On Stage: Dickens with an Irish Twist
Humbug’s my usual reaction when there’s yet another variation of “A Christmas Carol” on local stages this time of year. Can’t someone come up with an original idea for a…
‘Anastasia’ Musical at the Kennedy Center
So many Romanovs these days! There’s Matthew Weiner’s Amazon series in which various supposed survivors of the doomed royal line emerges in modern day, with a new episode every Friday.…
‘How I Learned to Drive’ in the #MeToo Era
What was it like 21 years ago when Paula Vogel’s “How I Learned to Drive” premiered off Broadway? It was more shocking, maybe; probably more balanced with laughs; and perhaps…
Way Too Timely ‘Measure for Measure’
The innocent woman who had just been groped by a powerful man intent on defiling her turns to the audience and asks plaintively, “To whom should I complain?” and even…
Here’s a Terrible Idea for A Play
The new "How to Win a Race War," at the DC Arts Center, is awful. But The Klunch, the insurrectionist theater group putting it on, wouldn't have it any other…
What I Saw at Capital Fringe
Once more, there were dozens and dozens of shows this year at Capital Fringe, this time in churches in and around Southwest D.C., already being overrun by All-Star Game activities…
UCB: Conjuring New Show Every Night
"Seinfeld" might have been a TV show about nothing, but shows by the Upright Citizens Brigade at Woolly Mammoth literally begin with nothing. The "Four Gorgeous Women!" as they kept…
Regarding the Furniture of ‘Hamilton’
I had the opportunity to talk to the inventive stage designer David Korins for a piece at SmithsonianMagazine.com. Most of the discussion revolved around his design for the Broadway hit…
Stage Review: When Rock Clubs Age Out
The kind of well-worn rock club set designer Matthew J. Keenan creates for the production of Laura Easton’s “The Undeniable Sound of Right Now” at the Keegan Theatre is so…
Druid Revives Beckett’s ‘Waiting for Godot’
It seemed like a clever in-joke when the first lobby announcement at the Shakespeare Theatre Company began, “We appreciate your patience…” It was opening night for Druid’s production of Samuel…