Leopoldstadt is Compelling and Complicated with a Perfect Cast to Showcase Tom Stoppard’s Award-Winning Drama
Leopoldstadt
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Jordan Wright
December 8, 2024
 Samuel Adams and Brenda Meaney in Leopoldstadt. (Photo/Teresa Castracane, courtesy of Shakespeare Theatre Company) To know where playwright Tom Stoppard’s drama is going, you’ll need to start with the meaning of Leopoldstadt. It was a shtetl where Jews from all walks of life were forced to live – a walled off ghetto with no escape and a life of unimaginable deprivation.
Set in the European cultural center of Vienna in 1899 where Mahler, Freud, Wittgenstein and other great Jewish minds were highly revered, we are introduced to members of a large haute bourgeois Austrian family. They are cultured and fashionable leading a charmed life – highly educated, completely assimilated into the greater society of the Viennese, and intermarried within the Jewish and Christian religions. Not unusual at the time, these interfaith families enjoyed meaningful positions in high society and academia where they were esteemed for their scholarly contributions.
 The cast of Leopoldstadt. (Photo/Teresa Castracane, courtesy of Shakespeare Theatre Company) Their life appears to be a series of dinners and family rituals where they celebrate both Christmas and Hannukah and a hilarious scene that complicates decisions of an upcoming bris. It is a close-knit family filled with children, young singles and married couples where Grandma Emilia presides over these light-hearted gatherings. Ken MacDonald’s set design reflects the family’s well-established social achievements with a grand interior space reflective of the Art Nouveau period. The trouble comes, as expected, with the Nazis’ rise to power and, with that, any Jewish birth or Jewish marital connection, becomes a death sentence.
We follow this extended family’s hopes and dreams through three generations, touching on the carefree days of 1924 and later the family’s removal to the concentration camps before ending with pre-millennial Britain in the last act, only to witness how swiftly their life of culture and prosperity prove insupportable as power and privilege are ripped away and their inevitable removal to the death camps is a foregone conclusion.
 (L to R) Mishka Yarovoy, Nael Nacer, and Brenda Meaney (Photo/Liza Voll, courtesy of The Huntington) Providing all manner of twists and turns, Stoppard has designed a series of intricate interactions within these relationships – an affair, a proposed duel, a mathematical improbability and a surprise conclusion as one family member discovers he is actually fully Christian and must grapple with his past. To find out how that came to be, you’ll have to wait till the last act. Stoppard, whose successes with plays like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Travesties and most especially Arcadia, which follows the same theme, wants us to see how quickly unbridled political power combined with a dangerous brew of prejudice, fear and religious frenzy can destroy entire societies. In Leopoldstadt we witness the astonishing pace with which these dramatic shifts in public opinion can occur and thrive.
An extraordinary and compelling exploration into one family (Twenty-one cast members play multiple roles!) who become victims in the massive dragnet of the Nazi regime and how swiftly that unthinkable evil can decimate tens of millions of lives.
A powerful and compelling drama infused with the added warmth and camaraderie of a fascinatingly complicated and deeply connected Jewish family. Highly recommended for a supremely perfect cast and Carey Perloff’s brilliant direction.
 Phyllis Kay, Firdous Bamji, Teddy Schechter, and Joshua Chessin-Yudin (Photo/Teresa Castracane, courtesy of Shakespeare Theatre Company) With Samuel Adams as Fritz, Percy; Firdous Bamji as Kurt, Ludwig; Joshua Chessin-Yudin as Zac, Nathan; Sarah Corey as Wilma; Anna Theoni DiGiovanni as Hanna, Hermione; Samuel Douglas as Otto, Civilian; Maboud Ebrahimzadeh as Ernst; Rachel Felstein as Eva, Nellie: Rebecca Gibel as Hilde, Rosa; Adrianne Krstansky as Poldi, Hanna; Brenda Meaney as Gretl; Harrison Morford as Young Jacob, Heini; William Morford as Pauli, Young Leo; Nael Nacer as Hermann; Teddy Schechter as Young Jacob, Heini/Pauli, Young Leo; Anna Slate as Jana, Sally; Adrianna Weir as Young Sally, Mimi/Young Rosa, Bella; Mila Weir as Young Sally, Mimi; Audrey Ella Wolff as Young Rosa, Bella; and Mishka Yarovoy as Jacob, Leo.
Beautiful period costumes designed by Alex Jaeger; Lighting Design by Robert Wierzel; Sound Design & Original Music by Jane Shaw; Projection Design by Yuki Izumihara; Wig & Makeup Design by Tom Watson; Associate Director Dori A. Robinson.
Through December 29th at Shakespeare Theatre Company at Harman Hall, 610 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20004. For tickets and information call the box office at 202.547.1122 or visit www.ShakespeareTheatre.org.
What’s Onstage in the DMV
for December 2024
Jordan Wright
November 10, 2024
Special to The Zebra
 A Christmas Carol at the Little Theatre of Alexandria A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
The Little Theatre of Alexandria
Dec 7th – Dec 21st
www.TheLittleTheatre.com
A Magical Cirque Christmas
Broadway at the National
Dec 12th – Dec 15th
www.TicketMaster.com
All the Devils Are Here: How Shakespeare Invented the Villain
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Dec 6th – Dec 29th
www.ShakespeareTheatre.org
Leopoldstadt
Shakespeare Theatre Company
through Dec 29th
www.ShakespeareTheatre.org
 Frozen (image Via Olney Theatre) Frozen
Olney Theatre
Through January 5th
www.OlneyTheatre.org
Finn – A New Musical
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
through Dec 22nd
www.Kennnedy-Center.org
Shear Madness
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
through 2025
www.Kennnedy-Center.org
Memories of a Child’s Christmas in Wales
MetroStage at The Lyceum
Dec 16th and Dec 17th
www.metrostage.org
BalletX
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Dec 4th – Dec 7th
www.Kennnedy-Center.org
The Improvised Shakespeare Company
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
through Dec 23rd
www.Kennnedy-Center.org
Jungle Book
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Dec 13th – Dec 15th
www.Kennnedy-Center.org
 & Juliet at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Image via Kennedy-Center.org. & Juliet
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Dec 17th – Jan 5th
www.Kennnedy-Center.org
Life of Pi
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Dec 17th – Jan 5th
www.Kennnedy-Center.org
An Irish Carol
Keegan Theatre
Dec 4th – Dec 31st
www.KeeganTheatre.com
Laughs in Spanish
1st Stage
Dec 12th – Dec 29th
www.1stStage.org
 A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story Christmas at Olney Theatre. Image via Olney Theatre. A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas
Olney Theatre Center
through Dec 29th
www.OlneyTheatre.org
Data
Arena Stage
through Dec 19
www.ArenaStage.org
Agatha Christie Death on the Nile
Arena Stage
through Dec 19th
www.ArenaStage.org
A Hanukkah Carol, or Gelt Trip! The Musical
Round House Theater – through Dec 22nd
www.RoundHouseTheatre.org
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
Adventure Theatre
Dec 6th – Jan 5th
www.AdventureTheatre-MTC.org
Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Workhouse Arts Center
Dec 7th – Jan 12th
www.WorkhouseArts.org
 The Sound of Music at Toby’s Dinner Theatre. (Image via www.tobysdinnertheatre.com)
The Sound of Music
Toby’s Dinner Theatre
through Jan 12th
www.TobysDinnerTheatre.com
The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge
Port Tobacco Players
through Dec 15th
www.PTPlayers.com
The Life of Pi
Hippodrome Theatre
Dec 7th – Dec 14th
www.TicketMaster.com
A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical
Broadway at the National
Dec 3rd – Dec – 8th
www.TicketMaster.com
The Hip Hop Nutcracker
Broadway at the National
Dec 20th – Dec 22nd
www.TicketMaster.com
 The cast of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at Signature Theatre. Photo by Christopher Mueller A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Signature Theatre
through Jan 12th
www.SigTheatre.org
Rigoletto (a circus version)
Dec 7th, 8th, 14th & 15th
The Goldman Theater DCJCC
www.InSeries.org
Dot
Silver Spring Stage
Dec 6th – Dec 15th
www.SSStage.org
A Christmas Carol
Ford’s Theatre
through Dec 31st
www.My.Fords.org/overview/11078
El Canuto Del Rock
GALA Hispanic Theatre
Dec 13th – Dec 15th
www.GALATheatre.org
Matthew Libby’s Dystopian Thriller Data at Arena Stage is Edgy, Relevant and Thought-Provoking
Data
Arena Stage
Jordan Wright
November 12, 2024
 Karan Brar (Maneesh) and Rob Yang (Wang Tao (Alex))(Photo/T. Charles Erickson Photography) Factoid: The greatest concentration of data centers in the world are located in Northern Virginia. Eighty percent of the data center industry is located in and around Loudoun County. It is known as “Data Center Alley”.
In case you haven’t been following these news stories of late, there has been a ground swell of protest as local residents are fighting back against the proliferation of these massive buildings in their suburban neighborhoods. They are experiencing the infernal 24/7 humming heard inside their homes and are concerned about the massive electricity and water usage these operations demand.
 Karan Brar (Maneesh) (Photo/T. Charles Erickson Photography) In playwright Matthew Libby’s Data the focus is on what goes on within the walls of Athena, a predictive software company where manipulation, coverups, backstabbing and fear are rife. Inside we meet four employees, Maneesh (Karan Brar), Jonah (Stephen Cefalu, Jr.), Riley (Isabel Van Natta) and Alex (Rob Yang). Alex, a former officer in the Singapore army, leads the data analytics team. His data analytics team is considered the top dog in the company’s hierarchy. Alex wants to be able to tell his higher-ups that he has staffed his team with the finest engineers to qualify for a pending contract from Homeland Security.
Riley has been on the team for a while. For moral reasons she is fearful of what this contract wants the team to do. Maneesh is a recent hire in the company in a beginner’s program. An engineering prodigy from an immigrant family, he is being mentored by Jonah, an immature dork who is paranoid about being downsized (read: streamlining non-essential personnel) as the programs become more sophisticated. Riley wants Maneesh on the team, because she thinks he will be able to help her change the direction of this contract, which she fears is dangerous and highly intrusive. “I make the world a worse place,” she warns him, telling him how the project plans to institute a system for “immigration adjudication” which would directly affect Maneesh’s parents.
 Karan Brar (Maneesh) and Stephen Cefalu, Jr. (Jonah) (Photo/T. Charles Erickson Photography) While at university Maneesh designed a groundbreaking algorithm for predictive analysis and Alex believes it will be the catalyst to win the contract. He explains they want to source online data to learn about a “person’s heart”, all under the guise of global security. But first he wants Maneesh to understand that within Athena there is a ‘Code of Silence” that can never be broken. As a result of Alex’s manipulation, Maneesh ultimately signs an NDA to join the team. That’s the setup for this brilliantly written, super edgy and riveting drama.
Convos between these four characters are separated by interstices of electronica, the humming of massive computers processing data and tracers of florescent lights against a black screen. It’s eerie and thought-provoking. The movie, “Minority Report’ is referenced. If you know, then you know.
 Isabel Van Natta (Riley) and Karan Brar (Maneesh) (Photo/T. Charles Erickson Photography) The acting is pitch perfect and I couldn’t be more impressed by this political thriller loaded with the kind of twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat. Who will betray whom, who is really in control and what will it all lead to? I urge you to see this modern-day dystopian drama with echoes of Orwell’s “1984” and its themes of mass surveillance and government control. It’s a cautionary tale for our times.
Highly recommended.
Directed by Margot Bordelon, Set Design by Marsha Ginsberg, Costume Design by Beth Goldenberg, Lighting Design by Amith Chandrashaker, Sound Design by Mikaal Sulaiman, Composer Dan Kluger, and Dramaturg Otis Ramsey-Zoe.
 Rob Yang (Wang Tao (Alex)) (Photo/T. Charles Erickson Photography) Through December 15th at Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth Street, SW, Washington, DC 20024. For tickets and information call the box office at 202 554-9066 or visit www.ArenaStage.org.
Flashy, Splashy, Glam and Glitzy SIX the Multi-Award Winning Pop Musical Hits the National Theatre
SIX the Musical
Broadway at the National
Jordan Wright
November 13, 2024
 (Photo/Joan Marcus) Six Tudor “Roses” burst onto the stage with such fire and ferocity the audience breaks into cheers. It’s clear from those seat-dancing they’re mega-fans. From the opening number, the cast of queens holds “court” (that’s us!) in their regal thrall. Backed by a sizzling hot, five-piece band, the ex-wives of Henry the VIII seductively recount inglorious tales of their spousal experiences – “divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived”. It’s a quirky mnemonic learned by British schoolchildren to recall the horrible fate of Henry’s wives.
It might seem a quantum leap to take a historic era in British royal history and turn it into a pop/hip-hop/rap musical, but here it becomes a catchy vehicle for female empowerment. Based on their marriages to Henry, the wives regale us with the cruelties, infidelities and vagaries of a notoriously nasty king. But, as we all know, payback’s a bitch. Suffice it to say the from the moment these hot exes step out onto the stage, the audience is in on the fun… and what fun this crazy, amazing show is. On the night I was there, as one of the wives is describing her marriage, a man from the crowd yells out, “F*** that dude!” The audience went absolutely wild.
SIX The Musical is a rock concert experience – a flashy, splashy, glam and glitzy, rap plus sing concert with nine memorable numbers betwixt the wives’ accounts of what they suffered under the king’s edicts. Laid out as a contest for the audience to vote on which of the ladies suffered the worst injustices and penultimate punishments, they each make their case in a mashup of street-smart jargon and Valley Girl slang – “Sorry, not sorry”, declares Anne Boleyn after stealing Henry away from his first wife. It’s “herstory” against “his-story” and here the ladies’ come back from the grave with a royal vengeance. Breaking the fourth wall to appeal to the audience, the Queens settle their scores with song and dance while vying to win our vote. As these divas say, they have “the riffs to ruffle your ruffs”.
In sequential order we hear from Catherine of Aragon (Chani Maisonet) who channels Beyoncé and Shakira in “No Way”; to Anne Boleyn (Gaby Albo) whose inspiration is Lily Allen and Avril Lavigne in “Don’t Lose Ur Head”; to Jane Seymour (Kelly Denice Taylor) in “Heart of Stone” who is inspired by Adele and Sia to rap/sing her story; to fourth wife Anna of Cleves (Danielle Mendoza) in “Get Down” whose “Queenspirations” are Nicki Minaj and Rihanna; to Katherine Howard (Alizé Cruz) with “All You Wanna Do” who nails a mashup of Ariana Grande and Britney Spears; and lastly, the “soul” survivor Catherine Parr (Tasia Jungbauer) with the killer ballad “I Don’t Need Your Love”. Her avatars are Alicia Keys and Emeli Sandé. N. B. the six-part harmonies are gorgeous.
 (Photo/Joan Marcus) With book, music and lyrics by Tony Marlow and Lucy Moss and directed by Lucy Moss, SIX has garnered a total of 23 awards including the Tony Award for Best Original Score (Music and Lyrics) and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical and the show’s album has reached stratospheric streaming heights in its first month.
Originally performed in England by the Cambridge Musical Theatre Society, the costumes are shiny-punk sensational, the stage is laser-lit and the onstage band is insane. And although I thought I heard shades of Madonna in the Catherine of Aragon character and Lizzo in Mendoza’s portrayal of Anne of Cleves, you will no doubt detect the vocal stylings of your favorite pop stars.
Choreography by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, Scenic Design by Emma Bailey, Costume Design by Gabriella Slade, Lighting Design by Tim Deiling, Sound Design by Paul Gatehouse and Orchestrations by Tom Curran.
Highly recommended!!! Jump on it. Tickets will be hard to come by.
Now playing through December 1st at National Theatre DC, 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20004. For tickets and information visit www.TheNationalDC.com or call the box office at (877) 302-2929.
Hysteria and High Jinks in Sondheim’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at Signature Theatre
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Signature Theatre
Jordan Wright
November 10, 2024
Special to The Zebra
The cast of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at Signature Theatre (Photo/Christopher Mueller) Not just funny, but side-splittingly funny – plus zany, goofy, clever, punny, sideways, witty, gummed up, nutso and nonsensical. And that’s just the plot. Is there a plot? Well, yes there is. It’s there to support the jokes and innuendos, swordfights and belly dancers. Did you say belly dancers? In Greece? Sure, toss that in too. Not everything aligns with Hellenic culture, but if it whacked the funny bone, co-authors Larry Gelbart and Burt Shevelove gleefully found a spot for it.
And it goes like this. Young Hero (Zachary Keller) falls in love with a pretty girl, Philia (Kuhoo Verma) who is holed up in a house of prostitution awaiting the arrival of Miles Gloriosus (Cameron Loyal), a dashing, well-muscled, vainglorius Captain who has purchased the comely virgin. Hero’s wily slave Pseudolus (Erin Weaver) makes him a deal. In exchange for his freedom, he will deliver the girl to him. Together they buck his father Senex’s (Christopher Bloch) and mother Domina’s (Tracy Lynn Olivera) control to fight off con artists and soldiers, navigate the wiles of glamorous courtesans, rescue the girl (not a virgin, but at this point who cares?) and live happily ever after. But first they must seize her from the clutches of Lycus (Lawrence Redmond), the town’s brothel owner in whose house the girl is being kept.
Guises and disguises, foolishness and fools, gladiators and pirates all conspire to muck up their plan. Gray-bearded Erronius (Sherri L. Edelen), in search of his long-lost children, arrives onstage in well-timed increments geared to punctuate the absurdity of it all. At this point you’re either rolling in the aisles or falling out of your seat. Quietly pick yourself up. No one will notice because they have also doubled over and are scraping themselves off the floor.
 Cameron Loyal (Miles Gloriosus) and Erin Weaver (Pseudolus) center with Kaylee Olson, Nolan Montgomery, Emily Steinhardt, Ryan Sellers and Harrison Smith (Photo/Christopher Mueller) I was massively impressed by the experienced cast – most especially Weaver, whom I’m sure you all know if you’re up on the local theater scene, ditto for Redmond, Bloch, Olivera, Edelen who also plays the courtesan Vibrata, Ryan Sellers, Hank Von Kolnitz, Harrison Smith, Dylan Arredondo and Mike Millan – all Signature alums. The result is an action-packed, har-dee-har-har fest and the perfect panacea for our times.
What I wasn’t expecting was the vocal + performing talents of Loyal, a New York-based actor whose amazing voice coupled with his comic timing was absolutely fantastic; Keller, whose voice and adorableness put me in mind of Ben Platt in Dear Evan Hansen; and Verma, whose portrayal of Hero’s ditsy love interest blending high comedy with girlish innocence was absolute perfection.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum was Stephen Sondheim’s first composer + lyricist writing credit. At thirty-two years old, he had already had two huge B’way hits as the lyricist on West Side Story and Gypsy. I don’t need to tell you, dear theatregoer, of the mountains of awards and success that followed. Signature’s close relationship with Sondheim’s works makes them singularly poised to return this beloved classic to the stage.
 Kaylee Olson (Tintinabula), Zachary Keller (Hero) and Erin Weaver (Pseudolus) (Photo/Daniel Rader) Here a 15-piece orchestra sets the mood with a classic and sweeping Broadway overture. The well-known tune “Comedy Tonight” opens the first scene, showing us that the Greeks could do a chorus line and jazz hands as well as anyone. And although there are 14 more numbers to follow, I’m waiting for “Everybody Ought to Have a Maid”, a catchy first act number.
High praise to Director and Choreographer Matthew Gardiner and his production team. I’m singling out Jimmy Stubbs’ Palladian set design – Grecian columns and all – and Erik Teague’s costume design). With Music Direction by Jon Kalbfleisch; Lighting Design by Jason Lyons; Wig Design by Anne Nesmith; Fight Choreographer Casey Kaleba; and Intimacy Consultant & Choreographer Chelsea Pace.
Additional cast: Kaylee Olson as Tintinabula; Emily Steinhardt as Panacea; Nolan Montgomery as Gymnasia.
Highly recommended. Hilarity and high jinks at their finest!!!
 Zachary Keller (Hero), Kuhoo Verma (Philia) and Erin Weaver (Photo/Daniel Rader) Through January 12th at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Avenue in Shirlington Village, Arlington, VA 22206. For tickets and information call the box office at 703 820-9771 or visit www.SigTheatre.org.
Multi-Award Winning Stage and Screen Actor John Leguizamo Wrote and Stars in The Other Americas at Arena Stage
The Other Americans
Arena Stage
Jordan Wright
November 6, 2024
Special to The Zebra
 Bradley James Tejeda (Eddie), Luna Lauren Velez (Patti), Rosa Arredondo (Norma), Rebecca Jimenez (Toni), and John Leguizamo (Nelson) (Photo/T. Charles Erickson Photography.) Reflecting style elements of “I Love Lucy”, “American Family”, “Primo”, “One Day at a Time”, “Chico and the Man”, “Ugly Betty”, “Modern Family”, “George Lopez” and other well-loved TV sitcoms based on the Latino experience in America, The Other Americans tells a story about a humorous and dysfunctional Columbian American family struggling to achieve the ‘American Dream’ while at the same time keeping their family from falling apart. Yet, unlike many feel-good, living-in-America TV shows, this searing play reveals a far darker theme than other. It revolves around a suicidal son and a family in crisis.
Playwright, John Leguizamo is a multi-award-winning actor and playwright who has garnered more than his share of Tony, Emmy, Drama Desk, Obie and Outer Critics Circle awards. As well-known for stand-up as for his film work, often portraying gritty characters on the fringes of society, Leguizamo both wrote and stars in this world premiere family dramedy that showcases his live performance skills and film experience. In the role of Nelson, he gives us a father and jokester whose outsized ego systematically tears apart the family he most loves.
 Luna Lauren Velez (Patti) and John Leguizamo (Nelson) (Photo/T. Charles Erickson Photography.) It begins with light banter between Nelson, Eddie, Veronica and Patti. Patti is preparing a large Latino style meal to celebrate Nicky’s return home. While they await Nicky’s return, the couple tease each other playfully, bust a move to Latin and disco music and blame each other relentlessly for Nicky’s mental breakdown. We begin to see Nelson’s drinking problem, his demeaning treatment of Eddie and his domineering attitude towards Patti. Nelson owns a string of laundromats inherited from his father and the family is living a comfortable life with a just-built swimming pool in hopes of convincing competitive swimmer Nicky to stay at home.
When Nicky returns any hope of family unity collapses quickly as both Nelson and Patti act out their frustrations towards him and each other for his refusal to accept their plans for his future. Nelson pressures him to go into the laundromat biz, while Patti insists he live at home and return to his college education. However, in a flash of self-determination, Nicky declares his intent to move in with the elusive Mitzi and become a choreographer. This becomes yet another rift in an already high-stress environment, making clear clear that no one’s agency is valued in this emotionally unstable household.
 Rebecca Jimenez (Toni), Rosa Arredondo (Norma), and Sarah Nina Hayon (Veronica) Along with the intense drama of a family in financial and emotional trauma are elements of comic relief. The lines are cleverly written and deftly acted, yet this story is about a family who descends into a nobody-wins, all-out competition of sabotage and self-destruction and it’s not until the second act when Nicky’s illness is revealed. Cue a story of racism and violence.
As despicable a character as he has written for himself, Leguizamo’s performance as Nelson is extraordinary. His capacity for warp-speed morphing from caring father to domineering husband to chief manipulator and one-man insult factory is a master class in and of itself. But it can only be successful with the counterbalance of co-star Velez’s stellar performance as Patti who matches his fire, as well as Trey Santiago-Hudson’s searing star turn as Nicky.
 Rebecca Jimenez (Toni) and Trey Santiago-Hudson (Nicky) (Photo/T. Charles Erickson Photography.) Thanks to the brilliance of famed director Ruben Santiago-Hudson this broadly complex American tragedy comes to life only to echo the destructive human conflicts that seem never to be resolved. What serves to temper the drama is Patti’s actual cooking, done onstage with accompanying aromas thanks to Arnulfo Maldonado’s brilliant set design of a functioning kitchen + living room + bedroom + outdoor swimming pool – all enhanced by Simon Adrian’s and Kayla Prough’s props.
Destined to be an American classic.
 John Leguizamo (Nelson) and Luna Lauren Velez (Patti) (Photo/T. Charles Erickson Photography.) Associate Director Timothy Johnson; Dramaturg Jack Moore; Costumes by Kara Harmon; Lighting Design by Jen Schriever; Sound Design by Justin Ellington; Original Music by Ricky Gonzalez; Hair Design by LaShawn Melton; Fight Director, Thomas Schall; and Intimacy Coordinator, Ann C. James.
Through November 24th at Arena Stage on the Fichandler Stage, 1101 Sixth Street, SW, Washington, DC 20024. For tickets and information call the box office at 202 488-3300 or visit www.ArenaStage.org.
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