THEATER & DANCE

These Broadway actors are finally getting the spotlight they deserve

Four performers nominated in the Tonys featured actor categories reveal the depth of talent on Broadway, and the career impact of the nomination can be seismic.

By Peter MarksJune 2, 2023
Review

This play aims to scare you out of your wits. But your wits remain intact.

Levi Holloway’s thriller ‘Grey House,’ on Broadway starring Laurie Metcalf and directed by Joe Mantello, is a near-miss.

By Peter MarksJune 1, 2023

Neal Brennan would like to introduce a ‘Brand New Neal’

Stand-up comedian and "Chappelle's Show" co-creator Neal Brennan is bringing his latest show the Howard Theatre and Kennedy Center.

By Thomas FloydMay 30, 2023
Perspective

How Schmicago made this critic a ‘Schmigadoon!’ schmuperfan

The series hit its stride in a season that embraces musicals of the 1960s and 1970s.

By Peter MarksMay 26, 2023
Review

This version of ‘Sweeney Todd’ commits a cardinal sin: It’s bloodless

Signature Theatre’s revival of "Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street" tiptoes around the horror of the peerless Stephen Sondheim-Hugh Wheeler musical.

By Peter MarksMay 25, 2023
Review

The Hollywood spoof ‘Exclusion’ goes deeper than cynical satire

Kenneth Lin’s barbed comedy, having its world premiere at Arena Stage, delves into how Hollywood misrepresents, suppresses and distorts Asian American history.

By Celia WrenMay 23, 2023

Hours after founder’s death, GALA Theatre wins big at Helen Hayes Awards

Company’s revival of “On Your Feet!” wins ceremony-best nine prizes as D.C. theater community gathers for its first in-person awards show in four years and honors GALA’s Hugo Medrano.

By Thomas FloydMay 22, 2023
Review

‘Monsoon Wedding’ the musical is not quite yet a happy marriage

Director Mira Nair has transformed her beloved 2001 film about Delhi-arranged matrimony into a song-and-dance rom-com.

By Peter MarksMay 22, 2023
Perspective

In a new play, a writer tackles a touchy topic: Black class conflict

“Good Bones,” James Ijames’s seriocomedy about the tensions gentrification can set off in the Black community, gets a world premiere at Studio Theatre.

By Peter MarksMay 22, 2023
Review

Discarded photos of Nazis relaxing at Auschwitz led to this riveting play

“Here There Are Blueberries,” a documentary drama about a real photo album sent to the Holocaust museum, gives wrenching context to genocide.

By Peter MarksMay 18, 2023

An audacious season coming for D.C.'s small but mighty Mosaic Theater

Mosaic Theater Company Artistic Director Reginald L. Douglas unveils a 2023-24 roster of new plays for a theater making a name for itself on D.C.'s H Street NE.

By Peter MarksMay 18, 2023

After a scare in D.C., ‘Beetlejuice’ found a second life on Broadway

The touring production of the retooled, Tony-nominated show comes to the National Theatre.

By Thomas FloydMay 16, 2023
Review

‘Spamalot’ might be retro, but it’s still a riot

Josh Rhodes directs a top-flight cast of Broadway clowns in the Kennedy Center's revival of the hit "Monty Python's Spamalot"

By Peter MarksMay 15, 2023

How Mira Nair’s ‘Monsoon Wedding’ became a musical

It's been "a long journey" to the stage for the Indian-born director's 2001 film about a lavish family wedding in Delhi.

By Annie GowenMay 12, 2023

A zany team gets ‘Spamalot’ up on its funny feet — at breakneck speed

It takes nerves of steel and a village of deft theater people to whip up a full-fledged Kennedy Center musical like "Spamalot" in the space of two weeks.

By Peter MarksMay 12, 2023
Perspective

Gospel singers and a son’s kiss were the theater the coronation needed

As the coronation revealed once again, pageantry is as natural on British shores as the White Cliffs of Dover.

By Peter MarksMay 6, 2023
Review

Washington Ballet’s vibrant ‘Sleeping Beauty’ is Julie Kent’s parting gift

The company’s artistic director is leaving after seven years in D.C. to join the leadership ranks of the Houston Ballet.

By Celia WrenMay 5, 2023
Review

Signature Theatre gives ‘Passing Strange’ a rollicking revival

Director Raymond O. Caldwell delivers a sublime revival of the 2008 rock musical in Signature's intimate Ark theater.

By Thomas FloydMay 4, 2023
Review

Savory performances stand out in hammy ‘School for Lies’

Matthew Pauli shines as the stuffy servant in "School for Lies," David Ives’s take on Molière’s “The Misanthrope.”

By Celia WrenMay 4, 2023

‘Some Like It Hot’ leads the 2023 Tony nominations, with 13 nods

“Some Like it Hot“ garners the most nods, 13, for the 2023 Tony Awards, including best musical; “Leopoldstadt,“ “Ain't No Mo’“ lead for best play.

By Peter MarksMay 2, 2023