Monday, March 27, 2023

Ford’s Theatre’s roof is raised by the gospel of ‘Shout Sister Shout!’ by Peter Marks

The story of the Swinging Gospel Queen, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, makes for an evening of rousing musicality.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 04:32PM
Sunday, March 26, 2023

Groban and Ashford ignite the flames of a funny, sexier ‘Sweeney Todd’ by Peter Marks

Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford ignite the flames of a funny, sexier "Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street," which had its official opening Sunday.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 09:01PM
Friday, March 24, 2023

With ‘Angels in America,’ a Hungarian director puts down roots in U.S. by Peter Marks

Janos Szasz, leaving behind a repressive homeland, directs the revival at Arena Stage.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 08:06AM

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Bad Cinderella’ gets the title it deserves by Peter Marks

An evening of desultory juvenile antics awaits theatergoers at Broadway’s Imperial Theatre, where Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Bad Cinderella" has officially opened.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 12:24AM
Monday, March 20, 2023

Signature’s ‘Pacific Overtures’ is gently moving but needs more bite by Peter Marks

Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s ‘Pacific Overtures,’ about an unwelcome expedition, reminds us of the composer’s genius

SOURCE: Washington Post at 04:07PM

‘Shout Sister Shout!’ celebrates the legacy of Sister Rosetta Tharpe by Alexis P. Williams

The musical at Ford’s Theatre honors an overlooked rock-and-roll trailblazer.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 08:48AM
Friday, March 17, 2023

Jessica Chastain was scared of returning to Broadway. Ibsen cured that. by Peter Marks

Oscar winner Jessica Chastain is receiving critical acclaim for her portrayal of Nora Helmer in Jamie Lloyd’s production of “A Doll’s House.”

SOURCE: Washington Post at 06:00AM
Thursday, March 16, 2023

Ben Platt takes the lead in a too-stately ‘Parade’ on Broadway by Peter Marks

"Parade," the musical about the unjust conviction of a Jewish man in 1913 Georgia, stars Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond

SOURCE: Washington Post at 10:00PM

At Theater J, ‘Gloria’ shares Steinem’s stories as well as her activism by Celia Wren

Monday’s opening-night performance of "Gloria: A Life" featured an appearance by the activist herself.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 12:52PM

They sing ‘Agony’ in ‘Into the Woods’ nightly, and feel the joy daily by Peter Marks

Gavin Creel and Jason Forbach, the princes in the Sondheim-Lapine musical, break down one of the musical’s best numbers.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 06:00AM
Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Bringing Japan and its traditions to Signature’s ‘Pacific Overtures’ by Celia Wren

The creative team for Sondheim’s infrequently produced show includes experts on Japanese swordplay, Kabuki and taiko drumming.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 10:50AM
Tuesday, March 14, 2023

Lynn Seymour, thrillingly expressive ballerina, dies at 83 by Harrison Smith

The Canadian-born dancer starred with the Royal Ballet in London, working with choreographers including Kenneth MacMillan and Frederick Ashton.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 08:04PM

‘A Nice Indian Boy’ is a meet-the-parents comedy that’s too familiar by Celia Wren

At Olney Theatre Center, Madhuri Shekar’s 2014 play benefits from Lynette Rathnam’s impeccable comic timing.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 01:31PM
Friday, March 10, 2023

A delightful ‘Seagull’ with Parker Posey is modernized and done right by Peter Marks

Off-Broadway, Parker Posey stars in Thomas Bradshaw's updating of Chekhov’s ever-popular "The Seagull" to the present in Woodstock, N.Y.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 02:13PM
Thursday, March 9, 2023

Jessica Chastain captivates in a strikingly minimalist ‘Doll’s House’ by Peter Marks

Ibsen’s masterwork is revived in a spare, illuminating production, directed by Jamie Lloyd.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 08:30PM
Wednesday, March 8, 2023

At Studio Theatre, Lynn Nottage’s ‘Clyde’s’ serves up hope and humor by Celia Wren

Directed by Candis C. Jones at the D.C. theater, the Lynn Nottage play delves into grim systemic problems.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 01:34PM

Arena Stage narrows hunt for new leader as Smith picks her final plays by Peter Marks

Board of acclaimed D.C. theater plans to announce successor to artistic director Molly Smith soon; her 2023-2024 slate includes both new musicals and plays.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 08:00AM
Monday, March 6, 2023

‘Selling Kabul’ falls short of its ‘Homeland’-style ambitions by Peter Marks

Sylvia Khoury’s drama about life in the Afghan capital, at Signature Theatre through April 2, is more sluggish than scintillating.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 03:01PM

At Synetic Theater, a son follows in his father’s footsteps by Thomas Floyd

As Synetic Theater co-founder and performer Paata Tsikurishvili recuperates from injuries sustained in a car crash, his son Vato steps to the fore.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 09:46AM

I've seen the best "King Lear" of my life. Patrick Page moved me to tears. by Peter Marks

Review of Simon Godwin’s production in Washington, DC

SOURCE: Washington Post at 08:22AM
Friday, March 3, 2023

This ‘King Lear’ might be the best our theater critic has ever seen by Peter Marks

Director Simon Godwin’s sleek "King Lear," with a consummate Patrick Page as the vain and foolish king, is definitive.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 01:57PM
Thursday, March 2, 2023

Decoding the genius of Sondheim: Six theater pros explain his mystique by Thomas Floyd

"Pacific Overtures" book writer John Weidman, "Sweeney Todd" director Thomas Kail, "Into the Woods" star Montego Glover and others break down the musical theater icon.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 07:00AM

Parker Posey is playing a classic Chekhov character and having a ball by Peter Marks

She is starring in the New Group’s “The Seagull/Woodstock, NY,” playwright Thomas Bradshaw’s sly updating of Chekhov’s sublime tragicomedy.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 06:00AM
Wednesday, March 1, 2023

Tulsa massacre horror reverberates in a solemn ‘High Ground’ at Arena by Peter Marks

Arena Stage production of Nathan Alan Davis’s new play is provocative and lyrical, yet somewhat opaque.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 02:44PM

A marriage of movement and acting in Shakespeare Theatre’s ‘King Lear’ by Thomas Floyd

Longtime collaborators, director Simon Godwin and movement director Jonathan Goddard, reunite for Shakespeare’s tragedy of power struggle and family strife.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 10:04AM
Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Kennedy Center replaces ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ with ‘Spamalot’ by Peter Marks

Citing a rights issue, the Kennedy Center cancels a revival of "Kiss of the Spider Woman." Instead, it will offer "Monty Python's Spamalot."

SOURCE: Washington Post at 09:30AM
Monday, February 27, 2023

Oscar Isaac, Rachel Brosnahan head sparkling cast in Hansberry revival by Peter Marks

Brooklyn Academy of Music stages “The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window,” a little-known play by “Raisin in the Sun” playwright Lorraine Hansberry.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 08:00PM
Sunday, February 26, 2023

Broadway’s ‘Into the Woods,’ now at the Kennedy Center, still enchants by Peter Marks

Director Lear deBessonet’s spare staging of "Into the Woods," now at the Kennedy Center, places the accent in this fractured fairy tale musical on storytelling

SOURCE: Washington Post at 02:27PM

Rena Gluck, modern dancer who reshaped Israeli stage, dies at 89 by Brian Murphy

Ms. Gluck, who move to Israel in 1954, built links between Israeli dancers and her former teacher, the famed choreographer Martha Graham.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 11:02AM
Thursday, February 23, 2023

The play that ‘Raisin in the Sun’ overshadowed finally gets its due by Peter Marks

Lorraine Hansberry’s “The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window” is being staged at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, starring with Oscar Isaac and Rachel Brosnahan.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 12:23PM
Wednesday, February 22, 2023

A playwright grapples with the legacy of the Tulsa Race Massacre by Thomas Floyd

Nathan Alan Davis’s ‘The High Ground’ is the latest offering in Arena Stage’s Power Plays initiative.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 02:37PM

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