WASHINGTON, DC THEATER REVIEWS

Timothy Douglas' production of Wilson's Gem of the Ocean is as rich an experience as you could possibly ask for; set at the turn of the twentieth century, it offers a lesson in the trials of Pittsburgh's African-American community at a pivotal time in the Hill district's history. More importantly, i...

How far would you go to be with the one that you love? Sonya Kelly's autobiographical How to Keep an Alien, now being presented by Solas Nua, explores this question with warmth, humor, and a tour-de-force performance from DC acting goddess Tonya Beckman. This production marks the first time Kelly ha...

Some pieces of theater require your undivided attention because of some deep underlying message that the playwright doesn't want you to miss. This is not the case for MetroStage's return holiday engagement of Catherine Flye's Christmas at The Old Bull & Bush and that's totally ok. This British Varie...

1st Stage's A Civil War Christmas, directed by Deidra Lawan Starnes with musical direction by Markus Williams, is a riveting musical helmed by a strong diverse cast of twelve actors and beautifully done production design....

With a stellar cast and fantastic costumes and sets, 'Beautiful' serves as the perfect escape into a world of fun, music, and sentimentality. It's a lovely show with an empowering message, and you'll walk out ready to turn back around and see it again. Or, at the very least, go home and play the cas...

There are some plays in the history of Broadway that you just scratch your head as to why they didn't have a longer run. Paula Vogel's Indecent is definitely one of those plays. It opened to rave reviews on Broadway, won the Tony Award for best direction and only ran 128 performances. The award win ...

Operetta Wonderland: The Magic of Victor Herbert, directed by Brian J. Shaw with musical direction by Carlos C. Rodriguez, showcases Herbert's musicality through a selection of both his popular and lesser-known songs. This production features the rich vocals of Kelly Curtin, Cara Gonzalez, Elise Jen...

We all know how stressful the holidays can be, especially finding the perfect gift for friends and family. But what about the perfect accoutrement, - that's a fancy word now isn't it - for the top of your Christmas tree? Yes, the tree topper can make or break any holiday celebration and you won't fi...

Until director Stephen Daldry rediscovered J.B. Priestley's 'An Inspector Calls,' it had been relegated to dull British backwaters as ho-hum sub-Agatha Christie drawing room fare....

Any one of us that has ever seen an animated feature or short produced by the Walt Disney Animation Studios knows that the music is always a big component in making the film a success. Let's face it, aren't you all still singing 'Let it Go' from Frozen even though the film is now five years old? Son...

I had two main questions about the world premiere Kennedy Center commission of HOW TO CATCH A STAR: would it match the original children's book's ability to appeal to kids and adults alike, and would it be as visually charming as Oliver Jeffers's illustrations? I'm pleased to report that the answer...

Overall, if you are willing to overlook a few of the gimmicks, you can have a good time at the show. Even if it may not appeal to the most jaded of theater nerds, it is a feel-good kind of audience show. I can't fault any production that entices the audience to sit back and listen to some great mu...

If you have ever attended an opera and thought 'all of these sets and costumes are so incredibly distracting' then Washington Concert Opera would be right up your alley. Stripping away the grandiose of an opera production, WCO presents their works in their most raw form: with just an orchestra, a ch...

'All Save One' is Greg Jones Ellis' world premiere play about a 1950s Hollywood in which a Oscar Wilde-type playwright is ensconced in Hollywood, with a front marriage to a film star, a longtime relationship with a man who has become his secretary, and temptations right outside the window of his bea...

Admittedly, I am not a parent - nor have I ever had the desire to be one. As a 30-something, I've never had to navigate through the family vs. career challenges depicted in Molly Smith Metzler's play CRY IT OUT, now playing at Studio Theatre. Yet, even without the ability to personally relate to t...

Arena Stage's Anything Goes is pitch perfect for a world-weary DC audience....

For something completely different this holiday season, you might want to consider Signature Theatre's latest offering. Billy Elliot the Musical is not your standard holiday fare by any means. Sure, there are big production numbers, but the story features important underlying themes of labor tension...

The story of Cinderella has been presented in many forms throughout the history of entertainment.  Each has enchanted audiences of all ages. There was the classic Disney cartoon, the Rodgers and Hammerstein television adaptation that has since become a stage musical, a few television remakes, an...

In This Hope takes risks, and it is beautiful to watch a performance that is unique to you and your fellow audience members take shape in real time....

Mozart's Don Giovanni is a must in every opera goer's repertoire. If you are looking for a first encounter with the Don, you could be in no more responsible hands than the Virginia Opera. The material and musical mastery are deliciously indulgent in equal measure. Director Lillian Groag's rendition ...

One hundred years after the armistice of The Great War, it is still crucial to honor the memory of all who fought to create a better world for the future. Washington National Opera's production of Silent Night, which opened on Saturday night at the Kennedy Center, is a glorious celebration of the br...

Overall, Keegan Theatre's musical rendition of 'As You Like It' is whimsical and fun, with some light social commentary of love and acceptance. Despite some rough edges, the production is an enjoyable experience....

Now playing at the Atlas Performing Arts Center is an all-female, 1930s Tinseltown take on Oscar Wilde's WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE, directed by Robert McNamara. It's an undeniably creative angle to approach Wilde, in the vein of Scena's previous gender-bending production of THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARN...

Sheila and Moby is a Flying V classic, and a surprisingly layered, complex look at the messy business of growing up - whether you think you have or not....

Just because a work is new doesn't mean that it isn't able to honor the classic sources that paved the way for its creation. This idea is underscored in the Ragamala Dance Company's elegant and well-executed performance of Written in Water, which relies on the ancient Indian board game Paramapadam (...