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The Color Purple Review
Near the end of The Color Purple, Cynthia Erivo, as Celie, sings “I don’t need you to love me….I’m beautiful, yes I’m beautiful, and I’m here” – which provokes the audience to rise up, tear up and...
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Keegan Theatre keeps its tradition: An Irish Carol (review)
An Irish Carol is a tale of Christmas redemption that tastes not of sugar cookies and eggnog, but salted peanuts and shots of Jameson. The spirits here are of the earthbound, liquid variety instead of...
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As You Like It – Synetic-style (review)
Forget the pastoral images of Arden, or the shepherds and royalty you might expect from this play. Synetic’s dance-theatre rendition of As You Like It has all the dark twists and haunted images we’ve...
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Stars of David, Off-Broadway fave, at Theater J for one week
In the spring of 2014, Theater J presented a concert reading of Stars of David: Story to Song, based on Abigail Pogrebin’s best-selling book, for a benefit, and those involved saw something very...
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Deirdre LaWan Starnes finding answers in The Gospel of Lovingkindness
After opening weekend of Marcus Gardley’s The Gospel of LovingKindness at the Mosaic Theater of DC, Deidra Lawan Starnes took a few days to reflect on the play and admitted it was even more powerful...
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The Gifts of the Magi, a Christmas musical at MET
What makes a Christmas gift special? If you think it is how much you paid for it, then you have missed the point of almost every Christmas song, play, musical, and story ever written. But if not price,...
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The music shines in Bright Star at The Kennedy Center
Unapologetically uplifting songs like the Act II opener “Sun’s Gonna Shine” have pressed a consensus judgment that Steve Martin and Edie Brickell’s Broadway-bound period musical Bright Star is too...
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West Side Story reborn at Signature Theatre (review)
Have you heard about the new musical now onstage at Signature Theatre? It’s name: West Side Story. West Side Story’s been around nearly 60 years, and everyone knows it was an updated, musical version...
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Matilda The Musical at The Kennedy Center (review)
Half a Matilda is better than none, one decides. The challenge of fitting this Broadway show into the wide and deep Opera House stage compromises the exuberance and dark energy of Matilda The Musical,...
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Outside Mullingar at Everyman Theatre (review)
Feeling droopy, as if you need to dip your candy canes in Prozac? Copious cheer (of the non-holiday variety) greets you at Everyman Theatre via the lovely, loving production of Outside Mullingar, which...
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Joshua Morgan on closing No Rules, one of the biggest upheavals to the scene...
“Running a theatre company is always challenging. That aspect never goes away, and it doesn’t get easier with time.” In October, while in New York City, I sat down with Joshua Morgan and talked about a...
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The Top 10 Realest Theater Awards You Won’t See at the Helen Hayes
1. Most Emotionally Devastating Deaths by Inanimate Objects in A Play – Famous Puppet Death Scenes – Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company Feel free to kick yourself if you missed this horrifyingly hilarious...
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Jayne Blanchard’s Top 10 shows of 2015
10. Macbeth Not a stage production per se but a movie adaptation of Shakespeare’s brutal tragedy directed by Justin Kurzel whose extraordinary clarity of vision brings this tale of cruelty and revenge...
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Steven McKnight’s Top 10 shows of 2015
10. Murder Ballad, Studio Theatre Recent explorations of “immersive theatre” received a boost with this rock musical about a scorching love triangle headed for trouble. The four performers careened...
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Jonathan Mandell’s Top 10 NYC shows of 2015
My list of ten favorite shows on New York stages in 2015 tilt towards Broadway musicals – five out of “ten” – which is in great contrast to my top ten lists last year and the year before. But the...
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Rosalind Lacy’s Top 12 shows of 2015
Hispanic theatre bonds me to my family heritage. I was born in Los Angeles, California, with Latino roots that date back to Spain through the American southwest. I grew up in a decade on the brink of...
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Shows from 2015 I’d pay top dollar to see
I’m retired now as a critic and when I see a play it is generally as a civilian. In days of old, I might see upwards of a hundred fifty plays a year, and the experience was as commonplace for me as...
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Ryan Taylor’s Top 10 shows of 2015
10. The Last Burlesque Produced by Pinky Swear Productions I’m partial to the work of prolific DC playwright Stephen Spotswood (I’ve produced and directed his work myself), and his story of an...
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Jeff Walker’s Top 10 shows of 2015
Call me an old softy, but I get pretty sentimental during the holidays. As I look back on theatre for the year 2015, my cup runneth over with blessings – performers and productions that touched my...
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All’s Well That Ends Soon
Dear readers, Undoubtedly, your inbox, like mine, is overflowing with worthy last minute appeals. We, too, want to ask you to give this one a minute of your time, for, at its end, you’ll find a...
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