Review: AN UNBUILT LIFE at Washington Stage Guild
by Roger Catlin - Apr 18, 2024
It’s the painting Girl with a Flute, long attributed to Vermeer, that adorns the program cover of the Washington Stage Guild’s world premiere production of “An Unbuilt Life.”
THE CARETAKER Comes to The Edge of the Universe Theater
by Stephi Wild - Sep 1, 2023
The Edge of the Universe Theater follows up its 2022 Capital Fringe production of Caryl Churchill’s A Number with the work of another British playwright, Nobel Prize winner Harold Pinter’s THE CARETAKER.
Review: Samuel Beckett's ENDGAME at the Washington Stage Guild
by Morgan Musselman - Feb 1, 2023
Now through February 19, the Washington Stage Guild presents Samuel Beckett’s eerie and philosophical single-act tragicomedy, ENDGAME, directed by Alan Wade. Bill Largess, Matty Griffiths, David Bryan Jackson, and Rosemary Regan captivate audiences as their characters grapple with existence within a desolate post-apocalyptic world.
Samuel Beckett's ENDGAME to Open at Washington Stage Guild This Month
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jan 5, 2023
The Washington Stage Guild will continue its 2022-2023 season, a “Season of Transitions,” with Endgame by Samuel Beckett, directed by Alan Wade. Performances begin January 26 - 28 with four Pay-What-You-Can previews and run until February 19, 2023.
Review: A NUMBER at Capital Fringe
by Tavish Young - Jul 18, 2022
Sprawling yet intimate, and altogether quite philosophical, Caryl Churchill's A Number is a piece about guilt, parenting, and individuality. Presented by the Edge of the Universe Players 2 at Capital Fringe, the show left with much to ponder.
The Edge of the Universe Players 2 Present A NUMBER By Caryl Churchill
by A.A. Cristi - Jun 24, 2022
On the heels of creating two audio plays during the pandemic (The Marriage Proposal, featuring Kimberly Gilbert, Jamie Smithson and Cody Nickell, and Laughter in the Shadow of the Trees, featuring Sarah Marshall, Holly Twyford and David Bryan Jackson), The Edge of the Universe Players 2 return to in-person producing with Caryl Churchill's A NUMBER.
BWW Review: BLOOMSDAY at Washington Stage Guild
by Roger Catlin - Jan 28, 2020
If there's a D.C. theater company that would approach presenting James Joyce, it'd be the literary-minded Washington Theatre Guild, which has made its mark by presenting everything written by George Bernard Shaw, among other ambitious projects.
Washington Stage Guild Presents BLOOMSDAY By Steven Dietz
by Stephi Wild - Jan 11, 2020
The Washington Stage Guild continues its season of great writers with the Washington premiere of Bloomsday by Steven Dietz. This delicate, time-bending romance is set in James Joyce's Dublin on June 16th, the date on which Joyce's Ulysses is set. Robert returns to that city 35 years after meeting Caithleen on a walking tour of Joyce's Dublin. He and Cait meet again and revisit their youthful relationship, amid the echoes of Joyce's masterwork, and the missed connections of that earlier time in their lives. Helen Hayes Award winning Kasi Campbell will direct. A post-show discussion will follow the Sunday matinee on February 2nd, James Joyce's birthday.
BWW Review: CANDIDA at Washington Stage Guild
by Sophie Williams - Oct 2, 2019
Washington Stage Guild's production of Candida gave life to an extremely charming George Bernard Shaw comedic classic. Bernard Shaw's story follows a tangled romance between a preacher, Reverend Morell, his wife, Candida, and a young poet who wishes to win her heart, Eugene Marchbanks.
Nathan Whitmer as Reverend Morell, presents a clergyman as a Christian Socialist dedicated to his work and intending to do right by everyone in his life. Whitmer's interpretation of the character is ruled by the balance between his patience and his passion. Whitmer as Morell also shows a touching fondness for his on and off stage wife, Emilie Faith Thompson as Candida, which added an especially sweet quality to the production. Thompson presents a preacher's wife, mother, and house-maker who navigates such with grace and charm. Thompson approaches the text with tact and careful consideration, successfully portraying the most sensible character in the show. Ben Ribler as Eugene Marchbanks, creates a very anxious, and occasionally manic young poet, drunk in love with the Reverend's wife. Much like his on-stage competitor, Ribler also builds this amazing juxtaposition between his passion and his sensibility, up until his passion overruns all logical thought and he descends into his overwhelming obsession for Candida.
The cast is also joined by supporting characters, Ms. Prosperine Garnett, the Reverend's secretary, Reverend Lexy Mill, Morell's curate, and Candida's father, Mr. Burgess. Danielle Scott as Ms. Garnett created a classic busybody secretary, both disciplined and dedicated, and consistently amusing. Danny Beason as Reverend Lexy managed with the little stage time he had to make an impression as a lackadaisical yet dutiful curate to the Reverend Morell, further fortifying the respect people have for the Reverend. The cast is rounded out by seasoned David Bryan Jackson, who portrayed Candida's money-on-the-mind father, Mr. Burgess. Jackson had a particularly acute talent of delivering his performance with comedic ease.
The direction of Lauren Ghiradelli, a company member of the Washington Stage Guild, has navigated a dexterous script, chock full of lyricism and the beautiful, clever language of Shaw. And in doing so, raised questions about marriage, the expectations placed on it, and the dynamic between husband and wife in the Victorian era. Overall, the production is lively, wildly amusing, and nothing less than charming.
The Washington Stage Guild Presents CANDIDA By George Bernard Shaw
by A.A. Cristi - Sep 12, 2019
The Washington Stage Guild returns to the Nobel Prize-winning George Bernard Shaw, with a new production of the first play by GBS ever presented by the Stage Guild, Candida. Subtitled a?oeA Mystery,a?? in it, a preacher and a poet are in love with the same woman. The former is her husband, the latter wants to woo her away, and both are shocked by her ultimate choice and the reasons for it.
Michael Urie Reprises Leading Role in HAMLET; STC Offers Free Performances
by Julie Musbach - May 28, 2019
Free For All, one of the capital's cherished annual traditions, will return for its 29th annual summer to Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC), offering two weeks of free performances of the Company's 2018 acclaimed production of Shakespeare's Hamlet starring MICHAEL URIE (Ugly Betty) as Hamlet.
BWW Review: LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES: Bring on the Men
by Nancy Grossman - Jun 6, 2018
Artistic Director Lee Mikeska Gardner embraces the mission of The Nora Theatre Company to "promote the feminine voice" with an all-male production of LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES, Christopher Hampton's 1985 adaptation from the novel by Choderlos de Laclos. Perhaps best known from the 1988 film DANGEROUS LIAISONS, which starred Glenn Close, John Malkovich, and Michelle Pfeiffer, the pre-French revolution era story is decadent, delicious, overflowing with sexual intrigue, and populated with characters who mostly get what they deserve. In Gardner's retelling, the audience gets what it deserves, a thoroughly entertaining, albeit mildly risque, evening at the theater.