WASHINGTON, DC THEATER REVIEWS

Master illusionist Dendy gives you the gift of a stone in your shoe. See what our critic had to say....

“So I’ve got a story to tell you. It’s a good one.” Marcus Kyd paces the small stage of the black box theater at Capitol Hill Arts Workshop where the house has been arranged like a comedy club. ...

As part of their self-ascribed “year of world premieres,” Olney Theatre Center is debuting the profoundly peppy, wonderfully messy, coming-of-age celebration Little Miss Perfect, written by Joriah Kwamé. The musical has been in development for more than five years, originally based on the catch...

Krapp’s Last Tape is Scena Theatre’s contribution to a mini-Beckett festival that has popped up in our midst this past week, and it’s a poignant reminder of how Beckett foresaw demise—his, ours, everyone’s—with a combination of wry humor, and a resignation that sometimes borders on relie...

An embarrassment of theatrical riches, bordering on sensory, stimulating overload, is on display in an exceptionally bold and satisfying reimagining of the very influential musical Pal Joey—now reconceived as Chez Joey. The show still takes place in the 1940’s Chicago music/nightclub scene, but ...

What did our critic think of SNAPSHOTS: A MUSICAL SCRAPBOOK at Creative Caudron Stage?...

With TAMBO & BONES, Spooky Action Theatre takes on a satirical and biting piece that refuses to play by the rules, whether it be of narrative, of genre, or of comfort. What starts as a minstrel show quickly mutates into a centuries-spanning interrogation of race, capitalism, and the hunger for auton...

What did our critic think of THE HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA at Gala Hispanic Theatre?...

Friendship as Resistance in a Powerful World Premiere - The World to Come, a world-premiere co-production by Woolly Mammoth and Theater J, delivers powerful, honest performances and an intriguing story in an extraordinary, deeply touching production that shouldn’t be missed....

American Ballet Theatre, the country’s great ballet company of theatrical stars and story ballets, returned to DC this week to present Christopher Wheeldon’s retelling of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale. A star vehicle with six leading roles, the ballet succeeds in delivering sumptuous danci...

What did our critic think of ON BECKETT at Shakespeare Theatre?...

The heightened reality replete with elongated pauses –(do people really wait this long in real life to answer one another?) that emanates from the stage of the Pulitzer- Prize and Tony -winning production of Stereophonic –now being produced in a touring /edited two hour and 50-minute version at ...

The title of Rebecca Dzida’s play  “Cake Eaters” of course borrows from the “Let them eat cake” phrase that originates from before the French Revolution and was often attributed to Marie Antoinette.  ...

The cast of John Doe don't know they're in a play about the effects and impacts of death on survivors; they're all in “just keep living” mode, and, thanks to Angelle Whavers (wise playwright), their experiences form a kind of map of getting through stuff....

What did our critic think of HAPPY DAYS at Washington Stage Guild?...

What did our critic think of ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER'S 2026 DC PERFORMANCES at Warner Theatre?...

Thirty years on, 'Still/Here' refuses easy categorization or comfortable distance. It demands that we bear witness — not to victimhood, but to the full spectrum of human resilience in the face of mortality....

What did our critic think of DRACULA: A COMEDY OF TERRORS AT CONSTELLATION THEATRE COMPANY at Atlas Performing Arts Center?...

“Get your freak/kink on” and show your tolerance for all---seems to be the message of the eternally popular musical plea for acceptance and inclusivity that constitutes the musical Kinky Boots....

NextStop Theatre Company, in Herndon, is one of NoVa’s delightful strip mall theaters - an unexpected, small but packed black box sandwiched between an Ethiopian restaurant and a motorcycle dealership. This month, they are hosting the world premier of DROWNER [Renword], the latest work by Harlem-b...

It was a harrowing winter storm that blocked streets, closed schools and generally paralyzed the city for days. But it wasn’t quite bad enough to qualify as one of the 'festive near-death adventures' that comprise Iris Bahr’s “Stories from the Brink!” though it certainly affected its run. ...

What did our critic think of ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER at Warner Theatre?...

Ghosts are not infrequent in Shakespeare’s work, from the spirits of Hamlet’s father to Banquo in “Macbeth.”  Is that enough of a connection to bring the theatrical creation “Paranormal Activity” to the Shakespeare Theatre Company?...

The new 'Clue' stage adaptation is written by Sandy Rustin, and based on writer-director Jonathan Lynn's screenplay for the cult classic 1985 film version of 'Clue,' featuring Tim Curry, Martin Mull, Michael McKean, Lesley-Ann Warren and others....

Multi-talented composer, book writer, and vocal arranger Dave Malloy has created a musically eclectic, thematically relevant, and vocally complex work in his audacious and highly relevant work Octet....