Cirque du Soleil’s Luzia is an Edge of Your Seat Extravaganza Celebrating Mexican Culture
Cirque du Soleil’s Luzia
Jordan Wright
September 12, 2025
 Scene from Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Luzia’ (Photo/Anne Colliard)
In an edge-of-your-seat extravaganza, Cirque du Soleil’s Luzia excels in spine-tingling, jaw-dropping acrobatics and evocative music. It’s not just my opinion, but comments from attendees who say they thought it was the best Cirque show they had ever seen. Credit their policy for responding to audience feedback and regularly tweaking their shows to elicit the maximum reaction. Expect a spectacular fantasy world to both thrill and inspire.
Spoken and sung entirely in Spanish, Luzia (a portmanteau of luz meaning light and lluvia meaning water) affords the artists a mellifluous and joyful often romantic dynamic in the slower numbers and an intense immediacy in the daredevil performances. Elements of Mexican culture are everywhere, from the opening number featuring a circular garden of bright orange marigolds, mariachis and tiny robots who water the flowers, to the larger than life Mexican creatures – armadillo, jaguar, crocodile, horse, iguana, fish and giant mariposa (butterfly) – that dance to the sounds of classical and pop as well as salsa, bolero and traditional Mexican ballads – a veritable feast for the eyes and ears.
 Scene from ‘Luzia’ (Photo/Anne Colliard)
One of the most eye-popping features is the waterfall, cascading from the very top of the tent. Artists performing within the splash zone offer an added dimension of excitement as drops of water reflect the light and flower and animal motifs are projected along the length of the curtain of water.
The ‘emcee’ is a comic figure, a clever mime he is constantly thirsty and thwarted by the waterfall which shuts down whenever he tries to fill his cup. Across the arena, amid the sounds of the organ grinder and the mariachis, you can hear the squeals of laughter and delight from excited children. Contagious too are the gasps at the physically precarious leaps, feats of tumbling, pole dancing and stupefying gymnastics from an acrobat on the aerial straps who is a marvel! Did I mention he’s as hot as a jalapeño. Another act is the lightning-fast juggler who tosses his silver pins at blinding speed.
 Scene from ‘Luzia’ (Photo/Anne Colliard)
As birds and butterflies flutter, the feats of derring-do are amazing, but this reviewer was most captivated by a contortionist, who twists his hyper-flexible body into knots so intricate even a sailor wouldn’t know how to undo him. You’ll gasp at his elasticity. Another act by five pretty, soaking wet girls in Mexican dresses is performed within the confines of ‘cyr wheels’, a sort of life-size hula hoop, that has them upside down and spinning at 360-degrees.
Highly recommended. This fiesta is a true joy for young and old alike. Don’t miss it!
Through October 19th under the Big Top at Tysons II, 8025 Galleria Drive. Tysons, VA 22102.
Tickets online at www.CirqueduSoleil.com
Dodi & Diana is a Role-Switching, Astrologist-Fueled Two-Hander from Mosaic Theater
Dodi & Diana
Mosaic Theater
Jordan Wright
September 8, 2025
 Dina Soltan (Samira) and Jake Loewenthal (Jason) in Mosaic Theater’s production of Dodi & Diana. (Photo/Chris Banks)
This two-hander imagines a couple whose lives are dictated by an unseen astrologist called Vincent. The disembodied Vincent has ordered them to follow a set of rules while they luxuriate in a five-star hotel in Paris. To wit, they cannot leave their bedroom for 72 hours, they must be honest with each other, and they cannot use electronic devices – phone or laptop – or watch TV. Vincent has told them they are the astrological doubles of Dodi Fayed and Princess Diana. It has been 25 years since the famous car crash that resulted in that couple’s deaths.
Jason (Jake Loewenthal) is a high-flying financial wiz. He’s White and that will matter to the story. He is co-dependent on his wife and an emotional wreck. Samira (Dina Soltan) is a successful TV actress whose star is rising. She’s Egyptian and Muslim. That too, will matter. The couple have been married for a decade.
Expect a great deal of hot and heavy romantic antics, dining on lavish room service, coupling on the satin-dressed bed and rage arguing á la Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf”. Do they trust each other? Not for a minute. Samira checks her phone and makes secret calls to her agent as soon as Jason heads to the bathroom. Jason catches her and tries to hide her cell phone. “Have you stopped loving me?” he questions her. Telling the truth has consequences.
 Dina Soltan (Samira) and Jake Loewenthal (Jason). (Photos/Chris Banks)
Samira suggests a role-playing exercise which goes south when Jason struggles to remember their first date. And there are role-switching exercises in which Samira, the actress, comes out on top. No surprise there. You may find yourself wondering how this couple made it through 10 years of marriage, especially as we learn Jason desperately wants children to cement his legacy and Samira stuns him by admitting she won’t sacrifice her career to have children. This appears to be the first time they have discussed this. Hmmm. Last time I checked there are actresses with children. And we all know there is sexism, racism and homophobia in this world, but it’s hardly a thing in show biz, yet Samira claims she can’t get the roles she wants because she is Arab. Last time I checked there were quite a few well-known Arab actresses and actors in film and TV.
After a psychedelic drug- and booze-fueled evening of romance, bickering and nitpicking, the couple assume the personae of Dodi and Diana in a switcheroo with Jason as the entitled Arab billionaire and Samira as Princess Diana complete with an upper-crust British accent – a surprise reveal to explain the play’s title that comes near the end of this one-act play. I won’t spill the ending, or the story of Scotty, referred to by his wife as Jason’s lapse in their marriage. I will, however, mention the gorgeous set design, the perfectly curated props, and the intricate lighting changes with each shift in the action. The actors give it their all, but given this convoluted story, it all falls flat. After a while the lies and accusations, challenges, insults and revelations begin to seem like a telenovela.
 Dina Soltan (Samira) and Jake Loewenthal (Jason). (Photo/Chris Banks)
Playwright Kareem Fahmy; Directed by Reginald L. Douglas; Scenic Design by Shartoya R. Jn. Baptiste; Lighting Design by Sage Green; Costume Design by Jeannette Christensen; Sound Design by navi; Props Design by Luke Hartwood; Resident Intimacy and Violence Director, Sierra Young; Production Stage Manager, Jenna Keefer.
But stay tuned. I’m very much looking forward to the upcoming A Case for the Existence of God opening in November, and Young John Lewis, a musical to be presented by Mosaic in Spring 2026.
Through October 5th at Mosaic Theatre at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002. For tickets and information call the box office at 202.399.7993 ext.501 or visit www.MosaicTheater.org.
Duke Ellington’s Cool Blues, Hot Jazz, Snappy Ragtime and Hip-Popping Swing Set to Shakespeare’s Rom-Com, Twelfth Night at Signature Theatre
Play On!
Signature Theatre
Jordan Wright
August 25, 2025
Special to The Zebra
 Greg Watkins (Duke), Jalisa Williams (Vy), and the cast of Play On at Signature Theatre. (Photo/Daniel Rader)
Where can you find Duke Ellington’s cool blues, hot jazz, snappy ragtime, and hip-popping swing set to Shakespeare’s romcom, Twelfth Night? At Signature Theatre in the musical Play On!. The exclamation point is in the title and it’s there for a reason, because you if you don’t feel like leaping out of your seat to the sounds of tip-top tap dancing and mile-a-minute jitterbug, then you don’t have blood in your veins. Take in the vast double-tiered Art Deco set from stage level at one of the intimate cabaret-style tables or swoon to the tunes from above and prepare to be transported to the 1920’s at Harlem’s famed Cotton Club, where the Duke made his bones and Cupid found his mark.
A bit of history – “The Duke”, as you may recall, was and is a Washington institution. He even had a band he named “The Washingtonians”. A native son, he cut his teeth here writing hits and playing around town, creating his own big band sound which he called “American Music”, a singularly apt nomenclature for the elegant blend of South and North sounds from Black America. Today his legacy lives on at the DC’s Duke Ellington School of the Arts that is still turning out the nation’s top talent.
 Greg Watkins (Duke) Jalisa Williams (Vy) and the cast of Play On. (Photo/Daniel Rader)
The show features twenty-two of Ellington’s compositions dovetailing jubilation, longing, love lost and lusty shenanigans. It’s a brilliant interpretation conceived by the great Sheldon Epps (with book by Cheryl L. West) who with Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner, chose the show’s award-winning director Lili-Anne Brown along with casting director, Charlotte La Nasa, who hired all the best talent to form this wowza cast of hoofers, actors and singers. Take the time to look up the stellar body of work these pros bring to the stage.
The story tells of star-crossed lovers, mistaken identity, gender discrimination, jealousy and mad, passionate, unrequited love, which if you remember your Shakespeare, turns out as fine as frog’s hair split four ways.
When Vy, up from Mississippi toting a suitcase filled with her compositions, finds her Uncle Cootie aka the Jester, at the Cotton Club, he convinces her to pass as a man if she wants The Duke to hear her music, because back then women couldn’t be composers. She becomes Vy “Man”, dons a pin-striped suit and fedora, convincing everyone she’s a he. It’s her music that lifts Duke out of his funk and away from his obsession with the divine Lady Liv, “Harlem’s Queen of the Blues”.
 Jalisa Williams (Vy) and Awa Sal Secka (Lady Liv). (Photo/Christopher Mueller)
“It Don’t Mean a Thing” (if you ain’t got that swing) sung by Jester, Miss Mary and Sweets who try to convince Rev, the club’s manager, to loosen up and dress sharp if he wants to make it with the ladies, especially full-on diva Lady Liv whom he pines for. Miss Mary is Lady Liv’s hot-tempered, outspoken backstage dresser who gets caught up in the whirlwind of unrequited love. Her man is Sweets, a role that sneaks up on you in the hot number, “Rocks in My Bed”, a duet with Jester to include the full ensemble who burn up the stage.
The audience easily recognizes classics like “I Ain’t Got Nothing But the Blues”, “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore”, “Take the A Train”, “Hit Me with a Hot Note and Watch Me Bounce”, “In My Solitude”, “Mood Indigo” and so many more. Twenty-two classic numbers bring the house down showcasing this cast’s remarkable talents.
 Wesley J.-Barnes (Jester) and the cast of Play On. (Photo/Daniel Rader)
The all-Black cast stars Jalisa Williams as Vy; the inimitable Greg Watkins as Duke; Wesley J. Barnes as Jester; Awa Sal Secka as Lady Liv; Kanysha Williams as Miss Mary; Chuckie Benson as Rev; Derrick D. Truby Jr. as Sweets; Alana S. Thomas as CC; with Bryan Archibald, Montel B. Butler, Clara Hargrove, Divine Iweha, Vaughan Ryan Midder, Kalen Robinson and Sean Walton in the ensemble.
Music directed by Jermaine Hill and brilliantly choreographed by Breon Arzell.
This show has it all! Highly recommended!
In the MAX theatre at Signature Theatre through October 5th at Shirlington Village, 4200 Campbell Avenue, 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 – September 2025
August 12, 2025
Jordan Wright
 Luzia via Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil – Luzia – Sept 6th – Oct 19th – www.CirqueduSoleil.com
Arena Stage – Damn Yankees – Sept 9th – Nov 9th www.ArenaStage.org
Everyman Theatre – (Baltimore) – August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson – through Sept 28th www.EverymanTheatre.org
The Little Theatre of Alexandria – Lost in Yonkers – Sept 6th – Sept 27th
www.TheLittleTheatre.com
Round House Theatre – The Inheritance – through Oct 19th – www.RoundHouseTheatre.org
 fire work at Theater Alliance
Theater Alliance – fire work – through Sept 21st – www.theateralliance.com
Creative Cauldron – Summer Passport Music Festival – through Sept 14th – www.CreativeCauldron.org
NextStop Theatre – Dream House – Sept 11th – Oct 5th – www.NextStopTheatre.org
 Firdous Bamji (Lukesh), Dani Stoller (Natalya), and Ethan J. Miller (Harold) in This Much I Know at Theatre J. (Photo/Ryan Maxwell Photography)
Theatre J – This Much I Know – Sept 20th – Oct 19th – www.EDCJCC.org
Signature Theatre – Play On! – through Oct 5th
Strategic Love Play – Sept 23rd – Nov 9th www.SigTheatre.org
Olney Theatre – Red Pitch – through Oct 19th – www.OlneyTheatre.org
Mosaic Theatre – Dodi & Diana – Sept 4th – Sept 28th
Songs of the Goat – Antigone – Sept 4th – Sept 14th
www.AtlasArts.org
Studio Theatre – The Heart Sellers – September opening TBA – Check the website www.StudioTheatre.org
Keegan Theatre – Everything is Wonderful – Sept 13th – Oct 5th www.KeeganTheatre.com
 Kiss of the Spider Woman at the GALA Theatre
GALA Theatre – Kiss of the Spider Woman – Sept 4th – Sept 28th www.GalaTheatre.org
Imagination Stage – The Very Hungry Caterpillar – Sept 4th – October 12th www.ImaginationStage.org
1st Stage – The Logan Festival of Solo Performance – Sept 18th – Sept 28th www.1stStage.org
 Saturday Night Fever at Toby’s Dinner Theatre
Toby’s Dinner Theatre – Saturday Night Fever – through Nov 2nd www.TobysDinnerTheatre.com
Aldersgate Church Community Theater – The Outsider – October 3rd – October 19th www.AcctOnline.org
Colonial Players (Annapolis) – An Ideal Husband – Sept 5th – Sept 27th
www.TheColonialPlayers.org
ExPats Theatre – Cold Country – Sept 27th – Oct 19th www.ExPatsTheatre.com
 The Fully Monty at Arlington Players
Arlington Players – The Full Monty – www.TheArlingtonPlayers.org
Round House Theatre – Sojourner – Sept 11th – Oct 6th www.RoundHouseTheatre.org
Hippodrome Theatre (Baltimore) – The 39 Steps – Sept 12th Sept 28th – www.TicketMaster.com
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company – The Great Privation – Sept 11th – Sept 29th www.WoollyMammoth.net
Shakespeare Theatre Company – Merry Wives – Sept 9th – Oct 5th – www.ShakespeareTheatre.org
Folger Shakespeare Theatre – Julius X: A Re-envisioning of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare – Sept 23rd – Oct 26th www.Folger.edu
 The Dragon at Spooky Action Theatre
Spooky Action Theatre – The Dragon – Sept 9th – Oct 19th www.spookyaction.org
Capital One Hall (Tyson’s Corner) – The Addams Family – A Musical Comedy – Sept 19th – Sept 21st – www.CapitalOneHall.com
 Jeremy Jordan in Concert at Hylton Performing Arts Center (Photo/Stephanie Diani)
Hylton Performing Arts Center – Jeremy Jordan in Concert – Sept 21st – www.HyltonCenter.org
Ford’s Theatre – The American Five – Sept 19th – Oct 12th www.MyFords.org
Kennedy Center – The Sound of Music – Sept 9th – Oct 5th – www.Kennedy-Center.org
Kinky Boots Pulls Out All the Stops at
The Little Theatre of Alexandria
Kinky Boots
The Little Theatre of Alexandria
Jordan Wright
July 29, 2025
 Cast of Kinky Boots at The Little Theatre of Alexandria. (Photo/Matt Liptak)
In this warm-hearted story of tolerance, love and self-acceptance, Lola (Clayton Alex James), is a Black drag performer. Together with her chorus line of queens dubbed ‘The Angels’ they perform in a drag club on the seamier side of London. When, in a stroke of fate, she meets Charlie (Matthew Rubin), the reluctant scion of Price & Sons, a fourth-generation shoe factory in the hinterlands of England. Lola schools him in ‘dragdom’ and what it means to be absolutely fabulous in six-inch high-heeled boots. When Lola tells Charlie the challenge of strutting her stuff in ladies’ boots, ill-designed to support the weight of a man, Charlie becomes sympathetic to her plight and seizes on the idea of making flashy boots with 6-inch heels.
Intrigued by Lola, soubriquet “Kinky”, and the idea of making boots for a new niche market, he offers her the job of Head Designer at his factory. Unfortunately, the factory is run by a crew of narrow-minded blue-collar workers. Lola, bullied by the male workers tries to fit in by wearing suits to work instead of her sexy outfits – a transition that falls flat. Hoping to present Lola’s racy designs at the pinnacle of shoe shows in Milan, the female workers, who are enamored of Lola’s sassiness and feminine chutzpah, get on board. Macho man Don (Dino Vergura) the floor manager and George (Michael Blinde) the firm’s accountant are reluctant to veer from their standard men’s shoe line. And therein lies the conundrum.
 Keenan Parker (Lauren), Carla Wheaden (Pat), Maia Potok-Holmes (Ensemble), David Reph, (Ensemble), Clayton Alex James (Lola), Matthew Rubin (Charlie), Cara Stankewick (Ensemble), Maria Ciarrocchi (Trish), Karen Toth (Ensemble), Cooper Sved (Harry/Ensemble). (Photo/Matt Liptak)
James is fierce and fabulous with a leggy Amazonian frame that complements his versatile voice, especially in the solo “Hold Me in Your Heart”, a show-stopping performance tinged with raw emotion. His duet with Kaplan in “Not My Father’s Son” is especially tender. And should you ever question what drives men wild, Lola (aka Simon) sets us straight in “Sex Is in the Heel”, adding, “Red is for sex, and sex shouldn’t be comfy.” Throw in a slew of sexy gams and plenty of flashy dancing and you’ve got a winner.
Contrary to what you may imagine, the romance in Playwright Harvey Fierstein’s six-time Tony Award winning musical is not between Charlie and Lola, but with Charlie’s fiancée, Nicola (Sophie Page), who has grander ideas for their future turning the factory into condominiums and one of his employees Lauren (Keenan Parker) who believes in his dreams. Guess who wins out.
Through it all, pop diva Cyndi Lauper’s show-your-true-colors, 16-number score is as sustaining as a hummingbird’s heartbeat and her emotionally stirring ballads and electrifying show tunes add up to a night of crazy, hilarious theatre. Fun for all, especially, according to Lola for, “Ladies and Gentlemen, and those who have yet to make up their minds.”
 Cast of Kinky Boots. (Photo/Matt Liptak)
Music and Lyrics by Cyndi Lauper; Book by Harvey Fierstein; Orchestrations and additional arrangements by Stephen Oremus; Written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth; Directed by Kevin Stockwell; Choreography by Michael Page; Costume Design by Jean Schlichting and Kit Sibley; Scenic Design by Julie Fischer; Lighting Design by JK Lighting (Jeff Auerbach and Kimberly Crago); Music Director and Conductor, Aimee Faulkner with a 10-piece orchestra; Dance Captain, Maia Potok-Holmes; Sound Design by Alan Wray; Hair and Makeup Design by Jennifer Finn.
With The Angels – Marc Barbet, David Maeng, Danny Seal and Tyler Ward; Maria Ciarrocchi as Trish; Josh Katz as Simon, Sr./Ensemble; Zuri Luis as Young Simon/Young Lola; Brian Lyons-Burke as Price, Sr./Homeless Man; Maia Potok-Holmes as Milan Stage Manager/Ensemble/Featured Dancer/Dance Captain; David Reph Ensemble; Cara Stankewick Ensemble/Featured Dancer; Cooper Sved as Harry/Ensemble; Karen Toth Ensemble/Featured Dancer; Carla Wheaden as Pat.
Through August 16th at The Little Theatre of Alexandria, 600 Wolfe Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. For tickets and information call the box office at 703.683.0496 or visit www.TheLittleTheatre.com.
What’s Onstage in the DMV – August 2025
Jordan Wright
 Play On! via Signature Theatre
Signature Theatre – Play On! – Aug 12th – Oct 5th – www.SigTheatre.org
Arena Stage – Damn Yankees – Sept 9th – Nov 9th – www.ArenaStage.org
 The Inheritance, Parts One and Two via Round House Theatre
Round House Theatre – The Inheritance, Parts One and Two – through Aug 27th – Oct 19th – www.RoundHouseTheatre.org
Toby’s Dinner Theatre – The Little Mermaid – through Aug 17th
Saturday Night Live – Aug 22nd – Nov 7th – www.TobysDinnerTheatre.com
Keegan Theatre – Apropos of Nothing – through Aug 10th – www.KeeganTheatre.com
 Merry Wives via Shakespeare Theatre Company
Shakespeare Theatre Company – Merry Wives – Sept 9th – Oct 5th – www.ShakespeareTheatre.org
Creative Cauldron – Summer Passport Music Festival – through Sept 14th – www.CreativeCauldron.org
Theatre J – The Rise of the Superhero – through Aug 25th – www.EDCJCC.org
 Kinky Boots via The Little Theatre of Alexandria
The Little Theatre of Alexandria – Kinky Boots – through Aug 16th – www.TheLittleTheatre.com
Dominion Stage – Everything is Wonderful – Aug 8th – Aug 23rd – www.DominionStage.org
 August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson via Everyman Theatre
Everyman Theatre – August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson – Aug 31st – Sept 28th – www.EverymanTheatre.org
Olney Theatre – A Midsummer Night’s Dream – A Synetic Theatre Production – through Aug 10th
Red Pitch – Sept 17th – Oct 19th www.OlneyTheatre.org
 Dodi and Diana via Atlas Arts Mosaic Theatre
Atlas Arts Mosaic Theatre – Dodi & Diana – Sept 4th – Sept 28th – www.MosaicTheater.org
MetroStage at the Lyceum – Soulmates in Song: A Musical Journey with Roz and Shanti – Aug 18th – www.MetroStage.org
Adventure Theatre – The Lightning Thief – through Aug 17th – www.AdventureTheatre-MTC.org/shows
 Julia Nightingale (Delphi Diggory), Aidan Close (Scorpius Malfoy), and Emmet Smith (Albus Potter) in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the National Theatre DC. (Photo/Matthew Murphy)
Broadway at the National – Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – through Sept 7th – www.TicketMaster.com
The Puppet Company – New Squid on the Block – through Aug 10th – www.ThePuppetCompany.org
 Max Chernin and the company in the National Tour of PARADE. (Photo/Joan Marcus)
Kennedy Center – Sesame Street the Musical – through Aug 31st
Parade – Aug 19th – Sept 7th
Opera in the Outfield – Porgy and Bess – at Nationals Park – Free – Aug 23rd – www.Kennedy-Center.org
The Gaithersburg Arts Barn – The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee – through Aug 10th – www.GaithersburgMD.gov
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