WASHINGTON, DC THEATER REVIEWS

The Illusionists: Magic of the Holidays had me instantly intrigued just by the title. I was interested in the idea of coupling magic with the theme of the holidays. After all, magic is a crucial part of the holiday season, and this show sounds like an excellent addition to that magic that comes arou...

Tis the season for Santa Claus, holiday lights, people lining up at three am to get a deal on a 76 inch TV set, and of the course the perennial holiday ballet favorite by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky known as The Nutcracker....

The giggles and guffaws zoom along at top speed, even as the bus breaks down in this genuinely riotous adaptation of Mo Willems' 2003 Caldecott-awarded picture book, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!...

'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' at Bethesda's Round House Theatre, tells the story of Christopher, a 15-year-old boy with Aspergers syndrome, whose neighbor's dog is murdered with a pitchfork. Christopher goes on a mission to investigate who killed the dog and he ends up uncoveri...

Imagination Stage has revived their Helen Hayes Award-winning 2012 production of 'The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe' for the 2019 holiday season. With stunning sets and engaging musical elements, it's not hard to see why this production is a local favorite. The show takes a well-known tale and r...

Keep. makes you think about a lot of things which does make the two hours go by quickly....

Chandrika Tandon's song-cycle, Shivoyam-The Quest, which recently touched down at the Eisenhower Theater at the Kennedy Center, is part oratorio, part jam session, part spectacle, and organized around the many steps to enlightenment she experienced. It's not prescriptive-not a 'how to' manual, as mu...

John Leguizamo, as I learned, is modern theatre's most prolific latinx playwright. While 'Latin History for Morons' is not his first play written on the subject of latinx people in America, It certainly seems to take on a presence of its own. The show does not seem as if it is the same ideas showcas...

This veddy British tale of the undying love between a child and her lop-eared, sawdust-filled velveteen rabbit is a storybook treat to look at --  pretty enough to honor the classic children's book on which it is based and well played by a cast adept at posh British accents and lots of hopping.�...

If Charles Dickens were working today, he'd likely be enlisted to write for one of the serialized television dramas on which millions feed on and binge. In his day, the equivalent was writing serialized dramas for publication to boost readership....

Within the black box confines at NextStop Theatre Company you can find what I would call one of the best family events of the year: Matilda The Musical. Matilda follows the original Roald Dahl story turned movie premise of a young girl with a love for reading and amazing super powers. Together with ...

'No Exit' itself is a wonderful source material, and it was intriguing to hear Live Garra Theatre's plans to update and add an escape room element to the famous play. I walked into this show excited to see a new, modern twist on one of my favourite plays. Instead, I walked out incredibly disappointe...

For those who have been paying attention for the last 20-ish years, RENT was/is a pretty big deal. The rock opera adaptation of Puccini's La Boheme follows a group of young creatives in New York City during the AIDS crisis and was so popular during its initial run that it racked up multiple awards, ...

Despite being set in 1899, NEWSIES feels marvelously modern. It is sharp, slick, and explosive. Even if, like me, you saw the bright new production of NEWSIES on Broadway in 2012, the Arena Stage setting is instantly memorable. Being emerged in the theater-in-the-round is like the difference betw...

The setting for Richard Clifford's production of Amadeus, Peter Shaffer's classic, modern revenge tragedy could not be more skillfully assembled, and Clifford has created a taut, compelling evening for Folger audiences that remind us how shockingly contemporary the play's themes are....

'Occupant' is a beautiful, intimate piece about a fascinating woman, presented in a clever and engaging manner. Every element of the production is thoughtful, and it's thoroughly enjoyable to settle in for an evening with Louise and her part-admiring, part-critical interviewer....

The knowledge that Mark Morris Dance Group's 'Pepperland' is based on the Beatles' a?oeSgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Banda?? album sets the expectation for a bright, vivid performance that's just edging into trippy. For the most part, the show lives up to that expectation, but with some twists....

'What does air guitar teach us? Everything we need to rock, is already inside us' is a line that the character of Golden Thunder delivers midway through this fun and fresh play. It's a line that sums up this play for me: air guitarists competing nationally and internationally, doing so because they ...

Factory 449's 'Agnes of God' is an emotional, intimate play that speaks to inner struggles. With a sharp script and an exceptional cast, it's an insightful and aching performance that is both enjoyable and heartbreaking to watch....

Studio Theatre's production is frustrating since both the creative and acting components of this production are stellar. The real outrage is not what happens onstage, but what doesn't. And for that, the blame lies solely with the playwright Anchuli Felicia King....

Before he became the last president of Czechoslovakia - and the first president of the Czech Republic -- the famous Eastern European freedom fighter Václav Havel was a playwright. His works before the revolution spoke to issues arising from Soviet rule, as did the plays that followed it....

I am often asked what my all time favorite Broadway musical is. I always reply A Chorus Line. I consider it to be a perfect musical in every way. The show's original director/choreographer Michael Bennett captured the heart and soul of the dancer so beautifully in what I consider to be his masterwor...

Kudos to We Happy Few artistic director Kerry McGee for researching 'obsessively' the works of female playwrights of the 17th and 18th century, and for finding one in particular that can speak to modern audiences with some verve and relevance....

I have to hand it to Scena Theatre- they consistently elevate interesting, international work. Director Robert McNamara brings Jon Fosse's SEA to DC for its US debut performance at the intimate DC Arts Center, and the performance will surely leave you thinking. Norwegian playwright Fosse, one of Eur...

The Rainbow Theatre Project's BLUE CAMP is ready for a wider audience. Tucked in a corner of Saint Augustine's Episcopal Church in SW DC is a compelling story of young men quietly taking a stand for equality....