The shrewd marketers pushing the Tony Award-winning musical “Fun Home,” now playing at the National Theatre through May 13, insist on calling it “life-affirming.” That may not be the right word, exactly. Watching forty-something-year-old protagonist Alison Bechdel grapple with painful, long-buried childhood memories to understand… Read More
The iconic Ringling Brothers & Barnum & Bailey Circus is closing up shop this May after nearly 150 years on the road (or, rails, actually). But they are not going quietly, and DC-area residents were given one last chance to experience the Greatest Show on… Read More
Aptly, given the energetic, even fitful nature of ragtime music (Wikipedia calls it “syncopated”), Ragtime the musical– now playing at Ford’s Theatre– offers an energetic, fitful snapshot of New York at the turn of the century. There’s the wealthy white suburban family, where “Mother” suffers… Read More
If Constellation Theatre Company truly aims (as they say they do) to tell “big, powerful stories in an intimate space,” to seek out plays that “feature visual spectacle, original music, dynamic movement and a passionate acting ensemble” drawing on “fantasy, farce, and epic adventure…” then… Read More
In 2012, the Embassy of Italy launched its Digital Diplomacy Series– Tweet-worthy panel discussions on a range of topics with the goal of “[building] and [nurturing] a dialogue with our citizens and our audiences here in the United States.” This year, as the country sits… Read More
On the one hand, Arena Stage’s “Watch on the Rhine” is simply a good show– a story of family, romance, and political intrigue conveyed through fine acting and elegant stage design, injected with just the right amount of humor. But in 2017, there’s no mistaking its… Read More
The expectations are high for any Chinese dance performance given New York-based Shen Yun’s ubiquitous Metro-area advertising campaign. But China National Opera & Dance Drama Theater’s “Confucius,” staged at the Kennedy Center’s Opera House January 13, 14, and 15, did not disappoint. The show follows the… Read More
The National Chamber Ensemble (NCE) held its annual “Happy Holidays!” concert at the Rosslyn Spectrum Theatre on Saturday night, and while the PowerPoint slideshow left something to be desired in the way of décor, the music and talent did not disappoint. NCE Artistic Director Leo… Read More
“Secret Garden,” the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical now playing at the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Sydney Harman Hall, offers a sweet and beautiful reminder that even from under the greyest skies and ashiest soils, life springs. As the city recovers from a harrowing election season and… Read More
You may joke about moving to Canada after the recent Presidential election results… but maybe, sooner rather than later, you could actually move to Mars instead. According to MARS, a new National Geographic (NatGeo) miniseries recently screened at the organization’s M Street headquarters, a human presence on… Read More
