All stories by Amy Kotkin on BroadwayStars

Thursday, September 28, 2023

A rich electoral history is rehearsed in ‘Something Moving’ at Ford’s by Amy Kotkin

Playwright Pearl Cleage meditates on Maynard Jackson, Atlanta’s first Black mayor, in a fascinating depiction of the citizens who voted for him. By AMY KOTKIN

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 07:47AM
Saturday, July 1, 2023

All folks are created equal in ‘1776’ without white men at Kennedy Center by Amy Kotkin

The deeper we get into the show, the less it seems to matter whether we are seeing men or women in the roles.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 10:12AM
Wednesday, June 14, 2023

A couple’s love torn by trauma in ‘One Jewish Boy’ at Theater J by Amy Kotkin

The searing story of a young Jewish man and a mixed-race woman whose relationship is ruptured by antisemitism and racial bias.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 07:47PM
Monday, May 22, 2023

St. Mark’s Players raise the rafters with stunning ‘Color Purple’ by Amy Kotkin

The ensemble is uniformly splendid. They imbue every song with rich and nuanced meaning.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 11:24AM
Friday, April 7, 2023

A decendant of Jesuit human trafficking has her say in ‘Here I Am’ by Amy Kotkin

In August 2017, 63-year-old Mélisande (Méli) Short-Colomb packed her bags and moved to Washington, DC, to begin her freshman year at Georgetown University. It was the start of a new life f…

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 05:40AM
Sunday, April 2, 2023

A migrant camp encounter up-close and unforgettable in ‘The Jungle’ by Amy Kotkin

Shakespeare Theatre Company and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company have collaborated to bring to DC an electrifying drama about forced dislocation.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 09:21PM
Saturday, February 25, 2023

‘The High Ground’ at Arena tells of a tragic history that’s not over by Amy Kotkin

Nathan Alan Davis' engaging new two-hander revisits the trauma of the Tulsa Race Massacre.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 06:38AM
Tuesday, January 17, 2023

Vaudevillian schtick and existential chaos in ‘Two Jews Walk Into a War’ at Theater J by Amy Kotkin

The most satisfying aspect of this play is how deftly it navigates between two cantankerous men's funny, petty squabbling and overwhelming despair.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 12:20PM
Sunday, December 18, 2022

Searing ‘Soldier’s Play’ at Kennedy Center still packs a punch by Amy Kotkin

The characters in Charles Fuller’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play exude a charisma and a life force that transcend time.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 06:53PM
Friday, December 9, 2022

Spellbinding and searing ‘Pianist of Willesden Lane’ returns to Theater J by Amy Kotkin

A daughter recounts her mother's escape from Nazis and exalts the sustaining power of music.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 01:04PM
Thursday, November 17, 2022

This just in: STC’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ is dazzling and inspired by Amy Kotkin

Shakespeare Theatre Company whips up a high-spirited new take on the beloved comedy.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 05:17PM
Thursday, October 27, 2022

The trauma of two undocumented teens in powerful ‘Sanctuary City’ at Arena by Amy Kotkin

A vivid glimpse into the personal costs of living in limbo as a Dreamer.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 02:26PM
Sunday, July 10, 2022

‘The Band’s Visit’ makes a stirring stop at the Kennedy Center by Amy Kotkin

The Tony-winning musical tells a story of all that makes us human — love, loss, loneliness, and connection.

SOURCE: dctheaterarts.org at 09:46AM
Monday, June 20, 2022

Excellent acting enlivens ‘Sophisticated New Ones’ at Unexpected Stage by Amy Kotkin

In a dusty old antiques and repair shop, the setting for Keith Powell’s new drama, a mother and son confront hope and change, loyalty and betrayal.

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 04:04PM
Monday, April 11, 2022

‘Mean Girls’ at Kennedy Center takes a rollicking look at teen angst by Amy Kotkin

The show dazzles with stellar singing, great choreography, amazing stagecraft.

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 01:52PM
Monday, April 4, 2022

A new stage direction in town: [Enter Studio Theatre reopened] by Amy Kotkin

Dramatic renovations — vivid murals, a ground-level café, the wholly redesigned Victor Shargai Theatre — extend welcome to everyone.

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 02:38PM
Tuesday, February 22, 2022

August Wilson’s genius propels ‘Radio Golf’ at Peace Mountain Theatre by Amy Kotkin

The play set in the 1990s shows just how delicate African American advancement continues to be.

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 01:08PM
Monday, November 15, 2021

Fugard’s ‘My Children! My Africa!’ at WSG still speaks urgently by Amy Kotkin

Washington Stage Guild revives the extraordinary play written just before the end of apartheid in South Africa.

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 12:44PM
Thursday, May 13, 2021

A Palestinian playwright sees allegory in occupation, in ‘Keffiyeh/Made in China’ by Amy Kotkin

Mosaic presents a provocative play in seven episodes about how we are fragmented and separated from each other. The post A Palestinian playwright sees allegory in occupation, in ‘Keffiyeh/…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 12:31PM
Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Two rival sisters feud in intense and surreal Adrienne Kennedy drama by Amy Kotkin

Round House Theatre, in association with McCarter Theater Center, concludes its festival of works by celebrated playwright Adrienne Kennedy with the world premiere of Etta and Ella on the Up…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 02:13PM
Monday, December 7, 2020

Adrienne Kennedy festival recalls a painful drama from her own life by Amy Kotkin

When Ohio State University invites the distinguished author Suzanne Alexander back to her alma mater, she is asked specifically to lecture on the theme of violence in her works. Brace yourse…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 08:54PM
Tuesday, November 24, 2020

A Black son’s assault by police, powerfully told in the Adrienne Kennedy festival by Amy Kotkin

Twenty-nine years before George Floyd was murdered on camera and 18 years before Black Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates was arrested for “breaking and entering” into his own home, Ant…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 03:53PM
Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Adrienne Kennedy festival opens with haunting letters between lovers by Amy Kotkin

Round House Theatre, in association with McCarter Theatre Center, has launched its digital series of works by Adrienne Kennedy with the enigmatic He Brought Her Heart Back in a Box, directed…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 10:36AM
Sunday, September 27, 2020

A strange phone tree leads to hilarity in ‘Human Resources’ at Woolly Mammoth by Amy Kotkin

When was the last time you enjoyed a funny, edgy Woolly Mammoth production while digging up stubborn weeds from your garden or taking a stroll through Rock Creek Park? Just when we thought o…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 05:27PM
Sunday, September 13, 2020

Olney’s virtual ‘The Humans’ shines with fine performances by Amy Kotkin

Olney Theatre Center’s virtual production of The Humans offers proof positive of the old adage: Necessity is the mother of invention. Just see how they have turned the pandemic’s crushin…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 05:09PM
Monday, August 3, 2020

A wonderfully manic ‘#txtshow’ from performance artist Brian Feldman by Amy Kotkin

Brian Feldman puts a lot of faith in his virtual audience. His production #txtshow (on the internet), which he creates and performs, is based on the texts he receives in real time from his a…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 09:05AM
Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Synetic Theater’s brave and generous ‘Decameron’ is wonderfully inventive by Amy Kotkin

History always has lessons to teach during times of enormous tumult. How did past societies struggle through similar cataclysms and emerge with their spirits intact? Many of us are newly awa…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 09:06AM
Saturday, February 29, 2020

All under one roof in Signature Theatre’s ‘Easy Women Smoking Loose Cigarettes’ by Amy Kotkin

Marian’s cheery Florida home – an over-decorated retirement nest she shares with second hubby Richard – has become a tropical haven for two adolescents in crisis. Richard’s pregnant …

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 02:00PM
Thursday, January 30, 2020

‘Silent Sky’ at Ford’s Theatre celebrates the lives and achievements of early-20th-century women in astronomy by Amy Kotkin

Two generations before the African American space scientists immortalized in the film Hidden Figures propped up America’s nascent space program, another group of pioneering female “compu…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 09:19PM
Sunday, January 26, 2020

Prologue Theatre revisits the day after 9-11 in ‘Recent Tragic Events’ by Amy Kotkin

On September 12, 2001, after a stunning halt to nearly all normal activity, life resumed for most Americans. And yet, we knew that everything had changed. Our sense of security was shattered…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 08:41PM
Sunday, December 8, 2019

The Second City’s ‘She The People: The Resistance Continues’ levels the playing field with humor by Amy Kotkin

The good news? The Second City’s sharp-witted She The People: The Resistance Continues is back at Woolly Mammoth for another rollicking production of top-notch sketches and witty songs. Th…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 11:54AM

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