What’s Onstage in the DMV – July 2025
Jordan Wright
Special to The Zebra
 Harry Potter and the Cursed Child North American Tour (Photo/Matthew Murphy)
The National Theatre – Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – July 8th – Sept 6th – www.TheNationalDC.org
Arena Stage – A Wrinkle in Time – through July 20th – www.ArenaStage.org
Faction of Fools – How the Sausage Gets Made – Jul 17th – Aug 9th – www.FactionofFools.org
Contemporary American Theater Festival – Shepherdstown, WV – July 11th – August 3rd [email protected]
 Summer Passport Music Festival via Creative Cauldron
Creative Cauldron – Summer Passport Music Festival – June 20th – Sept 14th –
www.CreativeCauldron.org
Olney Theatre – Kim’s Convenience – June 25th – July 27th
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (a Synetic Theater production) – July 17th – Aug 10th – www.Tickets.olneytheatre.org
Theatre J – The Rise of the Superhero – July 21st – Aug 25th www.EDCJCC.org
 The cast of The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical at Signature Theatre (Photo/Christopher Mueller)
Signature Theatre – The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical – through Jul 13th
You’ve Got a Friend – Women Pop Rock: Women Songwriters – July 2nd – July 13th
Broadway in the Park at Wolf Trap – June 28th one night only
www.SigTheatre.org
Keegan Theatre – Apropos of Nothing, A Comedy – Jul 12th – Aug 3rd – www.KeeganTheatre.com
 Cast of Dungeons & Dragons The Twenty-Sided Tavern US Tour
The Kennedy Center – Les Miserables – through July 13th
Sesame Street the Musical – July 10th – Aug 31st
Dungeons & Dragons The Twenty-Sided Tavern – July 22nd – Aug 3rd
www.Kennnedy-Center.org
Toby’s Dinner Theatre – Disney’s The Little Mermaid – through Aug 17th – www.TobysDinnerTheatre.com
 Wipeout via Studio Theatre
Studio Theatre – Wipeout – through July 27th – www.StudioTheatre.org
Shakespeare Theatre Company – Duel Reality – July 1st – July 20th – www.ShakespeareTheatre.org
Imagination Stage – Dory Phantasmagory – through Aug 3rd – www.ImaginationStage.org
 Bye Bye Birdie via Port Tobacco Players
Adventure Theatre – The Lightning Thief – through Aug 17th – www.AdventureTheatre-MTC.org
Port Tobacco Players – Bye Bye Birdie – July 11 – Aug 3rd – www.PTPlayers.com
The Little Theatre of Alexandria – Kinky Boots – July 26th – Aug 16th – www.TheLittleTheatre.com
Woolly Mammoth – Dead Inside – July 9th – July 27th – www.WoollyMammoth.net
Dark Shadows Loom Largely in a Reimagining of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein at the Shakespeare Theatre Company
Frankenstein
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Jordan Wright
May 31, 2025
 Rebecca S’manga Frank (Elizabeth), Anna Takayo (Justine), and Nick Westrate (Victor) in Frankenstein at Shakespeare Theatre Company. (Photo/DJ Corey Photography)
“The truth is I have never felt the safety of unconditional love,” is a curious statement projected in surtitles from a disembodied voice. It seems to reflect the curious sentiments of Victor, a young scientist from a prestigious Swiss family and future fiancé of Elizabeth, his adopted sister – a complicated relationship at best.
In short order we learn a child is missing – Victor’s little brother, William. The maid, Christine, has found him murdered in his room by who knows who. If you’ve seen the movie or read the book, you already do. But in this household, there is great speculation, and the finger of suspicion is pointed directly at the maid, Justine, who found the boy and soon confesses under duress. When Victor tells Elizabeth he will claim he and Justine had an affair and that she has lied to protect his reputation, Elizabeth’s Spidey-sense tells him, “You’re hiding something.” And we’re off to the races. He claims he’ll tell her everything soon, but this play is a series of his fabrications and falsehoods as he gaslights Elizabeth at every turn. You, too, may weary of all the gaslighting, especially since Elizabeth is no slouch. She’s equally sarcastic and parries his lies with snappy comebacks. And, although his fiancée constantly challenges his lofty excuses, she caves to his conniving explanations. It’s puzzling since she’s read him from the get-go.
His confounding explanation as to why, after they had announced their engagement, he disappeared for six years with little word, was he had a “fever” while at university. In truth, he was building his creature, though he tells her it was just a guy he met who needed food and a place to stay, and that he was merely being charitable, but now “the guy’s” entire extended family is seeking revenge, and Victor insists they need to run for their lives. There is dark humor in this reimagining of the classic. You just never know when it will appear.
 Nick Westrate (Victor) and Rebecca S’manga Frank (Elizabeth). (Photos/DJ Corey Photography)
Surtitles explain that Victor feels unloved and insecure. Or is it the creature talking? Hmmm… could it be one and the same? “I’ve lost faith in you,” she tells him before a passionate kiss – an unusual response after calling him out on the carpet. Throughout the play, Victor provides endless bizarre excuses for his madness and unconscionable behavior to his future wife. He is the consummate narcissist. At this point we can readily predict Elizabeth’s capitulating responses whenever he questions her love. But, hey, that’s our co-dependent whip-smart Elizabeth who just can’t seem to leave his devious clutches. To add to the confusion, the script is written in modern vernacular and current slang words. It’s confusing, as the set design is decidedly Victorian and they are dressed in Victorian era clothing.
The lighting is suggestively moody and storms presage the unexplained disappearances of humans, but it’s not until Act II that we finally meet the Creature, handsome and swarthy and sporting a mink coat. “You have made me your fallen angel,” he accuses Victor. At this point we’ve given up listening to Victor’s countless explanations for his psychosis or the Creature’s insistence on the mad scientist’s culpability. “He built me!” he announces. But we already knew that.
No complaints about this terrific cast’s ability to navigate the script. If you’re a fan of the 1960’s TV series Gothic soap opera or its 1990’s remake, “Dark Shadows”, this is one is right up your alley.
 Rebecca S’manga Frank (Elizabeth) and Nick Westrate (Victor). (Photo/DJ Corey Photography)
Nick Westrate as Victor; Rebecca S’manga Frank as Elizabeth; Anna Takayo as Justine/Esther/Voice of Caroline and Young Victor; Lucas Iverson as Creature.
Written and Directed by Emily Burns based on the novel by Mary Shelley; Scenic Design by Andrew Boyce; Costume Design by Kaye Voyce; Lighting Design by Neil Austin; Sound Design/Composition by André Pluess; Projection Design by Elizabeth Barrett; Dramaturgy by Drew Lichtenberg; Wig & Hair Design by Satellite Wigs, Inc.; Intimacy Consultant Sierra Young.
Through June 29th at the Michael R. Klein Theatre, 450 7th 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 June and July
What’s Onstage in the DMV
June and July
Jordan Wright
May 11, 2025
Special to The Zebra
 A Wrinkle in Time via Arena Stage Arena Stage – A Wrinkle in Time June 12th – July 15th
We Are Gathered through June 15th www.ArenaStage.org
The Little Theatre of Alexandria – The Play That Goes Wrong June 7th – June 24th www.TheLittleTheatre.com
Studio Theatre – Wipeout June 18th – July 27th www.StudioTheatre.org
Perisphere Theater – Marie Antoinette: The Color of Flesh June 6th – June 21stwww.PerisphereTheater.com
Toby’s Dinner Theatre – Disney’s The Little Mermaid through Aug 17th www.TobysDinnerTheatre.com
Imagination Stage – Dory Fantasmagory Jun 18th – Aug 3rd www.ImaginationStage.org
 Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations via Broadway at The National (Photo/Joan Marcus) Broadway at The National – Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations June 17th – June 22nd www.TicketMaster.com
Everyman Theatre – The Mystery of Irma Vep – A Penny Dreadful through June 22nd www.EverymanTheatre.org
1st Stage Theatre – The Piano Lesson Jun 5th – Jun 22nd www.1stStageTheatre.org
Keegan Theatre – Falsettos through June 15th www.KeeganTheatre.com
Synetic Theater – A Midsummer Night’s Dream July 17th – Aug 10th www.SyneticTheater.org
Shakespeare Theatre Company – Frankenstein through June 29th
Duel Reality July 1st – July 20th
www.ShakespeareTheatre.org
 The Berlin Diaries via Theatre J Theatre J – The Berlin Diaries June 4th – June 15th www.EDCJCC.org
Signature Theatre – Hedwig and the Angry Inch through June 22nd
The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical through Jul 13th
Signature Theatre and Wolf Trap Present Broadway in the Park June 28th
www.SigTheatre.org
Olney Theatre – Senior Class through June 22nd
Kim’s Convenience June 25th – Jul 27th
www.OlneyTheatre.org
Atlas Arts Mosaic Theatre – Andy Warhol in Iran through June 29th www.AtlasArts.org
The Kennedy Center – Dungeons & Dragons – The Twenty Sided Tavern July 22nd – Aug 3rd
Les Miserables June 11th – July 13th
www.Kennedy-Center.org
The Puppet Company – Twisted Tales: The Three Goldilocks Gruff June 7th – June 29th www.ThePuppetCompany.org
Creative Cauldron – Disney’s Aladdin through June 15th www.CreativeCauldron.org
Folger Theatre – Twelfth Night through June 22nd www.Folger.edu
Workhouse Arts Center – Jesus Christ Superstar through June 15th www.WorkhouseArts.org
Round House Theatre – King James through June 22nd www.RoundHouseTheatre.org
 A Lovely Day to Kill Your Spouse via Dominion Stage Dominion Stage – A Lovely Day to Kill Your Spouse June 13th – June 21st www.DominionStage.org
Providence Players of Fairfax – Shooting Star June 6th – June 24th www.ProvidencePlayers.org
The Gaithersburg Arts Barn – Bull in a China Shop June 6th – June 22nd www.GaithersburgMD.gov
Arlington Players – You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown June 6th – June 8th and June 13th – 15thwww.TheArlingtonPlayers.org
Be sure to check with your favorite theaters to discover summer theater camps and classes for kids and adults.
A Stunner of a Dramedy at Shakespeare Theatre Company Stars Downton Abbey Patriarch Hugh Bonneville in this Simon Godwin Directed Uncle Vanya
Uncle Vanya
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Jordan Wright
April 4, 2025
Special to The Zebra
 4 The cast of Uncle Vanya at Shakespeare Theatre Company. Photo by DJ Corey Photography. Simon Godwin’s direction of Uncle Vanya starring Downton Abbey’s patriarch and Royal Shakespeare Company alum and Britain’s National Theatre celebrated actor, Hugh Bonneville, is a once-in-a-lifetime theatrical experience with a brilliantly in synch cast that sparkles like a supernova.
The classic Chekhov play focuses on a dysfunctional Russian family of intellectuals and their closely knit coterie. In a tour de force performance, Bonneville imbues Vanya with engaging depth and larger-than-life passion, ranging in emotional delivery from subtle gestures and unique reactions to hugely expressive physical drama. He is consistently balanced by an experienced cast who readily absorb and match his energy, along with the complex character intricacies called for in these weighty roles.
 2 Ito Aghayere and Hugh Bonneville in Uncle Vanya. Photo by Kevin Berne/Berkeley Repertory Theatre Each character interaction is riveting, dangerously precipitous and yet recognizably familiar. As Tolstoy famously said, “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family in its own way.” And this family is no different – both joyful yet tragic.
There are the money struggles, the romantic intricacies, the cheating, the lying, the family celebrations (Are they ever what we planned?), breakdowns and breakups – plus liquor and a gun. A disastrous combination that never goes well.
 3 Nancy Robinette and Craig Wallace in Uncle Vanya at Shakespeare Theatre Company. Photo by DJ Corey Photography Using brief musical interstices from a cellist slightly offstage, Godwin’s clever choice to bring the intensity back to a dull roar prepares the audience for the next familial battle royale. I don’t need to offer up the plot, either you already know it or can readily google it. Another well-thought out directorial choice is to eschew Russian accents. Bonneville keeps his British accent and all others their American accents. It works because the play’s the thing and we don’t need to be distracted by unnecessary stylings. In an unusual opening scene an ordinary stage is set and the actors enter in street clothes. While the audience settles in (You are advised to come early to the theater so as not to miss this change-up.), they move the props around as if readying for the play and suddenly exit offstage. When they reappear, the stage is reconfigured and the actors are sporting the Victorian fashions of the landed gentry.
 1 Tom Nellis and Kina Kantor in Uncle Vanya. Photo by Kevin Berne/Berkeley Repertory Theatre Both humor and pathos in this dramedy keep Vanya’s family teetering on the edge of total collapse. Will they fight to the finish? It’s close. Will they lose their family estate? It’s iffy. Will Yelena (Ito Aghayere) decide to leave her pompous professor husband Alexandre (Tom Nelis) for Vanya or perhaps the dashing Astrov (John Benjamin Hickey)? It’s a toss-up. Can Nana (Nancy Robinette) rein in her son’s madness? “Old people are just like children. They want everyone to feel sorry for them,” she quips in the understatement of the century. They’re an emotionally land-locked duo. Is Ilya aka ‘Waffles’ (Craig Wallace) the observant philosopher, the grounding force? Cue the guitar and some wise words. Is Granmaman (Sharon Lockwood) keeping the peace? Can Sisyphus? Lastly, will the despondent and compassionate Sonya (Melanie Field) rise to the occasion to keep this family’s spinning-out-of-control madness to a dull roar? Thank God, she does, and that’s no spoiler.
Local actors and STC company members Wallace and Robinette bolster this wonderful cast with memorable performances in this co-production with Berkeley Rep.
 5 Sharon Lockwood, Nancy Robinette, Ito Aghayere, and Hugh Bonneville Photo by Kevin Berne/Berkeley Repertory Theatre Adapted by Conor McPherson, Scenic Design by Robert Brill, Costume Designs by Susan Hilferty & Heather C. Freedman, Lighting Design by Jen Schriever, Sound Design by Darron L. West, Dramaturgy by Drew Lichtenberg, Fight and Intimacy Consultant Danielle O’Dea.
This is the front runner of the season. Do not miss it!!!
Through April 20th 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.
A Historic Confluence of Shakespearean Mega Actor Ed Gero and Pre-Eminent South African Actor and Playwright John Kani Star in this Epic Drama at the Shakespeare Theatre Company
Kunene and the King
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Jordan Wright
February 22, 2025
Special to The Zebra
 John Kani and Eward Gero in Kunene and the King at Shakespeare Theatre Company. (Photo/Teresa Castracane Photography) Set during South Africa’s post-apartheid regime, two men find themselves in an untenable relationship in the U.S. premiere of Kunene and the King. Jack Morris (Ed Gero), one of the world’s leading white Shakesperean actors, is living in his home in Killarney, South Africa. Recently diagnosed with Stage 4 liver cancer, he is rehearsing his lines for an upcoming performance of King Lear. Black African Lunga Kunene (John Kani) has been assigned as his nurse during the final days of Jack’s life. What begins as two men at sword’s length results in a begrudging respect cemented over their mutual admiration for the works of Shakespeare.
This extraordinary two-hander gifts us with two of the greatest stage actors in the known world. Ed Gero universally admired for decades of his portrayals of Shakesperean leads and John Kani, one of the greatest and most respected actors, activists and playwrights to emerge from the shadows of apartheid.
 Edward Gero (Photo/Teresa Castracane Photography) It is 2019 when they meet at Jack’s home and immediately launch into verbal gymnastics. Jack, a divorcé with a distant son, is not accustomed to having a Black man in his home as anything other than a servant. “You’re not what I was expecting,” he snips. Kunene has been sent by a local agency to be Jack’s oncology nurse. Their first set-to is over the word “maid” with Kunene deftly insisting the correct word is “helper”. He wins that argument as well as Jack’s insistence he sleep in the servant’s quarters. “I stay in the house, or I go!” he retorts. Eventually, Jack capitulates. It will soon be apparent that he caves to Kunene repeatedly. I might add Jack is an insufferable racist and arrogant twit to boot. They joust about nearly everything especially Jack’s intransigence and refusal to quit drinking – his bottles and flasks are hidden everywhere.
Quarrels arise over African culture vis à vis British culture with Kunene scoring points despite Jack’s vehement protestations. The horrors of Robben Island, Mandela’s election and DeClerk’s ending of apartheid put things in their proper perspective as the two men start to bond over their respective admiration for Shakespeare’s plays. Kani weaves this dichotomy into the play with the knowledge that Mandela studied Shakespeare during his stay on Robben Island. “In the old South Africa it wasn’t politics, it was life or death,” Kunene states. During all these tête-a-têtes, Jack’s physical suffering is palpable and Kunene does his best to attend to his duties, as lowly as they are, never wavering in his professional commitment to the job at hand.
 John Kani (Photo/Teresa Castracane Photography) Woven between scenes Isithunywa (Ntebo), a beautiful African dancer and chanter, appears, breaking the fourth wall with the haunting echoes of lives lost and the human toll of nearly a half century under the apartheid system.
Written by Tony Award-winner, John Kani, who in 2023 was awarded an honorary OBE from the British government after this play made its debut at the Royal Shakespeare Company, it is directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, a well-established, Broadway multi-Tony Award winner and multiple theatre award nominee, as well as an accomplished actor in his own right. If I had to list his entire bio plus the bios of Kani and Gero, it would take pages – and it does in the playbill. Ditto for that of the two leads’ understudies and Ntebo too. The glue that brings Santiago-Hudson, Gero and Kani together is their work on and mutual respect for Shakespeare and the pre-eminent anti-apartheid playwright, Athol Fugard.
 Edward Gero and John Kani (Photo/Teresa Castracane Photography) The confluence of these relationships in this extraordinary production, make this political drama an unforgettable moment in theatre history. Miss it and you’ll wonder why those that bore witness will be talking about it for years to come.
Scenic Design by Lawrence E. Moten III, Costume Design by Karen Perry, Lighting Design by Rui Rita, Sound Design by DJ Potts, Dialect and Vocal Coach Deborah Hecht, Fight Consultant Sierra Young, Dramaturgy by Drew Lichtenberg, Music Consultant Ntebo, Additional Music by Romero Wyatt.
Highly recommended!
Through March 23rd at the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Klein Theatre, 450 7th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20004. For tickets and information call the box office at 202 547-1122 or visit www.ShakespeareTheatre.org.
A Political Newbie Goes Rogue in Sinclair Lewis’s Babbitt at Shakespeare Theatre Company
Babbitt
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Jordan Wright
October 8, 2024
Special to The Zebra
 Matthew Broderick (Photo/Teresa Castracane Photography) There’s no law that says you must read or re-read the novel the play you are about to see is based on. I offer that up to all theatregoers because you may often hear the challenge, “Did you read it?” or the boast, “I just reread it knowing I was going to see the play.” None of that matters when most plays have been totally reimagined by the director as is often the case in new productions. And that goes for Shakespeare as we shall see later this week in my next review of one of his classics.
Reimagining a well-known play is what keeps it alive proving its relevance to our modern culture. Great playwrights anchored their works on the social constructs that have been with us since the Greeks first took note of our human foibles. In other words, we’re still stumbling around in the dark ruining people’s lives, climbing the ladder to success and falling in love – sometimes easily, sometimes with grave consequences. The only constant when a play is modernized, is its relevancy to today’s culture. And that’s what Dramaturg Joe DiPietro has given us in his adaption of the classic Sinclair Lewis novel, Babbitt. Lewis was so universally respected for his social commentary novels he was the first American to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature.
 Judy Kaye, Chris Myers, Matthew Broderick, Mara Davi, and Matt McGrath (Photo/Teresa Castracane Photography) George F. Babbitt is a familiar character as the uber-suburban, middle America, 1950’s working man with a stay-at-home wife and two kids. He’s a successful real estate broker – a salesman who probably read Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People – the bestselling guide to public speaking and closing deals. George is a brand names’ fanatic who worships his two-slice toaster. It fits in the era of TV pitchmen and catchy jingles that with the emergence of television reaches a broader audience than had ever been possible in the past.
The parallels to a certain recent president become readily noticeable when Babbitt is approached by a “concerned citizens” group to run for office on their conservative platform. It’s then his high school speaking accomplishments really shine. He becomes that brand of messianic candidate spouting incendiary tropes about immigrants, Socialists and Liberals. They dub him the “Prophet of Zenith”, the eminently insignificant midwestern town where he resides. Blindly following the group’s instructions, Babbitt loses all sense of self and empathy as well as his best friend, Paul. Eventually, he finds his muse, Tanis, a ballroom dancer, and falls in with her clique of liberal Bohemians only to become disenchanted yet again veering back to staunch Conservativism. These days we have a very familiar coinage for that whichever-way-the-wind-blows political stance. We call it a “flip-flopper”. I think Lewis would like that.
 The cast of Babbitt at Shakespeare Theatre Company. (Photo/Teresa Castracane Photography) Lewis’s well-drawn characters – Conservatives, Liberals, Feminists, Bohemians, an autocratic School Board member, Babbitt’s long-suffering wife, Myra, his dutiful daughter, Tinka, and rebellious son, Ted, his lover, Tanis, and the Good Citizen’s League – all with their own particular ideologies – steer him down widely divergent paths until George reconnects with his inner empath, then unceremoniously chucking this newly-embraced persona like yesterday’s trash.
Two-time Tony award-winning actor and legendary film star, Matthew Broderick, offers up a hilariously confounded Babbitt in a performance reminiscent of his portrayal of Leo Bloom in the film, “The Producers” which he co-starred in with Nathan Lane as Max Bialystock. Yes, there’s schtick, bumbling buckets of it, a role in which Broderick succeeds as the universal comic mensch. In Babbitt, as serious-minded and relevant as the subject matter is, it is decidedly richer with its deliciously tongue-in-cheek, often goofball, humor.
 Mara Davi and Matthew Broderick (Photo/Teresa Castracane Photography) This story of our two Americas, described by Lewis as “a unity of opposites”, defines the corrosiveness of the political spectrum on both sides. How Babbitt navigates the shifting sands of politics while futilely searching for his own identity, cements the play’s relevance to today’s confounding American political landscape.
Director Christopher Ashley stages this new play with a seasoned hand. His work on Broadway’s Tony Award-winning play Memphis as well as his august collection of a Drama Desk Award, yet another Tony and three Outer Critics Circle Awards gleaned from dozens of major Broadway shows, has earned him theatre royalty status.
 Judy Kaye and Matt McGrath (Photo/Teresa Castracane Photography) A fine ensemble, who are not listed by character but as Storyteller #1 through #7, round out this expert cast. With Ann Harda as Storyteller #1; Nehal Joshi as Storyteller #2; Matt McGrath as Storyteller #3; Ali Stroker as Storyteller #4; Mara Devi as Storyteller #5 and Dance Captain; Judy Kaye as Storyteller #6; and Chris Myers as Storyteller #7.
Scenic Design by Walt Spangler; Costume Design by Linda Cho; Lighting Design by Cha See; Sound Design by Leon Rothenberg; Original Music by Mark Bennett & Wayne Barker; Choreography by Stephen Buescher.
Through November 3rd at Shakespeare Theatre Company, Sidney Harmon 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.
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