Zeitgeist festival gets audiences involved in the show by Celia Wren

One minute you're a ­theatergoer, the next, you're an avatar in a ­cyber-thriller. Such is the transformation one apparently undergoes at "15'000 Gray," an interactive production that …

SOURCE: Washington Post at 12:51pm on May 2, 2014[SHARE]

'Tango Turco (Turkish Tango)' at Gunston Arts Center by Celia Wren

How many globetrotting romances are as painful as Amelia and Rodolfo's? After an unfortunate incident in their native Argentina, the two lovers flee first to Europe, then to the Middle East,…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 2:10pm on April 28, 2014[SHARE]

At times strained, 'Failure: A Love Story' largely succeeds by Celia Wren

It does seem inevitable when the rich young man named Mortimer Mortimer asks the monk parakeet to dance. Nattily attired in a check suit and bow tie " and politely overlooking the fact that …

SOURCE: Washington Post at 6:07pm on April 27, 2014[SHARE]

Gallaudet dance piece bridges ideas; henna is highlighted during embassy tours by Celia Wren

The bridging of borders. The bridging of dance styles. The bridging of gaps between ideas. All three of those feats will coincide when France's Compagnie Chriki'Z presents the ­­­hi…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 11:27am on April 25, 2014[SHARE]

'Henry IV, Part 2' entertains lavishly at Shakespeare Theatre by Celia Wren

Sad certainties of life: Flowers wither, summer eventually spirals into fall and winter, and Hotspur " the impetuous rebel whose rash outbursts make up some of the most diverting moments in …

SOURCE: Washington Post at 8:08pm on April 21, 2014[SHARE]

'Henry IV Part 2' entertains lavishly by Celia Wren

Sad certainties of life: Flowers wither, summer eventually spirals into fall and winter, and Hotspur " the impetuous rebel whose rash outbursts make up some of the most diverting moments in …

SOURCE: Washington Post at 3:04pm on April 21, 2014[SHARE]

At D.C. Tango Festival, a novice learns about the nonverbal language of dance by Celia Wren

"You are the antithesis of tango!" my husband told me at breakfast the other day when I mentioned my plan to take a tango lesson at the Embassy of Argentina. I knew what he was trying to say…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 11:34am on April 18, 2014[SHARE]

Past haunts present in Shakespeare Theatre Company's 'Henry IV, Part I' by Celia Wren

If only all wild nights of carousing could end with such a gesture of love. Partway through "Henry IV, Part 1," the ebbing of revelry at the Boar's Head Tavern finds Prince Hal " the wild-oa…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 7:42pm on April 17, 2014[SHARE]

'Cinderella: The Remix' is set to the hip beat of modern times by Celia Wren

An old-school fairy godmother might float serenely to a protégée's rescue, waving a magic wand. Not so for the supernatural fixer of "Cinderella: The Remix," the clever children's musical …

SOURCE: Washington Post at 6:00pm on April 16, 2014[SHARE]

'Cinderella: The Remix' is set to the hip beat of modern times by Celia Wren

An old-school fairy godmother might float serenely to a protégée's rescue, waving a magic wand. Not so the supernatural fixer of "Cinderella: The Remix," the clever children's musical now …

SOURCE: Washington Post at 1:13pm on April 16, 2014[SHARE]

For Matthew Amendt in 'Henry IV,' his character, Prince Hal, has been longtime friend by Celia Wren

Matthew Amendt has a banged-up finger and other talismans of recent melees. "I took a broadsword to the knuckle the other day," the actor says with relish, holding up his right hand, with it…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 12:05pm on April 11, 2014[SHARE]

Artists from Italy and Brazil displayed in two inspired D.C. exhibits by Celia Wren

Move over, Darren Aronofsky: The story of Noah has also inspired "Unanswered Prayers," the spooky " and timely " photo exhibit on view at the Embassy of Italy through May 22. In Anna Paol…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 5:24pm on April 10, 2014[SHARE]

'The Cripple of Inishmaan' at 1st Stage by Celia Wren

Martin McDonagh's "The Cripple of Inishmaan" is a fry-up of eccentric characters. There's the chronic busybody Johnnypateenmike, who barters food for gossip. There's the bizarrely aggressive…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 1:41pm on April 7, 2014[SHARE]

Cinderella's a hip-hop heroine in quartet's reimagined fairy tale for Imagination Stage by Celia Wren

Forget ballgowns and glass footwear: The latest incarnation of Cinderella has dreams of a different order. Rather than coveting Disney-princess attire and an invitation to a royal party, the…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 11:26am on April 4, 2014[SHARE]

Singer BélO, inspired by his roots as a 'Native Born' Haitian and the strength of his country by Celia Wren

An artwork's title can be an affirmation. For BélO, the Haitian singer and guitarist known for his catchy reggae- and world beat-influenced music and for his dedication to social issues, th…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 12:19am on April 3, 2014[SHARE]

'Robin Hood' hits the target with imaginative play at Kennedy Center by Celia Wren

If you had to be reincarnated as a cardboard box, you'd certainly hope to be one of the boxes that festoon the stage in "The Adventures of Robin Hood" at the Kennedy Center's Family Theater.…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 12:16pm on April 1, 2014[SHARE]

'Loveland,' at Arena Stage, is inappropriate in all the right ways by Celia Wren

Some people juggle. Some people do celebrity imitations. Frannie Potts, the kooky heroine of the one-woman play "Loveland," has her own entertainment specialty. "I do facial gesturing to sou…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 3:51pm on March 24, 2014[SHARE]

'Penny Plain': A profound, haunting play with marionettes at the Kennedy Center by Celia Wren

Which is the strangest figure in "Penny Plain," the profound and haunting black-comic vision coaxed spectacularly into three dimensions by the Ronnie Burkett Theatre of Marionettes? Is it th…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 8:27pm on March 21, 2014[SHARE]

Salem witch trials cast their spell on a new generation of dramatists by Celia Wren

From Arthur Miller's hints of McCarthyism in The Crucible, many writers have drawn resonances from 1692 MassachusettsThe Rev John Hale, looking back ruefully on his involvement in the Salem …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:00am on March 21, 2014[SHARE]

'Pinocchio!' at Industrial Strength Theatre is no wooden production; it's alive with charm by Celia Wren

For a guy who starts out as a block of wood, Pinocchio certainly gets around. Early in life, this trouble-prone marionette finds himself matching wits with con artists in a lonely forest, es…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 3:49pm on March 19, 2014[SHARE]

World Stages Festival: 'La Muerte,' 'Incendios' and the aftermath of national tragedy by Celia Wren

It's an unsettling moment of intimacy. As a terrified, gagged man sits, tied to a chair, his captor " a fragile-looking, gun-toting brunette " pulls up a seat at his side, so near that their…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 5:43pm on March 16, 2014[SHARE]

At World Stages: 'Death and the Maiden,' from Chile by Celia Wren

"La Muerte y La Doncella" ("Death and the Maiden") March 14-16, Family Theater Country: Chile Description: LA MAFIA Teatro produces Chilean American writer Ariel Dorfman's drama about t…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 9:04pm on March 8, 2014[SHARE]

At World Stages: 'The Adventures of Robin Hood,' from Scotland by Celia Wren

"The Adventures of Robin Hood" March 28-April 6, Family Theater Country: Scotland Description: Having previously appeared at the Kennedy Center with "Jason and the Argonauts," which rif…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 9:04pm on March 8, 2014[SHARE]

At World Stages: 'Incendios,' from Mexico by Celia Wren

"Incendios" March 14-16, Terrace Gallery Country: Mexico Description: Tapioca Inn is producing Lebanese Canadian playwright Wajdi Mouawad's play (titled "Scorched" in its English-langua…

SOURCE: Washington Post at 9:04pm on March 8, 2014[SHARE]

World Stages: 'Penny Plain,' from Canada by Celia Wren

"Penny Plain" March 20-22, Terrace Theater Country: Canada Description: The Ronnie Burkett Theatre of Marionettes stages an apocalyptic thriller-comedy about an elderly woman who waits …

SOURCE: Washington Post at 9:04pm on March 8, 2014[SHARE]