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Review: THE AGE OF INNOCENCE at Arena Stage
Edith Wharton's novel The Age of Innocence was published about a week before she was able to vote for the first time in 1920. The following year, she became the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize. Now, playwright Karen Zacarías has adapted Wharton's complex tragedy of manners into Arena's elegant, 3 hour production ably directed by Hana S. Sharif. Set mostly in New York in the 1870s, Wharton, Zacarías, and Sharif recognize the ways in which the old fashioned social constructs of a still-young country could entrap individuals and crush their inner lives in contrast to the apparent success and prosperity of their day to day. Wharton's title, ironic a century ago, remains that way today. If this sounds dour, be reassured that it's often lightened by SNL-worthy Staten Island barbs and hoot-inducing stabs at Washington, DC, where a character briefly resides to avoid a husband in Europe and a clan in New York.
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Spotlight: SYNCOPATED LADIES at Hylton Performing Arts Center
Founded by D.C.-native Chloé Arnold, an Emmy Award-nominated tap dancer and choreographer, and protégé of Golden Globe winner Debbie Allen, Syncopated Ladies LIVE is a spellbinding and inspirational all-female tap dance celebration of sisterhood, empowerment, rhythm, and joy.
