WASHINGTON, DC THEATER REVIEWS

'JQA' is an ambitious, delightful work that not only makes for an enjoyable theater experience, but also leaves its audiences ruminating on the deeper philosophies it explores. The strong cast and clever production designs are worth the trip alone, but the overall result is something that will linge...

While short-lived on Broadway, Keegan Theatre's regional premiere of Hands on a Hardbody, directed by Elena Velasco and Mark A. Rhea, proves this musical is on its way to becoming a cult classic....

Washington National Opera's (WNO) Eugene Onegin is exquisite! The entire evening soars like a dream with pitch-perfect performances led by the immaculate Anna Nechaeva as Tatiana....

Let me start this review with a comment by Olney's Artistic Director, Jason Loewith's comment in the program. 'After all my years in this business, many of them championing playwrights and new plays, it takes a lot to knock my socks off. I can count on two hands the experiences that reshaped by unde...

Sometimes a particular genre of theater isn't necessarily popular with a general audience. Theater of the Absurd might be the biggest example of this. Playwrights like Eugene Ionesco and others have left audiences scratching their heads for years as to what they were trying to say within their plays...

When you combine Bettis' exceptionally well-written and insightful script with some of the most powerful acting you're likely to see on a DC stage this season, and some excellent direction by Jose Zayas, you have a must-see theatrical production....

This production is unique and deserves to be seen....

Confection is a spellbinding multi-sensory dance and theater performance that contemplates decadent consumption and the high cost of feeding our appetites. The highly imaginative, gorgeously rendered, thought-provoking Confection is performed by New York's acclaimed Third Rail Projects, considered o...

Those advocating a big border wall to keep out imagined hordes of asylum seekers are overlooking the abilities of one indefatigable group they would fail to keep out: circus performers....

There's "beauty in the dark" Tino McGoldrig tells us and in 'Silent' that darkness has many, many layers. You see, Tino (named after silent film icon Rudolph Valentino) "once had splendid things", but has lost it all......

Mean Girls, Big Little Lies, Heathers, Broad City, Thelma and Louise, Parks and Recreation, Sex and the City…These are some of the better known vehicles for female friendship that inhabit our pop culture universe. Paling in comparison to the numerous portrayals of male friendships and "bromances",...

From the second we step through the doors of Anacostia Playhouse, we're asked to join the world of Dominique Morisseau's Blood at the Root - not just as observers but participants. Every corner of the lobby has been decked out like the hallways of a high school - in this case, Cedar High, located so...

Oooh la la, the good folks at Imagination Stage have a Parisian musical spectacular in store for you with the non- cheesy story about a couple of mice out to save the cheeses of Paris. Anatole: Mouse Magnifique features a dynamic and fun score by James Valcq (Music), book and lyrics by John MacLay a...

Over the years, Charles Dickens' works have been turned into many stage and film adaptations. I'm sure we've all seen A Christmas Carol or Oliver Twist in one form or another. While both are set against some bleak backdrops, they feature some larger-than-life characters that make them ripe for theat...

The non-Equity production of James Graham (Book), Gary Barlow, and Eliot Kennedy's (Music and Lyrics) 2015 Broadway musical 'Finding Neverland' is unlikely to be remembered as one of the most memorable touring productions that has graced the stages of DC this season. Yet, much like the Broadway pro...

4615 Theatre Company's 'Separate Rooms' is a great display of how love and loss can affect a group of people - it balances the raw emotions of the moment with the very human need to push on. Despite some story arc issues, it is a touching, intimate, and funny insight into humanity....

Among the Dead, written by Hansol Jung and directed by Richard Henrich is playing at the Spooky Action Theater in Washington DC between February 14 - March 10, 2019 and will undoubtedly rouse your awareness of the resilience and vulnerability of the human psyche....

The art of tap dancing is taken to new heights…literally…in the high octane, high energy worldwide sensation known as Tap Dogs. Not only do the eight male performers do traditional tap routines in this 80-minute industrial extravaganza, they take it to places tap hasn't gone before incorporating...

There is nothing outright wrong with Thunder Knocking on the Door, the blues-filled musical which opened at Creative Cauldron this past Saturday. But there isn't much that is right with it either. Overall, the production is a firmly middle-of-the-road endeavor where the mismatched cast are unable to...

With all of the media options at their disposal today, creating theater pieces that will keep young people totally engaged is getting to be more and more of a challenge. Kennedy Center's Theater for Young Audiences (TYA) division's latest attempt at something fresh sometimes succeeds and sometimes d...

Perhaps the biggest problem with 'The Heiress' is that it's difficult to invest in. It's hard to root for Catherine beyond hoping she tells Morris off, and that's more about dislike of him than support for her. After all, we can all get behind telling off a bad ex. It's just a shame that The Heiress...

Maryland's own Rude Mechanicals have taken on a Chekhov classic and infused it with the irony and wry humor that-believe it or not-were just what Dr. Chekhov ordered. His play Uncle Vanya, set in a provincial farm and featuring a wide variety of clumsy, maladroit characters, is given a warm, funny, ...

Many of the audience members clearly knew the source material better than I did going in – if the entrance applause and excitement of the people around me was any indicator. However, I think it's safe to say we were all equally charmed by the end – even me, an admittedly jaded musical theater j...

When you think about Wolf Trap, you probably think of their stunning outdoor Filene Center where their summer performance series takes place. But their indoor venue, The Barns, might just give the Filene Center a run for its money. Wolf Trap Opera and Washington Concert Opera's recent production of ...

The 1985 Broadway season might have been one of the weakest on record for musicals; in fact, only three shows were nominated for Best Musical at the Tony Awards that year. We had an Ellie Greenwich jukebox musical (Leader of the Pack), one of Harold Prince's big budget disasters (Grind), and a music...