Washington, DC Theater Reviews

Review: C.S. LEWIS THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS at Fellowship For Performing Arts
by Olivia Murray - September 19, 2023

The entire production should be very proud of this show and I should hope to see that it eventually sticks around for a while....

Review: MY MAMA AND THE FULL SCALE INVASION at Woolly Mammoth Theatre
by Jake Bridges - September 18, 2023

What did our critic think of MY MAMA AND THE FULL SCALE INVASION at Woolly Mammoth Theatre? How do you tell the story of a person who has lived 1,000 lives? How do you capture a life that includes being born into Nazi occupation, raising a child, surviving a massive nuclear accident, and a full-scal...

Review: EVITA at Shakespeare Theatre/Harman Hall
by Mary Lincer - September 15, 2023

What did our critic think of EVITA at Shakespeare Theatre/Harman Hall? The two hour show packs 17 years of her life into a constantly moving, theatrical matrix including social, political, and women's fashion history which can often be quite affecting because Pimentel's acting finds simple moments o...

Review: MONUMENTAL TRAVESTIES at Mosaic Theater
by Roger Catlin - September 13, 2023

Controversial statues have been de-installed long before a racial reckoning meant the end of most Confederate statues in recent years. An 1840 marble sculpture of George Washington was removed from the U.S. Capitol rotunda because some didn’t like that he was shirtless (it sits now at the National M...

Review: THE 39 STEPS at NextStop Theatre Company
by Rachael F. Goldberg - September 12, 2023

NextStop Theatre Company’s kickoff to its tin anniversary is delightful, hilarious, and engaging. The joy the cast and crew infuse into the performance is palpable and compelling, creating a shared experience that truly elevates live theater....

Review: BAÑO DE LUNA (BATHING IN MOONLIGHT) at GALA Hispanic Theatre
by Roger Catlin - September 12, 2023

The tantalizing notion of a forbidden romance was part of Tennessee Williams’ “The Night of the Iguana,” Colleen McCullough’s novel “The Thorn Birds” (made into a TV miniseries with Richard Chamberlain), and the hot priest that tantalized Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s “Fleabag.” ...

Review: ECHO at Cirque Du Soliel
by Pamela Roberts - September 10, 2023

Cirque du Soliel’s ECHO, now making its U.S. premiere, is chock full of wonder and spectacle. There’s no CGI or stunt doubles here, these 52 artists amaze with their strength, agility, artistry and precision....

Review: INK at Round House Theatre
by David Friscic - September 08, 2023

Cutthroat capitalism and journalistic sensationalist exploitation rears its ugly head in playwright James Graham’s Ink. This superb play is a sharply and pointedly observed tale of the rise of the infamous media mogul Rupert Murdoch (Andrew Rein) as he captures control of the newspaper The Sun and b...

Review: COMPAGNIE KÄFIG: PIXEL at John F. Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts
by Pamela Roberts - September 03, 2023

Compagnie Käfig merges elements of hip hop with modern dance, circus, and technological wizardry in its highly innovative production, Pixel, which has been seen by audiences in more than 30 countries around the world....

Review: GAVIN CREEL IN CONCERT at Kennedy Center
by Elliot Lanes - September 01, 2023

There was nothing humdrum or lazy about last evening’s late summer Gavin Creel concert at Kennedy Center. The Broadway performer with just two other musicians ignited the stage and audience in the Terrace Theater with an evening of some familiar tunes mixed with a good chunk of songs from Creel’s up...

Review: SWEAT at Keegan Theatre
by Mary Lincer - August 21, 2023

What did our critic think of SWEAT at Keegan Theatre? No matter what year an audience sees Lynn Nottage's (her second Pulitzer) Sweat, something will be going wrong someplace for some part of the American workforce....

Review: TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD at John F. Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts
by Pamela Roberts - August 21, 2023

Seeing To Kill a Mockingbird, now at the Kennedy Center, isn’t the same experience as the novel you were quizzed on in high school or the classic 1962 film. Aaron Sorkin’s script and Bartlett Sher’s direction gain heightened context and nuance from the rise in racial violence in the last decade. The...

Review: A Theatrical Feast: THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY at Signature Theatre
by Jack L. B. Gohn - August 19, 2023

Given the moat of terrible traffic that separates Baltimore theatergoers from Arlington, what can justify a visit there? Well, one answer for sure is Signature Theatre’s stunning production of the 2014 musical The Bridges of Madison County. With a timeless story, a lush, varied score, and riveting p...

Review: THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY at Signature Theatre
by Shelby Tyler - August 17, 2023

What did our critic think of THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY at Signature Theatre? Andy Warhol once questioned, “I wonder if it’s possible to have a love affair that lasts forever.” The Bridges of Madison County answers this with its sweeping Jason Robert Brown score, following the extramarital affair...

Review: American Shakespeare Center's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING is a Treat for All Seasons
by Andrew White - August 12, 2023

As the Summer draws to a hot close, and school days loom on the near horizon, it’s good to know that some childish antics will survive well into the Fall.  The American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, Virginia, has pulled out the stops with Shakespeare’s zany take on the battle of the sexes, Much Ad...

Review: MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL at Kennedy Center
by Shelby Tyler - August 08, 2023

What did our critic think of MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL at Kennedy Center? When you step into Moulin Rouge! The Musical, reality melts away. You are transported somewhere lush, sensual, and dazzling; the allure of seductive and passionate Parisian romance whispers to you through every catch of light....

Review: CYRANO DE BERGERAC at Synetic Theater
by Pamela Roberts - August 06, 2023

Synetic Theater’s wordless Cyrano de Bergerac is gorgeous to behold and packs a powerful emotional wallop....

Review: DISCO FEVER at Signature Theatre
by Ken Kemp - August 05, 2023

Signature's latest cabaret is a delightful romp down memory lane....

Review: RENT IN CONCERT at The Kennedy Center
by David Friscic - July 29, 2023

What did our critic think of RENT IN CONCERT at The Kennedy Center?...

Review: THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG at Kennedy Center
by Peter Rouleau - July 23, 2023

A brilliantly-performed, well-mounted play about a horribly-performed, disastrously staged play....

Review: CAMBODIAN ROCK BAND at Kreeger/Arena Stage
by Mary Lincer - July 22, 2023

What did our critic think of CAMBODIAN ROCK BAND at Kreeger/Arena Stage?...

Review: BELL WRINGER at Capital Fringe Festival
by Jake Bridges - July 16, 2023

What did our critic think of BELL WRINGER at Capital Fringe?...

Review: DEMENTIA MAN, AN EXISTENTIAL JOURNEY at DCJCC
by Naomi Ducat - July 16, 2023

Dementia Man, An Existential Journey, is a one-man theatrical performance during which Sam navigates life upon learning he has early-stage Alzheimer’s Disease....

Review: FELA! at Olney Theatre Center
by Roger Catlin - July 16, 2023

It’s only the third time the Maryland regional powerhouses have collaborated, and people still recall their only other two such efforts, “Angels in America” in 2016 and “In the Heights in 2017. “Fela!” will be equally well-remembered alongside them. ...

Review: BRUNCH WITH THE BOYS at DCJCC Theatre J
by David Friscic - July 15, 2023

What did our critic think of BRUNCH WITH THE BOYS at DCJCC Theatre J?...