I am constantly amazed by the array of topics that have fueled musicals. The bygone pattern of Boy meets Girl, Boy loses Girl has certainly been put out to pasture. Creators are always looki…
Ah, even though it's a wee bit early to celebrate St. Paddy's day, there's never a bad time to lift a pint, be enthralled at the eerie, yet intriguing, uilleann pipe, marvel at the disciplin…
Channeling a band's life onstage can be a tricky endeavor. The musical "biopic" is a tempting stage device, with its ready-made score and built-in name recognition. But it also has the dange…
Theatre at its most riveting is the occasion in which the audience is engaged, challenged, and then ultimately committed and, in some way, moved by the experience. This first rate, theatrica…
Suppose that, as you read this on your screen, you are drawn in by its entertaining anecdotes and amusing viewpoints? But while enjoying it all, you slowly start questioning its truthfulness…
You would have to be severely media-challenged or a native of another planet to have not heard of the movie that is generally considered the best movie musical ever and consistently ranks in…
Something about the gentle poking at convention"even the spiritual type"provides a guilty feel-good to theatregoers. Filling the seats again and inducing groans and laughter, Little Theatre …
To me, a concert program full of the best of Broadway is like an extensive dessert menu that is ever so satisfying, but somehow never fills you up, making you want for more. If I'm being hon…
History is a funny thing. How willing are we to stop, reassess and recalibrate what we think of the past "our icons, our shining lights of greatness? There has been a lot of icon-busting the…
LTA is back in a hilariously "Rotten!" way. Filling the seats again and filling our hearts with the laughter we so need, Little Theatre of Alexandria's summer feature show is a throwback"the…
The simple reality of a farce, especially a musical, is that one can relax, put the thinking part of the cerebral cortex on temporary hold, and just let the action unfold. The beauty of that…
 How is this for a recipe for successful musical performance: Take one part venue"the intimate and comfortable Hylton Performing Arts Center's Merchant Hall; Add another part talented mu…
Yes, they are stomping by again. A year after the dreaded cicadas, a decidedly more pleasant syncopated sound filled our ears and engulfs our senses. I will attempt to use the word phenomeno…
The Revels are Coming! The Revels are Coming (Back!) The much-revered Revelers are here again, thankfully in person this year, after that nasty bug that will remain nameless kept their winso…
After a hiatus in which much of live theatre was on hold in DMV area, we have a heart-stopper of a show. Kensington Arts Theatre presents the classic of classics, Agatha Christie's "And Then…
"Remember, bloody is only a metaphor!" we are shouted at several times in the imaginative, entertaining, at times shocking "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson" at Dominion Stage. A semi- historica…
Murder most foul has been a steady, reliable storyline for recorded history"from Greek tragedies to horror novels and on to HBO and Netflix moneymakers. The fascination with the purposeful d…
I get it, a show (ok, a musical revue) identified with a horrific hairstyle won't challenge us with dramatic plot twists or Sondheim-esque mystique. But after a summer which literally seemed…
Of course, it had to be called Seussical, match-rhyming with musical. Imbued with Dr. Seuss' gift for cadenced, rhythmic prose, it is also whimsical. Thus, "Seussical the Musical" bursts ons…
Sometimes you just need a silly song, a silly dance, a little seltzer down your pants. With a nod to chuckles the clown, we Washingtonians do need a respite from the amped-up rhetoric and po…
It's one of those situations we all have likely experienced: a fresh-faced young person unexpectedly knocks on your door and asks about your faith, challenging whatever concept of spirituali…
Reaching deep into the proverbial treasure chest of American classics, Little Theatre of Alexandria has pulled out and dusted off Kaufman and Hart's beloved "You Can't Take It With You." Arg…
It’s not just an orchestra setting anymore. The Music Center at Strathmore is nationally known, yet seems underappreciated in the DMV area. The present home of the National Philharmoni…
The verdict is in: “Twelve Angry Men:” that iconic courtroom drama, still remains compelling storytelling. Ford Theatre's production, gleaned from local talent and staged in the …
Mixing in parts of remembrances past, timely themes, nascent hopes of magic and kitschy lighting, this amalgam of elements are put together in the Creative Cauldron in Falls Church to have a…