Sunday, February 5, 2006; N03
NOW PLAYING
"Fair Ladies at a Game of Poem Cards," a Japanese romantic drama, reimagined by British playwright Peter Oswald, is Rorschach Theatre's follow-up to its spirited autumn production, "The Beard of Avon." Randy Baker directs. Through Feb. 18.
"Death of a Salesman," another Goliath of a play taken on by the David-size Keegan Theatre, runs through Feb. 18.
"Fat Pig," Neil LaBute's dark urban fairy tale about the downside of an overweight girl getting the guy of her dreams. The Studio Theatre production features a graceful central performance by Kate Debelack. Through Feb. 26.
"Measure for Measure," a captivating version of Shakespeare's play about lust and piety, is staged with Brechtian style at Folger Theatre by the gifted Aaron Posner. Through Feb. 26.
"Midwives," a courtroom drama at Round House Theatre that explores the suspicious circumstances of an emergency Caesarean performed by a midwife in rural Vermont. Alma Cuervo heads the cast in Dana Yeaton's play, based on Chris Bohjalian's bestseller. Through Feb. 26.
"Trying," a new production of Joanna McClelland Glass's play, at Ford's Theatre, stars James Whitmore and is directed by Gus Kaikkonen. It deals with the last year of the life of Francis Biddle, an attorney general under FDR and later a war-crimes judge at Nuremberg. Through Feb. 26.
"Fully Committed," a satire of the restaurant biz, in which one actor -- in this case, Michael Stebbins -- plays all the loonies in the life of that lowliest of lowlies, the reservations taker. At Rep Stage through Feb. 26.
"The Story," the African Continuum Theatre's staging of Tracey Scott Wilson's journalism drama, inspired by the notorious story of Janet Cooke at The Washington Post. Directed by David Charles Goyette. Through Feb. 26.
"Nevermore," a startlingly original new musical at Signature Theatre, based on the life and twisted loves of Edgar Allan Poe, with a fledgling composer, Matt Conner, helping to turn Poe's rhymes into intriguing music. Through March 5.
"Awake and Sing!," a revival of Clifford Odets's classic story of a New York Jewish family in the 1930s, struggling with the conflict between values and money, is brought back to life at Arena Stage by its legendary co-founder, Zelda Fichandler. Through March 5.
"The Velvet Sky," the Woolly Mammoth world premiere of an unhinged comedy by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, in which an overprotective mother who hasn't slept in 13 years pursues her husband and son to New York. Rebecca Bayla Taichman ("The Clean House") directs Rick Foucheux, Will Gartshore and Dawn Ursula. Through March 5.
"Two Queens, One Castle," the Washington premiere of a new musical by Thomas W. Jones II and Jevetta Steele, fills MetroStage with the sounds of R&B, jazz and gospel -- and a story of love and deceit. Through March 5.
"Eleemosynary," Lee Blessing's drama about the tense standoff among three generations of proud women, is revived by Catalyst Theater under the direction of Christopher Janson. Ellen Young, Kathleen Coons and Lindsay Haynes play the women. Through March 11.
"The Murder of Isaac," the U.S. premiere, at Center Stage in Baltimore, of a play by Israeli dramatist Motti Lerner. It's set in a Jerusalem ER after the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin. Through March 12.
"Don Juan," a Moliere play judged so scandalous at its opening in 1665 that the French ordered it censored, materializes at Shakespeare Theatre Company in a new adaptation by Stephen Wadsworth, who directs Jeremy Webb in the title role. Through March 19.
FEBRUARY
9 -- "Death and the King's Horseman," a sprawling tale by the Nigerian Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka about the clash of African ritual and British colonial sensibilities. John Vreeke's production runs at Washington Shakespeare Company through March 12.
10 -- "The Dybbuk," the mystical Jewish tale, is newly reinterpreted in a co-production by Theater J and Synetic Theater. The direction is by Synetic's Paata Tsikurishvili, and the choreography by his wife, Irina. Through March 19.
10 -- "This Lime Tree Bower" is Irish story-weaver Conor McPherson's saga of a robbery in Dublin, as spun from three perspectives. Scena Theatre's staging runs through March 19.
10 -- "Hip Hop Anansi," a world premiere at Imagination Stage, with music based on a trickster from African folklore. Through April 13.
15 -- "The Heiress," Augustus and Ruth Goetz's adaptation of the Henry James novel "Washington Square," about a naive young woman and the gold digger who sweeps her off her feet, comes to Olney Theatre's new mainstage. Through March 12.
17 -- "Boston Marriage," is an unusual marriage indeed, as it affords dramatist David Mamet an opportunity to write about lesbians. The Actors' Theatre of Washington production features Jenifer Deal and Kate Eastwood Norris under the direction of Jeffrey Johnson. Through March 19.
21 -- "Dame Edna: Back With a Vengeance," is exactly what its title suggests: the return to the National Theatre of Barry Humphries, in the guise of the inimitable Australian dowager who enjoys nothing more than a hearty chuckle and a game of Get the Audience. Through March 5.
23 -- "El Rufian Castrucho" ("Castrucho the Hustler"), a rarely performed comedy by Spanish Golden Age playwright Lope de Vega, takes Gala Theatre to an Italian setting and the world of a wily procurer. In Spanish with English supertitles; directed by Hugo Medrano. Through March 19.
28 -- "Golda's Balcony," the touring biographical play about the late Israeli prime minister Golda Meir, brings Valerie Harper to the Warner Theatre as the surprising, pragmatic world leader. Through March 5.
MARCH
2 -- "The Mai," a lyrical drama by Marina Carr, set in Ireland, about a woman who waits for the return of the husband who left her. Presented by Solas Nua, a young troupe dedicated to modern Irish plays. Through March 26.
2 -- "Fanny's First Play," a little-known assault on critics by George Bernard Shaw, is brought to our attention by the Washington Stage Guild, where Shavian platters are the house specialty. John MacDonald directs. Through April 2.
2 -- "Haroun and the Sea of Stories" is a movement-infused stage adaptation by Tim Supple and David Tushingham of a Salman Rushdie tale about a storyteller who loses the ability to spin tales after his wife abandons him for another man. The Theater Alliance production is directed and choreographed by Kelly Parsley. Through April 2.
3 -- "The Rainmaker," N. Richard Nash's offbeat love story (and the basis for the musical "110 in the Shade"), is directed by Lisa Peterson for Arena Stage, with a cast that includes Frank Wood, Johanna Day, William Parry and Michael Laurence. Through April 9.
4 -- "Huck Finn's Story," a stage adaptation of Mark Twain's story by Aurand Harris aimed at children 9 and older. Directed by Kathryn Chase Bryer. At Imagination Stage through April 15.
8 -- "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie," Studio Theatre's revival of Jay Presson Allen's drama about a misguided Scottish private schoolteacher whose magnetism pulls students in the wrong direction. Joy Zinoman directs a cast that includes Sarah Marshall and Richard Stirling. Through April 16.
10 -- "Citizen 13559: The Journal of Ben Uchida," a world premiere production for young people based on Barry Denenberg's book about a Japanese American boy whose family is sent to an internment camp during World War II. The Kennedy Center adaptation, by Naomi Iizuka, runs through March 26.
16 -- "The Autumn Garden," Lillian Hellman's 1951 talkathon, set at a summer resort, is revived by American Century Theater and directed by Steven Scott Mazzola. Through April 15.
17 -- "Shenandoah," a Ford's Theatre revival of the 1975 Broadway musical, with music by Gary Geld and lyrics by Peter Udell, chronicling the struggles of a Shenandoah Valley farmer and his children during the Civil War. Scott Bakula stars and Jeff Calhoun ("Big River") directs. Through April 30.
21 -- "Hot Feet," the pre-Broadway tryout of a new dance musical with music by Earth, Wind & Fire founder Maurice White and directed by Maurice Hines. At the National Theatre through April 8.
24 -- "Hamlet," Kasi Campbell's staging of Shakespeare's tragedy for Rep Stage, features a roster of Washington actors that includes Aubrey Deeker, Daniel Frith, Valerie Leonard, Lawrence Redmond and Karl Miller ("columbinus") as the waffling Prince. Through April 9.
24 -- "Radio Golf," the last play written by the late August Wilson in his massive 20th-century cycle, gets its regional premiere at Center Stage in Baltimore. Under the direction of Kenny Leon, the play, set in 1997, looks at a revitalization plan for Wilson's beloved Hill District in Pittsburgh. Through April 30.
28 -- "The Sex Habits of American Women," an exploration of feminine sexuality over the past 50 years, is Signature Theatre's dramatic foray into "Kinsey" territory. Julie Marie Myatt's new comedy is directed by Michael Baron. Through May 7.
29 -- "A Bright Room Called Day," Tony Kushner's first play, about artists and activists in the last days in Germany before the rise of the Third Reich, is staged for Rorschach Theatre by Rahaleh Nassri.
29 -- "Anything Goes," a revival of the Cole Porter musical by chestnut-happy Olney Theatre, with direction by Brad Watkins. Through April 30.
31 -- "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill," a blues-inflected play by Lanie Robertson about an appearance by the great Billie Holiday at a Philadelphia joint. Kenneth Lee Roberson directs for Arena Stage. Through June 4.
APRIL
3 -- "The Gigli Concert," a reprise of one of Woolly Mammoth's most popular shows, is the story of an eccentric Irish millionaire who wants to croon like an opera star and the dissipated Englishman whose aid he enlists. Mitchell Hebert, Kimberly Schraf and Howard Shalwitz are directed by Tom Prewitt. Through May 7.
4 -- "The Persians," a chronicle by Aeschylus of the downfall of an empire, brings director Ethan McSweeny to Ellen McLaughin's adaptation of the classic Greek play, at Shakespeare Theatre Company. Through May 21.
5 -- "The Retreat From Moscow," William Nicholson's story of a disintegrating family, has its Washington debut at Round House Theatre. James Edmondson directs Rick Foucheux, Carol Mayo Jenkins and Tim Getman. Through April 30.
5 -- "Bal Masque," a world premiere by the prolific Richard Greenberg ("Take Me Out") at ambitious Theater J, about Truman Capote's legendary Black and White Ball at the Plaza Hotel. Directed by John Vreeke. Through May 21.
7 -- "Walking the Winds: Arabian Tales," an evening of Middle Eastern folk tales presented in a production devised jointly by Americans and Jordanians. At the Kennedy Center through April 16.
7 -- "The Game of Love and Chance," Folger Theatre's revival of the piquant 18th-century comedy by Pierre de Marivaux, is directed by Richard Clifford ("The Clandestine Marriage") in an adaptation by Stephen Wadsworth. Through May 14.
12 -- "Frozen," a stark play at Studio Theatre by Bryony Lavery that revolves around three people -- a criminal, a mother and an academic -- who provide intermingled accounts of the disappearance of a child. Andrew Long, Nancy Robinette and MaryBeth Wise are directed by David Muse. Through May 7.
13 -- "Richard II," the great Shakespeare history play, takes up residence at Washington Shakespeare Company to tell sad stories of the deaths of kings. Through May 14.
15 -- "The Canterbury Tales," the Royal Shakespeare Company's earthy -- and lengthy -- dramatization of Chaucer's stories, divided into two parts running a total of six hours, is the latest offering of the venerable troupe in an ongoing pact with the Kennedy Center. Through May 7.
15 -- "Silent Partners," a new play by Charles Marowitz about the working relationship between playwright Bertolt Brecht and the critic Eric Bentley. The Scena Theatre production runs through May 21.
19 -- "Becoming George," a world premiere at MetroStage of a musical about George Sand, Sarah Bernhardt and other artists taking political action, with music by Linda Eisenstein and book and lyrics by Patti McKenny and Doug Frew. Through May 28.
20 -- "The Play's the Thing," a frothy backstage comedy by that master of froth, Ferenc Molnar, is handled by Washington Stage Guild, under the direction of the busy John MacDonald. Through May 21.
21 -- "Two Rooms," Theater Alliance's treatment of a Lee Blessing play set in a Beirut prison and an American home that questions, as is Blessing's custom, a superpower's assumptions about the world. Shirley Serotsky directs. Through May 28.
25 -- "Swan Lake," the Washington premiere of Matthew Bourne's handsome (and Tony-winning) all-male version of the Tchaikovsky ballet. At Warner Theatre through April 30.
MAY
4 -- "Someone Who'll Watch Over Me," Catalyst Theater's staging of a play by Frank McGuinness that spotlights the experience of three men held as hostages in the Middle East. Directed by Christopher Gallu. Through June 10.
5 -- "On the Verge or the Geography of Yearning," Eric Overmyer's comedy, directed by Tazewell Thompson, chronicles the journey of three intrepid women through a challenging landscape and all sorts of odd encounters. At Arena Stage through June 11.
6 -- "A Raisin in the Sun," the seminal play by Lorraine Hansberry recounting the obstacles a black family encounters in its efforts to pursue the American dream. Directed by Jennifer L. Nelson for African Continuum Theatre. Through June 11.
10 -- "Wonders Never Cease," a comedy by Mario Baldessari, Jim Helein and Barry Wood that examines what life would be like if the silly things ordered from the backs of comic books worked as advertised. Keith Bridges directs. The Charter Theatre presentation runs through June 4.
12 -- "A Body of Water," Lee Blessing's memory play with a difference -- the characters have none -- is staged in Round House Theatre's Silver Spring space by the energetic Rebecca Bayla Taichman. With Jerry Whiddon and Nancy Robinette. Through June 4.
17 -- "Caroline, or Change," the Washington premiere of Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori's powerful musical set in the Louisiana home of a Jewish lad who gets lessons in survival from the family housekeeper. Greg Ganakas directs and Julia Nixon stars in the Studio Theatre production. Through June 25.
19 -- "The Monument," an American debut for Canadian dramatist Colleen Wagner's drama about a soldier condemned to death for war crimes, and the strange woman who swoops in to rescue him. Jennifer Mendenhall is featured and John Vreeke directs for Theater Alliance. Through June 4.
24 -- "The Elephant Man," a remounting of Jim Petosa's production for Catalyst Theater last season, with Scott Fortier reprising his turn as John Merrick, at Olney Theatre Center. Through June 18.
25 -- "Todo por Amor" ("All for Love"), Teatro de la Luna's presentation of two one-act plays about love of the romantic and the maternal kinds. Directed by Mario Marcel. Through June 17.
27 -- "Mame," a major Kennedy Center revival of Jerry Herman's bubbly 1960s musical, with Christine Baranski, Harriet Harris, Emily Skinner and Max von Essen. Eric Schaeffer directs the production, running through July 2.
30 -- "Assassins," a revival of Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman's daringly tuneful revue directed by Joe Calarco, featuring a rogue's gallery of men and women who have aimed a gun (or a plane) at a president. The Signature Theatre regulars in the cast include Will Gartshore, Donna Miglicaccio, Stephen Gregory Smith and Erin Driscoll. Through July 16.
31 -- "A Murder, a Mystery and a Marriage," a new, bluegrass-inflected musical, based on a recently unearthed short story by Mark Twain, fills another slot in a May unusually bountiful for musicals. Director Aaron Posner ("Measure for Measure") writes the book and lyrics and James Sugg the music. At Round House Theatre through June 25.
JUNE
1 -- "The Children's Hour," Lillian Hellman's drama about a pair of teachers accused of having a lesbian affair, presented by the Washington Shakespeare Company; directed by H. Lee Gable. Through July 2.
5 -- "The Faculty Room," Bridget Carpenter's comedy about a dysfunctional public high school and the zanies who inhabit it plays out in Woolly Mammoth's D Street space, under the direction of artistic director Howard Shalwitz. Through July 9.
6 -- "Monty Python's Spamalot," the national tour of the wacky, Tony-winning hit that re-creates many beloved Monty Python bits -- such as the Knights who say "Ni" -- and putting many new ones to Eric Idle's songs. Michael Siberry plays King Arthur and Mike Nichols directs. At the National Theatre through July 9.
6 -- "Love's Labour's Lost," Shakespeare's early romantic comedy, pops up on the Shakespeare Theatre Company stage before crossing the pond this summer to mark the troupe's first appearance at Stratford-upon-Avon, as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company's 37-play marathon. Michael Kahn directs. Through July 30.
9 -- "Charlie Victor Romeo," a play based on the actual black-box tapes of airplanes in trouble, finds a hangar at Studio Theatre. Through June 25.
11 -- "Two-Headed," Julie Jensen's drama of two 19th-century Mormon pioneer women questioning the issue of polygamy and their families' culpability in a massacre. Gregg Henry directs for Washington Shakespeare Company. Through July 9.
17 -- "Love-Lies-Bleeding," the inaugural offering of the Kennedy Center's reconstituted Fund for New American Plays program, in which the center will produce a full version of an original play in collaboration with a regional company. This first, directed by Amy Morton, is a Don DeLillo piece developed at Chicago's highly regarded Steppenwolf Theatre. Through June 25.
21 -- "Picasso's Closet," another world-premiere notch in the Theater J belt, this one by Ariel Dorfman ("Death and the Maiden") and suggesting that Picasso was murdered by the Nazis. John Dillon's production runs through July 23.
21 -- "Hedda Gabler," an Olney Theatre presentation of the Ibsen classic, directed by Halo Wines. Through July 23.
22 -- "U.S.A.," Paul Shyre's adaptation of the trilogy about early 20th-century America by novelist John Dos Passos, is staged by Jackie Manger for, aptly enough, American Century Theater. Through July 15.
27 -- "Annie," a touring revival of the perennially popular musical about the plucky, pint-size comic-strip heroine, comes to Wolf Trap. Through July 2.
27 -- "Little Women," the area debut of the short-lived Broadway musical based on Louisa May Alcott's timeless novel. Starring Maureen McGovern. The tour visits the Kennedy Center through July 23.