Washington, DC Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 29

BWW Review: N at Keegan Theatre
by Roger Catlin - October 27, 2021

The racial reckoning coursing through American theaters and arts companies as a result of last summer's social justice uprisings isn't a new thing....

BWW Review: MYSTICISM & MUSIC at Constellation Theatre Company
by Rachael F. Goldberg - October 25, 2021

Despite a solid slate of talent both on and off stage, Constellation Theatre Company's latest production just misses the mark....

BWW Review: RONALD K BROWN/EVIDENCE at The Kennedy Center
by Elizabeth Seablom - October 22, 2021

Electric. In one word that is how I would describe Ronald K. Brown's/EVIDENCE's Kennedy C...

BWW Review: THE REALISTIC JONESES at Spooky Action Theater
by Morgan Musselman - October 18, 2021

Returning to Spooky Action Theater to kick off their 2021 Reopening Season after its original run was cut short in March 2020, The Realistic Joneses is a touching and humorous examination of human mortality and the curious ways we can find hope--or, at the very least, a little bit of comfort--in one...

BWW Review: HADESTOWN at Kennedy Center
by Timothy Treanor - October 17, 2021

It is mere coincidence that Anaïs Mitchell’s remarkable, Tony Award-winning Hadestown, now being given a solid production at the Kennedy Center’s Opera House, debuted on Broadway just before our twenty-month plague began, but it fits. Mitchell’s story is at bottom a moral call to arms, which cleverl...

BWW Review: CELIA AND FIDEL at Arena Stage
by Hannah Wing - October 16, 2021

Arena Stage’s production of Celia and Fidel, directed by Molly Smith, is a fast-paced drama set within Cuban politics during Castro’s dictatorship. ...

BWW Review: THE MADNESS OF POE at Synetic Theater
by Rachael F. Goldberg - October 13, 2021

Fans of the original staging of the 'Fall of the House of Usher' and theater-goers who enjoy productions with a bit of a spooky element for this time of year will likely enjoy the performance. But fans of Poe – the man, or just his other works – may need to temper their expectations....

BWW Review: MY LORD, WHAT A NIGHT at Ford's Theatre
by Pamela Roberts - October 09, 2021

MY LORD, WHAT A NIGHT at Ford's Theatre is a fascinating story of a surprising friendship developing at a critical time in history. We don’t see the characters as mythological beings in this production, thanks to the expert cast we are drawn to the approachable – very human – personal stakes, strong...

BWW Review: REMEMBER THIS: THE LESSON OF JAN KARSKI, at the Michael R. Klein Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company
by Alexander C. Kafka - October 09, 2021

David Strathairn amazes in this tour-de-force one-man play, at Shakespeare Theatre Company through October 17. He portrays the Polish resistance fighter and diplomat who tried to warn the world about the Nazis' decimation of the Jews....

BWW Review: THE PAUL TAYLOR DANCE COMPANY at Eisenhower Theater
by Mary Lincer - October 09, 2021

The Paul Taylor Dance Company has brought a brief but cheerfully charming program to the Eisenhower Theater at the Kennedy Center for a short run through October 9. It's a thirst-quenching performance after our drought. The two pieces run less than 90 minutes, and time will fly because you will be. ...

BWW Review: BECOMING DR. RUTH at Theater J
by Rachael F. Goldberg - October 08, 2021

It seems fitting, in many ways, to return to live theater with such an incredible and incredibly well told story of optimism, humor, and resilience. Theater J’s season opener is a beautiful, thoughtful biography of a woman who can remind us of the value of intimate, loving relationships and how to k...

BWW Review: QUIXOTE NUEVO at Round House Theatre
by Hannah Land - October 06, 2021

It’s rare that you come across a new adaptation of a classic text that feels groundbreaking and new while still retaining the heart of the original. But Quixote Nuevo by Octavio Solis, currently playing at the Round House Theatre, is just that....

BWW Review: Washington Stage Guild's 'Dear Liar' sees George Bernard Shaw match wits with his headstrong muse
by Lora Strum - October 01, 2021

A dramatic reading of letters Shaw exchanged with the actress Mrs. Patrick Campbell reveals the strong-willed woman who captured Shaw’s heart and inspired the playwright’s iconic Eliza Doolittle....

BWW Review: Happenstance Theater's 'THE PICNICS: A NITWIT DYPTICH' Short and Oh, So Sweet!
by Andrew White - September 27, 2021

'The Picnics: A Nitwit Dyptich,' makes a perfect dessert to an evening of binge-watching your favorite historical drama, a perfect hors-d'oeuvre before diving into that meaty documentary series. At 14 minutes, it's also just the right, bite-size for a mid-day snack. Which is, actually, kinda what i...

BWW Review: TEENAGE DICK at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
by Timothy Treanor - September 26, 2021

Is it possible that Richard III, had he been beloved by those around him notwithstanding his hunchback, would have abandoned ambition and treachery and instead become a loving and gentle mentor and guardian to Edward V?  Would he have gracefully stepped aside when the young King reached his majority...

BWW Review: THE AMEN CORNER at Shakespeare Theater Company Returns with Fervor to Sidney Harman Hall
by Morgan Musselman - September 18, 2021

Returning to Shakespeare Theatre Company for a limited pre-season engagement after its original run was cut short in March 2020, Whitney White’s stunning production of James Baldwin’s The Amen Corner offers a resounding “welcome home” to theater lovers set hopelessly adrift over the past eighteen mo...

BWW Review: BROADWAY IN THE PARK at Wolf Trap
by Elliot Lanes - September 14, 2021

While Labor Day weekend marked the unofficial end of summer it also marked Signature Theatre’s return to presenting LIVE entertainment. In this case, it was not in the cozy confines of their home in Shirlington but at the Filene Center at Wolf Trap. The concert entitled Broadway in the Park marked t...

COME FROM AWAY: In Concert at the Lincoln Memorial
by Dara Homer - September 14, 2021

On the eve of the 20th anniversary of 9/11, the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall was lined with lawn chairs and picnic blankets, and the surrounding lawns were packed with thousands of people eagerly awaiting a performance on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. These outdoor theatergoers were gat...

BWW Review: Doña Rosita la soltera at Gala Hispanic Theatre
by Mary Lincer - September 13, 2021

Led by the masterful Mabel del Pozo in the title role and Luz Nicolás as her aunt, GALA Hispanic Theatre has mounted a nuanced and visually rich production of Federico García Lorca's 1935 play, Doña Rosita la soltera, adapted by Nando López....

BWW Review: FIRES OF VARANASI: DANCE OF THE ETERNAL PILGRIM at The Kennedy Center
by Hannah Land - September 12, 2021

Ragamala Dance Company’s Fires of Varanasi: Dance of the Eternal Pilgrim is a beautiful, meditative piece that makes the most of the Kennedy Center’s new outdoor space on the REACH campus. For this reviewer it was the first in-person performance since Covid began, and its transportive qualities ful...

BWW REVIEW: TONI STONE AT ARENA STAGE
by Hannah Wing - September 12, 2021

Roundabout Theatre Company’s production of Toni Stone at Arena Stage, directed by Pam MacKinnon, gives Toni (Santoya Fields) the power to tell her own story — the way she wants to tell it. ...

BWW Review: GOOD PEOPLE at Keegan Theatre
by Alexander C. Kafka - September 12, 2021

The mouthie from Southie was knocked up in high school and her now-grown daughter, Joyce, is disabled. Unreliable help from her landlady, the aptly named Dottie (Linda High) makes Margie late to work as a dollar-store cashier, so she loses yet another job. Without the nine-something an hour, how wil...

BWW Review: NSO LABOR DAY CONCERT FEATURING BEN FOLDS at Kennedy Center REACH
by Roger Catlin - September 07, 2021

The pandemic has thrown traditional events like the National Symphony Orchestra's annual Labor Day concert for a loop for two years running. Held for years on the West Lawn of the Capitol, it had to be broadcast last year to an audience parked at RFK stadium, watching on screens and listening to the...

BWW Review: A WIND IN THE DOOR at the Kennedy Center
by Dara Homer - September 06, 2021

The Kennedy Center's Performances for Young Audiences season is back, and it kicked off with a world premiere adaptation of the young adult fantasy classic A Wind in the Door. The whirlwind performance brings the novel's unique blend of sci-fi and whimsical poetry to life....