WASHINGTON, DC THEATER REVIEWS

'Nathan the Wise' handily lives up to the reputation of the two powerhouse theaters behind it. With a beautiful message, a solid cast and creative team, and a spirited atmosphere, 'Nathan the Wise' is one of those productions you want to cheer during the curtain call, then immediately go back and wa...

An energetic, joyful night of escapist fun. Read our BWW critic's review. ...

Twenty-seven years ago, the international dance phenomenon known as Riverdance began enchanting audiences. Twenty- five years ago it began touring the world and to this day millions of people have been enthralled by it’s mix of music, dance and musicianship. Oddly enough, it’s current engagement...

Ideas of patriotism, terrorism, and betrayal are commonly spread throughout this thriller to make the audience think of who is on the justified side of the interrogation....

It was a long road to create 'The Cartography Project' - some 20 months, says Kennedy Center president Deborah Rutter - dating back to the national and international uprisings following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020. But, she said, in exploring the role that art and artists can play in soci...

Washington National Opera's take on Mozart's 1790 rom-com, 'Cosí fan tutte' is a delightful escape....

One cannot think about Fiddler on the Roof without the thought of tradition....

The compelling story of Ada Lovelace is back at Avant Bard Theater after being postponed due to the pandemic for nearly two years. Ada and the Engine by Lauren Gunderson runs approximately two hours and is set in the midst of the British Industrial Revolution surrounding Ada (Dina Soltan), a young s...

A creamy confection drenched with a masterful book by Joe Masteroff, the classic rom com of musicals She Loves Me moves with amorous and sparkling abandon at the acclaimed Signature Theatre. A large ensemble cast delivers the goods in this superb intermingling of old-world charm and contemporary rel...

Appearing at the Washington Stage Guild again, thirty-one years after the company first produced it, MRS. WARRENS PROFESSION is a witty, biting, and poignant story that remains as relevant today as when it was first penned by George Bernard Shaw in 1893....

The Washington National Opera has gathered a company of first rate singers for a portmanteau of four, one-act operas called Written in Stone. Unfortunately, their fine skills and exceptional voices cannot make silk purses out of scores, libretti, and orchestrations that evade aesthetics, emphasize n...

P.Nokio: A Hip-Hop Musical, is a show that deals with family, creativity, and growing up in a crazy world. The musical is an adaption of the classic Pinocchio tale, though instead of puppets and doll-makers, the piece follows P.Nokio, a video game character come to life, and his programmer father, G...

'Jesus Christ Superstar' originally ascended more than a half century ago - an audacious creation, written from the philosophical viewpoint of Judas Iscariot....

'The Phlebotomist' is a fascinating look into how the world could be in the not-too-distant future, and it raises all the questions good science fiction can. 1st Stage’s production does the complex tale justice, and ensures that people will continue to ruminate on these topics for a long time – ...

This performance taught me that anything can be your brilliant thing - from your favorite color to your wedding day - the options are endless....

This well crafted, world premiere piece by Iyona Blake is a compelling look into the lives of four African American sisters and the family bonds that help them through the challenges and life changes they face....

A dream was realized as the Washington Ballet presented Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake at the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater. Julie Kent, Artistic Director and Victor Barbee, Associate Artistic Director and the entire company have given us a Swan Lake to savor. The Washington Ballet’s product...

A.D. 16 is an exuberant, ambitious world premiere with its eyes on Broadway; music and lyrics by Cinco Paul (Despicable Me, Schmigadoon!), book by Bekah Brunstetter (This Is Us) and direction by Stephen Brackett (Be More Chill). A.D. 16 starts with the missing teen years of Jesus, layers in an effer...

Broadway fervor reignited as major Broadway musical talents converged at the Kennedy Center for an evening of musical pleasure and panache in the concert 50 Years of Broadway at the Kennedy Center. Musical selections from such Broadway staples such as Cabaret, West Side Story, Wicked, Follies, Funny...

Signature Theatre reopens their intimate space with a gripping and gritty look at the denizens of a neighborhood bar in north Philly....

'La Casa de la Laguna' is a fascinating and thoughtful play, and carefully balances delicate conversations about statehood and independence, race, colonialism, and socio-economic status, and gender. The result is a deeply political and nuanced production that touches on issues that are as relevant t...

Ok, I’m going to date myself. Growing up I remember watching a wonderful little film called The Red Balloon. It started out as a book by Albert Lamorisse for which he then turned into a movie starring his son in 1956. It told the story of a little boy and an unlikely friendship he ends up having w...

Any time you can spend with a master storyteller is time well spent; and when the storyteller is Psalmayene 24, you know you're in for a rewarding, though-provoking evening. This time, digging into his past, with all the joys and pain that growing up involves, audiences can look forward to a perform...

The pandemic changed the world and it changed art - most immediately in closing places where people would gather for it, for months on end....

'Compulsion or the House Behind' is a good show, with a strong creative team and an immensely talented cast, but it’s also a flawed one. With pacing issues and a shyness about fully facing the questions it raises, it’s often a frustrating production. But it’s a thought-provoking one for that s...