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Hurry! Hurry! Hurry to the Big Top for Broadway’s Water for Elephants at The National Theatre
Water for Elephants – The Broadway Musical
Broadway at The National
The National Theatre
Jordan Wright
December 10, 2025
 The Cast of Water for Elephants. (Photo/Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade)
Step right up to a heart-stopping, tender-hearted musical steeped in early 20th century circus culture and enhanced by life-sized puppets. If you loved the huge puppets in Life of Pi, The War Horse, and other spectacular productions like Disney’s The Lion King, this show is for you. What sets Water for Elephants apart from those mega hits, is a cast peppered with Cirque du Soleil alums. So wow! The acrobatics are breathtaking!
Setting the story is a young Polish man, Jacob Jankowski, played and sung beautifully by Zachary Keller, who we saw last year in the role of Hero in Signature Theatre’s A Funny Thing Happened at the Forum. Jacob has lost his beloved family in a car crash, and the family home has been taken by the bank. In despair, he sets out to find his future and discovers a strange life and passionate love in a traveling circus. Done as a flashback with Jacob’s father appearing throughout, it forms a circle of thrills and chills, romance and heartbreak, among the most fascinating characters you’ll ever encounter.
 Zachary Keller (Jacob Jankowski) and the cast of Water for Elephants. (Photo/Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade)
Jumping on a freight train, Jacob, a veterinarian student, meets these unique characters with the ragtag Berzini Brothers circus. After some dustups with the circus workers, he is hired to care for the wild animals – a horse, a lion, a llama, a zebra, a tiger, a bear, an orangutan and a giraffe are revealed. But it is when the circus’s cruel yet dashing ringmaster, August and his beautiful wife, Marlena, come into Jacob’s life that the story takes a turn and Rosie, the elephant, becomes Marlena’s star act.
Based on the best-selling, historical novel by Sara Gruen with a beautiful score written by the Pigpen Theatre Co., this musical received 7 Tony Award nominations including “Best Book”, “Best Musical” and “Best Direction”.
 Helen Krushinski (Marlena). (Photo/Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade)
Twenty-one great numbers backed by a full orchestra, fill this magical production with stirring ballads, spirited hoedown dancing and more flips, cartwheels, throws, aerialists and lifts than a three-ring circus.
It’s “tip top” and a must see this season!!!
 The cast of Water for Elephants. (Photo/Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade)
With Robert Tully as Mr. Kankowski; Javier Garcia as Camel; Connor Sullivan as August/Charlie; the fabulous voice of Helen Krushinski as Marlena/June; Grant Huneycutt as Wade; Tyler West as Walter; Bradley Parrish as Sal; Ruby Gibbs as Barbara; Nancy Luna as Agnes, an orangutan; Yemie Woo as Sue; Zakeyia Lacey as Vera; Yves Artières as Silver Star, a horse; Adam Fullick as Rex, a lion; John Neurohr as Caretaker; Ella Huestis, Bradley Parrish, John Neurohr, Carl Robinett, Grant Huneycutt as Rosie, an elephant; Ella Huestis as Nurse Rosemary; Carl Robinett as Orderly and Bradley Parrish as Worker.
Book by Rick Elice; Original Direction by Jessica Stone; Circus Design by Shana Carroll; Scenic Design by Takeshi Kata; Choreography by Jesse Robb & Shana Carroll; Costume Design by David I. Reynoso; Lighting Design by Bradley King; Puppet Design by Ray Wetmore & Jr. Goodman and Camille LaBarre; Projection Design by David Bengali; Orchestra Conducted by Sarah Pool Wilhelm.
At The National Theatre through December 14th at 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004, For tickets and information call the box office at 800.513.7540 or visit www.TheNationalDC.com.
Sassy, Sexy and Smoking’ Hot – You’ll Be Wowed at Some Like It Hot at the National Theatre
Some Like It Hot
Broadway at The National
at The National Theatre
Jordan Wright
December 1, 2025
 Leandra Ellis-Gaston (Sugar) and the First National Touring Company of Some Like It Hot. (Photo/Matthew Murphy)
Calling all hoofers, tappers and high kickers. This show is for you… and everyone else too! It’s a dance-a-palooza musical comedy with dolls and lover boys and tunes drenched in Cole Porteresque lyrics. With sassy, sexy and smokin’ hot chorines, Sweet Sue and Her Society Syncopators rule the Cheetah Club and you’ll soon find yourself in Chicago in 1933 at the height of Prohibition in a speakeasy.
When pals Joe, a sax player and Jerry, a bassist, both hoofers, find themselves without work, they head to a club owned by mob boss, Spats. As the Tip Tap Twins (Joe is White and Jerry is Black) the hoofers convince Spats to hire them. At the club they soon witness a shootout masterminded by Spats and raided by the Feds and are forced to flee for their lives. With no money and less prospects, they discover the only gig in town with Sweet Sue’s all-girl band. They soon devise a plan to dress in drag nailing the audition and becoming part of Sue’s tour as Josephine and Daphne. Trying to keep ahead of Spats’ mob and the Feds who expect the men to sing like canaries, they cozy up to the gorgeous chorus girls and Joe falls head over heels for Sugar, the band’s adorable lead singer.
Between the huge dance numbers, eighteen songs and a swell orchestra, is a 31-member cast with the energy of a supernova. Sweet Sue is played brilliantly by Dequina Moore with a powerhouse voice reminiscent of Ethel Merman.
 The First National Touring Company of Some Like It Hot. (Photo/Matthew Murphy)
The twist? There are many along with the jokes, but what you should know is Daphne finds his/her authenticity as a gay man and fireworks ensue with Osgood (a most appealing Edward Juvier), a soda pop scion and owner of San Diego’s Coronado Hotel where the ensemble is booked.
Although this cast is flawless – Broadway caliber flawless – I found Tavis Kordell absolutely riveting. Couldn’t take my eyes off him. 6’ 2’’ (without the heels he wears as Daphne) he towers over everyone executing his dance moves with elegance and grace. A quintuple threat as a dancer, actor, mezzo-soprano, musician and gorgeous man, I had to check his bio to learn more about his stage experience. What I found was a UNC grad with only regional and collegiate drama experience. Seriously? Watch for his star power solo on “You Coulda Knocked Me Over With a Feather”.
Matt Loehr as Joe/Josephine is a Broadway veteran and first-class hoofer with tons of Tony Award-winning shows listed in his bio. In the number “Dance the World Away” which he sings and dances in a starry set with Leandra Ellis-Gaston (Sugar) as his dream lover, you’ll swear you’re watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
 Matt Loehr (Joe), Leandra Ellis-Gaston (Sugar), Tavis Kordell (Jerry), and the First National Touring Company of Some Like It Hot. (Photo/Matthew Murphy)
When you go to this spectacular show, and you should, you’ll come away feeling you’ve hit the jackpot of talent. Dazzling sets by Scott Task, eye-popping costumes by Gregg Barnes and unforgettable choreography and direction by Casey Nicholaw.
Highly recommended!!! With a massive cast of 30 performers, dancing and singing their way into your heart.
Darien Crago as Nellie/Syncopator; Devin Cortez as Mack; Jamal Stone as Sonny; Devon Goffman as Spats; Matt Allen as Mulligan; Michael Skrzek as Toothpick Charlie/Bar Manager; Devon Hadsell as Minnie; Nissi Shalome as Dolores/Syncopator; Ashley Marie Arnold as Ginger/Syncopator; Emily Kelly as Vivian/Syncopator; Kelly Berman as Syncopator; Madeline Kendall as Syncopator; Ranease Ryann as Syncopator; Stephen Michael Langton as Man with a Suitcase. Gangsters, Porters, Bellhops et al: Devin Cortez, Jonathan Duvelson, Drew Franklin, Stephen Michael Langton, Michael Skrzek and Jamal Stone.
Book by Matthew Lopez and Amber Ruffin; Music by Marc Shaiman; Lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman; Sound Design by Brian Ronan; Orchestrations by Charlie Rosen and Bryan Carter.
Through December 7th at the National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004. For tickets and information call the box office at 202.628.6161 or visit www.TheNationalDC.com.
Sensational Hadestown Blows the Roof Off at The National Theatre
Hadestown
Broadway at The National
National Theatre
Jordan Wright
November 19, 2025
 Jose Contreras (Orpheus) and Hadestown North American Touring Company, 2025. (Photo/Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)
If you haven’t brushed up on your Greek mythology lately, you may be easily excused. Yet surely you recall the parable of the doomed lovers Orpheus and Eurydice, Hades, God of the Underworld, and his Goddess wife, Persephone. Hades forced his lady love to live with him in hell for half the year and in sunlight for the other half — a seasonal arrangement that strained their unique marriage. Hadestown, the massive 8-time Tony Award-winning musical, borrows from these myths to create a sensational story of love, loss and the power of dreams.
This colorful, theatrical carnival evokes Thomas Hart Benton’s paintings of everyday American life, the unfettered dancing of Josephine Baker, the ground-breaking jazz of Louis Armstrong, the soft sultry ballads of American folk music and the syncopated rhythms of Basin Street’s Afro-Caribbean diaspora with its familiar syncopated “strut.” It’s a fascinating polyglot of N’awlins’ roots and shoots plunked down into a parable as old as time.
This wildly exciting piece of musical theater, offers up a huge dose of consciousness-raising. Note the reference of a “wall” to keep the ‘others’ from taking their wealth. Hades (Nickolaus Colón), King of the Underworld, is as ruthless as the early American coal and oil barons, recklessly stripping the earth of precious resources (reference the current fight for precious metals) and enslaving miners when union-busting proved deadly. Quinn’s magnificent powerhouse baritone is hauntingly evil… in a good way. Defending his unmitigated power, he sings of the need for a wall in “Why We Build the Wall” to keep the haves from the have-nots. “The enemy is poverty. We build the wall to keep us free. To keep out poverty.” Sound familiar?
 Megan Colton (Eurydice) and Jose Contreras (Orpheus). (Photo/Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)
With his extraordinary, multiple-octave range, Jose Contreras as the guitar-strumming poet and heartthrob, Orpheus, sings of his love for the beautiful waif, Eurydice (Megan Colton), whose honeyed voice will give you goosebumps in her plaintive ballads. As poor Orpheus, who despairs of the deplorable conditions of the workers and the destruction of the Earth by power-mad Hades, promises Eurydice a boundless love.
Hadestown is a social and moral construct cleverly tucked into a brilliant musical with music, lyrics and book written by Anaïs Mitchell with all the original Broadway direction by partner Rachel Chavkin. At its heart is a tender love story (two, in fact) cleverly cached in the universal struggle for freedom from oppression and the quest for basic human rights. Be careful or you’ll miss it, wooed as you will be by the harmonizing harpies – The Fates – a stewpot of Cajun and Creole; the red-hot sexpot Persephone (Namisa Mdlalose Bizana); Hermes (Rudy Foster), the slithery, smooth, storytelling dandy. The Fates are played melodically by Miriam Navarrete, Alli Sutton and Jayna Wescoatt.
 Hadestown North American Touring Company, 2025. (Photo/Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)
As in several modern musicals, the musicians are on stage throughout, affording us a close-up of the shiny glint and soulful wah-wahs of trombonist Haik Demirchian who racks up some mean solos; the beautiful strains of Jessie Bitner’s violin; with Lydia Paulos on cello; Nya Holmes on double bass; Sam Wade on guitar; drums and percussion by Lumanyano Mzi; haunting honky-tonk accompaniment by Cole P. Abod on upright piano; and one of the Fates on accordion, an important component in New Orleans Zydeco music. With the stunning harmonies and fierce dance component of the Workers Chorus featuring, Jonice Bernard, Ryaan Farhadi, Erin McMillen, Miracle Myles and Joe Rumi, the score is filled with minor chords adding to the heart-rending sense of longing and doom.
Directed by Keenan Tyler Oliphant; Choreography by T. Oliver Reid, based on the original Broadway choreography by David Neumann; Scenic Design by David L. Arsenault, based on the original Broadway Scenic Design by Rachel Hauck; Costume Design by Michael Krass; Lighting Design by Aja Jackson, based on the original Broadway Lighting Design by Bradley King; Co-Sound Design by Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz; Hair & Wig Design by Jennifer Mullins; Arrangements & Orchestrations by Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose; Music Direction by Cole P. Abod.
Through November 23rd at The National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004. For tickets and information visit www.BroadwayAtTheNational.com or in person at the box office.
Signature Theatre’s Fiddler on the Roof is Joyful, Fiercely Funny and Robust
Fiddler on the Roof
Signature Theatre
Jordan Wright
November 14, 2025
 Douglas Sills (Tevye) with Lily Burka (Hodel), Beatrice Owens (Tzeitel), Mia Goodman (Shprintze), Rosie Jo Neddy (Chava), and Allison Mintz (Bielke) in Fiddler on the Roof at Signature Theatre. (Photo/Daniel Rader)
As you enter the MAX theatre, you’ll note a massive wooden table which fills nearly the entire stage for this production. Small benches surround it. There are no backdrops. No actual scenery. A wooden door claims a single corner. Soon you’ll come to realize it is a clear symbol of these small-town villagers – solid and ordinary. A sturdy table for gathering becomes a metaphor for their day-to-day lives as it changes form – reconfiguring in a myriad of clever ways to adapt to each scene. The musical opens as the large family enters covering its bare wood with a large, white linen tablecloth.
Winner of nine Tony Awards, Fiddler on the Roof is a tender and uplifting musical inspired by the Yiddish stories of Sholem Aleichem who wrote them at the turn of the 20th century. In this funny, wise and sweetly endearing folk tale set in the fictional Russian Jewish shetl Anatevka, we meet Tevye, a milkman; his homemaker wife Golde; and their five daughters; the rabbi, the ultimate authority on Jewish tradition; and Yente the Matchmaker, the Dolly Levi of arranged marriages, who has the final say on the bachelors the young women of the village will wed.
Alas, poor Tevye. Conflicted by the changing times, he faces a terrifying political climate and a cruel Czar, looming pogroms by the invading Nazis, Russian soldiers taking over the town, and the stringent religious laws laid down by the rabbi. Fiercely traditional in a paternalistic society, he struggles to rationalize his daughters’ unorthodox marital choices by speaking to God – his preferred pastime. “On the other hand, look at my daughter’s eyes,” he muses, justifying the adoration he sees for their unorthodox choices.
 Lily Burka (Hodel), Rosie Jo Neddy (Chava), and Beatrice Owens (Tzeitel). (Photo/Daniel Rader)
Unfortunately, his daughters’ love interests have not been determined by Yente, the unchallenged matchmaker for the women of the village. And in his conversations with God, Tevye vacillates between keeping tradition and pleasing his beloved daughters. “Without tradition our lives would be as shaky as the fiddler on the roof,” he warns as the haunting violin strains from the fiddler test his mettle.
In “Tevye’s Dream”, a nightmare sequence featuring the ghost of Fruma-Sarah, Lazar Wolf’s late wife, he finds a way to explain his quandary to Golde by how they can get around Yente’s choice of husbands for Tzeitel’s planned wedding to Lazar, the crusty, old butcher. Fruma-Sarah wouldn’t approve, he claims. “I realize we are the chosen people,” he tells God, “…but sometimes couldn’t you choose someone else.”
You’ll revel in “If I Were a Rich Man”, “Matchmaker, Matchmaker”, “Miracle of Miracles”, the tender “Do You Love Me?” and “Sunrise, Sunset” plus thirteen more numbers – all time-tested tunes we have come to love. Just don’t sing it out loud, though it’s tempting when you know all the words.
 Douglas Sills (Tevye), Jeremy Radin (Lazar Wolf), and the cast of Fiddler on the Roof. (Photo/Daniel Rader)
This endearingly embraceable story is further uplifted by the original choreography of Jerome Robbins drawn from authentic folkloric dances to include the joyful ‘bottle dance’. You’ll witness a very different Tevye from Zero Mostel’s well-known full-blown, over-the-top character. Played wonderfully here by Douglas Sills as Tevye. Evoking a more cerebral, subtler yet bolder Tevye with a wry comedic touch, his performance is a triumph.
I nearly passed on reviewing this production since I’ve seen it a dozen times or more with numerous family members in leading roles. Yet, with its intimate staging and superb direction by Joe Calarco, plus a cast seamlessly in sync, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
Highly recommended whether you’ve seen it once or a hundred times. Joyful, touching and robust, winner of nine Tony Awards, Fiddler is the classic that appeals to every generation.
 The cast of Fiddler on the Roof. (Photo/Christopher Mueller)
Book by Joseph Stein; music by Jerry Bock and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick; musical director and conductor Jon Kalbfleisch with a 10-piece orchestra; choreographed by Sarah Parker; dramaturgs Jen Jacobs and Dani Stoller; scenic design by Misha Kachman; costume design by Ivania Stack; lighting design by Tyler Micoleau; sound design by Eric Norris; wig design by Anne Nesmith; fight choreography by Casey Kaleba.
Starring Douglas Sills as Tevye; Amie Bermowitz as Golde; Beatrice Owens as Tzeitel; Susan Rome as Yente and Grandma Tzeitel; Lily Burka as Hodel; Rosie Jo Neddy as Chava; Allison Mintz as Bielke; Mia Goodman as Shprintze; Jake Lowenthal as Motel; Ariel Neydavoud as Perchik; Jeremy Radkin as Lazar Wolf; Christopher Bloch as Rabbi; Sarah Corey as Fruma-Sarah and Shaindel; Alex Stone as Fyedka; Davis Wood as Constable; Stephen Russell Murray as Mendel as well as serving as Fight Captain; Reagan Pender as Avram as well as serving as Dance Captain; Joseph Fierberg as Mordcha.
Through January 26th at Signature Theatre in Shirlington Village, 4200 Campbell Street, Arlington, VA. For tickets and information call the box office at 703.820.9771 or visit www.SigTheatre.org
What’s Onstage in the DMV
For December 2025 – January 2026
Jordan Wright
November 17, 2025
 The touring company of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical. (Photo/Jeremy Daniel)
Broadway at the National
Some Like It Hot – November 25-Dec 7
Water for Elephants – Dec 9
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
The Musical – Dec 30
www.TicketMaster.com
Workhouse Arts Center Into the Woods Dec 20-Jan 25
www.WorkhouseArts.org
Folger Consort Concert Series Resplendent Joy: Christmas Traditions from Spain and Portugal
Dec 5-14 www.Folger.edu
Everyman Theatre Deceived Nov 30-Jan 4 www.EverymanTheatre.org
Shakespeare Theatre Company Guys and Dolls – Dec 2-Jan 4
www.ShakespeareTheatre.org
 Irish Carol via Keegan Theatre
Keegan Theatre An Irish Carol Dec 11-28 www.KeeganTheatre.com
Olney Theatre Hello Dolly! – Nov 6-Jan 4 www.OlneyTheatre.org
IN Series The Delta King’s Blues
Dec 6, 7, 12 & 13 www.INSeries.org
1st Stage Birthday Candles Dec 4-21 www.1stStage.org
 Imperfect Allies: Children of Opposite Sides via Voices Festival Productions
Voices Festival Productions Imperfect Allies: Children of
Opposite Sides Dec 11-14 www.VoicesFestivalProductions.com
Signature Theatre
Fiddler on the Roof through Jan 25
In Clay Dec 9-Feb 1 www.SigTheatre.org
Ford’s Theatre A Christmas Carol
through Dec 31 www.MyFords.org
Arena Stage Step Afrika’s Magical Musical
Holiday Step Show Dec 5-21 www.ArenaStage.org
MetroStage A Christmas in Wales
Dec 16 and 17 www.MetroStage.org
 Madeline’s Christmas via Creative Cauldron
Creative Cauldron Madeline’s Christmas Dec 5-21 www.CreativeCauldron.org
Silver Spring Stage A Christmas Carol Dec 12-21 www.SilverStage.org
Adventure Theatre Frosty the Snowman Nov 28-Jan 11 www.AdventureTheatre-MITC.org
NextStop Theatre Company Under the Tree – A Furry Take on
the Nutcracker Dec 5-14 www.NextStopTheatre.org
Studio Theatre Mother Play: A Play in Five Evictions
through Dec 21 www.StudioTheatre.org
Port Tobacco Players Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolor Dreamcoat Nov 21-Dec 14 www.PTPlayers.com
 Chanukah in the Dark via Theatre J
Theatre J Chanukah in the Dark Dec 6-25 www.EDCJCC.org
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Ho Ho Ho Ha Ha Ha Ha
through Dec 21 www.WoollyMammoth.net
The Hippodrome Theatre A Christmas Carol Dec 6-21
www.TheHipp.org
Gaithersburg Arts Barn Best Hanukkah Show Ever!
Nov 28-Dec 14 www.GaithersburgMD.gov
Colonial Players A Christmas Carol Nov 28-Dec 14 www.ColonialPlayers.org
Toby’s Dinner Theatre Elf
through Jan 4 www.TobysDinnerTheatre.com
 A Christmas Carol via The Little Theatre of Alexandria
The Little Theatre of Alexandria A Christmas Carol Dec 6-Jan 4
www.TheLittleTheatre.com
Imagination Stage The Snowman and the Snowdog
Nov 22-Jan 4 www.ImaginationStage.org
Round House Theatre Rules for Living Dec 3-Jan 4 www.RoundHouseTheatre.org
Providence Players of Fairfax A Sherlock Carol Dec 12-21
www.ProvidencePlayers.org
 A Case for the Existence of God via Mosaic Theatre
Mosaic Theatre A Case for the Existence of God
through Dec 14 www.AtlasArts.org
Kennedy Center Monty Python’s Spamalot Dec 16-Jan 4 www.Kennedy-Center.org
The Puppet Co. The Nutcracker Nov 28-Dec 31 www.thepuppetco.org
Synetic Theatre Reimagines Frankenstein And Prometheus With Five Star Performances
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus
Synetic Theater
Jordan Wright
November 5, 2025
 Alex Mills (Prometheus), Vato Tsikurishvili (The Creature), and Maryam Najafzada (Gaia) in Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus at Synetic Theater. (Photo/Katerina Kato)
In a wonderfully dark and explosive drama, Synetic Theater yet again reinvents theatre’s dynamic with their unique form of physical theatre. No other companies compare. The entire production is wordless – a style their audiences are quite familiar with. This iconic Georgian troupe stands alone in combining mime, originality, creativity, artistry, costume design, music, sound FX, and physicality. I’ve been reviewing their productions for over a decade and this one was jaw-dropping.
Celebrating their 24th year with Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus in a story that requires no specific holiday, Director and Synetic Theater Co-Founder Paata Tsikurishvili and Resident Dramaturg/Adaptor Nathan Weinberger have breathed new life into Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s familiar Gothic creation myth. The title is the original title from Shelley’s book.
 Alex Mills (Prometheus) with the Synetic Ensemble. (Photo/Katerina Kato)
Synetic’s reimagining of Frankenstein paired with the myth of Prometheus feels like stepping into a classic Victorian Era painting peopled with characters torn from the artistry of the painter Hieronymus Bosch, the sculptor Hans Mueck and the author Charles Dickens. It’s fascinating. In this telling, pathos is paired with horror and grief while science wrangles with the vagaries of humanity in a world without empathy to reflect the broader human dilemma.
Prometheus, played brilliantly by Alex Mills in a riveting performance, along with his wife Gaia played poignantly by the sylph-like beauty Maryam Najafzada, and a roving band of survivors survive a terrible storm in the Caucus mountains. Their baby is killed and she is blinded. Prometheus climbs the ice-covered mountains and discovers fire using its power to create The Creature played by the inimitable Vato Tsikurishvili in the performance of a lifetime. Phillip Fletcher, another longtime Synetic troupe member, plays Fire.
 Vato Tsikurishvili (The Creature) and Alex Mills (Prometheus). (Photo/Katerina Kato)
There are explosive fight scenes as the gang challenges The Creature, I thought of Picasso’s anti-war painting, “Guernica”, in its grotesque depiction of war. As we have come to expect from this troupe’s dazzling performances, there are mind-blowing displays of sheer physicality, intricately choreographed dance, gravity-defying leaps and flips and classic pantomime. All the action is set to experimental electronica and CG Sound FX by the incomparable sound wizard, Koki Lortkipanidze.
The entirety of this cast is outstanding in every respect. The production redefines acting as both an intensely physical and dramatically interpretive design that requires a unique kind of performer – one classically trained in ballet and acrobatics, and in top physical condition. Every cast member fits that requirement.
I was utterly blown away by the fearless athleticism expressed by this cast as well as the talents of its Choreographer and the troupe’s Co-founder Irina Tsikurishvili and Fight Choreographer Vato Tsikurishvili whose unforgettable portrayal of The Monster is sheer genius. Vato’s massive size and glowing bald head belie his jaw-dropping abilities in the fight scenes, but even more so in the heights he reaches with his leaps, tumbles and lifts in his tender scenes with Gaia. His unparalleled mime skills, and frankly, his entire performance, deserve a Helen Hayes Award.
 Maryam Najafzada (Gaia) and Vato Tsikurishvili (The Creature). (Photo/Katerina Kato)
The super amazing ensemble includes Tony Amante, Stella Bunch, Natan-Maël Gray, Liam Klopfenstein and Kaitlyn Shifflett.
Assistant Composer/Sound Design by Aaron Kan; Scenic and Props Design by Phil Charlwood; Costume Design by Erik Teague; Lighting Design by Brian S. Allard; Projections Design by Zavier Augustus Lee Taylor.
Highly recommended!!!
Through November 23rd at the Thomas Jefferson Community Theatre, 125 South Old Glebe Road, Arlington, VA 22204. For tickets and information visit www.SyneticTheater.org
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