Category Theatre
Two Gents
A few weeks ago I saw the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s “rock opera” version of Two Gentlemen of Verona (and I didn’t like it). Tonight, I saw them do the actual Shakespeare play — and I liked it much better. Given the current hour (it’s past 1:00am already!), I won’t take the time to write out a synopsis […]
Two Gentlemen of Verona: A Rock Opera
Can you think something is fun but still not like it? Lady says no, but I think yes. Think of roller coasters: they’re fun, but I don’t like them. Ditto for cotton candy. Well, that’s my review of the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of Two Gentlemen of Verona: A Rock Opera. I’m probably supposed to like […]
Billy Elliot
Last night I saw the touring production of Billy Elliot the Musical at the Kennedy Center. For those who aren’t familiar with the musical (or the non-musical movie on which it is based), the show is set in a coal mining town in northern England in the mid-1980s, when Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was is mortal […]
Synetic Theater: Romeo & Juliet
Tonight I saw Synetic Theater’s production of Romeo and Juliet. Synetic Theater is a small theater company in the DC area that produces wordless plays — which means they rely heavily on dance, pantomime and other physical storytelling. It’s an interesting concept, especially when they do Shakespeare, because it raises the question of whether a […]
Much Ado About Nothing
I had a hard time focusing at work yesterday. It was Friday of the first week back after a fantastic vacation, and I had tickets to see the Shakespeare Theatre’s production of Much Ado About Nothing. All I wanted to do was to go sit in a French cafe and read until it was time to […]
Equivocation
Transatlantic flights have never deterred me from going to a performance I wanted to see: Last year I saw Cosi Fan Tutti after getting off the plane in Vienna. In 2009, I saw a Greek folk-singer perform at the Acropolis in Athens. Today, I saw Equivocation at the Arena Stage after a 10-hour flight from Paris. […]
Paris, Day 5 – Opera Bastille: Cendrillon
The Cendrillon that we saw performed at the Bastille Opera House tonight ranks among my favorite performances ever. I knew I would like the music (I’d heard it a few years ago when I saw the Kirov ballet perform it), but I hadn’t known what to expect from Nureyev’s choreography: He set the story in 1930s […]
Mon père à Washington
This weekend I had the great pleasure of welcoming mon père to Washington, DC. He had spent the past week up in Aberdeen, Maryland, attending a series of lectures and courses about biological and chemical agents that can be weaponized (he’s a civilian public health official at an Air Force base out West, with particular […]
Start of the Season!
Summer is over and the theatre season has begun! It officially started for me tonight with the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s brand-new production of The Heir Apparent — David Ives’ new translation of Jean-François Regnard’s 1708 comedy Le Légataire Universel. It’s the first play in the STC’s 25th Anniversary season. Translation? Well, not exactly. I think […]
Double Header
Why see just one show when you can see two? Capitol Steps is a longtime Washington institution and I’m glad I finally can say that I’ve seen it. That said, despite a handful of clever moments, it was generally on the level of mediocre community theatre. Harry Potter, on the other hand, was very well done. I remembered virtually […]
A More Gentlemanlike Manner 