WASHINGTON, DC THEATER REVIEWS

Romeo & Juliet at STC is a rare opportunity to take part in a bona fide DC tradition, enjoy a free night out at the theater, and most importantly, connect with Shakespeare....

Siegmund Fuchs's new play In the Closet, produced by Rainbow Theatre Project, manifests this space in vivid detail. Unlike similar coming out stories, Fuchs emphasizes the continual process of coming out over the course of one's life. Even when the script stumbles, the themes presented in this show ...

Pointless Theatre's production of Don Cristobal is an inventive send-up to Punch and Judy shows that is unfortunately bogged down by a clunky script which spends too much time trying to set up profundities it doesn't successfully execute....

In Kathleen Akerley's 'Interstellar Ghost Hour,' the latest fanciful play from Longacre Lea, an astronaut travels back through time and space to arrive in her deceased parents home to get some answers....

Sarah Ruhl is one of the most produced contemporary playwrights today, with provocative works like 'Dead Man's Cell Phone' and 'In the Room: The Vibrator Play.' Less often produced is one of her earliest plays, the 2002 'Melancholy Play: A Contemporary Farce,' especially since she reworked it in rec...

The admirable goal of the All About the Drama theater group is to reproduce classics of African-American theater. Its second production currently at the Anacostia Playhouse is from Douglas Turner Ward, co-founder of the Negro Ensemble Company....

Tackling Macbeth is no minor feat. Few shows inspire as much dread both onstage and off as Shakespeare's "Scottish Play." Daringly dark in both plot and theme, Macbeth relies heavily on the performances of the eponymous Scot and his wife to propel the plot along compellingly and with varying intensi...

Sometimes a show comes along on Broadway that leaves you saying, 'Hmm I wonder what it would be like without the large scale production?' The 2014 Jason Robert Brown/Marsha Norman musical The Bridges of Madison County is one of those shows. It had a large production concept that I felt swallowed the...

Whatever happened to the theatrical thriller? There's something so incredibly fulfilling about a play that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Too often, there are elements that can pull you out of a thrilling production. It can be the smallest thing: from a flickering stage light to a fumbling acto...

Riverside Center for the Performing Arts closes its season with the classic Broadway musical A CHORUS LINE. From the iconic opening number to the show-stopping finale, 22 triple-threat performers work tirelessly and prove this production is something really special. There have been recent tours and ...

NextStop's production of Amour is a great escape into a world filled with absurdity and whimsy. All and all, it is a perfect pick for a 30th anniversary celebration....

A great cast succeeds despite a less than ideal production concept...

I do not believe I have ever seen a more 'kid-friendly' theatrical event than the Olney Theatre Company's H.M.S. PINAFORE. Olney has welcomed back 'The Hypocrites' Chicago based troupe (they last appeared during the summer of 2016) who have taken their productions of both PINAFORE and PIRATES OF PEN...

I think it's safe to say that guns in America might be one of the most divisive and important topics today. Nowadays school shootings are on the news more frequently than ever and there is usually a story every week about some kind of incident involving a gun....

Alan Cumming really is a delight.   His cabaret Legal Immigrant, performed at the Kennedy Center on Saturday night, is a seamless blend of music and hilarious anecdote. ...

'Dave' is a really fun show with a strong cast. It's just the right kind of show we need in DC right now. While questions might emerge as to whether it can play elsewhere, I would suggest that no matter where you live, you may be eager to immerse yourself in a world of political optimism for a few...

One of the best parts of seeing a re-imagining of a well-known work is that it enables you to revisit it from a different angle. The new presentation allows you to enjoy the work fresh, and maybe even catch something new that has been lost in familiarity. With apologies to the (British) Bard, Quotid...

Finally, here is a play where the most important person in a theatrical production is front and center. I am speaking of course of the stage manager (SM); you know, the one that keeps everything running smoothly from the first day of rehearsal through performance.  Playwright Scott C. Sickles' hil...

Capital Fringe productions tend to have a lot of ambition. No matter the quality of the show, there is a clear underlining of a message the playwright wants to get across to their audience. When this message is unclear, however, the work can begin to falter. Unfortunately, this is the kind of scenar...

Producing a show in a festival setting can be a harrowing experience. There are many things that can get in your way. Things like a small playing space, bad acoustics and everyone's favorite, a fifteen-minute set up and strike time....

Facing a medical crisis is never fun, particularly one that could potentially kill you. Veteran actor Vincent Clark (who might be best known for his work at Washington Stage Guild with over 30 productions so far) has taken his real life medical emergency horror story and turned it into an amusing an...

Andromeda Breaks and The City Of... are two great pieces of new writing to add to your Fringe schedule!...

Part of the excitement of DC's Capital Fringe Festival is not knowing when you'll stumble upon a true gem of a production. I was fortunate enough to find a couple when I indulged in two dramas and two comedies within 48 hours at Arena Stage....

With over 80 plays to choose from, Capital Fringe Festival can be overwhelming for the average theatergoer. There are plenty of good choices ranging from over-the-top comedies to funky experimental dramas to allegories and satires and everything in between. Obviously, with so many offerings, there w...

Taffety Punk Theatre Company's Bootleg Shakespeare production HENRY VI, PART 3 is performance without a net - exciting, dangerous, riveting, and raw. Bootleg Shakespeare isn't designed to be polished or perfect, it's designed to be fresh and immediate. And it delivered. What's more amazing? The acto...