WASHINGTON, DC THEATER REVIEWS

By 1931, technology had advanced enough to allow Charlie Chaplin to make his latest film, 'City Lights,' as a talkie. But why would he? By then, he had mastered his singularly poetic choreography that universally communicated comedy without need for language. Further, he could use advancements in so...

Creators Jennifer Schwed and Doug Bradshaw teamed up with composer Charlie Barnett to produce a musical that is sweet, earnest, smart, and sensitive. It may be a lofty goal to hope that '19: The Musical' achieves 'Hamilton'-like heights, but, much like the women it portrays, it's certainly up to the...

Every kid with a performer's heart deserves to experience three things in their childhood: access to an incredible arts program, a passionate mentor, and a really great Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. For me, that was the Springfield (Missouri) Little Theatre, Beth D., and The Phantom of the Opera. I w...

In an era where everything seemingly gets remade, and usually not for the better, the idea of seeing a Cinderella set during wartime may give you pause - don't let it!...

AMERICAN MOOR is an intimate portrait of an artist and a cry of grief for the boundaries we impose upon our artistic lives. Using the role of 'Othello' as both an anchor and a jumping off point, Keith Hamilton Cobb skillfully takes the audience through a deeply personal examination of race and privi...

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Overall, this show benefits from a solid thematic foundation and compelling stories, but suffers in the area of presentation....

If you were to ask anyone who they think was one of the greatest all-around performers of the twentieth century, chances are Judy Garland would definitely be one of the most popular answers. It's hard to fathom all she accomplished in her short 47 years of life. It's even more challenging to conside...

They pipe street noise onto the stage as the latest production of InSeries opera company begins....

NextStop Theatre's production takes up the meta to another level by casting real-life friends as the actors in the show and allowing them to be co-directors. Most theatre about theatre can easily lose audiences but, NextStop's [title of show] is overall accessible and relatable to a wider audience t...

There are many companies presenting Theater for Young Audiences (TYA) shows in and around the DC area. One of the newest is a company that's been around for over twenty years, but has relatively recently branched out into the family entertainment genre....

I cannot fathom willingly undertaking the escalating catastrophes of The Play that Goes Wrong night after night. The potential for disaster is, of course, the masochistic thrill of live theater. Anything can happen but how often do you actually see anything go wrong in a play? Yet, we are all tether...

Some people go to the theater to find a place to escape from the world around them. If you are one of those people, Studio Theatre's production of Kings wont be your cup of tea. This production is often an uncomfortably real exploration of politics, lobbyists and daily life in the heart of our natio...

On its surface, 'Oh God!' is a fun and witty comedy. And yet, what makes it a masterpiece isn't just the humor, but also the deeper philosophies and truths of humanity that it touches on. The show balances comedy with a clear and pensive look at the world, at religion, and at how we treat ourselves ...

Humbug's my usual reaction when there's yet another variation of 'A Christmas Carol' on local stages this time of year. Can't someone come up with an original idea for a Christmas play?...

Put simply, Folger Consort's 'A Christmas Messe' is a masterful blend of music and theatre that creates a beautifully satisfying feast for the soul. Dig in, and enjoy....

Based on the 2017 Broadway revival (a West End transfer) this new tour offers a solid mix of splash and raw, complex human emotion....

While it makes a worthy effort to introduce people to the arts, 'The Lion, the Unicorn, and Me' simply misses the mark. Despite its wonderful cast, the show has far too many flaws for this to be a worthy introduction to a love for theatre....

In the midst of DC's December winter holidays, Theater J brings to us … a valentine. "This story will unfold as a waltz, a valentine" we are told in the opening monologue - and in the gifted hands of director Aaron Posner, Talley's Folly delivers the beauty and rhythm of a waltz, and the big beati...

For his fifth and final work with Shakespeare Theatre Company director Michael Khan, the playwright David Ives has not returned to rhyming couplet adaptations of French classics, as he did in 'The Liar,' 'The Heir Apparent,' 'The Metromaniacs' and 'the School for Lies.'...

I've come to expect the unexpected from Synetic Theater's exquisite, wordless productions. Somehow they're always able to dazzle me, and their holiday season production of MY FATHER'S DRAGON, based on Ruth Stiles Gannett's children's novel, is an absolute gem. Wide-eyed performers, memorable scenes,...

LOVE, FACTUALLY's myriad storylines travel at the speed of light, leaving its audience dazed and amused....

Second City's SHE THE PEOPLE at Woolly Mammoth delivers some sorely needed cathartic joy in the heart of the nation's capital. The Second City improvisational theatre troupe is famed for producing the likes of Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Steve Carell, and Stephen Colbert, so you can be sure that when the...

For many years now, the famed Cirque du Soleil has been combining the two worlds of circus and theater to create some spectacular productions. Anyone that has seen one of their shows in Las Vegas or elsewhere knows that when you attend a Cirque production, it's an unforgettable experience. Cirque ha...

There are certain theatrical presentations you can always depend on for sheer holiday joy at this time of year. Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker is definitely high on that list. The music has spawned many different interpretations over the years, including Duke Ellington's version featuring...