Despite its hip title, JQA at the Arena Stage Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle at the Mead Center for American Theater is not Hamilton 2.0 – the John Quincy Adams Story (1767-1848). Playwright and director Aaron Posner’s world premiere has the freshness of Lin Manuel Miranda,… Read More
The Heiress is a classic play, based on the Henry James novel Washington Square. It’s not the type of play we’ve typically seen from Arena Stage lately, so even its melodrama is refreshing, while still offering a strong message to modern audiences. Seema Sueko directs an… Read More
Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater’s production of Kleptocracy is a mashup of absurdist Russian poetry, SNL-style Putin spoofing, and Dostoyevsky-level discourse on the human condition. Reflective of today’s headlines, rather than a historical account, playwright Kenneth Lin has styled Kleptocracy as an origin story to… Read More
There’s much to wrestle with in the scant 105-minute run time of Indecent— religion, sexuality, immigration, anti-Semitism, and the power of art, to name just a few themes– but what stands in such sharp relief is simply that it’s based on a true story. The play… Read More
Anything Goes… perhaps especially these days! Arena Stage’s production of Anything Goes, with choreography by Parker Esse, is lighthearted and fun entertainment for adults of all ages. And with a cast of characters from all walks of life finding purpose, acceptance, notoriety, and even love, it’s… Read More
Vinophiles celebrated wine and theater late last month as Arena Stage held its annual anticipated silent and live Wine Auction Gala. The glittering fundraiser supported Arena Stage’s artistic and creative mission with a delicious buffet of wine, food, and live performance. Helmed by Arena Stage trustees Beth Newburger… Read More
For a moment watching Arena Stage’s sharp and provocative production of Turn Me Loose, I forgot that Dick Gregory died in 2017 and felt that I was in the presence of history. Edwin Lee Gibson perfectly channels the acerbic comic, both as a fiery young stand-up… Read More
If Mr. Rogers could have been president, his tenure might have looked a lot like Dave’s—the titular character of a new musical, now debuting at Arena Stage, based on the 1993 Academy Award-nominated film of the same name. A nerdy, passionate teacher of American history… Read More
Snow Child at the Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater seems like the potential little sister to 2015’s breakout smash Dear Evan Hansen, destined to take wing from the boards of DC direct to the bright lights of Broadway. Under the sure direction of Molly… Read More
“I love that we are already spilling drinks,” Mary BcBride laughed as water bottles fell from atop a speaker during the first song of her all-American musical set at the Kreeger Theatre during the 2018 Arena Stage Gala Thursday night. After an awards presentation to… Read More
