Andrew White - Page 3

Director Meierjohann has choreographed Juliet Stevenson’s movements through a space as palpable as it is imaginary. The quality of the sound recording is so acute that you know exactly where she is at every moment. Stevenson’s performance is a marvel as she careens from the soothing, caring, den-mother to a shrieking, blood-soaked avenging angel, unafraid of what she has to do to survive.

Step into Happenstance Theater’s dreamscape; enjoy the lush colors and charm of their short film, “A Rose for Ergensburg.” Devised by company founders Mark Jaster and Sabrina Selma Mandell, with Sharon Crissinger as its eagle-eyed cinematographer and co-author, you will encounter a world of the past--but surprisingly contemporary.

Playright Psalmayene 24’s contribution to Arena Riffs is “The Freewheelin’ Insurgents,” a day in the life of four actors as they cope with the pandemic and the forces arrayed against them, both as artists and African-Americans.

For now, we will have to settle for the Zoom version of 'Initiative' – that’s how the D20 rolls these days. But it would be positively criminal if it weren’t eventually staged by a company as multi-talented as Flying V. Your imagination is the key—which come to think of it is rather the point of live theatre, no matter which medium it uses to reach out to you.

Soon – and very soon, we hope – we will all be able to gather together at Synetic’s subterranean theatre in Crystal City and thrill to their latest exploits. But for as long as we may have to wait, Synetic’s streaming service is a gift, and a great way to introduce newcomers to their unique, invaluable artistry.

Morella’s work as the adaptor/director/performer in this piece practically needs no introduction, and his comfort with the material enables him to switch characters and voices with ease. And Olney Theatre Center has teamed up with Chiet Productions, whose camera work enables us to experience Morella’s wonderful work in entirely new ways.

With their first audio effort, Kings, Studio demonstrates the versatility of Studio’s roster of actors and sound designers.  Director Marti Lyons, already a Helen Hayes award winner, establishes her chops in a purely audio medium, and demonstrates the theatre community’s ability to turn on a dime and produce a classic form of entertainment as if they were to the manner born.  Stuff like this is truly heartening.

Starting this Friday, July 10, the artists at Synetic have found the answer to your summer doldrums, which are now magnified beyond endurance by social-distancing rules: a series of video vignettes inspired by the ultimate in pandemic lit, Giovanni Boccaccio's a?oeDecameron.a??

Forget the Cherry Blossoms, folks, they'll be gone before you know it. Brave Spirits' Histories rep, cultivated, rested and ready, will be where it's at when our theatres re-open. Their a?oeHenry the Fifth,a?? as with all the other plays in the current cycle, is full of surprises and fresh interpretations. It is clear that the Histories Repertory will wrap up a few loose ends, while pointing towards contentions and bloodshed to come.

Eduardo Machado's Celia and Fidel, set at the beginning of the Mariel Boatlift crisis in 1980, explores the bravado, self-delusion, frustration and paranoia that were the hallmarks of Fidel Castro's rule over Cuba. Director Molly Smith has worked her cast into a taut, suspenseful emotional pitch, with nuances galore to enjoy and contemplate.

With the mayhem, warfare and epic egos of Henry the Fourth, Part 1 well under their belts, Brave Spirits Theatre now turns its talents towards one of the more challenging history plays in Shakespeare's canon, Henry the Fourth, Part 2. Director Charlene V. Smith continues to find new gems here among the many performers, and there are some moments that truly shine here.

This is the second installment in Charlene V. Smith's four-play repertory project, and judging from the quality of the work here, Washington theatregoers are in for a truly rewarding experience of the Histories, well into April. Brave Spirits is well on their way to one of the more vital repertory seasons inside the Beltway that we have seen in quite some time.

Recent Tragic Events, now being staged some 18 years after its premiere, is a piece that has matured beyond its original context. And Prologue Theatre's top-notch production argues convincingly for its endurance on the stage for years to come.

One of D.C.'s finer classical companies, Brave Spirits, has embarked on a two-year repertory of William Shakespeare's history plays. Leading off this ambitious project is Charlene V. Smith's razor-sharp production of a?oeRichard II.a?? Smith has assembled a cast that is assured in its understanding of Shakespeare's language; more importantly, she has nurtured some of the most creative, nuanced readings of the Bard's famous speeches I have ever heard.

Directors Steven Scott Mazzola and Timothy Nelson have created a deeply moving, broadly staged version of a piece that was originally designed for the concert hall. In moving the singers throughout the vast, acoustical gem that is the Foundry United Methodist Church, you are surrounded (literally) by actions that are as contemporary as you can possibly imaginea?'and imagine you will.

If the holiday cheer seems beyond your grasp, the British Players have just the ticket; this year's 'Alice in Wonderland: A Traditional British Panto,' comes complete with a fractured take on a beloved tale, cross-dressing actors, and opportunities galore to participate in the action. Chock full of familiar tunes for young and old to sing along, this is truly a family affair, with performing families onstage mirroring the families in the audience, and more than enough fun for all.

Chandrika Tandon's song-cycle, Shivoyam-The Quest, which recently touched down at the Eisenhower Theater at the Kennedy Center, is part oratorio, part jam session, part spectacle, and organized around the many steps to enlightenment she experienced. It's not prescriptive-not a 'how to' manual, as much as a travelogue, with a number of beautiful stops along the way.

The setting for Richard Clifford's production of Amadeus, Peter Shaffer's classic, modern revenge tragedy could not be more skillfully assembled, and Clifford has created a taut, compelling evening for Folger audiences that remind us how shockingly contemporary the play's themes are.

Prologue Theatre is putting its own stamp on a play that has acquired a huge cult following over the years, especially within the LGBTQ+ community. Bristling with edgy, memorable performances, the cast takes you right back into the hell of those teenage years, when hurting people, both physically and emotionally, is done as casually as ordering a latte or chucking a tater tot across the cafeteria.

It won't be the novelty of these plays that will continue to draw us to Wilson's compelling portraits of the Hill District in Pittsburgh; it will be his indelibly drawn characters given new life by artists putting their own personal stamp on his work. August Wilson is meant to be savored live; he can't be contained in a damned DVD box. And with local heroes like Craig Wallace and Erika Rose as the headliners, it's not to be missed.