Sunday, February 11, 2007; N05

RECENTLY OPENED

"King Lear," the Classical Theatre of Harlem's sleek staging of the tragedy, with Andre De Shields as the overproud king. At Folger Theatre through Feb. 18.

"This Is How It Goes," a look at racism by theatrical provocateur Neil LaBute, who explores the tensions of an interracial couple after an old schoolmate reenters their lives. At Studio Theatre. Through today.

"Jitney," a revival at Ford's Theatre of an early August Wilson play, revolving around the lives of Pittsburgh cabbies. Directed by Jennifer Nelson. Through Feb. 18.

"We Are Not These Hands," a play by Sheila Callaghan set in the world of Internet cafes, featuring Scott Fortier and directing for Catalyst Theater by Shirley Serotsky. Through Feb. 24.

" Into the Woods," a solidly entertaining revival of the Sondheim fractured-fairy-tale musical, and the opening act of Signature Theatre's impressive new $16 million complex in Arlington. Through Feb. 25.

" Lypsinka: The Passion of the Crawford," represents the local return of the ultra-fabulous John Epperson, a.k.a. Lypsinka, here in the guise of screen legend Joan Crawford. At Studio Theatre through Feb. 25.

" The Small Things," a drama by the dazzling Irish wordsmith Enda Walsh ("Bedbound") about the last two people on Earth. The Solas Nua production features Kate Debelack ("Fat Pig") and Chris Davenport and is directed by Kathleen Akerley. At Flashpoint. Through Feb. 25.

" Orson's Shadow," Austin Pendleton's imagined backstage drama filled with the famous names -- including Orson Welles and Laurence Olivier -- associated with the landmark 1960 production of Ionesco's "Rhinoceros." Jerry Whiddon directs this area premiere for Round House Theatre. Through Feb. 25.

" Vigils," a new play by darkly whimsical Noah Haidle ("Mr. Marmalade") about a woman and her ongoing relationship with the soul of her dead husband. The Woolly Mammoth production is directed by Colette Searls. Through Feb. 25.

"Last Paredes" ("The Walls"), the American premiere of a drama by Argentine playwright Griselda Gambaro, about the aftermath of a kidnapping in which the walls imprisoning the victim literally cave in. Directed for GALA Hispanic Theatre by Gabriel Garcia. In Spanish with English surtitles. Through Feb. 25.

" Two by Pinter," an evening of Pinter one-acts courtesy of Rep Stage. Xerxes Mehta directs "The Collection" and "The Lover." Through Feb. 25.

" Rough Magic," Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's modern urban take on "The Tempest," is Rorschach Theatre's contribution to the Shakespeare in Washington festivities. Through Feb. 25.

"Bricktop," a new musical at MetroStage celebrating the artistic legacy of Alberta Smith, Mabel Mercer and Ada "Bricktop" Smith. Through Feb. 28.

"Rape of Lucrece," an original stage adaptation by Callie Kimball of Shakespeare's canonical poem, kicks off Washington Shakespeare Company's participation in the citywide Shakespeare festival. Sarah Denhardt directs. Through March 11.

"Richard III," Michael Kahn's solid version at Shakespeare Theatre Company, with Geraint Wyn Davies as the tyrant with the disfigured shoulder and soul. Through March 18.

"Gem of the Ocean," the first play chronologically in August Wilson's massive 20th-century cycle (but one of the last he wrote) traces the legacy of racism through the denizens of a house in Pittsburgh -- and a woman who might be more than 300 years old. Paulette Randall directs an Arena Stage cast that includes Joseph Marcell and Lynnie Godfrey. Through March 18.

"Junebug and the Reverend," based on a book by Alice Mead, is about a boy who must adjust to new surroundings after his mother takes a job in a retirement community. Martha King De Silva's adaptation is directed at Imagination Stage by Kathryn Chase Bryer. Through March 25.

"Crave," the area premiere of Sarah Kane's short, raw and despairing play, christens Signature Theatre's new second stage, the Ark. Jeremy Skidmore directs. Through April 1.

"Drama Under the Influence," American Century Theatre's survey of female dramatists of the Prohibition era. Through March 24.

13-- " The Constant Wife," a revival at Olney Theatre Center of Somerset Maugham's post-World War I drawing room comedy. Director John Going's cast includes Helen Hedman, Julie-Ann Elliott and Nancy Robinette (in her first appearance at Olney). Through March 11.

17 -- "Kid Simple: A Radio Play in the Flesh," is a story told by Forum Theatre and Dance with a rich attention to sound effects and the aural aspects of live production. Directed by Jessica Burgess. Through March 4 at Round House Silver Spring.

17 -- " Carnival," a new adaptation of the 1961 Bob Merrill-Michael Stewart musical, in which a circus puppeteer with psychological scars falls for a naive young woman. Robert Longbottom ("Mister Roberts") directs for the Kennedy Center. Jim Stanek and Ereni Sevasti play Paul and Lili; the puppets are by Muppets veteran Ed Christie. Through March 11.

23 -- "Bohemios," A romantic Spanish zarzuela by Amadeo Vives, Guillermo Perrin and Miguel Palacios. Directed by Mario Marcel for Teatro de la Luna. Through March 4.

23 -- " The Owl and the Pussycat," Actors' Theatre of Washington's tweaked version of the 1964 Broadway bachelor-pad comedy, which now romantically pits two male actors -- Rick Hammerly and Jeffrey Johnson -- against each other. Directed by Lee Mikeska Gardner. At Source Theatre. Through March 25.

23 -- " Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune," one of Terrence McNally's most affecting works, brings together a pair of downtrodden lovers (Vito D'Ambrosio and Kate Buddeke) for a fateful one-night stand. Directed at Arena Stage by the talented David Muse ("Frozen"). Through April 8.

1 -- "Insurrection: Holding History," Robert O'Hara's time-traveling comedy, takes audiences back to the era of Nat Turner. Timothy Douglas directs for Theater Alliance. Through March 25.

1 -- "Writer's Cramp," a play by John Byrne that explores the vicissitudes of an aspiring writer's life. Directed for Scena Theatre by Kathleen Akerley. Through April 1.

1 -- "Shaw's Shorts," an evening of George Bernard Shaw one-acts courtesy of a company, Washington Stage Guild, that delights regularly in his work. Directed by John MacDonald. Through April 1.

6 -- "Hamlet," in a production by the Cameri Theatre of Tel Aviv, is the rare opportunity to hear Shakespeare in Hebrew (with simultaneous English translation.) The troupe visits Signature Theatre as part of the Shakespeare in Washington festival. Through March 11.

6 -- "Cats," another visit by a touring version of the Andrew Lloyd Webber chestnut with claws. At Warner Theatre. Through March 18.

7 -- "37 Stones, or the Man Who Was a Quarry," a new comedy by Mark Charney about a man with a recurring medical problem -- and a problematic mother. Richard Washer directs for Charter Theatre. Through March 31.

7 -- "Family Secrets," Sherry Glaser's comic one-woman conjuring of the colorful members of a Jewish family is staged by Theater J. Through April 15.

13 -- "Doubt," the Pulitzer- and Tony-winning play by John Patrick Shanley about suspicions of pedophilia at a Bronx Catholic school, with the sterling Cherry Jones reprising her own Tony-winning performance. At the National Theatre. Through March 25.

14 -- "The Pillowman," Martin McDonagh's funny-disturbing play about the horrors of childhood, the terrors of torture and the joys of storytelling, gets its regional premiere at Studio Theatre. Joy Zinoman directs a cast headed by Dennis Arndt, Hugh Nees, Tom Story and Aaron Munoz. Through April 22.

16 -- "Bach at Leipzig," Itamar Moses's wit-strewn play, about an organ competition in 1722, brings Bruce Nelson and Bill Largess back to Rep Stage, under Kasi Campbell's direction. Through April 1.

16 -- "Meet John Doe," an illustration of big ambition at Ford's Theatre: This world-premiere musical by Andrew Gerle, Eddie Sugarman and Matt August is based on the Depression-set Frank Capra film about a reporter who invents a hero -- and then has to find someone to impersonate him. Directed by Eric Schaeffer. Through April 29.

20 -- "The Bachelorette Party," a comedy about contemporary social issues, from interracial dating to domestic abuse, by Don B. Welch. At Warner Theatre. Through March 25.

22 -- "The Tempest/La Tempete," a version of the Shakespeare romance in which the enchantments of the media age are applied to the text by Montreal-based 4D Art. This Kennedy Center presentation is part of Shakespeare in Washington. Through March 24.

26 -- "She Stoops to Comedy," a satire by the wild-and-witty off-Broadway stalwart David Greenspan, brings a Woolly Mammoth twist to the makeup of the Shakespeare in Washington festival. Directed by Howard Shalwitz. Daniel Frith, Michael Russotto and Kate Eastwood Norris are in the cast. Through April 22.

28 -- "Eubie!," the revue of the music of Eubie Blake, is revived by Olney Theatre Center under Tony Parise's direction. Through April 29.

29 -- "Edward III," a play of disputed origin that some now attribute to Shakespeare, is in the offing at Washington Shakespeare Company, under the direction of Joe Banno. Through April 29.

30 -- "What You Will: An Evening by and About the Bard," the world premiere of a one-man show about Shakespeare by the celebrated actor Roger Rees, perhaps best known to theater audiences for his astonishing Nicholas in the Royal Shakespeare Company's "Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby." At Folger Theatre. Through April 1.

30 -- "That Championship Season," Jason Miller's prize-winning drama about the ancient tensions and grievances unleashed when the members of a celebrated local basketball team stage a reunion. The American Century Theatre production runs through April 28.

1 -- "St. Nicholas," Conor McPherson's scathing portrait of a Dublin theater critic. The Scena Theatre offering runs through May 1.

3 -- "Titus Andronicus," the rarely staged Shakespeare revenge tragedy, and one of the bloodiest in the canon (it's even got cannibalism). Gale Edwards directs for the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Through May 20.

3 -- "Krapp's Last Tape," one of three one-acts staged as a night of Samuel Beckett by Keegan Theatre. Through April 23.

4 -- "Crime and Punishment," a stage adaptation of Dostoevsky's novel is revealed to Round House audiences under the direction of the inventive Blake Robison. Mitchell Hebert, Aubrey Deeker and Tonya Beckman Ross are in the cast. Through April 29.

4 -- "The Musical of Musicals: The Musical," is, as its title suggests, a spoof of all things show-tune. Larry Kaye directs an area premiere for MetroStage. Through May 27.

6 -- "Alex in Wonderland," a children's play by Debbie Allen inspired by the stories about, among others, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Lewis Carroll's little Alice. At the Kennedy Center. Through April 15.

6 -- "The Heidi Chronicles," the late Wendy Wasserstein's most celebrated work, follows the bittersweet travails of a feminist art historian who struggles with who she is and what she wants. Tazewell Thompson directs at Arena Stage. Through May 13.

10 -- "Saving Aimee," the first world premiere on Signature Theatre's new main stage, brings Kathie Lee Gifford -- in her new role as book writer and lyricist -- into the orbit of Eric Schaeffer. With music by David Pomeranz and David Friedman, the show explores the times and trials of the '30s evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson, who is played by Broadway veteran Carolee Carmello. Through May 13.

11 -- "References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot," which gets the award for best title of the season, walks the alternative pathways of magic realism to tell a story by Jose Rivera, set in the California desert. The Rorschach Theatre offering is directed by Tim Getman. Through May 13.

12 -- "Elliott, a Soldier's Fugue," a new play by Quiara Alegria Hudes ("Yemaya's Belly") about a young Puerto Rican solider returning from duty in Iraq. Abel Lopez directs for GALA Hispanic Theatre. In English with Spanish surtitles. Through May 6.

14 -- "Coriolanus," the Royal Shakespeare Company's contribution to the Shakespeare in Washington festival arrives with William Houston in the title role and the great Janet Suzman as his formidable mother, Volumnia. Gregory Doran directs. At the Kennedy Center through May 6.

18 -- "I Am My Own Wife," the story of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a man who lived as a woman in Stasi-terrorized East Berlin. Arnie Burton plays this intriguing real-life character. At Olney Theatre Center. Through May 20.

19 -- "The Director: The Life and Times of Elia Kazan," a one-man show, featuring Rick Foucheux, about the provocative stage and film director ("On the Waterfront"), whose questionable behavior during the McCarthy era would dog him for the rest of his life. Leslie A. Kobylinski is author and director. At Round House Silver Spring. Through May 13.

19 -- "Opus" tells the story of a string quartet that lets a player go to make way for a younger one. It's the third play by Michael Hollinger to be offered in as many seasons by Washington Stage Guild. Through May 20.

24 -- "Nest," the world premiere of Bathsheba Doran's death-penalty drama about a Mennonite woman hanged for baby-killing in Pennsylvania in 1809. Joe Calarco ("Assassins") stages the piece for Signature Theatre. Through June 24.

26 -- "Animal Farm," an original adaptation of the Orwell allegory ("Four legs good, two legs bad!") by Paata and Irina Tsikurishvili for their Synetic Theater. Through May 20.

27 -- "In on It," a puzzle-play from Canadian playwright Daniel MacIvor, features Jason Lott and Jason Stiles cavorting in meta-theatrical games. Directed by Colin Hovde. At Theater Alliance. Through May 19.

27 -- "Peter and Wendy," a lyrical adaptation of J.M. Barrie's "Peter Pan" by the experimental New York troupe Mabou Mines and its longtime leader, Lee Breuer. At Arena Stage. Through June 24.

28 -- "The New Kid," an Imagination Stage adaptation of Dennis Foon's play about adapting to life a new land. Eric Ruffin directs. Through June 3.

2 -- "Sleeping and Waking," Chris Stezin's play, set 60 years in the future, supposes what life is like for the first patient to have his head transplanted onto a new body. The Charter Theatre offering is staged by Keith Bridges. Through June 2.

2 -- "The Flu Season," a play by the interesting Will Eno ("Thom Pain [Based on Nothing]") takes aim at the craft of storytelling. Staged by Jessica Burgess at Catalyst Theater. Through June 2.

2 -- "Either, Or," the world premiere by Theater J of a play by Thomas Keneally (author of "Schindler's List") that recounts the wartime story of a conscience-racked German SS officer who attempts to inform the world about the atrocities committed by Hitler. Andrew Long, Ralph Cosham and John Lescault are in a cast directed by Daniel DeRaey. Through June 3.

9 -- "The Tempest," staged at Folger Theatre by Aaron Posner, the director behind Folger's terrific "Measure for Measure" last year. Michael Rudko is his Prospero and Erin Weaver plays Miranda. Through June 17.

10 -- "The Oracle," a story by Ed Shockley, told with actors and puppets, about an African princess whose journey of discovery includes a lesson about the horrors of slavery. The African Continuum Theatre offering runs through June 3.

11 -- "Blue/Orange," Joe Penhall's imaginative piece about an African dictator in a London hospital, features Aubrey Deeker, Cedric Mays and Michael Tolaydo. Jeremy Skidmore directs at Theater Alliance. Through June 3.

16 -- "Songs for a New World," a song cycle by composer Jason Robert Brown ("Parade"), is staged in concert by Eric Schaeffer and Michael Baron at the Music Center at Strathmore. Through May 17.

16 -- "13 Rue de l'Amour," an English-language adaptation of a French door-slamming farce, hopes to give Olney Theatre Center audiences Feydeau-inspired giggles. John Going directs. Through June 10.

16 -- "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead," a revival of Tom Stoppard's Pirandellian inversion of "Hamlet," in which two minor characters get the spotlight that Shakespeare denied them. Raymond Bokhour, Liam Craig and Floyd King are in the Studio Theatre production, directed by Kirk Jackson. Through June 24.

30 -- "Summer of '42," a musical version of the wistful 1971 coming-of-age movie in which Jennifer O'Neill melted hearts. Ryan Nealy is Hermie and Nancy Snow is Dorothy in the Round House production, staged by Meredith McDonough. Through June 24.

31 -- "Hamlet . . . the rest is silence," a return engagement of one of Synetic Theater's most popular pieces: a wordless "Hamlet." At the Kennedy Center through June 17.

4 -- "Dead Man's Cell Phone," Woolly Mammoth's world premiere of a play by Sarah Ruhl ("The Clean House") with an intriguing premise: A woman becomes entangled in a stranger's life after she answers his mobile. Rebecca Bayla Taichman directs Rick Foucheux, Naomi Jacobson, Sarah Marshall, Bruce Nelson and Jennifer Mendenhall. Through July 1.

5 -- "The Witches of Eastwick," the U.S. premiere of the musical, by John Dempsey and Dana P. Rowe, based on both the John Updike novel and the 1987 movie. Eric Schaeffer directs a Signature Theatre cast that includes brash and talented Marc Kudisch. Through July 15.

5 -- "Hamlet," at Shakespeare Theatre Company, offers one of the most intriguing casting ideas of the season: Juilliard-groomed Jeffrey Carlson ("Lorenzaccio") as the temperamental prince -- and fresh from a stint as a transgender surgical patient on "All My Children." Directed by Michael Kahn. Through July 29.

7 -- "Latido Negro: Peru's African Beats," the world premiere of a musical by Pier P. Vasquez, Rafael Santa Cruz and Fernando Barreto, explores the African strains in Peruvian culture. At GALA Hispanic Theatre. Through July 1.

11 -- "Tiny Ninja Theater: Hamlet and the Sonnets," a D.C. return for Dov Weinstein's Tiny Ninjas -- plastic figurines that Weinstein cleverly puts through Shakespearean paces. The free event at the Kennedy Center runs through June 14.

13 -- "Souvenir," Stephen Temperley's comic play about the tone-deaf singer Florence Foster Jenkins, is staged at Studio Theatre by Serge Seiden and features Anna Bergman. Through July 1.

14 -- "Macbeth," Washington Shakespeare Company's serving-up of this bloody banquet of a tragedy. Directed by Jose Carrasquillo. Through July 15.

16 -- "Mrs. Packard," a play by Emily Mann, based on the true story of an Illinois woman committed to an asylum in 1861 on the mere say-so of her husband. This year's entry in the Kennedy Center's New Fund for American Plays is from McCarter Theatre in Princeton. Through June 24.

20 -- "Brooklyn Boy," the tale by Donald Margulies of a famous writer and his torturous relationships, gets its area premiere at Olney Theatre Center. Jim Petosa directs a cast that includes Paul Morella. Through July 29.

20 -- "The Phantom of the Opera," Andrew Lloyd Webber's chestnut, is here for the summer to haunt the Kennedy Center Opera House. Through Aug. 12.

22 -- "Sweeney Todd: The Reunion Concert," is, as advertised, the return of Brian Stokes Mitchell and Christine Baranski in the roles that made them two of the bloodiest successes of the Kennedy Center's Sondheim Celebration all the way back in 2002. Through June 23.

23 -- "Pangs of the Messiah," an English-version premiere of a play by Israeli dramatist Motti Lerner, whose raw and disturbing "Murder of Isaac" unsettled audiences at Center Stage in Baltimore last year. Lerner's portrait of a family of West Bank settlers will be staged at Theater J under the direction of Sinai Peter. Through July 22.

27 -- "The Araboolies of Liberty Street," a children's musical about the mayhem that results after a whimsical family movies into the neighborhood. Janet Sanford directs for Imagination Stage. Through Aug. 12.

28 -- "Birds," the debut of a new play by Jennifer Maisel that takes a fairy-tale approach to life in contemporary New York. Directed by Wendy McClellan for Rorschach Theatre. Through July 28.

4 -- "Dead Man's Cell Phone," Woolly Mammoth's world premiere of a play by Sarah Ruhl ("The Clean House") with an intriguing premise: A woman becomes entangled in a stranger's life after she answers his mobile. Rebecca Bayla Taichman directs Rick Foucheux, Naomi Jacobson, Sarah Marshall, Bruce Nelson and Jennifer Mendenhall. Through July 1.

5 -- "The Witches of Eastwick," the U.S. premiere of the musical, by John Dempsey and Dana P. Rowe, based on both the John Updike novel and the 1987 movie. Eric Schaeffer directs a Signature Theatre cast that includes brash and talented Marc Kudisch. Through July 15.

5 -- "Hamlet," at Shakespeare Theatre Company, offers one of the most intriguing casting ideas of the season: Juilliard-groomed Jeffrey Carlson ("Lorenzaccio") as the temperamental prince -- and fresh from a stint as a transgender surgical patient on "All My Children." Directed by Michael Kahn. Through July 29.

7 -- "Latido Negro: Peru's African Beats," the world premiere of a musical by Pier P. Vasquez, Rafael Santa Cruz and Fernando Barreto, explores the African strains in Peruvian culture. At GALA Hispanic Theatre. Through July 1.

11 -- "Tiny Ninja Theater: Hamlet and the Sonnets," a D.C. return for Dov Weinstein's Tiny Ninjas -- plastic figurines that Weinstein cleverly puts through Shakespearean paces. The free event at the Kennedy Center runs through June 14.

13 -- "Souvenir," Stephen Temperley's comic play about the tone-deaf singer Florence Foster Jenkins, is staged at Studio Theatre by Serge Seiden and features Anna Bergman. Through July 1.

14 -- "Macbeth," Washington Shakespeare Company's serving-up of this bloody banquet of a tragedy. Directed by Jose Carrasquillo. Through July 15.

16 -- "Mrs. Packard," a play by Emily Mann, based on the true story of an Illinois woman committed to an asylum in 1861 on the mere say-so of her husband. This year's entry in the Kennedy Center's New Fund for American Plays is from McCarter Theatre in Princeton. Through June 24.

20 -- "Brooklyn Boy," the tale by Donald Margulies of a famous writer and his torturous relationships, gets its area premiere at Olney Theatre Center. Jim Petosa directs a cast that includes Paul Morella. Through July 29.

20 -- "The Phantom of the Opera," Andrew Lloyd Webber's chestnut, is here for the summer to haunt the Kennedy Center Opera House. Through Aug. 12.

22 -- "Sweeney Todd: The Reunion Concert," is, as advertised, the return of Brian Stokes Mitchell and Christine Baranski in the roles that made them two of the bloodiest successes of the Kennedy Center's Sondheim Celebration all the way back in 2002. Through June 23.

23 -- "Pangs of the Messiah," an English-version premiere of a play by Israeli dramatist Motti Lerner, whose raw and disturbing "Murder of Isaac" unsettled audiences at Center Stage in Baltimore last year. Lerner's portrait of a family of West Bank settlers will be staged at Theater J under the direction of Sinai Peter. Through July 22.

27 -- "The Araboolies of Liberty Street," a children's musical about the mayhem that results after a whimsical family movies into the neighborhood. Janet Sanford directs for Imagination Stage. Through Aug. 12.

28 -- "Birds," the debut of a new play by Jennifer Maisel that takes a fairy-tale approach to life in contemporary New York. Directed by Wendy McClellan for Rorschach Theatre. Through July 28.