Fall Theater Preview

Sunday, September 9, 2007

UPCOMING SHOWS: Critic's recommendations are highlighted.

SEPTEMBER

Now Playing

"Mrs. Farnsworth," A.R. Gurney's scathing satire, is about a well-heeled woman and the indiscreet political secrets she divulges in a class for amateur writers. Directed by Steven Carpenter for Rep Stage. Through Sept. 23.

"The Unmentionables," Bruce Norris's comedy about American missionaries and other do-gooders in Africa, features Naomi Jacobson, Tim Getman, Kofi Owusu and John Livingston Rolle. Pam McKinnon directs for Woolly Mammoth, through Sept. 23.

"Accident," a new one-woman show by and starring Amy Ziff, one of the trio of women responsible for "Betty Rules." The Theater J production runs through Sept. 23.

"Getting Out," a drama by Marsha Norman, about a female ex-con adjusting to life on the outside. Journeymen Theater's production is directed by Deborah Kirby. Through Sept. 22.

"33 Variations," a world premiere written and directed by Moises Kaufman ("The Laramie Project," "Three Trials of Oscar Wilde"), about Beethoven and the ineffable source of genius. At Arena Stage through Sept. 30.

"Opus," a return engagement at Washington Stage Guild of Michael Hollinger's play about an instrumental ensemble that must adjust to a new player. Through Sept. 30.

"Ah, Wilderness!" Eugene O'Neill's coming-of-age play, composed as a surprisingly sunny comedy, is reintroduced to local audiences by American Century Theater. Through Oct. 6.

"Merrily We Roll Along," Signature Theatre's first stab at Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's musicalization of a Kaufman and Hart comedy-drama told in reverse chronological order. Eric Schaeffer directs Will Gartshore, Tracy Lynn Olivera and Erik Liberman. Through Oct. 14.

"My Children! My Africa," a revival at Studio Theatre of Athol Fugard's apartheid tale of the comradeship between a black teenager and a white teen. Serge Seiden directs. Through Oct. 14.

Upcoming

Tuesday -- "Cirque Dreams: Jungle Fantasy," a circus spectacle on a stage, comes to the Warner Theatre. Through Sunday.

Friday -- "Well," Lisa Kron's comedy, exploring the weird history of maladies in her family, gets its Washington premiere at Arena Stage. Kyle Donnelly directs a cast that includes Nancy Robinette and Emily Ackerman. Through Oct. 14.

Friday -- "Arsenic and Old Lace," that ripest of chestnuts, materializes at Baltimore's estimable Center Stage, with Tana Hicken and Pamela Payton-Wright as the dotty old ladies in a peculiar household. Irene Lewis directs. Through Oct. 14.

Friday -- "No Exit," the Jean-Paul Sartre classic, is revived by Scena Theatre under Robert McNamara's direction. Through Oct. 21.

19 -- "Kommer," by the Dutch theater company Kassys, is a performance piece that's half onstage, half on-screen (so that you get to see the actors in their offstage lives). The troupe makes a short stop at the University of Maryland's Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Through Sept. 21.

19 -- "A Lesson Before Dying," the death-row drama by Romulus Linney, is revived by Round House Theatre under the direction of Timothy Douglas. Through Oct. 14.

20 -- "Celebrate!," the latest show under the big top of the Big Apple Circus, receives its world premiere at Dulles Town Center. Through Oct. 8.

20 -- "Cita a Ciegas," a play by Argentine dramatist Mario Diament, directed by Jose Carrasquillo, looks at the life of a blind writer who absorbs the stories of passersby on a park bench. The GALA Hispanic Theatre presentation runs through Oct. 14.

22 -- "My Trip to Al-Qaeda," a monologue by Lawrence Wright (Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11"), explores the growth of Islamic radicalism. At the Kennedy Center through Sept. 24.

22 -- "The Fall of the House of Usher"-- or, Paata meets Poe. Paata Tsikurishvili of Synetic Theater tackles an American master of the macabre in this new production. Through Oct. 31.

25 -- "The Taming of the Shrew," the Elizabethan throw-down between a hardheaded man and his equally obstinate bride, is staged at Shakespeare Theatre Company by Rebecca Bayla Taichman, with Christopher Innvar as Petruchio and Charlayne Woodard as Kate. Through Nov. 18.

26 -- "Of Mice and Men," a stage adaptation of John Steinbeck's Depression-era novel about simple-minded Lennie and sharp-witted George and the challenges life throws their way. Directed by Alan Wade for Olney Theatre Center. Through Oct. 21.

29 -- "The Jungle Book," a new musical version of the Rudyard Kipling story, by April-Dawn Gladu, features songs by Daniel Levy. For children 4 and older. Directed by Kathryn Chase Bryer. At Imagination Stage through Nov. 4.

OCTOBER

2 -- "The Word Begins," a new two-man play created by Steve Connell and Sekou (tha Misfit) wrestles with such contemporary issues as race and sexual identity and draws inspiration from sketch comedy and hip-hop. At Signature through Dec. 2.

3 -- "The Trial," a new adaptation, written and directed by Christopher Gallu, of Kafka's harrowing story of a man put on trial for reasons he cannot fathom. Catalyst Theater's production runs through Nov. 3.

3 -- "A Shayna Maidel," set in postwar New York, is Barbara Lebow's examination of a Jewish family reuniting after the Holocaust. Peg Denithorne directs for Rep Stage. Through Nov. 4.

4 -- "Truth in Translation," an unorthodox musical based on the work of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, comes to Atlas Performing Arts Center. A South African cast is directed by Michael Lessac, with music by Hugh Masekela. Through Oct. 6.

4 -- "Caligula," Albert Camus' portrait of the infamous Roman, is staged by Washington Shakespeare Company. Through Nov. 4.

4 -- "Late Nite Catechism," a good-natured one-woman sendup of all things parochial (school, that is), sternly taps its ruler on the lectern at Olney Theatre Center. Through Nov. 11.

4 -- "Tick, Tick . . . Boom!," the pre-"Rent" autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson, gets a run at MetroStage. Through Nov. 25.

4 -- "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change," the Washington area premiere of Joe DiPietro and Jimmy Roberts's long-running off-Broadway musical about the pluses and minuses of all those things having to do with the birds and the bees. The inaugural production at the renovated Bethesda Theatre runs through Feb. 17.

9 -- "International Festival of Hispanic Theater," Teatro de la Luna's 10th annual exploration of works from throughout Latin America. Through Nov. 17

11 -- "Ambition Facing West," Anthony Clarvoe's play, directed for Theater Alliance by Jeremy Skidmore, of one family's nomadic quest for a better life. Through Nov. 4.

17 -- "Nobody's Perfect," a new stage adaptation of the children's book by Marlee Matlin and Doug Cooney, about a deaf girl and her worries about fitting in. Coy Middlebrook directs. At the Kennedy Center Family Theater through Nov. 3.

17 -- "Redshirts," an examination of race relations on the hallowed fields of college football by Dana Yeaton ("Midwives"), has its world premiere at Round House Theatre Silver Spring. Directed by Lou Bellamy. Through Nov. 11.

17 -- "As You Like It," the pastoral Shakespearean comedy, is staged by Derek Goldman at Folger Theatre with Sarah Marshall as Touchstone. Through Nov. 25.

18 -- "Made in China," a play by Mark O'Rowe ("Crestfall"), explores the Dublin underworld under the auspices of Solas Nua, a D.C. company specializing in contemporary Ireland. Directed by Colin Hovde. Through Nov. 11.

18 -- "Speed-the-Plow," David Mamet's acidic take on Hollywood, is revived by Theater J with Matthew Arkin and Peter Birkenhead, under the direction of Jerry Whiddon. Through Nov. 25.

19 -- "The Women of Brewster Place," Arena Stage's world premiere, in conjunction with Alliance Theatre of Atlanta, of Tim Acito's musical adaptation of Gloria Naylor's best-selling interlocking stories. Molly Smith directs. Through Dec. 9

23 -- "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," the inaugural Washington appearance of the giddy Broadway musical by Rachel Sheinkin and William Finn about pubescent misfits who vie for top egghead. At the National Theatre through Nov. 4.

26 -- "Hearts," a new play by Willy Holtzman, trains its sights on a World War II vet and the weekly card game through which he escapes his memories. Tim Vasen directs the production at Baltimore's Center Stage. Through Dec. 2.

27 -- "Edward II," the first of the two Christopher Marlowe plays that will run in repertory as the christening productions in Shakespeare Theatre Company's new Sidney Harman Hall. Gale Edwards directs Wallace Acton as the flawed Edward. Through Jan. 6.

28 -- "Kit Marlowe," David Grimm's portrait of Marlowe, Elizabethan dramatist and occasional spy, unfolds at Rorschach Theatre, as a companion piece to the Marlowe plays at Shakespeare Theatre Company. Through Dec. 2.

28 -- "Tamburlaine," the second of Shakespeare Theatre Company's Marlowe plays, featuring Avery Brooks and Franchelle Stewart Dorn. Michael Kahn directs. Through Jan. 6.

29 -- "Current Nobody," the world premiere of a role-reversal play by Melissa Jane Gibson ("[sic]") inspired by Homer's "Odyssey." Michael Willis is in the Woolly Mammoth cast, directed by Daniel Aukin. Through Nov. 25.

31 -- "Now What?," a new solo show by Josh Lefkowitz, whose earlier monologue about the actor's life, "Help Wanted," rocked the inaugural Capital Fringe Festival, gets its premiere at Woolly Mammoth. Through Nov. 25.

NOVEMBER

6 -- "The Studio," Christopher d'Amboise's new dance play set in a ballet rehearsal hall, exposes the passions and vulnerabilities of an older dancer and a younger one. At Signature through Dec. 2.

6 -- "A Christmas Carol," Ford's Theatre's annual rendering of the seasonal chestnut, goes on at the Lansburgh Theatre while Ford's undergoes renovations. Through Dec. 30.

7 -- "Shining City," a play with a spectral dimension by the gifted Irish playwright Conor McPherson, gets its Washington premiere courtesy of director Joy Zinoman. Ed Gero is in the cast. At Studio Theatre. Through Dec. 16.

9 -- "Glengarry Glen Ross," David Mamet's searing take on shady real-estate deals and the salesmen who perpetrate them, is revived by Keegan Theatre, under the direction of Jeremy Skidmore. Through Dec. 8.

9 -- "The Maids," Jean Genet's absurdist comedy, is revived by Scena Theatre under Gabriele Jakobi's direction. Through Dec. 16.

14 -- "Fiddler on the Roof," a revival of the beloved shtetl musical about a milkman and his five independent-minded daughters. Rick Foucheux is Tevye in John Vreeke's production for Olney Theatre. Through Dec. 30.

15 -- "Alone It Stands," John Breen's account of a rugby team's big victory on a Limerick pitch, is staged by Eric Lucas for Keegan Theatre. Through Dec. 15.

16 -- "The Phantom Tollbooth," Norton Juster's classic for kids, is adapted as a children's musical by, among others, Sheldon Harnick ("Fiddler on the Roof"). Tim McDonald directs at Kennedy Center's Family Theater. Through Dec. 16.

16 -- "Christmas Carol 1941," a new version by James Magruder of the oft-adapted Dickens novel, this one set in wartime Washington, with original songs by Henry Krieger ("Dreamgirls") and Susan Birkenhead ("Triumph of Love"). The Arena Stage world premiere is directed by Molly Smith. Through Dec. 30.

17 -- "Spunk," an adaptation by George C. Wolfe of a work by Zora Neale Hurston, is the first offering of African Continuum Theatre with its new artistic director, Benny Sato Ambush. Through Dec. 23.

23 -- "Happy Days," Beckett's absurdist classic for an actress stuck in a mound of dirt, comes to the Kennedy Center -- anchored by the sublime Fiona Shaw and director Deborah Warner, last represented here by a thrilling "Medea." Through Nov. 29.

23 -- "Twice Upon a Time," two short children's musicals directed by Nick Olcott -- "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax" and "The Emperor's New Clothes" -- arrive at Imagination Stage courtesy of the songwriting team behind "Seussical." Through Jan. 13.

24 -- "A Christmas Carol," Synetic Theater's take on this Yuletide warhorse, will no doubt take Ebeneezer Scrooge for a dizzying new spin. Through Dec. 24.

27 -- "Avenue Q," the charmingly snarky, Tony-winning musical set in a world of human slackers and sex-crazed puppets, comes to Washington for the first time, in a two-week stop at the National. Through Dec. 9.

28 -- "Treasure Island," a new stage adaptation by Ken Ludwig of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic pirate tale. Blake Robison directs at Round House Theatre. Through Dec. 30.

DECEMBER

5 -- "The Santaland Diaries," a return engagement of funnyman David Sedaris's one-man show, as played by Bruce Nelson and directed by Michael Stebbins. Rep Stage's production runs through Dec. 23.

7 -- "Joe Turner's Come and Gone," one of August Wilson's finest dramas, looks at the great migration north through the eyes of a former convict. The revival at Baltimore'sCenter Stage is directed by Derrick Sanders. Through Jan. 13.

11 -- "Monty Python's Spamalot," the return to the National Theatre of the hit musical based on the addled oeuvre of Britain's legendary comedy troupe. Through Jan. 6.

12 -- "The Second Shepherd's Play," a rare peek at a play from the mystery cycles of the Middle Ages, in a Folger Consort production that features Holly Twyford. Mary Hall Surface is the director. Through Dec. 30.

12 -- "One Man Star Wars Trilogy," a hit of such magnitude at the 2006 Capital Fringe Festival that Woolly Mammoth has brought it back. Charles Ross does the intergalactic honors once again. Through Dec. 30.

12 -- "Breath, Boom," Kia Corthron's study of a young woman's emergence from the world of street gangs, gets its area premiere in a Studio Theatre production staged by Rahaleh Nassri. Through Jan. 6.

18 -- "Shlemiel the First," Robert Brustein's adaptation with music of the Isaac Bashevis Singer play about a village of fools, is mounted by Theater J, with Nick Olcott in the director's chair and Donna Migliaccio as one of the villagers. Through Jan. 13.

27 -- "My Fair Lady," the holiday offering in the Kennedy Center Opera House, comes direct from Britain, courtesy of director Trevor Nunn ("Les Miserables") and choreographer Matthew Bourne ("Edward Scissorhands"). Christopher Cazenove and Lisa O'Hare are Higgins and Eliza. Through Jan. 20.

28 -- "Ella," a one-woman musical about the sublime Ella Fitzgerald, with a book by Jeffrey Hatcher. Rob Ruggiero directs Tina Fabrique at Arena Stage. Through Feb. 24.

JANUARY

3 -- "The Brothers Size," a new play with music by the up-and-coming Tarell Alvin McCraney, about a pair of brothers in the Deep South. Tea Alagic directs for Studio Theatre. Through Feb.10

4 -- "Cops," a serving up by American Century Theater of Terry Curtis Fox's 1976 play that served as an inspiration for the hit TV series "Hill Street Blues." Through Jan. 26.

9 -- "Life's a Dream," Journeymen Theater's interpretation of the Spanish golden age play by Pedro Calder?n de la Barca, is directed by Alexander Strain. Through Feb. 2.

9 -- "Forgive Us," Keith Bridges's new play, is unveiled at that little hothouse of original work, Charter Theatre. Through Feb. 2.

14 -- "No Child . . . ," a moving one-woman show by Nilaja Sun that explores her experience teaching drama to disadvantaged kids in a New York City school. At Woolly Mammoth through Feb. 10.

15 -- "Glory Days," the world premiere of a musical by Nick Blaemire and James Gardiner about four high school pals who return to the scenes of their innocence. Eric Schaeffer directs at Signature. Through Feb. 17.

15 -- "Argonautika," a new adaptation of the story of Jason and the Argonauts, as told in the inimitable style of visionary Chicago director Mary Zimmerman, who triumphed at Shakespeare Theatre Company with her resplendent "Pericles." Through March 2.

16 -- "The K of D, an Urban Legend" is a one-person showcase for the protean abilities of Kimberly Gilbert. John Vreeke directs Laura Schellhardt's play for Woolly Mammoth. Through Feb. 10.

16 -- "Cookin' at the Cookery: The Music and Times of Alberta Hunter" is an evening in the style of the late blues singer. At MetroStage through March 9.

23 -- "25 Questions for a Jewish Mother," Judy Gold's well-received one-woman show, written by Kate Moira Ryan and directed by Karen Kohlhaas, settles in for a month at Theater J. Through Feb. 24.

23 -- "Mrs. Warren's Profession," George Bernard Shaw's story of the clash between a proper young woman and the mother with a scarlet past, is revived at Rep Stage, under the direction of Gus Kaikkonen. Through Feb. 24.

27 -- "Romeo and Juliet," the peerless story of star-crossed love, is reinterpreted to the fluid rhythms of Synetic Theater. Through March 8.

31 -- "Hedda Gabler," the Ibsen classic, as interpreted by Washington Shakespeare Company. Through March 2.