Gunnar Manchester (Kenneth) and Mia Pak (Darius) in Safety Not Guaranteed at Signature Theatre. (Photo/Daniel Rader)
Intrigued by a classified ISO ad in the local Ocean View Examiner that reads, “Someone to go back in time with me. Must bring your own weapons. SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED.”, a group of young interns from a California-based marketing company hunt down the writer. Bored with their dead-end jobs creating clickbait on strict orders from Jeff the manager, the group’s aspiring journalist Darius follows clues to unmask the writer and solve the mystery.
Based on the movie by the same name, the musical follows a madcap, ill-planned odyssey into the ad writer’s bizarre query. That’s the premise. The thrill is the blind faith adventure and the oddball characters who buy into it. It’s not hard to imagine what could very quickly go very wrong.
Tyler Dobies (Arnau), Mia Pak (Darius), and Preston Truman Boyd (Jeff). (Photo/Christopher Mueller)
Set to a fantastic score and backed by a kickass band, our heroine Darius, who knows a good story when she sees it, and her newly revealed ad writing guide, Kenneth Calloway, a grocery store stock boy and hipster intellectual, lead us on one of the strangest odysseys ever set to an indie-rock music score. Think rock operas like “Tommy” and “Hair” coupled with the fantasy-driven, dark comedies, “Ride the Cyclone” and “Freaky Friday” the musical. The Mission: Go back in time and alter a disastrous moment in their youth to have a happy ending. Wouldn’t we all?
When a particle accelerator, a time machine, a Moog synthesizer, a laser and a suspected bomb feature into a love story, you know you’re on a wild ride. I loved every aspect of this musical – clever lyrics, catchy tunes (16 numbers played by a 5-piece onstage band), a terrific cast, quirky characters, unique story lines, eye-popping set design, dynamic lighting effects, rock concert sound and superb staging all rolled into one crazy fun musical.
Mia Pak (Darius) and Gunnar Manchester (Kenneth) with Preston Truman Boyd (Jeff), Erin Weaver (Liz/Others), Tyler Dobies (Arnau), and Joshua Morgan (Tristan/Others). (Photo/Daniel Rader)
With Preston Truman Boyd as Jeff; Mia Pak as Darius; Gunnar Manchester as Kenneth; Tyler Dobies as Arnau; Joshua Morgan as Tristan & others; Erin Weaver as Liz and others.
Directed by Oliver Butler with Music & Lyrics by Ryan Miller; Book by Nick Blaemire; Based on the motion picture written by Derek Connolly; Scenic Design by Arnulfo Maldonado; Costume Design by Shahrzad Mazaheri; Lighting Design by Jason Lyons; Sound Design by Eric Norris; Music Direction by Jeff Tanski; Music Supervision, Orchestrations & Arrangements by Bill Sherman; Choreographed by Lisa Fagan.
Highly recommended. Go! And take everyone you know!
Through April 12th at Signature Theatre in Shirlington Village, 4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, VA 22206. For tickets and information call the box office at 703.820.9771 or visit www.SigTheatre.org.
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 Roofis 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, Fiddleris 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
Bligh Voth (Woman) and Danny Gavigan (Man) in Strategic Love Play at Signature Theatre. (Photo/Christopher Mueller)
Never having uploaded a dating app, you could say I was a fish out of water. However, I’ve seen enough movies – Looking for Mr. Goodbar from the ‘70’s, the recent documentary The Tinder Swindler, as well as plenty of TV dramas and romcoms on the topic – to puzzle out how it works. Looking for love online is becoming less popular with Gen Z, who feel swiping right is transactional. But, hey, it’s still a thing.
In playwright Miriam Battye’s scathingly humorous two-hander Jenny and Adam meet at a bar after finding each other online. We never learn what their common interests are for them to swipe right and that leaves us at a bit of a disadvantage. From the get-go Jenny gives Adam the third degree, psyching him out with intrusive questions about his life. Is it a test to see if he can put up with her? Is that where the title word “Strategic” applies? And does the word “Play” in the title refer to the fact that it’s a play or that they are just playing at love?
Danny Gavigan (Man) and Bligh Voth (Woman). (Photo/Christopher Mueller)
She’s crass, profane, insulting and hyper-aggressive. He apologizes, a lot. But, for what? After one too many verbal punches from Jenny, he asks her, “Do I have to stay?” then tells her, “You’re just a narcissist, who’s not hot.” Wow, cringeworthy! Jenny is nonplussed. She continues her onslaught. He tells her he just wants a relaxing evening, but Jenny remains on the attack. “I wanna tear someone apart!” she admits. He wonders, “This isn’t for like a podcast,” he asks.
Notwithstanding the inquisition, Adam stays, and we’re left to wonder why. People are flawed. We get it. He’s submissive, she’s aggressive. Clearly, she’s crossed the line of any civilized convo. It’s no big surprise when we learn that Jenny is utterly insecure behind her feisty façade. So, what’s happening here? She’s confesses she’s angry that no man has ever “chosen” her.
Danny Gavigan (Man) and Bligh Voth (Woman). (Photo/Christopher Mueller)
When they finally get down discussing their relationship expectations, she insists he be honest with her. You have to wonder why, during a first date, anyone would bare their souls on command to a contentious stranger. So, are they a match? Do opposites attract? I won’t reveal the ending (he’s not a serial killer) but if you took Psych 1 or follow Dr. Phil, you can probably guess.
Directed by Matthew Gardiner and starring two very fine actors, Danny Gavigan and Bligh Voth, this story is for those who have been down the rabbit hole of online dating.
Scenic Design by Paige Hathaway; Costume Design by Kathleen Geldard; Lighting Design by Andrew Cissna; Sound Design by Kenny Neal.
Through November 9th at Signature Theatre, in Shirlington Village, 4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, VA. For tickets and information call the box office at 703.820.9771 or visit www.SigTheatre.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
Eric William Morris (Hunter S. Thompson) and Giovanny Diaz De Leon (The Kid) with the cast of The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical at Signature Theatre. (Photo/Christopher Mueller)
You might say the country was as polarized during the 1960’s as it is today and you wouldn’t be far off. When Nixon was president a powerful youth-driven counterculture began emerging. Heavily armed police squads were combatting student protests and shutting down university campuses. MLK, JFK and RFK had been assassinated leading to fear and malaise. For a nation battered by the McCarthy hearings of the ‘50’s and the never-ending Vietnam War, there was no clear direction of where the country was headed.
Enter journalist Hunter S. Thompson whose passion for drugs, booze and poking the bear fueled his creative juices. In The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical we meet the man, the myth, the iconoclast. Eighteen years in the making, this show has all the relevance of today’s headlines.
Lorinda Lisitza (Virginia) and the cast of The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical. (Photo/Christopher Mueller)
Apart from the juicy lifestyle gems Thompson’s world provides, Joe Iconis, (Book Writer, Lyricist and Composer) and Gregory S. Moss (Book) had to wrangle that material into a musical with characters as disparate as Hunter’s long-suffering wife, Sandy; his nemesis, President Richard Nixon, leader of the Silent Majority, “I’m gonna use my writing to take down a president,” Thompson crows and his barbed writing succeeds; a gaggle of flower children fans and freaks; assorted Hell’s Angels compatriots; editors from his work at Time Magazine, Scanlon’s and the Rolling Stone; Oscar, his cohort and human rights attorney; his neglected son, Juan; and his feisty enabling mother, Virginia.
Virginia’s job as a librarian included stealing books for Hunter. These classic novels sparked his imagination. “You can change the world. You can write it,” she tells her wayward teen. He fell hard for Scott Fitzgerald and spent a year typing out “The Great Gatsby” to get a feel for his style of writing, using the novel as his inspiration for seeking ‘the green light’ as a metaphor for finding love and truth. Throughout his drug-addled and booze-fueled career he chased his dream, creating the ground-breaking style of writing later dubbed Gonzo journalism in which the writer is at the center of the story. The musical echoes that journey with some of the wackiest, most wonderful scenes and songs concocted for stage.
Eric William Morris (Hunter S. Thompson) and the cast of The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical. (Photo/Christopher Mueller)
From the A-list actors to the production design, this musical is a stunner with a fuse-blowing wow factor beginning with the arcana-rich set design of Hunter’s oddities and collectibles to the poignant finale. A wealth of standout songs captures Thompson’s wild ride from fame to failure, all supported by candy-colored, tangerine-flake, electric Kool-Aid acid characters. Okay, I cribbed those last descriptors from Tom Wolfe, another ground-breaking writer of the period.
The musical is broken down into nine parts with a prologue, epilogue and two interludes. Standout moments for this reviewer, were Richard Nixon in the entr’acte, played in hilarious over-the-top Vaudeville style by George Abud with the song-and-dance tune, “Richard Nixon’s Big Number” in Another (Stolen) Moment with Richard Nixon (The Swine); “Jann Wenner” and “Song of the Brown Buffalo” in The Fertile Ground of San Francisco; Sandy’s song of her dreams; and Juan’s heart-breaking ballad, “Hey, Dad”.
George Abud (Nixon) and the cast of The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical. (Photo/Daniel Rader)
Throughout this wild and beautiful musical, there is poignancy, love, fear and loathing, hope and hilarity. See it, feel it, love it!!!
Highly recommended! Five stars, if I gave them out, which I do not.
The fantastic cast stars Eric William Morris as Hunter S. Thompson; Lorinda Lisitza as Virginia; George Abud as Richard Nixon; Tatiana Wechsler as Sandy; George Salazar as Oscar/Dance Captain; Ryan Vona as Juan; Jason SweetTooth Williams as Steadman/Fight Captain; Meghan McLeod as Flower Child; Darlesia as Jann; Giovanny Diaz de Leon as The Kid; Josiah Rey Cajudoas Puppeteer.
Brilliantly directed by Christopher Ashley with breathtaking Scenic Design by Wilson Chin; Music Supervised by Rick Edinger; Costume Design by Toni-Leslie James; Lighting Design by Amanda Zieve; Sound Design by Justin Stasiw; Choreography & Musical Staging by John Rua; Hair & Wig Design by Matthew Armentrout; Puppet Design by Animal Cracker Conspiracy; Orchestrations by Charlie Rosen; Vocal Arrangements by Rick Edinger; Sensitivity Specialist, Anne James.
Through July 13th at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Avenue in Shirlington Village, Arlington, VA. For tickets and information contact the box office at 703.820.9771 or visit www.SigTheatre.org.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch Slays with Sawyer Smith in the Lead Role at Signature Theatre
Hedwig and the Angry Inch Signature Theatre Jordan Wright April 26, 2025
When Hedwig and the Angry Inchfinished its premiere Broadway run, Signature made the decision to mount this niche production. That was 26 years ago. Now in their 35th season, Signature is re-staging this four-time Tony Award-winning rock musical.
Directors of Hedwighave free rein to create adlibs for the script and the actors do too, affording a wide berth to interpret the script with both topical and regional humor. In in our area that means politics. Inside the Beltway mixing politics and theater guarantees a hugely receptive audience, especially given our current political and regional climate. And for a non-federally funded theater with a progressive board and deep-pocket donors, that translates to free license to mount edgy, intriguing and controversial theatre.
Sawyer Smith (Hedwig) in Hedwig and the Angry Inch at Signature Theatre. (Photo/Daniel Rader)
With that said creator/writer/original cast performer John Cameron Mitchell (who refers to Hedwig as “genderqueer”) in partnership with composer/writer Stephen Trask, allowed for countless reinterpretations to keep the show both current and relevant. This production ushers in the 50thAnniversary of World Pride celebrations in the nation’s capital.
Born male in East Berlin in 1961 before the wall came down, Hedwig, neé Hansel (note the lederhosen), is the child of an absent Army officer father and a cruel and loveless mother. As a child he referred to himself as a “girly boy” who liked to dress in drag. In his teen years, he meets Luther, a soldier eager to encourage his tendencies and who will become his sugar daddy. One day, Luther tells Henry he will marry him, but he will need to have a sex change operation. When Henry wakes up the botched job leaves him with an inch of his manhood.
Vanessa (V) Sterling (Yitzhak), Sawyer Smith (Hedwig), and Joanna Smith (Bass) (Photo/Daniel Rader)
Hansel, now Hedwig (Sawyer Smith), is abandoned by Luther and soon meets Tony, a rock musician. She writes all of Tony’s material and his star ascends, but he too abandons her. It’s 1989 and she winds up in a mobile home in Kansas divorced, penniless and a woman. But despite all that, Hedwig, no slouch to show biz and the glam world of rock, decides to hit the boards with the help of her new husband Yitzhak (Vanessa (V) Sterling) who is as mercurial as a snapdrake – alternating between servile and surreptitious.
Accompanied by a four-piece band Hedwig, now in eye-popping costumes and towering wigs, performs an androgynously hilarious act filled with trash and flash. Their music is an amalgam of punk rock, glam rock and head-banging heavy metal and reminds me of the Russian feminist anti-Putin rock group “Pussy Riot”.
This immersive production snatches life at every turn with cheesy jokes, sassy quips and audience participation. Sit in the front row if you dare – or if you like. The music veers from mosh pit raucous to beautifully tender ballads with Hedwig revving up the audience with twirls and whirls, high kicks and massive allure as her story unfolds.
Chicago actor Sawyer Smith is riveting and reckless. You can’t look away for a second. She has the charisma and vocal chops to captivate the audience who lap up every minute. Sterling is a perfect vocal match to Smith and their harmonies are most especially lovely in the ballads.
Vanessa (V) Sterling (Yitzhak) and Sawyer Smith (Hedwig) with Marika Countouris (Keyboard), Sam Carolla (Drums), Joanna Smith (Bass), and Alec Green (Guitar) (Photo/Daniel Rader)
With The Angry Inch Band of Sam Carolla on drums; Marika Countouris on keyboard and as Music Director; Alec Green on guitar; and Joanna Smith on bass guitar.
Directed by Ethan Heard, Text by John Cameron Mitchell, Choreography by Ashleigh King, Costumes by Eric Teague, Scenic Design by Richie Ouellette, Lighting Design by K Rudolph, Sound Design by Eric Norris, Wig & Makeup Design by Ali Pohanka.
Recommended for grown-ups of all stripes. Wave your freak flag and join the madly wacky world of Hedwig.
Through June 22nd at Signature Theatre, in the Village of Shirlington, 4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, VA. For tickets and information call the box office at 703.820.9771 or visit www.SigTheatre.org.
