All stories by Larry Bangs on BroadwayStars

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

It’s a Wonderful Life, A Radio Play by Larry Bangs

Adapting a classic movie for the stage is normally a reversal of sorts. To adapt a beloved Christmas classic, It’s a Wonderful Life, as a “radio play” is unique and presents fascinatin…

SOURCE: DC Theatre Scene at 11:12AM
Wednesday, November 7, 2012

All My Sons by Larry Bangs

Strange that a play with the credentials of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons is not produced nearly as often as some of its much better known “contemporaries.” It won the New York Drama Cir…

SOURCE: DC Theatre Scene at 07:12AM
Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Richard III by Larry Bangs

There remains to this day a good bit of controversy regarding the character of Richard III, the historical figure. The Tudors who laid claim to the throne of England when Richard was killed …

SOURCE: DC Theatre Scene at 09:39AM
Monday, October 1, 2012

The return of P.Nokio: A Hip-Hop Musical to Imagination Stage by Larry Bangs

As a celebration of youthful exuberance and a medium for entertaining young people,  P.Nokio is first-rate. Imagination Stage already has a well-deserved reputation for supporting new playw…

SOURCE: DC Theatre Scene at 10:06AM
Monday, July 23, 2012

The Dumb Waiter and Trifles by Larry Bangs

Suspense and intrigue reign supreme at the Unexpected Stage Company’s summer offering of two one-act plays. In some ways, pairing The Dumb Waiter, an early work of Nobel Laureate Harold Pi…

SOURCE: DC Theatre Scene at 12:02PM

Paul Gonsalves On The Road by Larry Bangs

Paul Gonsalves holds a place in the pantheon of jazz artist heroes for the brilliant performance he gave at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1956. Fortunately it was recorded and is immortalized…

SOURCE: DC Theatre Scene at 11:32AM
Sunday, July 15, 2012

The City of God by Larry Bangs

The City of God is an ambitious new opera written, directed and conducted by Josh Armenta who also takes a leading role in the piece. The Shop at Fort Fringe might possibly be the worst venu…

SOURCE: DC Theatre Scene at 06:03PM

Pushing Boundaries by Larry Bangs

While billed as a professional storyteller, Ellouise Schoettler’s performance entitled, Pushing Boundaries, is much more of a politically driven persuasion piece than it is real theatre. S…

SOURCE: DC Theatre Scene at 04:02PM
Wednesday, June 27, 2012

The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe by Larry Bangs

Imagination Stage lives up to, in fact exceeds, its name, its mission and all manner of lofty expectations with their splendiferous production of The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe. Just…

SOURCE: DC Theatre Scene at 06:28AM
Monday, June 11, 2012

Romeo and Juliet by Larry Bangs

The Chesapeake Shakespeare Company’s production of Romeo and Juliet is a bold and daring adventure that stretches the traditional boundaries of one of the classiest of the classics. In pla…

SOURCE: DC Theatre Scene at 11:47AM
Thursday, April 26, 2012

YPT’s New Play Festival: young playwrights turn life into plays by Larry Bangs

Over the past seventeen years, the Young Playwrights’ Theater has reached over 8,000 elementary, middle and high school students throughout the greater D.C. area with free, in-depth playwr…

SOURCE: DC Theatre Scene at 08:42AM
Monday, February 20, 2012

The Merchant of Venice by Larry Bangs

The Merchant of Venice is rightfully considered one of  Shakespeare’s “problem plays” with its dark overtones of anti-Semitism and a feud between a Jew standing obstinately with the …

SOURCE: DC Theatre Scene at 11:10AM
Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Mad Love (an Anti-Valentine’s Day Performance) by Larry Bangs

The Young Playwrights’ Theater is a revelation. Originally founded by playwright Karen Zacarías seventeen years ago, YPT’s After-School Playwriting Program won the National Arts and Hum…

SOURCE: DC Theatre Scene at 09:33AM
Monday, February 13, 2012

The Miracle Worker by Larry Bangs

The Compass Rose Studio Theatre in Annapolis is the zealous undertaking of Lucinda Merry-Browne, who co-founded The Bay Theatre Company in Annapolis and was its Artistic Director and Managin…

SOURCE: DC Theatre Scene at 07:05AM
Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Laughter on the 23rd Floor by Larry Bangs

You want funny? Keegan Theatre has funny. Laughter on the 23rd Floor. They killed it, nailed it, knocked it out of the park. Neil Simon is easily the most prolific and highly awarded (Emmys,…

SOURCE: DC Theatre Scene at 02:16PM
Monday, December 19, 2011

A Christmas Carol by Larry Bangs

Paul Morella, backed by the Olney Theatre Center, has done something wonderful with Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. He has taken it back to its roots by returning to the novella p…

SOURCE: DC Theatre Scene at 08:10AM
Monday, October 10, 2011

Our Town by Larry Bangs

There is magic afoot in Ellicott City, specifically at the Patapsco Female Institute Historic Park (PFI for short), often referred to simply as “The Ruins.” PFI, which once housed a girl…

SOURCE: DC Theatre Scene at 10:02AM
Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Dreamgirls by Larry Bangs

Toby’s Dinner Theatre in Baltimore pulls out all the stops with this production of Dreamgirls. From top to bottom, beginning to end, everything about it is larger than life.  The vocal pe…

SOURCE: DC Theatre Scene at 12:02PM
Monday, September 19, 2011

Fela! by Larry Bangs

Fela! is all about the music and the tragically inspiring story of the legendary Nigerian musician,  Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.  Immensely stirring and emotional, it was a hit on Broadway, winni…

SOURCE: DC Theatre Scene at 06:59AM
Monday, September 12, 2011

The Country Girl by Larry Bangs

In the very first scene of Clifford Odets’ The Country Girl, the lead character, Frank Elgin, is auditioning for a play. In the course of improvising a character, he says: “I have to lik…

SOURCE: DC Theatre Scene at 11:21AM
Saturday, July 16, 2011

F#@king Up Everything by Larry Bangs

Not everything at the Fringe Festival is “hungry” – produced on a dime for the sheer joy of creating live theatre. F#@king Up Everything (let’s call it FUE), in spite of what the…

SOURCE: DC Theatre Scene at 08:33AM
Friday, July 15, 2011

Open Hearts by Larry Bangs

Marilyn Kulick is a mensch. Now I probably should not be using that term for a woman because I think it’s supposed to just be used for men.  But here is the relevant definition as far as …

SOURCE: DC Theatre Scene at 08:50AM
Thursday, July 14, 2011

Live Broadcast by Larry Bangs

Last night, four very fine actors lit up the stage with some magnificent acting for two hours in John William Schiffbauer’s new play, Live Broadcast. I was riveted to my seat for every sec…

SOURCE: DC Theatre Scene at 10:31AM
Monday, July 11, 2011

That’s What She Sang by Larry Bangs

Patrick M. Doneghy of the Dominion Stage had a good idea. Why not write a sketch about a gay men’s support group and use it as the platform to feature the men singing songs written for wom…

SOURCE: DC Theatre Scene at 11:26AM
Saturday, July 9, 2011

Night Sky by Larry Bangs

In addition to providing the space and freedom for wild and crazy stuff, The Capitol Fringe Festival offers a tremendously important opportunity for plays in development to be staged and get…

SOURCE: DC Theatre Scene at 07:05PM

life, love, sex, death…and other works in progress (a multi-chakra extravaganza) by Larry Bangs

This is a very, very, very personal sort of one man show. Yes, it’s all about its creator, Stevie Jay, but somewhere it’s supposed to be all about us – that we relate so closely an…

SOURCE: DC Theatre Scene at 07:30AM
Friday, July 8, 2011

Hotel Fuck by Larry Bangs

You could make up a lot of things in your head about a play called Hotel Fuck before ever entering the theater. Written by Richard Foreman for the Ontological-Hysteric Theatre in 1998, Hote…

SOURCE: DC Theatre Scene at 05:37PM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards