BWW Interview: Theatre Life with Yesenia IglesiasFebruary 9, 2022Today’s subject Yesenia Iglesias is currently living her theatre life onstage at Signature Theatre in Daphne’s Dive which runs through March 20th in the ARK space.
Last time Yesenia performed at Signature, she was getting beat up and bludgeoned to death in Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Read on to see how she decompressed nightly from such an intense experience.
BWW Review: BALLOONACY at Imagination StageFebruary 8, 2022Ok, I’m going to date myself. Growing up I remember watching a wonderful little film called The Red Balloon. It started out as a book by Albert Lamorisse for which he then turned into a movie starring his son in 1956. It told the story of a little boy and an unlikely friendship he ends up having with a red balloon. The film had no dialogue and also had some really good photography shot on location in Paris.
BWW Interview: Theatre Life with Doug BestermanFebruary 7, 2022Anyone that has read my reviews or columns over the years knows that I always pay attention to the orchestrations and orchestrator of any given musical. Let’s face it, without the orchestrator, the score is only a piano.
Today’s subject Doug Besterman has been living his theatre life for many years as an orchestrator for Broadway, regional, and West End theatre as well as doing scoring for films and TV.
BWW Interview: Theatre Life with Vernard J. GilmoreFebruary 1, 2022There is almost nothing consistent anymore in life with the current state of affairs but when Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater comes to town, things almost feel normal again. The company will be performing in the Kennedy Center Opera House starting tonight through February 6th with four different programs to choose from.
BWW Interview: Theatre Life with Lisa Stephen FridayJanuary 26, 2022Today’s subject Lisa Stephen Friday has a remarkable story to tell as she is currently living her theatre life as the writer and performer of Trans Am. The show begins performances at Keegan Theatre on January 29th and will run through February 26th.
BWW Interview: Theatre Life with Kenny SeymourJanuary 5, 2022Today’s subject Kenny Seymour is currently living his theatre life being immersed with the Motown Sound as the Musical Supervisor and Arranger for the US National Tour of Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations while still serving as the show’s Musical Director on Broadway. The touring version can be seen through January 16th in the Opera House at Kennedy Center. Coincidentally, the show closes on Broadway the same day.
BWW Interview: Theatre Life with Courtney BalanJanuary 4, 2022Today’s subject Courtney Balan is currently living her theatre life on tour as the self-absorbed Broadway star Dee Dee Allen in the TOTALLY original musical The Prom. The show plays through January 16th in the Eisenhower at The Kennedy Center. It will then continue on locally to The Hippodrome in Baltimore, MD from Jan 18th through 23rd.
BWW Review: SARAH BRIGHTMAN: A CHRISTMAS SYMPHONY at StrathmoreDecember 8, 2021World renowned singer/actress/killer soprano Sarah Brightman has a voice that is so angelic sounding it literally takes you to a higher power. Her current tour A Christmas Symphony is a prime example of Ms. Brightman’s ridiculously high and soaring vocal range.
Interview: Theatre Life with William T. Newman Jr.December 7, 2021Today’s subject William T. Newman Jr. is currently living his theatre life portraying the esteemed African-American playwright August Wilson in How I Learned What I Learned at WSC Avant Bard. The production marks the company’s return to LIVE performances and runs through December 19th at Gunston Arts Center in Theatre Two.
BWW Feature: Stephen Sondheim at Signature TheatreDecember 2, 2021The phrase “No one is irreplaceable” was shattered this past week when composer/lyricist/GOD of American musical theatre Stephen Sondheim passed away at age 91. Simply put, Sondheim was unique, groundbreaking and a true original that many tried to copy and never could.
BWW Review: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST at Olney Theatre CenterNovember 20, 2021There are certain musical theatre pieces that audiences see on Broadway and believe the version they saw is the only way the material can be interpreted. Beauty and the Beast definitely falls into that category for the sole reason of that once you’ve seen how Disney produced it originally, it’s impossible to see it done in a less spectacular way.
BWW Review: RENT at Signature TheatreNovember 11, 2021It’s been too long since I wrote the following sentence. Signature Theatre is back with a perfect evening (or matinee) of theatre going!! The top DMV theatre company known for producing reimagined versions of musicals and cutting-edge plays is back and stronger than ever with a new production of Jonathan Larson’s masterwork Rent.
BWW Interview: Theatre Life with Arianna RosarioNovember 1, 2021When Signature Theatre begins performances of Rent tomorrow, November second, it will have been 600 days exactly since it was forced to stop performing it’s theatrical greatness due to the pandemic. Today’s subject Arianna Rosario is currently living her theatre life playing Mimi Marquez in the production whixh is directed by Signature Theatre’s Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner. The production runs through January second, 2022 in Signature’s MAX space.
BWW Interview: Theatre Life with Morgan Siobhan GreenOctober 25, 2021Today’s subject Morgan Siobhan Green is currently living her theatre life touring the country as Eurydice in the national tour of Hadestown which continues performing in the Opera House at Kennedy Center through October 31st. The production marks Ms. Green’s touring debut.
BWW Review: BROADWAY IN THE PARK at Wolf TrapSeptember 14, 2021While Labor Day weekend marked the unofficial end of summer it also marked Signature Theatre’s return to presenting LIVE entertainment. In this case, it was not in the cozy confines of their home in Shirlington but at the Filene Center at Wolf Trap. The concert entitled Broadway in the Park marked the first of what we hope to be many collaborations between these two giants of the arts organizations.
BWW Interview: Theatre Life with Matthew GardinerJuly 20, 2021Today’s subject Matthew Gardiner is a prime example of someone living their theatre life to the fullest. While he has directed and choreographed all over town and in Korea as well, by far the bulk of his career has been working at Signature Theatre. Since coming there in 2004, Matthew has either choreographed and or directed some of Signature’s most memorable productions while also serving as the company’s Associate Artistic Director since 2011.
BWW Interview: Theatre Life with Adelina MitchellJune 21, 2021Sometimes a young artist makes a big impression on an ornery arts reviewer first time out of the box. Today’s subject Adelina Mitchell did just that to me and my wife a few years ago. More on that later on in the column. Now you can see her incredible talents for yourselves from the comfort of your own home Constellation Theatre Company’s streaming presentation of The Last Five Years. The production is available from June 22nd through July 11th.