What makes NextStop Theatre’s The Shawshank Redemption stand out is the dedication that the cast has to bringing these characters to life on stage without miming the performances from the movie.

Edge of the Universe Theater, in association with Avant Bard Theatre, turns up the family drama in an intimate, edgy production of A Number, directed by Stephen Jarrett, starring a real-life father and son. 

Monumental Theatre Company’s production of tick, tick...BOOM!, directed by Michael Windsor, honors Jonathan Larson’s legacy and life with an intimate and moving performance by a talented cast.

In NextStop Theatre's production of The Mountaintop, directed by Kevin McAllister,  McNeil and Simmons are talented actors, but the play itself still needs to be polished.

Signature Theatre's Escaped Alone, directed by Holly Twyford, is a surreal Golden Girls episode with British humor.

Synetic's The Tempest keeps the drama and comedy of Shakespeare's original work through the use of movement and emotional expression.

HUB Theatre's production of American Spies and Other Homegrown Fables, directed by Kathryn Chase Bryer, features powerful moments, but certain artistic choices prevent the production from making its full impact.

Rock of Ages, directed by Martha Banta and choreographed by Janet Rothermel, is still as Poison coons 'nothin' but a good time.' The cast of Rock of Ages brings concert level energy to the musical. It's contagious and infectious from glam metal songs to the soft rock ballads.

NextStop Theatre's The Wolves is raw as it unapologetically forgoes the stereotypes of teenage girls and allows the girls to define who they are.

NextStop Theatre's production takes up the meta to another level by casting real-life friends as the actors in the show and allowing them to be co-directors. Most theatre about theatre can easily lose audiences but, NextStop's [title of show] is overall accessible and relatable to a wider audience through its characters and humor.

1st Stage's A Civil War Christmas, directed by Deidra Lawan Starnes with musical direction by Markus Williams, is a riveting musical helmed by a strong diverse cast of twelve actors and beautifully done production design.

Returning to MetroStage for its tenth anniversary, ROOMS: A ROCK ROMANCE boasts an enthusiastic two-person cast and energetic backing band. It's exactly as described, a simple girl-meets-boy tale steeped in 1970s musical flair. But instead of boiling the romance down to timeless emotion, the book's simplicity and pat ending make this a bit of a tough sell.

If your interest is piqued by the words "Edgar Allan Poe" and "musical" and "October", you're likely to enjoy the Matt Conner-directed NEVERMORE at Creative Cauldron. It returns seven years after its first production with a set of top-notch actors delivering verses of Poe's poetry set to Conner's haunting melodies.

There's nothing quite like a British dark comedy to usher in the unofficial start of autumn. The poignant regional premiere of HERO'S WELCOME at 1st Stage in Tysons fits the bill, with its undercurrent of personal drama that quickly rises to the surface, engulfing a town in figurative flames that could turn literal at any moment.

NextStop's production of Amour is a great escape into a world filled with absurdity and whimsy. All and all, it is a perfect pick for a 30th anniversary celebration.

Motown the Musical is a high energy musical featuring a talented cast and high production quality.

Boasting an impressive production and stellar cast, Riverside Center for the Performing Arts is presenting the professional DC-Northern Virginia regional premiere of the dark and romantic musical THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME. It is well worth the trip along Interstate 95 to hear the rich score and lyrics by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, respectively, and be taken in by the sumptuous production, one of the biggest I have had the pleasure of seeing at this venue.

As directed by Alex Levy, THE FARNSWORTH INVENTION is theatrically inventive and mostly compelling recounting of of Farnsworth and Sarnoff's parallel stories. The production is also performed by a skillful company of actors who take the audience on this little known historical journey.

Brave Spirits Theatre again provides a fresh, immediate take on a Shakespearean classic, this time with a hard-hitting production of CORIOLANUS, directed by Charlene V. Smith. Underappreciated compared to many of Shakespeare's other plays, it's particularly timely in 2018 as it explores a power struggle among great men and the masses they're supposed to serve.

4,380 Nights is essentially two different plays, which makes it often hard to follow due to the lack of cohesion, but there are still glimpses of a play in which the message of hope rings quietly over fear and hate.

Synetic's latest work is taken from Kafka's novel THE TRIAL with elements borrowed from his other works, presented in the kinetic and bold theatrical style the 22-year old company has earned their renown. A perfect fusion of movement, stagecraft, text and performance, Synetic's THE TRIAL leaves a lasting impression long after the performance. I confess in my six years of covering theatre in the DC area, THE TRIAL is my first Synetic production. But it certainly will not be the last.

In Synetic Theater's Hansel and Gretel, based loosely on Grimm's fairytale version, Hansel (Justin J. Bell) and Gretel (Sharisse Taylor) go from being in the mall with their distracted babysitter (Raven Wilkes) to being in a mysterious wonderland with no mall or babysitter to be found. While Synetic's production is less dark than Grimm's, it is just as entertaining for children and adults alike.

Doctor Faustus transforms into a production about how a woman is manipulated by the world around her. With a solid cast, Brave Spirits Theatre's production turns Marlowe's vision on its head and explores it through a feminist lens.