145 stories by "Michael Poandl"
Since Peter Shaffer's Equus made its striking return to the Anglo-American imagination in 2007, when then-17 year old Daniel Radcliffe stirred international controversy by appearing nude in …
Once upon a time, dozens of children streamed into the elegant Terrace Theater at The Kennedy Center, all of them paragons of excitement and curiosity. Were these holiday tots rushing in to …
I don’t usually go in for all of that holiday crap. If you ask me, 'tis the season for saccharine platitudes and interminable carols that all serve to mask the consumerist orgy that is…
The National Symphony Orchestra/The Kennedy Center Declassified series, launched on Saturday with its performance of In Motion featuring Ben Folds, is a bold initiative to counter the fundam…
As the days get shorter and the weather gets chillier, my favorite antidote to the encroaching winter is a strong dose of theatrical comfort food. Luckily for me, this is exactly what the Ga…
Avenue Q is that rarest of Broadway hits that captivates everyone, theatre geek or casual fan, who has blushed at its racy tunes or busted a gut seeing the hilarity firsthand. I am pleased t…
Among other notable experiences I've had during the Women's Voices Theatre Festival, I can now say I've been admonished by a cow. Please don't think I'm being derogatory. Because in Venus Th…
Renowned Belgian director Ivo van Hove is famous for his radical re-imagining of classical works, and his rendition Sophocles' Antigone is no different. Academy Award winner Juliette Bin…
'Capers, a one-person show performed with stunning virtuosity by Anu Yadav and co-produced with dog & pony dc, is not playing for long at Forum Theatre " three more performances between …
Molotov Theatre Group's new production, Lovecraft: Nightmare Suite, an adaptation of six of the old spook master's stories by Dan Spurgeon and the first play of Molotov's 2015-16 season, …
American University's new production of The Threepenny Opera is a stunning re-imagining of Bertolt Brecht's classic work of "epic theatre." Director Cara Gabriel, Scenic and Lighting Designe…
As I walked into the bustling lobby of the Hylton Performing Arts Center to see the professional touring company Aquila Theatre’s fantastic new production of The Adventures of Sherlock…
Whenever You're Near Me I Feel Sick, a new play written and directed by Jennie Berman Eng and produced by similarly nascent company Thelma Theatre as part of the Women's Voices Theater Festi…
Underlying Witches Vanish, the new play by Venus Theatre  Company (and third entry in the DC area-wide Women's Voices Theater Festival), is a cold bedrock of fact: A tremendous amount of …
Two days before seeing the closing performance of Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman by the newish 4615 Theater Company, I received an email from director and 4615 Artistic Director Jordan Frie…
An interview with DC performer and director Cara Gabriel, whose one woman show, I AM THE GENTRY runs during the Capital Fringe Festival. The show is about her experience moving into the H St…
As I walked into the cool confines of the Anacostia Playhouse, I was greeted by soft, far-upstage lighting that gently illuminated the sole performer, Keith Hamilton Cobb, idly looking over …
I recently saw the fantastic meta-theatrical event known as Blind Pug Arts Collective Presents: The Theatre of Self-Loathing Presents: Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf? at the Capital Fringe Fe…
Those who imagine Capital Fringe as a festival with a wealth of heart and a dearth of sophistication, especially in the realm of production design, have clearly not seen the breathtaking cos…
In theatre generally, and in Washington, D.C. particularly, it is quite common for theatre companies to take a classic story and update it in with a contemporary lens. Admirable as this may …
Abortion: A ten-ton word that sends shockwaves rumbling across a twenty food radius wherever it is uttered. But why? It's a contentious political issue for sure, perhaps the most contentious…
Even casual horror fans will recognize the setup: An idyllic suburban neighborhood, populated by working dads, stay-at-home moms, and hormonal teenagers, soon becomes the setting for unspeak…
Quadratic equations and heart palpitations dominate Science and Soulmates, one third of the 2015 Source Festival's series of ten minute plays. These six short plays succeed at what few theat…
For female actors over 40, a familiar and monotonous list of character types dominates the theatre: mother, grandmother, beloved domestic worker. That's why it is so satisfying to watch the …
In her program note, director (and founder of Venus Theatre Company) Deborah Randall has this to say about her company's newest play, dry bones rising: "The style… could be described as ee…
