All posts in Arts/Theatre

Updated: Yet ANOTHER Night with Janis Joplin

By Allison Gittings in Arts/Theatre · June 18, 2013 · No comments

DC socialites can break curfew to spend One Night with Janis Joplin… now returning to Arena Stage after a popular run last Fall.

Director and producer, Randy Johnson takes the raspy, blues inspired music Joplin wrote and sang so passionately and brings them to life anew as channelled by Mary Bridget Davis. Audiences are taking to their feet in the Keeger Theater as even those who saw the singer perform over 40 years ago say Davis’ performance is almost so perfect, it’s a “vision” of Joplin.

One Night with Janis Joplin is unconventional — and unlike anything your parents took you to when you were young — which takes you through the childhood of Joplin. Through song and prose, Davis explains the trials and tribulations that made Joplin the artist she became, blending heart jerking blues, raspy jazz and rock and roll.

A true tribute to Joplin, Davis performs classics like “Maybe” and “Cry Baby” with the same enthusiasm as the late rock and roll blues artist.

Sabrina Elayne Carten steals the stage during her parts, acting as Joplin’s inspiration and alter ego. Carten’s range and depth are perfect for the parts of Aretha Franklin, Bessie Smith, Etta James and Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thorton. The talented singers and band are just as on point as the leads, allowing the audience one more night with Janis Joplin; a true tribute to her life and artistry.

*One Night with Janis Joplin returns to Arena Stage June 21 – August 11.

Introducing The Sunshine District

By K Street Kate in Around Town, Arts/Theatre, Dish, Music, News/Updates · June 16, 2013 · No comments

Go and order an Ugly Purple Sweater. It’s a classic old-fashioned with a twist…which will be just like most things at The Sunshine District: Classically Twisted. This upcoming “normal venue” just refuses to do things normally.

Officially opening next weekend, The Sunshine District is a concert venue with a side of quirky mixed drinks and in-your-face local music. It’s stocked with 5 listening stations, each equipped with a record player and a CD player (Vinyl and CDs supplied by DC/DC-area musicians), and a menu of specialty cocktails all inspired by area artists. (That’s right. Tiger Gilliam sure is the sound behind the Sober Mormon.)

The June 21st opening party will be played by Tall Tall Trees. Check out the venue’s Facebook page for details on how to get invited, then grab an Aging Hipster (no, not really — this one’s named for Barrie Lee Howard) and listen it up local.

*The Sunshine District is located at 2010 9th Street NW

The World Pianist Invitational Brings Masterful and Mini to KenCen

By Rebecca Ferguson in Around Town, Arts/Theatre, Dish, News/Updates · June 16, 2013 · No comments

Twenty-five of the world’s best classical pianists were invited to perform at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday night. However, as masterful as they were, some of the performers could barley reach the foot pedals!

piano1 All between the ages of 6 and 29, these pianists were selected from over 2000 applicants to perform at the inaugural year of The World Pianist Invitational. Applications and online video performances were reviewed by a judicial committee, before five performers in each of the five age categories were invited to Washington.

Joshua Stanczak, 1st Play in 6 – 9 Category

“We found out there wasn’t an opportunity for young promising pianists to play at the Kennedy Center and it seemed like such a crime,” explained Patrick E. Saty, CEO and co-founder of the competition, “I am absolutely amazed at how talented the pianists are – these young people are just regular kids with extraordinary talent developed through some exceptional dedication.”

After coming off stage Gianna Sabatini (a member of the six to nine age category) explained, “I love playing piano! I practice four hours on the weekends and one to two hours on the weekdays.”

Over $10 000 in cash scholarships were awarded by an international panel of music judges at the completion of the performances.

[Party Pix] Ford’s Theatre Annual Gala

By K Street Kate in Around Town, Arts/Theatre, Celebs, Parties/Events, People · June 3, 2013 · No comments

Later, inside, Denyce Graves would perform Ave Maria and Bridge Over Troubled Water; Brian Stokes Mitchell would sing Don’t Rain on my Parade and You’ll Never Walk Alone; Heidi Blickenstaff belted out New York, New York; and ABC Nashville’s Clare Bowen and Sam Palladio crooned When the Right One Comes Along and Fade into You.

But the red carpet arrivals of Sunday night’s Ford’s Theatre Annual Gala were a performance of their own.

Attendees included Vice President Joe Biden, Attorney General Eric Holder, The Honorable Valerie Jarrett, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, members of Congress and other distinguished guests.

The Ford’s Theatre Annual Gala benefits the Ford’s Theatre Society and its programming, like the Lincoln Legacy Project, an effort to generate dialogue around issues of tolerance, equality and acceptance.

Among those honored between gala program performances Sunday night were Dennis and Judy Shepard, parents of murdered gay college student Matthew Shepard. (This fall, Ford’s Theatre will present a stage production of The Laramie Project, a series of powerful personal accounts based on the community’s reaction to Matthew’s death.)

The evening also included the presentation of the Ford’s Theatre Lincoln Medal to former Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice and Basketball Hall of Fame honoree Bill Russell, both for their character and accomplishments, which “reflect Lincoln’s legacy of leadership, service, wisdom and vision.”

And in addition to the performances above, the Gala program also included a tap sequence led by Omar Edwards, John and Leo Manzari and Luke Spring, and a rousing performance of Make Our Garden Grow from Leonard Bernstein’s Candide by Denyce Graves, Brian Stokes Mitchell and the Ford’s Theatre Gala Company.

Performances were followed by a seated dinner at the National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian American Art Museum.

*All photos credit Jack Conroy

Concert for a Cause, Helping Homeward Bound Heroes

By K Street Kate in Around Town, Arts/Theatre, Celebs, Charitable Involvement, Music, Parties/Events, Uncategorized · May 24, 2013 · No comments

Add Antonio Giuliano (American tenor), Lonestar, Nathan Osmond, Sarah Darling, Moi Navarro, Angel Taylor (NBC’s The Voice), and Maryland’s own rising female country star, Laura Bryna, along with Larry King as emcee and you get one fabulous fundraiser!

Maryland Lt. Governor Anthony Brown (left) and WIAFF CEO and Co-Founder Warren Elliot

The Wounded In Action Family Foundation held its “Homeward Bound Heroes” event Wednesday night at the Music Center at Strathmore. The evening proceeds will help WIAFF with its programs that assist veterans and their families as they transition from hospital to home, including family counseling and job assistance as well as helping to retrofit homes, purchase handicap vehicles, and setting up community support.

Rising country star Sarah Darling

“[This] event provided an opportunity to raise funds to support wounded warriors and their families, while also saluting all who have served,” said Warren Elliott, CEO and co-founder of the WIAFF. “Assistance to wounded warriors is not only the right thing to do; it’s an investment in our country. To date, the recipients we’ve helped and their branches of military, are all extremely grateful for Wounded In Action Family Foundation support.”

Among those in attendance were Maryland’s Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown who spoke between musical acts. For those unable to attend, the concert was streamed worldwide on Stageit.com.

*Images provided by WIAFF

Arrest Development and Khao Perform at N Street Village Night Sessions

By K Street Kate in Around Town, Arts/Theatre, Celebs, Charitable Involvement, Music, Parties/Events, People · May 17, 2013 · No comments

Wearing friendship bracelets given to them by their new friends and fans at N Street Village, Arrested Development played the headlining set Thursday night at Malmaison’s for N Street Village’s Night Sessions fundraiser. The 2x GRAMMY award winning band played tribute to the shelter with its early 90s favorite “Mr. Wendell” as well as popular throwbacks “Tennessee” and “Everyday People” after playing some of their newest tracks.

Arrested Development was joined by Producer Kevin “Khao” Cates, who detailed his life mission to empower and inspire (see video). Khao’s opening set, including songs from his recently released youth life skills curriculum, was dedicated to the late Evan Bliss, the first N Street Village Night Sessions talent.

Attendees – changemaking young professionals including Justin Fishkin, Todd Flournoy, Krista Johnson and Farleigh Jewett - enjoyed cocktails and a Sugar & ICE candy bar before the intimate concert of lively music and dancing. Funds raised supported the work of the city’s largest provider of services for homeless and low-income women in DC.

“I just want to say thank to to everybody for coming here tonight,” said AD’s Speech as the performance came to a close. ”We’re all in the same room together for one cause this night. And I think it’s really the best thing that we could have done on this night tonight.”

You’re Invited: FREE Screening of Frances Ha

By K Street Kate in Around Town, Arts/Theatre, Invitations, Random · May 17, 2013 · No comments

IFC Films, FRANCES HA, and K Street Magazine have partnered to offer 20 readers (and their guests) the chance to attend an advance screening of a film by Noah Baumbach that has garnered attention at still1 numerous notable and international film festivals.

FRANCES HA is his “an effervescent, seeming effortless comedy about a young woman taking the first shaky, post-Ivy League steps in what will become her real life…” Frances is determined to become a post-modern dancer in NYC, despite the fact that she’s got two left feet — or is constantly putting one of them in her mouth! still3

Click here to enter. The first 20 requests will secure 2 passes to a FREE screening on Monday, May 20th at 7 PM at the Landmark E Street Cinema. All entries will be confirmed via email.

*FRANCES HA will officially open in Washington, DC on Friday, May 24^th at the Landmark E Street and Bethesda Row Cinemas.

**Images courtesy IFC Films

Uncommon Transformations: A Winter’s Tale Takes to STC’s Lansburgh Stage

By Nicole Capó in Around Town, Arts/Theatre · May 15, 2013 · No comments

An uncommonly small cast is taking over the Shakespeare Theatre Company‘s Lansburgh stage, bringing to life the Bard’s tragicomedy “The Winter’s Tale,” his story of a king driven mad by jealousy. In this somewhat contemporary take on the classic, director Rebecca Taichman chose to dress the characters in modern-day clothing while remaining true to the original dialogue. She also, unusually, cast only nine highly talented actors to play 16 roles between them — a way, she explained, of examining the central theme of the play: the human spirit’s endless capacity for transformation.

All of the actors play roles in both the tragic Sicilia and the hilarious Bohemia, allowing viewers the chance to explore the duality of the human soul. Television, film, and theater star Mark Harelik — who you may A Winter's Tale Mc 333_resized know from recent roles in “42″ and “Awake,” among many others — takes on both the main role of Sicilia’s King Leontes and Bohemia’s comic thief Autolycus, clearly demonstrating his ability to bring an audience to joyous laughter after bringing them down to the deepest pits of despair. Another character audiences will not be likely to forget is the young shepherd, played by Tom Story, who left viewers in stitches on opening night.

The decision to have the characters change onstage also lends itself well to that examination of dichotomy, and watching the actors transition between roles is quite magical — almost as magical as the story’s twist ending, which manages to leave the audience with a feeling of catharsis. As Whitman once said — and Taichman points out in her message to playgoers — we are all capable of containing multitudes, and the power of forgiveness is truly an amazing thing to behold.

“The Winter’s Tale” will be playing at the Lansburgh Theatre from May 9-June 23, 2013.

*Photos by T. Charles Erickson

Other Desert Cities Scorches the Arena Stage

By Tierney Brown in Around Town, Arts/Theatre · May 7, 2013 · No comments

Now on at its Mead Stage, Arena Stage invites audiences into the pristine interior of the Wyeths’ Palm Springs home for the Christmas holiday, where Other Desert Cities unravels complex layers of public image and the intense personalities of a family coping with loss.

(L-R) Larry Bryggman as Lyman Wyeth and Helen Carey as Polly Wyeth

Helen Carey (playing Polly Wyeth) gives an outstanding performance as the matriarch, powerful from all 360 degrees of the theater-in-the-round performance. The harsh strength of her character is nicely-offset by the accommodating portrayal of Lyman Wyeth (Larry Bryggman) as their family grapples with the past in the face of their daughter’s memory — and her memoir. The cast of five is well balanced as the family members are each implicated in the search for resolution.

(L-R) Emily Donahoe as Brooke Wyeth and Martha Hackett as Silda Grauman

An outstanding example of American playwriting, this Jon Robin Baitz’s play depicts the private struggles of a family in the public view. Tossing and turning between serious drama and quick and playful wit, the audience is kept on their toes by the moral repercussions of publishing a difficult memoir. Not afraid of plot twists, Baitz demands the audience consider the dilemmas he presents from different perspectives, unraveling another family secret every time it seems a resolution is in sight until the final cathartic exposition.

Director Kyle Donnelly and the cast bring the tumultuous events to life, and the talents of Kate Edmunds’ set design are particularly enticing as the white sunken living room surrounded by the audience mirrors the family’s own feeling of luxurious unease as the surrounding audience gazes on the most heart-wrenching drama of their lives.

Though the desert heats up this story, it feels right at home in Washington DC as personal and national politics set family relationships ablaze.

*Other Desert Cities is playing on the Arena Stage until May 26.

**Images by Scott Suchman

The Fourth Estate at the National Press Club’s New Beat

By Casey Linsey in Around Town, Arts/Theatre, Eats, Music · May 2, 2013 · No comments

The National Press Club has got a serious case of the (musical) blues!

On the first Wednesday of every month, the club’s Fourth Estate restaurant now hosts Blues Alley Jazz Night. Serving up good ‘ole Creole favorites like jambalaya, gumbo, and red beans with rice alongside the restaurant’s standard menu for a sold-out crowd, the evening’s best special comes courtesy of some of Washington’s most gifted teenagers!

“You don’t get to see teens perform often,” noted Jake Serwer, the National Press Club’s Business Development Executive and the brains behind the event, which coincides with promotions for the city-wide DC Jazz Festival. “And because they are so young and talented, we get to listen to future stars.” Playing the piano, base, drums, and sax, the musicians (some as young as 13!) are members of the Blues Alley Youth Orchestra.

Though many are familiar with the Georgetown institution’s daily professional performances, Executive Director Harry Schnipper explained that the Blues Alley, through its Youth Orchestra, is also home to “a music education programming process” for local teens. “What’s curious is that no one’s ever done what we do. No other jazz club in America has the same kind of program.”

And a KSM special tidbit almost as sweet as beignets: Non-members of the National Press Club receive 10% off their bill; members receive 15% off. Reservations accepted via OpenTable.com.

Check out a portion of the live performance right here!