In the early 1980s, August Wilson set out to encapsulate the experiences of 20th century black culture. Although he purposefully set each of his plays in a different decade, it is important to understand that Wilson doesn’t claim to be a historian. Wilson’s memories of his mother are reflected in the fragmented collection of music […]
The sounds of Billy Joel’s piano recently took over the National Theatre, but not for a concert. It was the first Broadway tour and D.C. debut of the smash hit Movin’ Out. In the tradition of recent dance shows like Swing and Contact and musician-inspired musicals like Mamma Mia, Movin’ Out is an energy-packed synergy […]
Dazzling to both the eye and the ear, the Theatre, Dance and Music departments’ collaborative production of City of Angels was as refreshing in the Dorothy Betts Marvin Theatre last weekend as it was as a Tony-Award winner in the late 80s on Broadway. The plot follows an author named Stine as he tries to […]
Giacoma Puccini’s Mme. Butterfly is the tragic yet beautiful tale of a Japanese woman named Butterfly who falls in love with an American sailor that marries then abandons her. When he returns years later with his new American wife to claim Butterfly’s child, it is too much for the delicate woman and she commits suicide […]
Bertolt Brecht’s play, “A Man’s a Man,” is not for the passive theatergoer. But then, that was Brecht’s point. The anti-militarist comedy/musical is currently at Arena Stage under the direction of renowned Hungarian director Enik Eszenyi. Brecht is often considered to be one of the most innovative playwrights of the 20th century, dabbling in the […]
It resembled an act of hubris, as Signature Theatre’s artistic director, Eric Schaeffer, attempted to awaken this Rodgers and Hammerstein failure. Like the biblical Lazarus arising from his crypt, “Allegro” has returned to haunt theater once more. Receiving mixed reviews upon its Broadway opening in 1947, this experimental musical closed less than 10 months later, […]
Galileo Galilei said simply that the Earth orbits the sun. As children of technology, it is very hard for us to comprehend where religion would fit into this discovery. In an age when important scientific discoveries are made almost daily, we are more capable of casting aside today what was truth yesterday. “The Life of […]
“Proof,” David Auburn’s second full-length play, began its journey in a workshop production at Manhattan Theatre Club. Soon after, it made its way to Broadway, where it became the longest running straight play in 20 years. Auburn garnered much acclaim for his torturous tale, winning both the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize. That being said, […]