D.C.
(Maryland / Virginia)

NOT THE MONSTER YOU EXPECT: VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN IS THE VILLAIN Based on Mary Shelley’s iconic novel, a bold retelling of Frankenstein opened last night at STC’s Klein Theater in Washington D.C. It’s not the story you might expect — and in this case, that’s a good thing. This ambitious adaptation by Emily Burns refreshes the…

THREE HOURS IN THE CHURCH OF QUEER LOVE: A COMPLICATED DANCE AT ARENA STAGE Tarell Alvin McCraney (Oscar winner for Moonlight) returns to the stage with We Are Gathered, a lyrical and immersive exploration of love, commitment, and the weight of legacy. Directed by Kent Gash at Arena Stage, attending the play feels like an…

Upon entering the Ark Theater, one is immediately transported to a grungy, offbeat club where Hedwig and her band, The Angry Inch, are about to take the stage. Richie Ouellette’s set design leans into the grit and rawness of the story — with dismembered mannequin body parts strewn about, it evokes a world held together…

BAD BOOKS IS GOOD NEWS Nothing beats the thrill of watching great performers bring a playscript to life, moment to moment, right before your eyes, sharing their space as they breathe the same air you are breathing into their lines. The good news is that Bad Books at Round House Theatre in Bethesda, MD, is fueled…

A BEAUTIFULLY SHABBY, STARKLY HUMAN TRIUMPH From the moment the house opens, Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Uncle Vanya, directed by Simon Godwin and starring Hugh Bonneville, signals that this is no ordinary Chekhov. The “pre-show” is a quietly brilliant touch: actors drift onstage, greet the audience, lace up their boots, and half-slip into character as if the…

HAUNTING, URGENT, AND SPEAKS VOLUMES Priyanka Shetty’s #Charlottesville, currently running at the Keegan Theatre, is a searing and deeply personal exploration of one of the darkest moments in recent American history—the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. More than a mere recounting of the events, the production offers a visceral and emotionally charged portrait…

BENEATH THE SCHMALTZ IS A JOYFUL NOISE Fun, uplifting, and yes, frivolous, Sister Act is a musical remake of the famously successful 1992 hit movie starring Whoopi Goldberg. The historic Ford’s Theater, which also houses a museum based on Abraham Lincoln’s legacy, is a tourist destination and is known for producing non-controversial shows for the…

FORBIDDEN LOVE AND THE GILDED AGE GLOW IN ARENA’S DAZZLING PRODUCTION, BUT THE AGE OF INNOCENCE LINGERS Playwright Karen Zacarías (Destiny of Desire which premiered at Arena in 2015, Native Gardens) breathes new life into Edith Wharton’s 1920 classic The Age of Innocence, blending period drama with sharp social commentary. Set in Gilded Age New…

MORE THAN JUST A REVIVAL, THIS INTIMATE IN THE HEIGHTS IS A JOYFUL TRIBUTE TO COMMUNITY AND DREAMS Before Hamilton changed the face of Broadway, there was In the Heights—Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first revolution. Bursting onto the scene in 2008, it infused hip-hop, salsa, merengue, Broadway, and street-smart storytelling into a genre that never saw it…

URINE LUCK WITH THIS NUMBER ONE MUSICAL Sarah Silverman’s The Bedwetter splashes onto Arena Stage’s Kreeger Theater with a gleeful irreverence that belies its emotional depth. Adapted from Silverman’s 2010 memoir, this musical—co-written with Joshua Harmon, with music by the late Adam Schlesinger—turns childhood mortification (incontinence, self-acceptance, and family dysfunction) into comedy gold. Under Anne…

IT’S A SCHMIGAHIT! Adapting from his Apple TV+ series that satirized and saluted the glories of old timey musicals like Oklahoma! and Carousel, co-creator and writer Cinco Paul brings his stage version of Schmigadoon! to Kennedy Center. The fun angle here is that NY doctors Josh (Alex Brightman) and Melissa (Sara Chase) are hoping to…

USING ART TO COMBAT GUN VIOLENCE GUAC at Woolly Mammoth is not traditional theater—it’s a powerful act of performance art that explores life and tragic loss in the wake of a mass school shooting. Manuel Oliver‘s deeply personal one-man piece concerns his son, Joaquin—nicknamed “Guac”—who was one of 17 students massacred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas…

DOWNSTATE CHALLENGES MOST BASIC ASSUMPTIONS Bruce Norris’s regional premiere of Downstate, currently at Studio Theatre, brings us up close into the forbidden world of pedophiles and shockingly presents them as both pariahs and victims. Emily Kester and Tim Getman Granted, this provocative play isn’t for everyone and it’s difficult to sit through. It may even…

A TRIUMPHANT SAGA OF A VIENNESE FAMILY Shakespeare Theatre Company, in association with Huntington in Boston, is presenting at Harman Hall an epic, haunting play about loss and survival. Grandiose in scale and complete with 23 actors who portray multiple characters, Tom Stoppard’s Leopoldstadt is incredibly moving in that it speaks of unimaginable loss. Concerning…

DEATH IS ALIVE AND BETTER THAN WELL Ken Ludwig’s stage adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile premiered to a packed house at Arena Stage, with the playwright himself attending the Kreeger Theater’s opening performance. The story follows 11 disparate passengers embarking on a six-day Nile River cruise. Along the way, relationships are tested, secrets are…