James Flanagan News

What did our critic think of ANNIE KIDS at The Lantern Theatre?

Taffety Punk Theatre Company's Bootleg Shakespeare production HENRY VI, PART 3 is performance without a net - exciting, dangerous, riveting, and raw. Bootleg Shakespeare isn't designed to be polished or perfect, it's designed to be fresh and immediate. And it delivered. What's more amazing? The actors arrived at 10:00 am Monday with roles assigned and lines memorized. That's it. Working together under the direction of Taffety Punk Artistic Director Marcus Kyd, over the next few hours the 32 actors DIY'ed the production and were on stage in front of an audience at 7:30 pm. There were minimal props, lights, and costumes-but the red and white paper lapel flowers told us exactly what we needed to know when every epic battle scene and every word of Shakespeare's text was performed.

Today's subject Lise Bruneau is currently living her theatre life onstage at Arena Stage as Sara Müller in Lillian Hellman's Watch on the Rhine. The production runs through March 5th.

Director Marcus Kyd has assembled a solid roster of professional actors to give Michael Milligan's mythic drama, composed entirely in iambic pentameter, a grand staging.  On the Globe Theater's stage it was the actor's presence, the actor's gift of language that held the audience rapt with attention.  Kyd's cast understands this, and gives vivid life to every one of Milligan's lines. 

Absurdist comedy and sparking physical comedy collide in Taffety Punk's Inheritance Canyone

It is the stuff of great drama when people with incredible charm and talent behave like monsters: idealists with a clear vision of the future, leaving human wreckage in their wake. For fans of English literature who are fascinated by Shelley, Byron and the women who devoted themselves to their careers, 'Bloody Poetry' should be a pure delight.

Entertaining and well-acted, this one is worth your time. Tickets are only $15. There's no reason not to go.

Ah, Wilderness!, Eugene O'Neill's depiction of American family life at the turn of the 20th century, will kick off the two-month citywide Eugene O'Neill Festival at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater.

Ah, Wilderness!, Eugene O'Neill's joyous and truthful depiction of American family life at the turn of the 20thcentury, will kick off the two-month citywide Eugene O'Neill Festival at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. From a playwright better known for his darker stories comes the brilliant Ah, Wilderness!, O'Neill's singular comedy that represents a fantasy of what his own childhood might have been. Helen Hayes Award winner and former Arena Stage Associate Artistic Director Kyle Donnelly returns to direct her 21st show at Arena Stage, which features an almost entirely local cast led by Rick Foucheux, Nancy Robinette and June Schreiner. Ah, Wilderness! runs March 9-April 8, 2012 in the Fichandler Stage.

Ah, Wilderness!, Eugene O'Neill's depiction of American family life at the turn of the 20th century, will kick off the two-month citywide Eugene O'Neill Festival at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater.

Ah, Wilderness!, Eugene O'Neill's joyous and truthful depiction of American family life at the turn of the 20thcentury, will kick off the two-month citywide Eugene O'Neill Festival at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. From a playwright better known for his darker stories comes the brilliant Ah, Wilderness!, O'Neill's singular comedy that represents a fantasy of what his own childhood might have been. Helen Hayes Award winner and former Arena Stage Associate Artistic Director Kyle Donnelly returns to direct her 21st show at Arena Stage, which features an almost entirely local cast led by Rick Foucheux, Nancy Robinette and June Schreiner. Ah, Wilderness! runs March 9-April 8, 2012 in the Fichandler Stage.

Ah, Wilderness!, Eugene O'Neill's depiction of American family life at the turn of the 20th century, will kick off the two-month citywide Eugene O'Neill Festival at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater announces casting for Eugene O'Neill's singular comedy Ah, Wilderness! Helen Hayes Award winner and former Arena Stage Associate Artistic Director Kyle Donnelly returns to direct her 21st show at Arena Stage. Ah, Wilderness! runs March 9-April 8, 2012 in the Fichandler Stage as part of the two-month Eugene O'Neill Festival.

The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov runs July 8 - August 7, 2011

The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov runs July 8 - August 7, 2011

The DC area is full of spring splendor with so many gorgeous trees and azaleas in full bloom, and our local theatres are filled with new colorful productions. So come visit the Nation's Capital and bask in the city's beauty and the power and joy of our local theatres.

Forum Theatre, the resident company of Round House Silver Spring, will continue its 7th Season with Naomi Wallace's biting and bawdy One Flea Spare, as well as a festival of her plays and poetry.

Forum Theatre, the resident company of Round House Silver Spring, will continue its 7th Season with Naomi Wallace's biting and bawdy One Flea Spare, as well as a festival of her plays and poetry.

This is the tale of the missed opportunities and lost loves of three generations of Dublin men. Kevin, a young man, leaves home for the first time to join friends renting a house.