There is a scene about two thirds of the way through Mockingbird, currently playing at the Family Theater at the Kennedy Center, that cuts straight to the emotional core of the play. Mrs. Brook, a school counselor, asks protagonist Caitlin to try to feel empathy for her father. Caitlin, who is on the autistic spectrum, takes Mrs. Brook literally is initially confused. Why would she want try to walk in someone else's shoes? But then, after a moment of thought, Caitlin plunks herself down on the ground, removes her shoes, and slowly smiles as understanding dawns.
It seems only fitting that in its efforts to introduce a musical form as grown-up as the opera to younger audiences, that the Kennedy Center has picked for this holiday season the children's classic THE LITTLE PRINCE, a story all about grown-ups trying to understand children trying to understand grown-ups. As the author's original dedication reads, 'All grown-ups were children first,' and in this family friendly production, the Kennedy Center has put forward something for the grown-up and the child in all of us.
Some classic stories, tales, myths and legends do more than stand the test of time. They speak to generation after generation, entertaining and teaching new audiences across the ages. The legends of King Arthur and his knights of Camelot are those kinds of stories. They remain as well-known and beloved today as they have ever been. There are similar theatrical entertainments, plays and musicals, that stand the test of time, entertaining the masses in the same way for years and decades. Unfortunately, Camelot, the musical version of those Arthurian legends, is not that kind of musical.
Director Ethan McSweeny clearly knows his way around the play, and offers mature Washington audiences a visually rich, complex Tempest that has its share of magical moments, but which at its core is unvarnished by sentiment. And Geraint Wyn Davies gives us a Prospero who is a temperamental, gravelly, flesh-and-blood nobleman, more Hemingway than Santa Claus.
The Ford's Theatre 2014-2015 season continues with A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and adapted by Michael Wilson, November 20, 2014, to January 1, 2015. Check out a first look below!
Ford's Theatre 2014-2015 season continues with A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and adapted by Michael Wilson, tonight, November 20, 2014 to January 1, 2015. Acclaimed Washington stage actor Edward Gero returns for the sixth year to play Ebenezer Scrooge. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the show below!
Ford's Theatre 2014-2015 season continues with A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and adapted by Michael Wilson, November 20, 2014 to January 1, 2015. Acclaimed Washington stage actor Edward Gero returns for the sixth year to play Ebenezer Scrooge. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the show below!
If you are a Shakespeare connoisseur who knows the plays and who thrills at new stagings of familiar material, by all means get thee to the Lansburgh Theatre to see Michael Attenborough's fascinating production of As You Like It. With a rock-solid cast, and a Spartan stage design that throws their great work into high relief, you will be in for a rich experience indeed.
The 2014/2015 National Tour of Lerner & Loewe's CAMELOT re-imagines the tale of King Arthur, Guenevere and Lancelot. Tour dates include Nashville, Providence, Omaha, Fayetteville, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Fort Myers, Wilmington, Hartford and St. Paul among others. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!
Turns out, the decision Ford's Theatre Society made to present this award-winning work might not have only been a good idea in theory, but also in execution.
The enchanted journey we embark upon with Washington National Opera's season opener Florencia in the Amazon is a production filled with beauty and a timeless truth.
THE MAGIC FLUTE (Die Zauberflote), Mozart's last great work, is sometimes viewed as the precursor to musical theater. Mozart's friend, actor-producer Emanuel Schikaneder, wrote the original libretto in the German vernacular (as opposed to the more upper crust Italian) as a 'singspiel,' a play with music. In fact, THE MAGIC FLUTE has significantly more spoken dialogue than The Phantom of the Opera and certainly far more than Les Miserables.
A winner from start to finish, THE MAGIC FLUTE features Mozart's score, a delightful new translation, superb casting, and the stunning design work of Jun Kaneko. Perfect for fans and novices, this MAGIC FLUTE is a must see.
Washington National Opera (WNO) continues its 2013-2014 season with a new English-language production of one of the most beloved and family-friendly operas in the repertory: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's The Magic Flute, tonight, May 3-18 in the Kennedy Center Opera House. The eye-popping new production features set and costume design by Japanese- American artist Jun Kaneko in his WNO debut, and will be sung in a new English version by WNO dramaturg Kelley Rourke. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!
Washington National Opera (WNO) continues its 2013-2014 season with a new English-language production of one of the most beloved and family-friendly operas in the repertory: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's The Magic Flute, May 3-18 in the Kennedy Center Opera House. The eye-popping new production features set and costume design by Japanese- American artist Jun Kaneko in his WNO debut, and will be sung in a new English version by WNO dramaturg Kelley Rourke. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!
The Shakespeare Theatre Company's revival of Henry IV, Part 2 is a fine production filled with terrific acting and some wonderful ensemble moments. Nevertheless, that doesn't stop the play from failing to achieve the dramatic excellence of its prequel.
The Shakespeare Theatre Company's well-crafted, well-acted and magnificently directed revival of William Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 1 is an exciting production perfect for a novice theatergoer or the most seasoned Shakespearean veteran.
The Shakespeare Theatre Company, recipient of the 2012 Regional Theatre Tony Award, presents Shakespeare's Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2 as part of the Clarice Smith Repertory, starring Stacy Keach. STC Artistic Director Michael Kahn will direct both parts of this sweeping epic - one of Shakespeare's culminating achievements in the history play genre - over multiple nights. The two productions will run in the Company's Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW) from March 25 - June 8, 2014. Check out a first look at Keach as Falstaff below!
