Elliot Lanes - Page 17

Sometimes touring productions of Broadway musicals are better than their original versions. When I first saw the Tony Award nominated musical Something Rotten in NYC, I found it to be forced and too over-the-top. The current touring production, now playing DC's National Theatre, features a cast that some might say is even better than the original. While all the laughs are still there, everything feels more natural.

Sometimes playwrights have a good idea for a script, but can't leave well enough alone. Such is the case with Laura Schelhardt and her world premiere commissioned play Digging Up Dessa, now playing in the Family Theater at Kennedy Center as part of the Women's Voices Theatre Festival.

The second annual Women's Voices Theater Festival's first entry is the follow up to the hit play Queens Girl in the World, an entry in the first festival in 2015.

Today's subject Felicia Curry is currently living her theatre life at Arena Stage playing the role of Sweet Thing inNina Simone: Four Women. The production runs through December 24 in Arena Stage's Kreeger Theater.

As the holidays kick into, high gear there is no better way to spend the season than with an evening of holiday music played by the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) conducted by Maestro Steven Reineke.

Today's subject Amber Paige McGinnis is currently living her theater life at Theater J as the director of the Tony Award-winning play The Last Night of Ballyhoo. The production runs through December 31st.

A modern day holiday season might include such activities as camping out at Walmart for a 3:00 AM special on a flat screen TV for $25.00 or playing with the latest electronic gadgets that are out there. DC's little jewel of a theater, Washington Stage Guild, takes us back to a time when people actually sat around the fireplace, told stories, sang Christmas carols and hymns and wait for it talked to each other with the delightful holiday offering A Child's Christmas in Wales and Other Stories.

E. B. White's Charlotte's Web has been adapted in many ways. There was an animated movie musical back in the 70s, a live action film a few years back, and a stage adaptation that Theatreworks USA toured around the country for years. Imagination Stage in Bethesda is currently presenting the latter as its holiday attraction. The creative team takes a very heavy-handed approach to material that isn't that light to begin with, unfortunately.

Today's subject Jennifer Moeller is currently living her theatre life as the costume designer for Twelfth Night at Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC). The production runs through December 20th at STC's Sydney Harman Hall space.

What happens when the cr me de la cr me of the DC theater community come together to create a brand-new theater for young audiences musical at the Kennedy Center? The answer is theatrical magic, that's what.

It's that time of year again folks; it's time for the Kennedy Center's annual production of the holiday perennial ballet The Nutcracker. Rather than present the same production every year, Kennedy Center invites a different company to perform its own take on the Tchaikovsky classic. This year, local audiences will be treated to the Kansas City Ballet and today's subjects, Racheall and Ryan Nye, are living their theatre lives as part of this production, which runs November 22nd through the 26th in Kennedy Center's Opera House. Rachael trains all of the kids for the production and Ryan is performing the role of Drosslemyer.

Today's subject Kolby Kindle is currently living his theatre life on the road in the ensemble of the national tour of the juggernaut hit The Book of Mormon. The show is now playing at the Kennedy Center through November 19th.

Some musicals from the golden age of Broadway are done to death. Let's face it, how many productions of Guys and Dolls and Fiddler on the Roof can you take? Anytime a theater chooses to produce a show that isn't seen as often as the aforementioned ones I get very excited. When they are presented well, my musical theater geekiness goes into overdrive. Arena Stage has put my geekiness into overdrive with its current production of the 1954 tuner The Pajama Game. With the exception of a production at Roundabout Theatre Company a few years back, this show really isn't performed very often professionally anymore.

Today's subject Robert Richmond is currently living his theatre life at Folger Theatre as director for Anthony and Cleopatra. The production runs through November 19th.

Today's subject Evan Casey is currently living his theatre life onstage at Signature Theatre, his DC theatrical home base in An Act of God. The production runs through November 26.

Today's subjects Britney Coleman and Tim Rogan are currently living their theatre lives at Arena Stage performing in one of the golden age of Broadway's more underrated musicals, The Pajama Game. They are playing the roles of Babe Williams and Sid Sorokin, respectively. The production runs through December 24th.

The pint size dynamo known as Nora Achrati is one of the area's most dynamic actresses so a show where it's just her and the audience should make for a great night of theatre. Achrati portrays five different characters in Paul Selig's ethereal and spiritual script Mystery School.

Today's subject Nellie McKay is probably best known as a singer and songwriter, but what you may not know is that she has a theatre connection. She has lived her theatre life onstage at Roundabout Theatre Company in The Threepenny Opera as Polly Peachum. That performance won her a Theatre World Award. Tomorrow evening, October 28, she will be appearing at one of the DC area's newest arts performance venues, Amp powered by Strathmore.

For 57 years Sergio Mendes has been a driving force in the world of popular music. since 1966. Starting withHerb Alpert presents Sergio Mendes and Brazil '66, he took Brazilian and Bossa Nova music and bought it to the masses. His recordings of such pop songs as The Look of Love and Mas Que Nada were and continue to be classics.

Today's subject, Allen Lee Hughes, is currently living his theater life as lighting designer for Arthur Miller's The Price - his 70thproduction at Arena Stage. The production runs through November 12th in the Kogod Cradle. Mr. Hughes also lit the production also lit the show the last time Arena Stage produced it back in 1994.