Washington, DC Theater Reviews

Review: THE ILLUSIONISTS at Opera House/Kennedy Center
by Mary Lincer - April 25, 2024

Ladies and gentlemen and children of all ages, The Illusionists brings the fun of magic and the magic of fun at a time when a little voluntary, recreational misdirection sounds like a great idea. Indeed, through the magic of a big screen and a little camera, The Illusionists have solved the problem ...

Review: VENUS AND ADONIS at Taffety Punk Theatre Company
by Jackson Malmgren - April 23, 2024

What did our critic think of TAFFETY PUNK THEATRE COMPANY'S VENUS AND ADONIS at Taffety Punk Theatre Company?...

Review: PAN AMERICAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA'S TODO TANGO at Kennedy Center
by Hannah R. Wing - April 22, 2024

On Saturday, April 20, 2024, PASO brought their program, Todo Tango, an intimate and fiery evening of tango to the Kennedy Center. ...

Review: DANA TAI SOON BURGESS DANCE COMPANY at Kennedy Center's Family Theater
by Emily Berger - April 21, 2024

This new work featured three episodes in Asian American history....

Review: A JUMPING-OFF POINT at Round House Theatre
by David Friscic - April 17, 2024

An exploration of what constitutes the writer’s role and ownership of material, issues of representation in the arts, racial politics and the messiness of friendship and caring are all threshed out in Inda Craig -Galván’s play A Jumping-Off Point. Now being presented at the Round House Theatre, this...

Review: AN UNBUILT LIFE at Washington Stage Guild
by Roger Catlin - April 18, 2024

It’s the painting Girl with a Flute, long attributed to Vermeer, that adorns the program cover of the Washington Stage Guild’s world premiere production of “An Unbuilt Life.” ...

Review: DISTILLATION at Solas Nua
by Roger Catlin - April 17, 2024

You meet in the hotel lobby and go up the elevator in two groups of 10 to the fourth floor. Once assembled there, you’re led to a community room where you take your seat around a table covered in clumps of black earth that we’ll soon come to learn is peat. Irish peat, from the bogs. Three hundred po...

Review: CHICKS IN HEAVEN at Creative Cauldron
by Jake Bridges - April 15, 2024

What did our critic think of CHICKS IN HEAVEN at Creative Cauldron?...

Review: UNKNOWN SOLDIER at Arena Stage
by Rachael F. Goldberg - April 15, 2024

'Unknown Soldier' is a beautifully performed show with a fascinating exploration of memory, love, and loss, but its main flaw is that it is a show seeking out answers to a mystery it not only fails to resolve, but further convolutes at every turn. While there’s truth in that, it’s also a little diss...

Review: ISLANDER at Olney Theatre Center
by Itai Yasur - April 14, 2024

Now on tour, a new musical makes landfall at Olney Theatre Center with a fantastical song worthy of our attention...

Review: MACBETH at Shakespeare Theatre Company
by Dara Homer - April 15, 2024

STC’s Macbeth highlights brutal pairs: war and domestic life, grief and humor, brief words and permanent consequences. While the setting could feel unassuming—indeed, audiences must make their way through the parking lot of a Home Depot when arriving via metro—it also shows how extravagant it is to ...

Review: MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE at Kennedy Center Opera House
by Emily Berger - April 13, 2024

Message in a Bottle, a narrative dance work set to music by Sting, with choreography by Kate Prince ranging from hip hop to break dancing to contemporary, is sometimes maddening but often exhilarating....

Review: PETER PAN at Broadway At The National
by Peter Rouleau - April 12, 2024

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Summer News: CATF Contemporary American Theater Festival Rolls Out Another World Premiere Season!
by Andrew White - April 12, 2024

Believe it or not, Summer is coming.  After we sneeze our way through a way-too-flowery Spring, we get to contemplate the joys of those little weekend getaways here and there, sneaking out of town to enjoy some solid artistry in friendly locales. ...

Review: WEBSTER'S BITCH At The Keegan Theatre
by Jake Bridges - April 09, 2024

What did our critic think of WEBSTER'S BITCH at The Keegan Theatre?...

Review: THE NANCE at 1st Stage
by Mary Lincer - April 07, 2024

What did our critic think of THE NANCE at 1st Stage?...

Review: CIVILIZING LUSBY at Best Medicine Repertory
by Peter Rouleau - April 08, 2024

A lone man taking on a developer to keep his property. A woman being courted by a man of means favored by her parents and a rogue. A couple whose  prosperous appearance masks deep insecurity, secrets, and recriminations. These are all familiar elements, perhaps even cliches, but in Best Medicine Rep...

Review: LES BALLETS TROCKADERO DE MONTE CARLO TO THE KENNEDY CENTER at Kennedy Center Opera House
by Emily Berger - April 06, 2024

Thursday’s return of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo to the Kennedy Center brought a full house and lots of laughs to the DMV....

Review: STOMP at Capital One Hall
by Pamela Roberts - April 06, 2024

STOMP is here for a brief five-performance run through April 7 at Capital One Hall in Tysons. In STOMP, anything can be used to drive a beat and set the rhythm. Brooms, trashcans, grocery carts, inner tubes, suitcases – everything including kitchen sinks are objects to play with and explore. Zippo ...

Review: Mosaic Theater Company's World Premiere of Nancy
by Hannah R. Wing - April 04, 2024

Nancy is a compelling satirical play with themes which still resonate today as Indigenous communities in the U.S. (and around the world) fight to get their land back, advocate for environmental justice, and improve the lives of people within their communities....

Review: SUPER FREAK: THE RICK JAMES STORY at National Theatre
by Roger Catlin - April 03, 2024

Somewhere between touring tribute acts and high-gloss Broadway jukebox musical bios are the more modest regional  musicals created to nominally perform the hits of a legacy pop act, in costume, adding biographical details as a story arc....

Review: HESTER STREET At Theater J
by Mary Lincer - April 02, 2024

What did our critic think of HESTER STREET at Theater J?...

Review: THE WHITE FEATHER, A PERSIAN BALLET at Kennedy Center
by Michela Dwyer - April 02, 2024

What did our critic think of THE WHITE FEATHER, A PERSIAN BALLET at Kennedy Center?...

Review: YAA's BIG FISH at Strathmore
by Itai Yasur - March 25, 2024

Young Artists of America's BIG FISH was a night to remember for the next generation of singers, dancers and musicians....

Review: George Mason University School of Dance Gala Concert
by Emily Berger - March 25, 2024

GMU's students performed four diverse works Friday night, from historical modern dance to contemporary to one with inflections of break dance. Friday’s annual showcase of GMU’s dancers at the George Mason Center for the Arts, featured roughly half of the school’s majors in works by Martha Graham, Ky...