Ryan Maxwell

Review: PRAYER FOR THE FRENCH REPUBLIC at Theater J
by Mary Lincer - Nov 5, 2024

In an elegant coincidence (or a charming conspiracy by the theatre gods), DC audiences will be able to see two absolutely engrossing plays about Jewish family life in 20th and 21st century Europe, back to back: Tom Stoppard's Tony award-winning Leopoldstadt next month at the Shakespeare Theatre and Joshua Harmon's Drama Desk award-winning Prayer for the French Republic through November 24 at Theater J.

The Adorable Debut Of HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MON AMI by Alex and Olmsted
by Cybele Pomeroy - Aug 7, 2024

Incorporating many elements of traditional puppet shows, Alex and Olmsted's newest piece, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MON AMI, is a miniature adventure in Paree, er, Paris. It tiny, enchanting and exquisite, like a chocolate truffle in a gleaming box. Much of this script is adult-targeted, but it IS suitable for children, even young ones.

Review: TORONTO FRINGE FESTIVAL: DAY 8
by Ilana Lucas - Jul 13, 2024

Reviews of Madame Winifred's Circus of Wonders, Rooted: A Musical Poem, Girls' Night Cabin Fever, How Lucky Are We, The First Jew in Canada: A Trans Tale, and Are You Lovin' It?

Review: OVER HER DEAD BODY by Pinky Swear Productions at Theatre J
by Mary Lincer - Jul 12, 2024

Pinky Swear has revived its 2016 production of Over Her Dead Body for this year's Capital Fringe. The musical revue surveys murder ballads (yes, that is a thing) which originated in Scotland and England during the 16th century before emigrating to Appalachia and obtaining improved orchestration (Americans organize mean fiddle, guitar, mandolin bands). but the plots of each of these songs resembles a fellow ballad: boy meets girl/boy and girl are in love/girl gets murdered--not really grislier than what's streaming these days, but with real, live musicians.

Review: THE HATMAKER'S WIFE at Theater J
by Rachael F. Goldberg - Jun 14, 2024

Theater J closes new Artistic Director Hayley Finn’s first season on an enchanting high note. 'The Hatmaker’s Wife' is an emotional, charming, and thoughtful story about love in all its complexities.

Review: FRONTIERS SANS FRONTIERS at Spooky Action Theater
by Tavish Young - Apr 29, 2024

Frontiers Sans Frontiers is good. It's refreshing, biting, funny, and relevant. From April 25th to May 19th, under a few trashbags and discarded cups of tea, DC theatre goers may be able to find Spooky Action Theater's production of Frontiers Sans Frontiers.

Review: HESTER STREET At Theater J
by Mary Lincer - Apr 3, 2024

What did our critic think of HESTER STREET at Theater J?

Review: THIS MUCH I KNOW at Theater J
by David Friscic - Feb 8, 2024

What an odd thing the human mind is! –for it can make false assumptions, construct facile rationalizations, and rely on preconceived notions---as the audience soon finds out through the alternately clever, character-driven, and coiling convolutions of Theater J’s east coast premiere of the play This Much I Know. This is a play that asks questions more than it supplies answers and in that the audience can find sufficient satisfaction.

Review: MOSES at Theater J
by Mary Lincer - Dec 5, 2023

What did our critic think of MOSES at Theater J? The title character of Michele Lowe's 90 minute, one-man play, full name Moses Schneider, experiences a literal holocaust, not just a signal fire like that of the Biblical Moses. He then experiences a spiritual journey like the hero of Thomas Carlyle's Sartor Resartus (The Tailor, Re-tailored) which takes him through a loss of faith, a period of indifference when he can't quite remember why he is both numb and grief-stricken, to a regaining of the possibility of peace.

REVIEW: SOLAS NUA: THE HONEY TRAP At the Atlas Performing Arts Center
by Jackson Malmgren - Nov 8, 2023

How do individuals and communities heal after decades of violence? THE HONEY TRAP, a world premiere presented by Solas Nua, focuses on one night in Belfast during The Troubles and how the events that transpire that night forever change the lives of diametrically opposed young adults.

Review: AGRESTE (DRYLANDS) at Spooky Action
by Roger Catlin - Oct 31, 2023

Out in an arid, underpopulated northeastern Brazil, an unusual but not entirely inconceivable love story plays out, presented as a kind of morality lesson or at least a cautionary tale. 

Review: THE CHAMELEON at Theater J
by Dara Homer - Oct 18, 2023

Superheroes are larger than life, and so is the family at the heart of Jenny Rachel Weiner’s new play, The Chameleon. The story revolves around a series of wrenching decisions for actor Riz, as she’s poised to start filming her breakout role at age 39 in a new superhero franchise.

Review: THE CHOSEN at 1st Stage
by Pamela Roberts - Oct 7, 2023

THE CHOSEN at 1st Stage is a fascinating coming-of-age story of two boys and their fathers, and their extraordinarily different Jewish communities located just “five blocks and a world apart.”

Review: ONE JEWISH BOY at Theater J
by Rachael F. Goldberg - Jun 16, 2023

In a stunning US premiere, Stephen Laughton’s beautifully moving 'One Jewish Boy' tells the heartbreaking story of a couple’s relationship, and examines the impact of trauma and the different ways we process it.

Review: Brava, Bravo! Fall In Love With HUBBA HUBBA at Theatre Project
by Cybele Pomeroy - Mar 25, 2023

Brava, Bravo! For HUBBA HUBBA At Theatre Project: Don't miss the World Premiere! This new show by Alex & Olmsted, internationally acclaimed winners of multiple Jim Henson Award grants, is a pastiche of comedic scenes starring humans, puppets and an invisible fruit fly. Each carries a unique message spotlighting different facets of romantic love.

Review: GLORIA: A LIFE By Emily Mann At Theater J
by Mary Lincer - Mar 14, 2023

What did our critic think of GLORIA: A LIFE at Theater J?

Review: 4615 Theatre's PAPER BACKS and LIFE JACKET - A Thrilling, Pensieve Showcase
by Andrew White - Feb 14, 2023

Audiences rarely have the opportunity to navigate between the Scylla of relationships and the Charybdis of a wreck at sea, and 4615 Theatre’s effort here, with both paper backs and Life Jacket, is not to be missed.

Review: TWO JEWS WALK INTO A WAR. . . at Theater J
by Rachael F. Goldberg - Jan 18, 2023

'Two Jews Walk into a War. . .' manages to only retread oft-explored grounds, and fails to even do so in a unique or particularly insightful way.

Review: INTIMATE APPAREL at Theater J
by Rachael F. Goldberg - Oct 28, 2022

'Intimate Apparel' is a fascinating look at an intriguing woman, time period, and world, but the production just didn’t meet the standards Theater J has set for itself over the years.

Review: OLD STOCK: A REFUGEE LOVE STORY at Theater J
by Rachael F. Goldberg - Sep 12, 2022

Theater J's season opener, 'Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story' is both a story about refugees who fall in love and a love story to refugees.