All stories by Ravelle Brickman on BroadwayStars

Thursday, February 14, 2019

‘Nell Gwynn:’ A London Hit Brings Laughter, Love (and a Few Flying Oranges) to the Folger Theatre by Ravelle Brickman

Nell Gwynn – as brash and bawdy as a play could be – has arrived on Capitol Hill. And what a triumph it is! The play, which had a successful run in London’s West End and won Br…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 11:08AM
Saturday, February 2, 2019

Misha Kachman: A Russian-born Designer Sets the Stage for ‘Kleptocracy’ at Arena Stage by Ravelle Brickman

One of the scariest moments in Kleptocracy – Kenneth Lin’s drama about the struggle for power in post-Soviet Russia – occurs when the shadow of a tiger prowls the length of an…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 03:21PM
Saturday, January 26, 2019

Review: ‘Gulf View Drive’ at Washington Stage Guild by Ravelle Brickman

Gulf View Drive is the third and final play in Arlene Hutton’s highly-acclaimed Nibroc Trilogy, which opened this week to waves of laughter and applause at the Washington Stage Guild in do…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 08:11PM
Monday, December 31, 2018

Is God Dead? Or Just Depressed, Lonely and Fed Up With Humankind? by Ravelle Brickman

The verdict is in. God is not dead. And rumors of his death, to paraphrase Mark Twain, have been greatly exaggerated. In fact, the deity—He, She or That Which Transcends All Else—is aliv…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 09:16AM
Monday, December 24, 2018

‘Talley’s Folly’ Dances Through the Holiday Season at Theater J by Ravelle Brickman

Talley’s Folly – now in its final week at GALA Hispanic Theatre on 14th Street – is a waltz. Meaning, it’s not a salsa. And it’s not a hustle, a tango or even a hot pasodob…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 10:45AM
Tuesday, December 4, 2018

From D.C. to Broadway, Hollywood, TV and Back: Victor Raider-Wexler Returns to Washington in the Role of a Lifetime by Ravelle Brickman

The role of Otto in Paula Vogel’s Indecent—the Tony Award-winning play at Arena Stage—is an actor’s dream. The play, about a Yiddish melodrama that scandalized Broadway nearly a cent…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 09:29PM
Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Review: ‘Venus in Fur’ at 4615 Theatre Company by Ravelle Brickman

One of the most remarkable things about D.C. theater is its abundance of good plays, professionally produced and performed, yet often staged in places that are, to put it mildly, a bit odd. …

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 08:49PM
Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Broadway Glitz in a Black Box Theater: Michael Bobbitt’s ‘Aida’ Mixes Grandeur and Intimacy at Constellation by Ravelle Brickman

Michael Bobbitt gets around. This master-of-all-trades, whose adaptation of Aida is now playing to sold-out audiences at Constellation Theatre, has danced, directed and choreographed his way…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 11:26PM
Monday, October 15, 2018

Rick Foucheux Returns to Quotidian: Retired Acting Legend Presents Backstage Comedy at Fundraiser by Ravelle Brickman

When Rick Foucheux, the award-winning actor whose work has dazzled DC audiences for 35 years, decided to retire last year, it wasn’t because he was tired of the stage. He just wanted to fo…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 09:13PM
Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Kelsey Hunt Dresses the Stars in Ford’s Frothy Revival of ‘Born Yesterday’ by Ravelle Brickman

“Born Yesterday is a winner.” Those are the words of my colleague, David Siegel,  whose review of the gloriously effervescent comedy that just opened at Ford’s Theatre is full of sup…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 02:05PM
Friday, September 14, 2018

Timothy Douglas: The Voice Behind ‘Small Mouth Sounds’ at Round House Theatre by Ravelle Brickman

In case you haven’t heard, there’s a disembodied voice floating above the seats at the Round House Theatre this month. The voice belongs to Timothy Douglas, an award-winning director who…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 08:36PM
Wednesday, September 5, 2018

A New Dynasty Commands the Stage in the Folger Theatre’s Macbeth by Ravelle Brickman

“The moon is down; I have not heard the clock.” Those words—spoken by 10-year-old Owen Peakes in the Folger Theatre’s startling new production of Macbeth—send a faint tremor throug…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 08:08PM
Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Surrealism on Stage: Behind the Doors at Sarah Ruhl’s ‘Melancholy Play’ at Constellation Theatre by Ravelle Brickman

Imagine a cluster of windows without walls, set against a backdrop of doors. And imagine a stage with a floor whose texture resembles sand. Those are just a few of the images—improbable as…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 08:11PM
Thursday, July 26, 2018

2018 Capital Fringe Review: ‘up your aesthetic’ by Ravelle Brickman

Although it is aesthetically pleasing—beautifully designed and performed—up your aesthetic has nothing to do with aesthetics, per se. Instead, the production—which opened at the Blind …

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 08:19PM
Tuesday, July 24, 2018

2018 Capital Fringe Review: ‘Burn Out Blessings’ by Ravelle Brickman

Imagine a classroom decorated for a birthday party. On the table is a cake, party hats, paper napkins, and plates; a banner is tacked on the wall. Ambling back and forth in this classroom is…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 12:16PM
Tuesday, July 17, 2018

2018 Capital Fringe Review: metamorphose by Ravelle Brickman

Jo Williamson is the creator and performer behind metamorphose, a solo production stitched together out of some musical storytelling and the patterns of Martha Graham-like modern dance. As i…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 08:59PM

2018 Capital Fringe Review: ‘Love in Three Scenes’ by Ravelle Brickman

Love in Three Scenes, which opened during the second week of this year’s Capital Fringe,  is not so much about love per se as it is about the lack thereof, particularly on the part of our…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 12:28PM

2018 Capital Fringe Review: ‘Dangerous When Wet: Booze, Sex & My Mother’ by Ravelle Brickman

Solo performances are among the most difficult in show business. Without other actors to parry dialog or set up jokes, the entertainer can easily end up putting an audience to sleep. Luckily…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 12:21PM
Thursday, July 12, 2018

2018 Capital Fringe Review: The Tragical Comical Fool’s Game by Ravelle Brickman

Shakespeare is alive and well at this year’s Fringe, and that includes both the usual adaptations and some of the more surprising spin-offs. One of the most entertaining of the latter—qu…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 08:55PM
Tuesday, July 10, 2018

2018 Capital Fringe Review: ‘O Monsters’ by Ravelle Brickman

Against a background of black timber walls, a beautiful dark-haired woman stretches out languorously on a table. Dressed in a skimpy black nightgown, she moves like a dancer. On the floor, t…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 03:13PM
Monday, July 9, 2018

2018 Capital Fringe Review: ‘The Vandal’ by Ravelle Brickman

The Vandal, which opened to a sold-out audience on the first weekend of the 2018 Capital Fringe, is a comedy about loss. It’s also a bittersweet riff on death, performed by a trio of talen…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 10:45AM
Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Profile: Naomi Jacobson Lends Laughter and Innocence to ‘The Remains’ at Studio Theatre by Ravelle Brickman

The Remains, a brand new one-act play that’s been generating rave reviews since its opening at Studio Theatre two weeks ago, is a witty and wise meditation on marriage. By turns funny and …

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 09:51PM
Saturday, May 19, 2018

Rising Stars: Emily Pogorelc in the Washington National Opera’s ‘Candide’ by Ravelle Brickman

When Emily Pogorelc bursts onto the stage in the Washington National Opera’s current production of Leonard Bernstein’s Candide, there is a shock of laughter. Pogorelc plays Cunegonde, th…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 10:19PM
Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Profile: Chris Stezin Plays a Rock Music Diehard in the ‘Undeniable Sound of Right Now” by Ravelle Brickman

Chris Stezin is a prolific playwright whose last play—produced at The Keegan Theatre in January of 2017—was Mack,Beth, a contemporary take on Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Now he’s back at …

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 12:00PM
Friday, May 4, 2018

A Modern Classic Takes on Epic Proportions: Constellation Theatre Brightens Brecht’s Manifesto, Adds Musical Makeover to ‘Caucasian Chalk Circle� by Ravelle Brickman

Last week, I decided to venture off my usual path and check out the Constellation Theatre, which performs at Source in the lively 14th Street corridor. What lured me there was the chance to…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 08:51AM
Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Hosting the 2018 Helen Hayes Awards: Michael J. Bobbitt and Alyssa Wilmoth Keegan Talk About their Lives On and Off the Stage as They Prepare for DC T by Ravelle Brickman

Forget the Oscars, the Emmys, and the Tonys. Here in the nation’s capital, there is only one award worth talking about. And that’s the Helen Hayes, honoring the best of DC’s theater pr…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 12:58PM
Thursday, April 19, 2018

Living Dolls: A Conversation With the Five Actors Who Breathe Life Into ‘Paper Dolls’ at Mosaic by Ravelle Brickman

Paper Dolls, the bittersweet new musical that opened at Mosaic Theater Company two weeks ago, has produced standing ovations—and laughter and tears—at every production so far. Yet the sh…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 08:43PM
Saturday, April 14, 2018

From ‘Les Miserables’ and ‘Evita’ to ‘Snow Child’ at Arena Stage, Bronx-Born Singer Natalie Toro Has Built a Career Belting Out Broadway H by Ravelle Brickman

When Natalie Toro steps onto the Arena Stage in the world premiere of Snow Child this week, she’ll be adding a whole new role to the worldwide musical repertoire. But while the part is new…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 02:54PM
Monday, April 2, 2018

Interview with Matt Torney, director of ‘Translations’ at Studio Theatre by Ravelle Brickman

It’s no coincidence that Matt Torney is directing Translations, the iconic Brian Friel play now on view at Studio Theatre. “It’s a play I’ve wanted to do ever since I first saw it …

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 08:00AM
Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Review: ‘A Burial Place’ at The Wheel Theatre by Ravelle Brickman

If you’re looking for proof that big things come in small packages, then you need look no further than the tiny black box theater where A Burial Place, produced by the Wheel Theatre Compan…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 10:24PM
Monday, March 5, 2018

Review: ‘Bill Murray, Jan Vogler & Friends: New Worlds’ at the Kennedy Center by Ravelle Brickman

Can you imagine a chamber music concert—a quartet, playing mostly classical work by composers with names like Bach, Schubert and Shostakovich—getting six encores? And seven—yes, seven�…

SOURCE: DC Metro Theater Arts at 09:25PM

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