Lawrence Redmond News

BroadwayWorld has a first look at PASSION at Signature Theatre in DC, starring Natascia Diaz (West Side Story),  Claybourne Elder (Signature's Sunday in the Park with George, Broadway's Sunday in the Park with George) and Steffanie Leigh (Broadway's War Paint, Gigi, Mary Poppins). Check out Claybourne Elder and Steffanie Leigh singing 'Happiness' below!

Natascia Diaz (Signature's Crazy for You, City Center Encores! Grand Hotel), Claybourne Elder (Signature's Sunday in the Park with George, Broadway's Sunday in the Park with George) and Steffanie Leigh (Broadway's War Paint, Gigi, Mary Poppins) star in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's musical Passion.

Natascia Diaz (Signature's Crazy for You, City Center Encores! Grand Hotel), Claybourne Elder (Signature's Sunday in the Park with George, Broadway's Sunday in the Park with George) and Steffanie Leigh (Broadway's War Paint, Gigi, Mary Poppins) are set to star in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's musical Passion.

Thank you Arena Stage Artistic Director Molly Smith for bringing to the Washington Area the sequel writer Robert Schenkkan's two part series on President Lyndon Baines Johnson. First there was the Tony Winning ALL THE WAY which dealt with Johnson ascending the presidency while THE GREAT SOCIETY picks up at Johnson's State of the Union message in 1965 after his massive election victory.

It will take biographer Robert Caro five volumes to complete his portrait of Lyndon B. Johnson, so it's no surprise that there's a second LBJ play from Robert Schenkkan.

Robert Schenkkan's The Great Society, the second half of the epic drama about President Lyndon Baines Johnson, makes its Washington, D.C. debut at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, following the theater's critically acclaimed 2016 run of All the Way.

Robert Schenkkan's The Great Society, the second half of the epic drama about President Lyndon Baines Johnson, makes its Washington, D.C. debut at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, following the theater's critically acclaimed 2016 run of All the Way. Kyle Donnelly returns to Arena Stage to helm this political thrill ride that shines a bright, clear light on a pivotal moment in American history (New York Times).

Robert Schenkkan's The Great Society, the second half of the epic drama about President Lyndon Baines Johnson, makes its Washington, D.C. debut at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, following the theater's critically acclaimed 2016 run of All the Way. Kyle Donnelly returns to Arena Stage to helm this political thrill ride that shines a bright, clear light on a pivotal moment in American history (New York Times). Chronicling LBJ's second term as he seeks to maintain his relationship with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and complete a raft of impossibly ambitious social policy projects, The Great Society runs February 2-March 11, 2018 on the Fichandler Stage.

DC's little jewel, known as the Washington Stage Guild (WSG), has always presented pieces that you can't see elsewhere in the area. With its current offering Widowers' Houses, WSG gives area theatregoers a chance to see a lesser known work by esteemed playwright George Bernard Shaw. While this script is not a center piece of Shaw's canon (a la Pygmalion or Heartbreak House) WSG, true to form, delivers a high-end production of it featuring a top-notch group of performers.

The Washington Stage Guild will begin its 32nd season with Widowers' Houses, the first play written by George Bernard Shaw as he set out to shake up the British theatre. Published in 1893, the comedy is still amazingly topical in 2017, and especially in a gentrifying city like Washington.

One of the most beloved television families of the 1980s is set to make a long awaited return in the world premiere of Family Ties, written by Daniel Goldstein (The Song of Songs, Unknown Soldier and Row), based on the classic television series, directed by The Human Race's President & Artistic Director Kevin Moore and produced by special arrangement by Araca Media & Entertainment. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

BroadwayWorld has a full list of the Helen Hayes Awards winners updating LIVE below! Named for actor Helen Hayes - a Washington native and legendary First Lady of the American Theatre - the Helen Hayes Awards celebrates excellence in professional theatre throughout the Washington region and has become a hallmark recognized by theatre makers and theatre lovers far beyond Washington D.C.

One of the most beloved television families of the 1980s is set to make a long awaited return in the world premiere of Family Ties, written by Daniel Goldstein (The Song of Songs, Unknown Soldier and Row), based on the classic television series, directed by The Human Race's President & Artistic Director Kevin Moore and produced by special arrangement by Araca Media & Entertainment.

The 33rd annual Helen Hayes Awards will be celebrated at the historicLincoln Theatre at 7:30 pm on May 15, with accomplished actors E. Faye Butler and Lawrence Redmond as hosts. The line-up of award presenters includes artistic leaders from across the Washington region, highlighting the depth and breadth of a theatre community recognized worldwide for the quality and diversity of its work. Following the awards, a roof-raising dance party gets underway at the world-renowned 9:30 Club. Both events honor 236 Helen Hayes Award nominees drawn from 200 eligible productions presented in 2016. Tickets for the combined Awards Ceremony and Dance Party are $275 for premium seating, $150 for balcony seating, and can be purchased online.

The Human Race Theatre Company (HRTC) announces the cast and creative team for its 30th anniversary season closer, the world premiere comedy Family Ties, written by Daniel Goldstein (The Song of Songs, Unknown Soldier and Row), based on the classic television series, directed by HRTC President & Artistic Director Kevin Moore and produced by special arrangement by Araca Media & Entertainment.

Jacqueline E. Lawton's new political thriller Intelligence makes its world premiere at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Under the direction of Daniella Topol (Round House's Ironbound), Intelligence explores the cost of deception and the consequences of speaking truth to power. Due to popular demand, the production has been extended for one week with eight additional performances and runs now through April 9, 2017 in the Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle. BroadwayWorld has photos from the opening night festivities below!

All in all, I certainly commend Arena Stage, including Artistic Director Molly Smith, for taking a chance on this new work. Unfortunately, there's a ways to go to ready it for an audience, particularly here in DC where there is bound to be at least a handful of people with a pretty good understanding of the subject matter.

Jacqueline E. Lawton's new political thriller Intelligence makes its world premiere at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Under the direction of Daniella Topol (Round House's Ironbound), Intelligence explores the cost of deception and the consequences of speaking truth to power. Due to popular demand, the production has been extended for one week with eight additional performances and runs now through April 9, 2017 in the Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Daniella Topol, the new artistic director of Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, heads down to Washington, D.C. to direct the world premiere of Jacqueline E. Lawton's new political thriller Intelligence set for Arena Stage, tonight, February 24, through April 9.

Jacqueline E. Lawton's new political thriller Intelligence makes its world premiere at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Under the direction of Daniella Topol (Round House's Ironbound), Intelligence explores the cost of deception and the consequences of speaking truth to power. Due to popular demand, the production has been extended for one week with eight additional performances and will run February 24-April 9, 2017 in the Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle.