, the criminal pair out fox their captors. How will Penguin fare if Mooney's back in action? And what about young Bruce Wayne? All this and more on GOTHAM episode 13, 'Welcome Back, Jim Gordon.'

The idea of finding your voice is a two way street in the world premiere one-hour opera PENNY. Composer Douglas Pew and librettist Dara Weinberg have created a succinct, lyrical piece in which their title character discovers her talent for music and is able to communicate and take charge of her life in spite of incredible odds. At the same time, Pew and Weinberg's new work is part of Washington National Opera's American Opera Initiative, a commissioning program that works to expand the American operatic repertory. Young artists from WNO's Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program are able to collaborate on new works with living composers and librettists through the American Opera Initiative.

THE MUSIC OF ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER might be a show Riverside Center has to bring back again real soon. But your job is to get tickets to it now. Patrick A'Hearn has assembled a winning cast to showcase more than 30 songs from the great and near great Webber musicals. Fans of CATS, EVITA, and even STARLIGHT EXPRESS can revel in songs from these and a dozen other titles.

Tonight the “Electro-cutioner, “ aka Jack Gruber, hits the sreets of Gotham to wreak havoc on its citizens. Gruber, along with his handy henchman Aaron, busted out of Arkham Asylum last week, Now they plan on literally shocking the citizens of Gotham, while Det. Jim Gordon works to stop him.

Jim Gordon finds shocking developments while on duty at Arkham Asylum. Selina “the Cat” Kyle and young Miss Ivy Pepper use a friend's apartment to get away from the mean streets. And the tensions in the criminal underworld continue to fester. These events, and many more, bring us back to GOTHAM for the new year and the start of the second half of the series. After a strong start for the first ten chapters, GOTHAM looks to pick up the gauntlet for more intriguing storylines, colorful characters and the careful blend of police work and comic-inspired skullduggery.

As of tonight, GOTHAM has clocked in ten episodes. Organized crime wars, underworld underlings with delusions of grandeur, sadistic henchmen, shady real estate deals, unsolved murders – these are just a handful of the daily machinations we have seen so far in the naked city. Maverick detective James Gordon is still trying his best to stay above the dark underbelly of corruption that percolates through nearly every brick in Gotham. So how do things end up during tonight's episode, “Lovecraft,” the fall finale? Gird your loins, here we go!

As the landmark American musical FIDDLER ON THE ROOF celebrates its 50th anniversary, Arena Stage is bringing the show to audiences new and old in production on the intimate and iconic Fichlander Stage. Arena's artistic director Molly Smith directs the production which features the original Jerome Robbins choreography adapted and restaged by Parker Esse. Jeffrey Walker of BroadwayWorld-DC caught up with actors Ann Arvia and Jonathan Hadary who play Golde and Tevye in the new production which is wowing audiences and dazzling critics each night. Hadary and Arvia make their Arena Stage debut performances in Bock, Harnick, Stein's musical masterpiece. This is part two: Jeffrey Walker's interview with Jonathan Hadary.

Jeffrey Walker of BroadwayWorld-DC caught up with two of Anatevka's most prominent citizens, Golde and Tevye. Actually, we spoke to actors Ann Arvia and Jonathan Hadary who are bringing these characters to life in the new and exciting production of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF wowing audiences on the iconic Fichlander Stage. Artistic director Molly Smith directs the production which features the original Jerome Robbins choreography adapted and restaged by Parker Esse. FIDDLER celebrates its 50 anniversary this year and Washington audiences can see this classic show newly minted. Hadary and Arvia make their Arena Stage debut performances in the Bock, Harnick, Stein musical masterpiece.

GOTHAM added a new major player into the mix this week: Harvey Dent. For the unwashed masses, future district attorney Harvey Dent meets with a “scarry” accident and takes on the mantel of Two-Face who always gives crime a 50-50 chance when he flips a partially mutilated coin. As he is introduced to viewers and detective James Gordon, however, he is a singularly handsome, coin-flipping, do-gooder and he joins forces with Gordon to investigate the Wayne murder case. Oswald's beak finds Mooney's secret weapon against Carmine Falcone, Liza. Young Bruce Wayne also begins his heavy duty training with his British Special Forces veteran butler, Alfred Pennyworth. And, surprisingly, Bruce and Alfred take on a new house guest. Here's the rundown on another jam-packed episode in the naked city of Gotham. Spoilers are likely, so tread lightly, Bat-fans.

Wow! That is a good word to describe the revelations from “He Has a Wife,” episode eight of ABC's HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER. We have been teased for the seven previous installments with clues about the night Sam Keating died. We have also only seen tiny tidbits of the night Lila Stangard was murdered. And what of murder suspect Rebecca or Annalise's loyal staff members? This is the last episode before the mega-reveal , but there was much to chew on tonight. Read on and be prepared for spoilers galore! If you want to share theories about Sam's murderer, be sure to use hashtag #WhoKilledSam.

Master Bruce Wayne gets some pointers on defending himself from his trusty butler. Plus, who knew Gotham had its own fight club. Of course, it makes other fight clubs look tame, but Gordon and Bullock are on the case.Yep, we're eight episodes into GOTHAM and things are heating up in the crime wars and behind the scenes machinations of the various villainous elements.

This week's episode of HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER is “He Deserved to Die.” The “he” is clearly Sam Keating, the philandering husband of leading lady Annalise Keating, law professor and head of her own law firm. Viewers are being teased that we're getting close to finding out who actually knocked Sam off with the Lady Justice statuette. As for this week, end up learning more about how close Sam got to the murdered cheerleader Lila Stangard. We also see the courtroom games that place the prosecutor and defense attorneys in a cat and mouse match of wits and guile. We also may have heard someone admit to being Sam's killer – but the promotional videos keep teasing we are weeks away from knowing the truth. HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER knows how to build up our expectations and suspense quotient, that's for sure.

Steeped in a mystic atmosphere, director Robert Richmond and his excellent company of actors breathe new life to Shakespeare's political and personal tale of assassination and retribution. JULIUS CAESAR is visually stunning, a feast for the ears, and boasts a commanding ensemble. If you thought JULIUS CAESAR was about guys in togas and Marc Antony's funeral speech, think again. This is a production not to miss.

James Gordon still cannot shake the consequences of sparing Oswald “Penguin” Cobblepot's life, especially now that Fish Mooney and Don Falcone know he's still alive. They send the ruthless Victor Zsasz to send a serious message to Gordon. The criminal elements continue to clash as tensions between Gotham's crime families, the Falcones and Maroni's, move to a boiling point. GOTHAM Episode 7, “Penguin's Umbrella,” also reveals just how crafty Cobblepot is in his desire to become a major player in the dark city's underworld.