Barbara Johnson - Page 3

Robert McNamara directs three Scena Theatre veterans in the Washington-area premiere of SOMEONE IS GOING TO COME, Norwegian writer Jon Fosse's absurdist exploration of magnified paranoia. Thanks to excellent acting and attention to detail, the experience is tense, at times grating, and interesting to witness.

The classic fairy tale SLEEPING BEAUTY is hundreds of years old, but Synetic Theater has improved it from an emotional standpoint by incorporating an unexpected twist: the Witch is a multidimensional person. In this version, the Prince is the Witch's son, and the incomparable Irina Tsikurishvili brings the Witch to life. The result is breathtaking and makes for timeless entertainment for younger audiences and their families.

The Hub Theatre's THE MAGI is in many ways made for the winter holidays: it is unabashedly about love and sacrifice. Kelsey Mesa directs this two-person acoustic musical featuring impressive original songs by Eli Pafumi.

The plot of A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE is straightforward, and the source material by Arthur Miller is pretty good, but the spectacular staging of this classic work at the Kennedy Center elevates what could have been a fairly pedestrian family drama to atmospheric heights. The very definition of 'catharsis', this spellbinding production stuns with stripped-down, potent emotion.

There's something about a classic, standard musical that tugs at the heartstrings. Maybe it's the the swelling orchestra, the time-honored songs, or the amazement that an old love story can feel new again. Under the direction of Molly Smith at Arena Stage, Rodgers and Hammerstein's CAROUSEL is all of the above.

43 1/2: THE GREATEST DEATHS OF SHAKESPEARE'S TRAGEDIES, a 2013 Capital Fringe favorite from Nu Sass, is back again with its enthusiastic original cast for a third run. Sun King Davis directs the zany, bloody production, with a new batch of gruesome fight scenes thrown in to keep things fresh.

Spooky Action Theater opens its season with a cutting-edge play that covers politics, celebrity, and the nature of genius. RAMEAU'S NEPHEW, adapted from an 18th century work by Denis Diderot, is hardly new, but this 2016 incarnation is as timely and amusing as can be. Director Richard Henrich delivers a production with flashes of outright brilliance that compensate for a few (non-fatal) flaws.

The world premiere of Jen Silverman's COLLECTIVE RAGE: A PLAY IN FIVE BOOPS kicks off Woolly Mammoth's season with a perfect balance between the really absurd and the absurdly real. Directed by Mike Donahue, it's the story of five very different women. All are named Betty Boop, and all are female archetypes fighting against their own oppressive forces.

For a play that is essentially about deciding when it's time to say goodbye to the one dream that has made you happy, THE LAST CLASS: A JAZZERCIZE PLAY is as funny as it is insightful. Trying to retain her place in a fitness-class world that has long since moved on to Zumba, Kelsea (Megan Hill, also the play's writer) has continued to teach Jazzercize to an ever-shrinking class at the Chikatawnee Valley Community Center. The Klunch brings the DODO production of JAZZERCIZE to DC, featuring the original cast from the recent New York City premiere and direction from Margot Bordelon.

Let's be honest - with the state of current affairs, the political circus, the ongoing tragedies around the world - we're all feeling at least a little jaded these days. So it makes sense that DC singer Jade Jones' 'Jazzed and Jaded,' part of Creative Cauldron's 2016 Summer Cabaret Series, is exactly what we need right now.

The Hub Theatre's REDDER BLOOD, co-produced with the Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia, is many things: a dysfunctional family drama, a romantic sitcom, and a philosophical exploration. But what it does most successfully is encourage thought-provoking discussion about the vast topics it covers.

In an evening featuring classic musical favorites and unexpected gems, longtime DC performer Dani Stoller presents 'Awkward: A Musical Ode to the Funny Best Friend' as part of Creative Cauldron's 2016 Summer Cabaret Series.

Originally earning 11 Helen Hayes nominations and audience acclaim in 2014, Synetic Theater's silent 1920s-style take on TWELFTH NIGHT is re-staged this season - which is not a moment too soon. In a winning blend of quirky vintage comedy and surprising emotional depth, this production manages to reinvent Shakespeare in a way that's so energetic, it could never be called tired.

For those who think they can easily spot a liar (especially in this city), PERFECT LIARS CLUB returns to Capital Fringe Festival and offers an opportunity to pick one out of a lineup. The show includes four storytellers who each present a personal tale that seems stranger than fiction. Only three are telling the truth, and it's the audience's job to scrutinize the facts and expose the liar.

Capital Fringe Festival's PLAY CUPID is a crowdsourced dating app in which we, the audience, decide who gets paired up as we watch the action unfold. The choose-your-own adventure matchmaking format of this performance makes it better than this season of 'The Bachelorette.' Or at the very least, it feels more authentic. Its surprising humanity and sometimes painful awkwardness might summon not-too-distant memories of your own first dates.

'Life's not worth a damn 'til you can say, 'Hey world, I am what I am!' In a world where so many are still struggling to be who they are, LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, as well as its iconic anthem of authenticity 'I Am What I Am,' is as relevant today as it was on Broadway in 1983. It's a gift that Matthew Gardiner is directing Harvey Fierstein and Jerry Herman's award-winning musical as Signature Theatre's season finale.

What a time for THE TAMING OF THE SHREW. It's a brave choice given its divisive, misogynistic text, but Shakespeare Theatre Company pulls it off under the bold direction of Ed Sylvanus Iskander. With an all-male cast, and featuring the contemporary pop music of Tony winner Duncan Sheik, this is Shakespeare with a decidedly modern sensibility.

Change takes many forms in CAROLINE, OR CHANGE: dramatic historical change, personal change, pocket change. The word itself is used frequently in Tony Kushner's Tony-nominated musical, which takes place in 1963 amidst the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement, and the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Matt Conner directs Creative Cauldron's production, an apt choice given the piece's enduring thematic significance and a phenomenal turn by Iyona Blake as the unflappable Caroline Thibodeaux.

Edward Albee's WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? has long been considered an American masterpiece, with some of the best dialogue in the history of drama. The current production by the City of Fairfax Theatre Company, directed by Ed Zakreski, presents this classic material with startling effectiveness.

There are a variety of mysteries explored in Bathsheba Doran's new play THE MYSTERY OF LOVE AND SEX. The DC-area premiere at Signature Theatre, directed by Stella Powell-Jones, bravely tackles themes of family, identity, and unconditional (and unconventional) love.