208 stories by "Susan Berlin"
Synetic Theater in Arlington, Virginia, makes a bold move away from its adaptations of classic works with Home of the Soldier, a visceral and fascinating exploration of modern warfare and th…
Daniel Conway's atmospheric projections and Matthew M. Nielson's sultry sound design ground the scene in 1936 Los Angeles and the gray world of insurance agent Walter Huff (Marty Lodge), who…
In "Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play," receiving its world premiere at Washington's Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, playwright Anne Washburn examines the alchemy that can blend pop culture ep…
Playwright Carlo Goldoni's 1744 script builds on the foundation of commedia dell'arte-a stylized, largely improvised form of comedy that uses stock characters, masks, and wild humor-and Chri…
Molly Smith's production of Meredith Willson's "The Music Man" at Arena Stage in Washington, DC, takes a little time to get up to speed, but when it does it captures the audience in its warm…
Watching the production of "Xanadu" now at Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia, makes the conversion of a notoriously bad movie musical into a blissful 90 minutes of musical theater see…
irector John Vreeke has guided his two actors, Michael Russotto and Eric Sutton, to give tender and remarkably intimate performances in Steven Dietz's 1994 play about friendship in the age o…
The 39 Steps, now at Olney Theatre Center's Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, is a showcase of acting for its own sake.
Playwright Jason Gray Platt had a promising idea: use the story of Odysseus' return from the Trojan War, and the effect of his absence on his wife and son, to parallel the life experiences o…
Twist's staging makes all the difference, as a six-member team of puppeteers manipulate his dizzying, frequently bawdy theatrical designs (just because it's a puppet show does not mean it's …
Synetic's adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew, now at the Shakespeare Theatre Company's Lansburgh Theatre in Washington, manages to blend psychological insights with the physicality of the…
Arena Stage in Washington, DC, has staged an incisive and deeply felt production of Long Day's Journey Into Night in the intimate Kreeger Theater as the final major component of its Eugene O…
Eugene O'Neill's play Strange Interlude was a sensation at its premiere in 1928, both for its expansive structure-in nine acts with a run time of more than five hours; the original productio…
he Studio Theatre in Washington is introducing U.S. audiences to the crackling voice of British playwright Roy Williams with its production of Sucker Punch, an incisive consideration of econ…
Olney Theatre Center in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC, has created an entertaining, tuneful production whose charms outweigh the rough edges.
"Genesis Reboot" ... concerns an idealistic angel who wants to restart creation in "a closed environment with controlled conditions." She hopes that Adam and Eve might fare better in a high-…
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company focuses on plays that address the most important and prickly issues of society, and its current world premiere production of "Civilization (all you can eat)" f…
Playwright Paul Downs Colaizzo has captured the raw emotions and polarizing attitudes in his fictional dissection of sex and violence on campus.
"Next Fall" is a beautifully written, delicate play about big things - love, family, and life itself - and director Mark Ramont Round House Theatre in Bethesda, Maryland, brings it to life w…
The dancing and other theatrical movement are the highlights of a show that is still a work in progress.
"Necessary Sacrifices" ... is less theatrical than educational in nature, but it benefits from the impassioned performances of David Selby as Abraham Lincoln and Craig Wallace as Frederick D…
"The Gaming Table," adapted from Susanna Centlivre's 1705 play The Basset Table, is a rollicking story of the gambles men and women take for love and money, given a stylish production by dir…
It's very difficult to describe what goes on in this 75-minute show, but it's fascinating, and much of it is hilarious.
Robert Falls' taut direction and Logan's literate script keep the audience fascinated for the play's 100-minute length (no intermission), but Gero's galvanizing portrayal is its core.
Feiffer's play raises the question of the appropriate way to cope with an intolerable situation: are the only choices to ignore the despair of other people or to become as amoral and violent…
