Jack Read - Page 2

There's a burgeoning sense of paranoia throughout The Burn, the first show of The Hub Theatre's 2019 season. Written by Philip Dawkins as something of an analogue to Arthur Miller's The Crucible - itself an acknowledged allegory for McCarthyism - The Burn is a sharp and deeply felt look at how fear grows and manifests itself in the pain of others. Its contemporary high school setting handily provides both a relatable set of characters and a convenient grapevine through which said fear makes its journey: social media. This is not a new trend, but The Burn has more on its mind than our over-use of social media; it's accepting of the reality social media has given us, and explores what sort of choices it leads us to.

One of the most important parts in a child's development is the power of choice. Presenting children with options engages their minds and allows them to take ownership. This is the driving idea behind Escape from Peligro Island, the latest offering from Imagination Stage. It's their first production using a choose-your-own-adventure element - every time our hero Callaway (Dallas Tolentino) is presented with a choice, the audience is asked to vote by holding up paddles - one side blue, one side red. As evidenced by their press performance this weekend, it's a fruitful device on both an artistic and marketing level - with 70 different ways the show can go, the possibilities are nearly endless.

You'll know the second you hear the title if Reina Hardy's Annie Jump and the Library of Heaven is your kind of play. It's the sort of title that immediately imbues cosmic levels of joy and wonder, fills you with light, and promises a journey not to be missed. You'll be delighted to know that Rorschach Theatre's production, a Rolling World Premiere from National New Play Network, delivers on that promise in an adventure that takes you to the very edge of existence and back. Though wide in scope, Hardy's script is a vessel for director Medha Marsten, along with her dynamic cast and crew, to tell an intimate story about the potential that lies in all of us.

Right on the heels of the closing of Queen of Basel, a Miami-set rebirth of Strindberg's Miss Julie, Studio Theatre is breathing new life into another classic. Most audiences are familiar with Shaw's Pygmalion - or, more likely, its musical counterpart My Fair Lady - in which a low-born member of society is taught how to fit in with the upper class. In P.Y.G. or The Mis-Edumacation of Dorian Belle, playwright and director Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm brings Shaw's play right to the eye of our cultural hurricane, centering the relationship between race, fame and cultural appropriation. Dorian Belle, a Canadian pop superstar, idolizes hip-hop group Petty Young Goons, and hires them to help 'toughen up' his image - all while being filmed for television, of course. Chisholm and two of his actors, Gary L. Perkins III (as Alexand Da Great, ½ of Petty Young Goons) and Simon Kiser (Dorian Belle), were interviewed separately over e-mail about their experiences during the rehearsal process and to provide their perspectives on what P.Y.G. can offer audiences.

'I like this place, and willingly could waste my time in it.' This line, spoken by Celia (Rebecca Speas) early in As You Like It, is an appropriate way to describe the vibe of Brave Spirits Theatre's new production of Shakespeare's comedy, directed by Jessica Aimone. It's an amiable production of one of the most laid-back plays in the canon, led by a charismatic cast whose chief concern is our entertainment. On that front, it's a success.

Noel Coward's charming and witty Fallen Angels, first performed in 1925, had a bit of a sordid beginning. Prominently featuring two women who admit to premarital sex and contemplate adultery, it very nearly didn't make it past the censors. The Lord Chamberlain allowed it - with small edits - considering it an unrealistic, harmless farce. The reviews were horrified by the subject matter; naturally, it became a hit. Surprisingly, NextStop Theatre Company's production, now running through April 7th, is the first time Fallen Angels has been performed in the DC metro area.

From the second we step through the doors of Anacostia Playhouse, we're asked to join the world of Dominique Morisseau's Blood at the Root - not just as observers but participants. Every corner of the lobby has been decked out like the hallways of a high school - in this case, Cedar High, located somewhere north of New Orleans. We glance upward and see a banner prominently featuring their mascot, the Pelican. There's a bulletin board littered with flyers and posters - Keep Calm and Wear Your Uniform. And just next to the entrance of the theater is a pair of lockers covered with real-life photographs of the young cast in their natural habitats - school, church, family reunions, summer camp. There's a lot to explore.

It was only a matter of time before a Hilary Bettis play received a full production in DC. Her work has brought her to Orlando Shakes PlayFest, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, O'Neill National Playwrights Conference, New York Theatre Workshop, Cape Cod Theatre Project and La Jolla Playhouse, among many, many others. She is one of the newest members of The Kilroys and was a writer for FX's The Americans. In her Artistic Statement, she tells us that "through Story we can climb inside others' lives, and quite possibly find understanding, empathy, unity and forgiveness." Her plays - which include Alligator and The Ghosts of Lote Bravo - reveal a writer who cares deeply about the possibility of change through human interaction.