Review: MY MAMA AND THE FULL SCALE INVASION at Woolly Mammoth Theatre
What did our critic think of MY MAMA AND THE FULL SCALE INVASION at Woolly Mammoth Theatre? How do you tell the story of a person who has lived 1,000 lives? How do you capture a life that includes being born into Nazi occupation, raising a child, surviving a massive nuclear accident, and a full-scale invasion of a homeland…all in a tight, 90-minute package?
Review: GOOD BONES at Studio Theatre
A solid, well-crafted, and thought-provoking play---Good Bones is about four individuals coping in various ways with issues of onrushing gentrification, loss of community, and reconnection. Playwright James Ijames has written an all too relevant story about what happens when a community and sense of place fragments, shifts and splinters off into new paradigms. Now being presented at the Studio Theatre in the intimate Milton Theater space, this absorbing play uncoiled with the mix of familiarity, drama and humor that is the stuff of everyday life –but, also, was replete with the many small, insightful details of writing that show a very perceptive playwright at work.
Tightened and Thrilling HAMLET at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company
I think the minimalism and starkness is intended to be clarifying; we are meant to be focused on the hearts of the various intertwined stories Shakespeare presents, and perhaps less distracted by other things going on at the very large periphery the playwright has laid out. Whatever the purpose, we find ourselves deeply drawn in, so that by the time all the bodies bestrew the stage at the end, the horror and the catharsis of it all has not only engulfed us – but thrilled us as well.
Review: A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS at Seattle Opera
Expectation and electricity spark the air and light the eyes of everyone waiting to witness this moment. With a collaboration of talents from around the world and spanning years of work, Seattle Opera presents the world premiere of A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS. Haunting and beautiful, the story and music merge as one in this formidable show. The central truths of hope and love will echo long past the last note and curtain fall.
Review: HOLIDAY at Washington's Arena Stage: Deeply Flawed Show, Flawless Performance
They sure don't write them like Holiday anymore. A play about the foibles of a family of rich White people that supplies no meaningful social or racial context, a critique of the world of wealth which is bafflingly superficial, and a romance almost lacking in visible courtship, playwright Philip Barry's 1928 Broadway hit has very little claim to be produced now. Yet it's given a sumptuous and impressive production by Arena Stage in Washington. Go for the performances, the costumes, and the direction, and you'll be fine. Seek more, and you may be disappointed.
Review: HOLIDAY at Arena Stage
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.
BWW Interview: Theatre Life with Ivania Stack
Today’s subject Ivania Stack is currently living her theatre life as the costume designer for There’s Always the Hudson at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. The production runs through June fifth.
BWW Review: Olney Theatre's THE JOY THAT CARRIES YOU a Touching Journey Towards Renewal
'The Joy that Carries You' is a touching and touchingly thoughtful journey, one which many might recognize in their own. But Secka and Stoller also make this a celebration of the relationships which until (only) very recently were taboo. Thank goodness we're no longer at the stage where seeing two women choosing each other as life-partners is a shock; we can now see them as human beings. But we also know that relationships like this are still fraught with a unique form of anxiety, between the women themselves but especially with their families.
THE JOY THAT CARRIES YOU at Olney Theatre Tackles Race, Sexuality, and Religion
Awa Sal Secka and Dani Stoller's new play The Joy That Carries You begins rehearsals today for its World Premiere at Olney Theatre Center. Directed by Jason Loewith and Kevin McAllister, performances begin May 11, 2022, and run through June 12, 2022. The Invited Press performance will be held Sunday, May 15 at 1:45 pm.