Debra Booth

Review: FUN HOME at Studio Theatre

Fun Home made history by opening the door for a more queer future for musical theatre—and Studio Theatre’s production presents every character’s humanity and each meticulously crafted beat with intensity and grace.

Review: PEOPLE, PLACES &THINGS at Studio Theatre

People, Places and Things are a constant trigger for addiction and anxiety in the probing and intellectually thrilling production of People, Places & Things now playing at the Studio Theatre.  A highly evolved play of substance that really pushes the boundaries of the subject of addiction is a top-notch tour de force courtesy of a very trenchantly observed and written play by Duncan Macmillan, above par technical elements, and excellent acting. 

BWW Review: PASS OVER at STUDIO THEATRE

Captivating with precision dialogue, Pass Over does more for its' audiences' edification in one hour than most playwrights are able to accomplish in two.

THE BAND'S VISIT, JITNEY, And More Nominated for 2020 Helen Hayes Awards

Tonight, at a celebration honoring theatre excellence on stages across the Washington area, theatre artists, administrators, patrons, and special guests gathered in the National Theatre's Helen Hayes Gallery for theatreWashington's announcement of nominees for the 36th Annual Helen Hayes Awards, which will be presented on Monday, May 18 at an event at the Anthem.

BWW Review: WHITE PEARL at Studio Theatre

Studio Theatre's production is frustrating since both the creative and acting components of this production are stellar. The real outrage is not what happens onstage, but what doesn't. And for that, the blame lies solely with the playwright Anchuli Felicia King.

The Kennedy Center Announces 50th KCACTF National Festival

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts hosts more than 120 outstanding theater students from colleges and universities across the nation as part of the 50th annual Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF), which runs April 16-20, 2019 in multiple locations throughout the Center. The Center also announced the national awardees for the KCACTF. Selected awardees and representatives will be brought to Washington, D.C. for an expense-paid trip to participate in the National Festival. These student artists from across the United States have been recognized for their outstanding work from the eight regional festivals that were held January 8 through February 28, 2019.

BWW Review: QUEEN OF BASEL Makes a Powerful Statement at Studio Theatre

When you combine Bettis' exceptionally well-written and insightful script with some of the most powerful acting you're likely to see on a DC stage this season, and some excellent direction by Jose Zayas, you have a must-see theatrical production.

BWW Review: Dark and Unrelenting RICHARD THE THIRD at Shakespeare Theatre Company

Richard the Third is one of Shakespeare's most famous villains. Ruthless and astute, savvy and unscrupulous, Richard pursues power with a single-minded and dangerous intensity. In the Shakespeare Theatre Company's production, directed by David Muse, Richard's world is grim, gray, perilous, and unrelenting. Matthew Rauch in the title role is deliciously complex - we, too, are alarmed to find ourselves wooed by his intelligence and charisma even as we are repelled by his treachery and dogged fixation with acquiring power any cost. Shakespeare's tale of villainy, and the Shakespeare Theatre Company's interpretation, asks the audience to venture into a severe and harsh world. It is a dark and fascinating journey, but not for the faint of heart.

Photo Flash: Get A First Look At Shakespeare Theatre Company's RICHARD THE THIRD

After his hit production of King Charles III, David Muse returns to Shakespeare Theatre Company to direct Shakespeare's Richard the Third, a mesmerizing chronicle of the megalomaniac's rampage to the throne. The production will play at Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW) from February 5-March 10, 2019.

Photo Flash: Go Inside Rehearsals of Shakespeare Theatre Company's RICHARD THE THIRD

After his hit production of King Charles III, David Muse returns to Shakespeare Theatre Company to direct Shakespeare's Richard the Third, a mesmerizing chronicle of the megalomaniac's rampage to the throne. The production will play at Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW) from February 5-March 10, 2019.

Photo Flash: Go Inside Rehearsals of Shakespeare Theatre Company's RICHARD THE THIRD

After his hit production of King Charles III, David Muse returns to Shakespeare Theatre Company to direct Shakespeare's Richard the Third, a mesmerizing chronicle of the megalomaniac's rampage to the throne. The production will play at Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW) from February 5-March 10, 2019.

Cast Announced for STC's RICHARD THE THIRD

After his hit production of King Charles III, David Muse returns to Shakespeare Theatre Company to direct Shakespeare's Richard the Third, a mesmerizing chronicle of the megalomaniac's rampage to the throne. The production will play at Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW) from February 5-March 10, 2019.

BWW Review: IF I FORGET at Studio Theatre - Truly an Unforgettable Theatrical Event

When I read that Studio Theatre would be presenting playwright Steven Levenson's IF I FORGET I was very excited. Why? Levenson won a Tony Award for his great book for hit musical DEAR EVAN HANSEN. Then I read the play won the Drama Desk Award for Best Off-Broadway play at the Roundabout Theatre in New York (see their informative study guide). Then when I saw what the play was about I really got excited.

BWW Review: I Won't Soon Forget IF I FORGET at STUDIO THEATRE

I won't soon forget IF I FORGET. Director Matt Torney adroitly brings to life this incisive examination of modern Jewish life 'for the head and the heart.' Studio Theatre has chosen a local, illustrious playwright's work to kick off its 40th anniversary season: Steven Levenson, of the Tony Award winning Evan Hanson.

BWW Review: SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS at Round House Theatre

Initially, it may be harder to know where the action is onstage but no matter where you look on stage, Small Mouth Sounds delivers engaging theatre.

BWW Review: Theater J's ROZ AND RAY is in Critical Condition

There is a great drama in Roz and Ray, but only if the focus is less on Roz and Ray and more about what brought them together, healthcare.

BWW Review: Politics are Personal in TRANSLATIONS at Studio Theatre

A solid production worth the effort to see.

BWW Review: THE WOLVES at Studio Theatre

The Wolves boasts an all-female cast and the lack of any male in a play set in the male-dominated world of sports is innovative...Just girls being girls, in whatever way they see fit.

BWW Review: VICUÑA AND THE AMERICAN EPILOGUE at Mosaic Theater Company

Mosaic Theater Company's Production of Vicu a and the American Epilogue is in high demand and for good reason. If you're in DC and you meander to work every day in a cloud of existential dread wondering how we all got here and where our country could possibly be going, then I can't recommend this Trump-inspired satire highly enough. Written by Pulitzer Prize finalist John Robin Baitz (Other Desert Cities; Brothers and Sisters) and directed by Robert Eagan, this star-studded production has already been extended until December 3rd. Vicu a was originally produced to great critical acclaim during the 2016 election. The context of its incubation and inception is important, as at times the show feels disconnected from our current political reality. A new epilogue set 12 years in a dystopian future pulls the strands of past, present, and future together. It is sobering, eerie, and altogether necessary.

BWW Review: THE LOVER AND THE COLLECTION at SHAKESPEARE THEATRE COMPANY

The Lover and The Collection ooze Mad Men-era sex appeal.