Alexandra Bilder and the ensemble of Hamlet. (Photo Emily Lord)
Twenty-four-year-old Alexandria, VA native Sam Landa will bring his New York Circus Project to our area to perform an electrifying acrobatic Hamlet. Starting its DC run on July 31, he describes the interdisciplinary theater and circus company he founded in 2023 in this way. âBoth circus and Shakespeare are perceived as aged forms. By matching the heightened sense of risk that circus delivers to a high-stakes narrative like Hamlet, the show exceeds the original intentions of each of the forms, delighting the audience in the process.â Landa, who will act as director for this groundbreaking show, continues his work as a consultant of acrobatic and aerial elements on Broadway productions.
Sam Landa (Photo Carrie Kizuka)
Apart from his parentsâ lifelong support of his creative interests, Landaâs early influences in our region include his study with The Washington School of Balletâs legendary Artistic Director and Choreographer Septime Webre. âWhen I danced at The Washington School of Ballet as a child Septime Webre was a very big influence on me. He used classic novels and great works of literature and turned them into ballets, sourcing from traditional stories that you wouldnât expect to see a ballet come out of. The idea of working with non-traditional stories influenced me to choose Hamlet because itâs a bold choice. I wanted to look back and say, it might be risky, but I pulled it off.â
Other influences stem from his early education in Alexandria schools where he attended George Mason Elementary, GW Middle School and Alexandria High School before going to The National Circus School [Ăcole Nationale de Cirque] in Montreal where he studied under Cirque du Soleilâs masters. He told me one of his biggest influences here was his elementary school PE teacher. âJulie Westcott was always very supportive of me, even at a young age and especially for a boy interested in non-traditional performance art.â Another strong influence was his dance teacher Luis Torres at the Washington School of Ballet and now the Ballet Master of the Hong Kong Ballet, âHe taught me to work hard. Every chance I get to see him I feel invigorated afterwards.â
The aerialist is Angela Zhang (Photo Emily Lord)
Many of the companyâs performances are free outdoor performancesâ offering local communities the opportunity to experience live theater coupled with aerial acrobatics. Two years in the making, Landaâs version of Hamlet was his senior project at Columbia University. When I asked him why Shakespeare and why Hamlet, he replied, âI wanted to pick something that would intrigue people when they heard there was a circus based on Hamlet. I wanted people to not know what they were walking into, and Hamlet is a notoriously complex play. I didnât want something that had been done in circuses. In the case of Hamlet, everybody knows the story and I can focus on the themes that I want to.â
Landa has owned the companyâs rigging system since he first began to perform in circus eight years ago. âOne thing that is really important to me is trying to change circus as an art and entertainment form. I see ballet and opera performances with sweeping and emotional stories, where singing and dance tell the stories, and I want audiences to view circus in the same way. This show is grounded in a narrative with a beginning, middle and end.â
The aerialist is Julia Baccellieri. (Photo by Maya Shkolnik)
A number of the companyâs performers are alums from Cirque du Soleil. Costumes are by Designer Lily Cunicelli who works in film and theater on- and off-Broadway as do many of the performers.  Lighting Designer Nate Files has worked on American Idol, Dancing with the Stars and Blue Man Group as well as concerts for Miley Cyrus and Blackpink.
The contortionist is Ilse Baryshnikov. (Photo Howard Sherman)
Selecting Union Market Dock 5 to mount this production, Landa plans to build out the space to resemble a traditional theater setting. The Union Market District is entering a new phase in the development of entertainment arts, nightlife and theatrical shows and he is able configure the space to suit his needs. âIâm hoping this production with them is the start of a new relationship, because I would love to come back to the area.â
Hamlet poster designed by Sawyer Sadd, featuring Ilse Baryshnikov, Jacob Crow, and Madi Ward. (Courtesy photo)
Performances begin July 31 and run to August 11 at Union Market, Dock 5, 1309 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20002. For tickets and information visit NewYorkCircusProject.org/tickets or email [email protected]
The Kite Runner at Kennedy Center Proves Relevant and Compelling
The Kite Runner The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Jordan Wright June 28, 2024
The Kite Runner (Photo Via The Kennedy Center)
âI became what I am today at the age of twelve,â recalls narrator and protagonist, Amir (Ramzi Khalaf) in the The Kite Runner. It opens in 1973 when Ari was a child living in a large house in Kabul with his father, Baba (Haythem Noor), a successful businessman. Young Hassan (Shahzeb Zahid Hussain also in the role of Farid) lived on the grounds in a nearby hut and was close to Amirâs age. The boys become inseparable, until Amir betrays him, abandons him and suffers from the guilt.
For a production that has enjoyed numerous versions since 2007, The Kite Runner is surprisingly relevant. This latest version landed at the Kennedy Center at the end of its national tour with a very short four-night run. If you didnât catch it (there are two more nights) or have never seen it, I hope you can snag a few tickets. Set in Afghanistan after the fall of the monarchy, the Russian armyâs ten-year occupation and battles against the mujahideen and other foreign factions, and the subsequent occupation by the ultra-conservative religious Taliban, who found new ways to suppress the culture while claiming they were helping the country get back to its roots, it recalls the struggles of a country that already had suffered from internecine religious and tribal conflicts.
Women were beaten in the streets if any parts of their bodies or hair were showing, school for females was shot down, flouters of the new rules were decapitated in public stadiums where attendance was required, dancing, radios and TV were banned and one of the nationâs most popular pastimes, kite flying was forbidden, which is what brings us to this compelling story from best-selling author, Khaled Hosseini.
The Kite Runner (Photo Via The Kennedy Center)
The parallels to current religious wars, massive refugee horrors, internecine tribal warfare and the slaughter of innocent civilians are all too familiar. In this gripping drama we have the advantage of gallows humor to ameliorate the horrors of war.
If youâre a news hound and have followed the trajectory of these stories over the years, you will find yourself satisfied and even amused by how everyday people navigate the most horrific situations. Itâs somehow rewarding to appreciate the bravery and resilience of the ordinary citizen caught up in a insidious battle by forces craving domination of an entire culture.
The Kite Runner (Photo Via The Kennedy Center)
With a remarkable cast, several from the original Broadway cast, this production is a canât miss. Compelling, gripping, slyly acerbic and, above all, necessary. Youâll wonder how Ari, a most unlikely hero, was able to escape the war, find a new life in America, a loving wife, Soraya (Awesta Zarif) and redemption from his past cowardliness under the most dangerous conditions.
With Jonathan Shaboo as Rahim Khan/Dr. Schneider/Omar Faisal; Haythem Noor as Baba; Hassan Nazari-Robati as Ali/Farid; Wiley Naman Strasser as Assef; Danish Farooqui as Wali/Doctor; Jade Zian as Kamal/Zaman; Sophie Zmorrod Ensemble/Pomegranate Lady/Andrews; Kevin Stevens Ensemble/Merchant/Russian Soldier; James Rana as General Taheri; Salar Nader as Tabla Artist.
Adapted by Matthew Spangler; Directed by Giles Croft; Scenic and Costume Design by Barney George; Lighting Design by Charles Balfour; Sound Design by Drew Baumohl; Projection Design by William Simpson; Composer & Music Supervisor Jonathan Girling.
Through June 30th at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20566. For tickets and information call the box office at 202 467-4600 or visit www.Kennedy-Center.org.Â
Bye Bye Birdie Knocks It Out of The Park With Broadway Headliners at the Kennedy Center
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Broadway Center Stage Jordan Wright June 11, 2024
Christian Borle and Krysta Rodriguez (Photo/Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)
Music publisher slash songwriter, Albert Peterson, is in love with his secretary, Rose Alvarez. Head of Almaelou Music Corp. Named after his mother Mae, Lou his beloved dead dog and Al his late father, Albertâs a mommaâs boy and as much as he loves Rosie, his super savvy, gorgeous Latina girlfriend, he has commitment phobia. After eight years of devotion to Albert, Rosie is ready to move on.
Albertâs biggest star is rocker Conrad Birdie, an utterly unmanageable sot with a massive fan club of nubile teens. Dreaming up a clever publicity stunt, Albert orchestrates a press event culminating with Conrad kissing the president of Conradâs fan club on the Ed Sullivan Show. From a stack of fan mail, he chooses the beautiful but recently pinned, Kim Macafee, proud resident of Sweet Apple, Ohio, and President of the Conrad Birdie Fan Club.
Ephram Sykes and Company (Photo/Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)
Predictably, things go south, but not before we meet Albertsâs mother, Mae, Kimâs mom, Doris Macafee, her cranky, authoritarian  dad, Harry Macafee, little brother, Randolph, her fellow fan club members, her steady, Hugo Peabody, and a host of truckers in Charles Maudeâs low-down bar in Sweet Apple, fondly known as âThe Bellybutton of Americaâ.
This huge revival with its 50âs costumes, 50âs mores and 50âs technology is just as relevant today as it was when it opened on Broadway in 1958, one year after Elvis was drafted into the U. S. Army. So, yes, it has elements of the phenomenon of crazed teenage fans high on their idol, but this Tony Award-winning blockbuster has brilliant choreography, buckets of laughs, unforgettably catchy numbers by the Tony Award-winning collaborators – Composer, Charles Strouse and Lyricist Lee Adams and a Broadway cast that delivers in spades.
Sweet Apple Teens (Photo/Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)
Youâll either recall or swoon to the big numbers â âA Healthy, Normal American Boyâ, Rosieâs big song-and-dance solo, âSpanish Roseâ, âHonestly Sincereâ, âOne Last Kissâ, âA Lot of Livinâ to Doâ, âKidsâ, and the beautiful ballad sung by Albert to Rosie âBaby, Talk to Meâ.
Backed by the Kennedy Centerâs Opera House Orchestra, 22-strong members who remain onstage, it is a song and dance fest, featuring some of the most amazing voices from both stage and screen. The acting chops are spot on, the comedic timing unparalleled, the dancing hyper-energetic and the story – absolutely irresistible. This tremendously loveable musical has everything, and I adored every minute of it.
Miguel Gil and Ashlyn Maddox (Photo/Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)
Youâll recognize many of the cast â Christian Borle as Albert, who has garnered several âBest Actorâ Tony Awards and starring TV roles (he reminded me of the mega-star Dick Van Dyke the ace dancer and comedian); Richard Kind as Kimâs dad, Harry, whom youâll recognize as the award-winning character actor from stage and screen with his memorable roles in A Serious Man, Young Sheldon, The Producers, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Goldbergs and many more; Krysta Rodriguez, a brilliant hoofer with a mega-watt smile who has starred on Broadway, TV sitcoms and film in such blockbusters as Argo and Tick, Tick⌠Boom.
Ditto for multi-Tony, Drama Critic and Outer Critics Circle nominee, Ephraim Sykes, as Conrad who was seen on Broadway in Ainât Too Proud â The Life and Times of the Temptations, Hamilton and Newsies.
1Ephraim Sykes and Company (Photo/Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)
And featuring the queen of the slow burn, Caroline Aaron, who plays Mrs. Mae Peterson, Albertâs mother and the consummate âNew Yawkerâ Jewish mother whom youâll recognize as Shirley Maisel in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, plus far too many top roles on stage and screen to mention here.
Itâs not just a host of big-time singers, hoofers and comedians, but a cast that meshes magnificently in one cohesive, laugh out loud, crazy-wonderful show.
Five Stars (if I gave out stars which I donât) for Best of the Best Musicals on a DC stage!
Christian Borle and Caroline Aaron (Photo/Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)
With the stunning voice of Ashlyn Maddox as Kim Macafee, Sarah Chu as Helen, Dori Waymer as Nancy, Kelly Lomonte as Margie, Jalen Michael Jones as Freddie, Luke Kolbe Mannikus as Karl, Maria Cristina Posada Slye as Penelope, Victor De Paula Rocha as Harvey, Rennell Taylor as Charlie, Evan Kinnane as Mike, Jackera Davis as Ursula Merkle, Miguel Gil as Hugo Peabody, Jennifer Laura Thompson as Mrs. Doris Macafee, Kevin Ligon as Mayor, Allison Blackwell as Mayorâs Wife, Kevin McAllister as Mr. Merkle and Charles F. Maude, Linda Muggleston as Mrs. Merkle, Megan Sikora as Gloria Rasputin and Mrs. Johnson, and Henry Kirk as Randolph Macafee.
Director Marc Bruni, Music Director John Bell, Choreographer Denis Jones, Music Director John Bell, Book by Michael Stewart, Scenic Design by Lee Savage, Costume Design by Linda Cho, Lighting Design by Cory Pattak, Sound Design by Haley Parcher, Production Design by Nathan Scheuer, Hair & Wig Designer Tom Watson.
Through June 15th at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20566. For tickets and information call the box office at 202 467-4600 or visit www.Kennedy-center.org.Â
 Mark Twainâs Hilarious Farce Is He Dead? at the Little Theatre of Alexandria
Mark Twainâs Is He Dead? The Little Theatre of Alexandria Jordan Wright May 29, 2024 Special to The Zebra
Sarah Keisler, Lanny Warkentien (Photo/Matthew Randall)
How to pump up the audience and give them a taste of whatâs to come? Open with the soundtrack of Lady Gagaâs âBad Romanceâ and, bam! Weâre in Paris. Thatâs how Director Joey Pierce prepares the audience for Mark Twainâs Is He Dead?  Set in the Barbizon area, itâs a zany comedy about how an artistsâ works are worth buckets more dough when heâs dead. The trick is convincing buyers that the artist is truly dead and not just on the Barbary Coast, which is their big, thankfully unchallenged, lie. Three friends and the artist himself, all very much in debt and needing money to escape jail, ignominy and poverty, conjure a way out of their fraught situation, offering up lots of absurdities for us to gobble up.
Mark Twain (pen name of the great American writer, Samuel Clemens) represents all the irreverence and general societal nose-thumbing I found exquisitely redeeming as a young reader. Like me, many of his fans are unfamiliar with his little-known foray into playwriting. This recently unearthed comedy should set the record straight and serve to bring new fans to his work.
Discovered by Twain scholar, Shelley Fisher Fishkin, in an archive of his works at UC Berkeley, the farce was brought to Broadway in 2007 with the help of contemporary playwright, David Ives, who adapted the production.
It tells a fictional story of the famed pastoral painter, Jean-Francois Millet (Lanny Warkentien), who is in love with the beautiful Marie Leroux (Sarah Keisler) but in debt to Bastien Andre (Kirk Lambert). If Millet canât come up with the dough, Andre wants to marry Marie. The action opens at Milletâs studio where he and his pals, Agamemnon Buckner âChicagoâ (Brendan Chaney), Phelim OâShaughnessy (Zachary Litwiller) and Hans von Bismarck âDutchyâ (Hanlon Smith Dorsey) are plotting to get Millet out of imminent danger. This trio of copains are as disparate as could ever be conjured up. Hereâs where the plot is hatched to fake Milletâs death. They will rake up the prices and invite Basil Thorpe (Justin Beland), a villainous British art dealer art dealer to return. Naturellement, nothing goes as planned and thatâs when the fun begins.
They invite him to return on the pretext of announcing the terrible news and he falls for it, buying up all the paintings at hugely inflated prices. Disguising Millet as Milletâs grieving widow is the first step and Warkentien steals the show in a hot pink satin frock with over-sized paniers. I thought of Milton Berle and Jonathan Winters â both comedians well-known for their cross-dressing characters. Two elderly ladies, Mdme. Bathilde (Beverly Gholston) and Mdme. Caron (Anne Shively), friends of the artist who know nothing about the switcheroo, come for tea with the âwidowâ and pass off âherâ odd behavior as a woman grieving the loss of her husband.
From a humble artistâs atelier in the first act to a lavish set design of a drawing room in Act Two of the now, well-to-do widowâs 19th century maison attended by her nutty butler Charlie (Justin Beland), we are privy to a sea change in Milletâs fortunes. Drawing on burlesque this witty comedy exposes the perils and deceptions of the art world.
This cast clicks, but itâs Brendan Chaney as Chicago and Lanny Warkentien who are both the glue and the energy that take this farce to the next level.
Great fun and a terrific summer romp!
With the cast in multiple roles and a slew of costume changes. Alayna Theunissen as Cecile Leroux; Leo Mairena as Papa Leroux; Lanny Warkentien as Jean-Francois Millet and the Widow Tillou; Beverly Gholston as Madame Bathilde and Emperor of Russia; Anne Shively as Madame Caron and the Sultan of Turkey; Justin Beland as Basil Thorpe, Reporter, Charlie and the King of France. Understudy Justin von Stein plays Millet/Tillou on May 22, 31and June 1.
Original adaption by David Ives; Set Design by Matt Liptak; Lighting Design by Adam Konowe; Sound Design by Alan Wray and Christine McShay; Costume Design by Jean Schlichting and Kit Sibley; Makeup and Hair Design by Sue Pinkman.
Through June 8th at The Little Theatre of Alexandria, 600 Wolfe Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. For tickets and information visit www.The Little Theatre.com or call the box office at 703 683-5778.
Folger Theatreâs Metamorphoses Is a Wild and Wacky TripÂ
Folger Shakespeare Theatre Jordan Wright May 16, 2024 Special to The Zebra
The Water Nymph (Miss Kitty) introduces us to the mythical tales of Ovid (Photo/Brittany Diliberto)
Playwright Mary Zimmerman is a national treasure. With two productions currently running in DC theaters and last yearâs Helen Hayes Award-winning production of The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci at the Shakespeare Theatre Company, her reputation in our area is firmly cemented. Iâll see anything with her name on it. You should too.
In Metamorphoses Zimmerman uses stories from David Slavittâs translation of the Latin poet Ovidâs masterpiece written in 8 A.D. to form the foundation of this dramedy that puts these ancient myths in modern context describing the history of the world in a hilariously topsy-turvy vision of the classic.
Hunger (Yesenia Islesias, left) breathes spirit into Erysichthon (Gerrad Alex Taylor) (Photo/Brittany Diliberto)
Most of the vignettes here are the familiar cautionary tales of greed, lust, incestâŚoh letâs just proffer the seven deadly sins and call it a day. Under Director Psalmayene 24âs singularly creative interpretation we find an all-Black ensemble playing multiple parts in a flurry of costume changes to express the multiple roles each actor portrays within the individual vignettes.
Psalmayene has conjured up one of the most explosive openings seen on DC stages. It is so stunning that the audience goes utterly silent. Led by the Water Nymph (Miss Kitty) the entourage parades through the center aisle, tribal dancing, whirling, summoning the Gods with African music as they arrive onstage. There they undergo an a sort of transmogrification â as captured slaves undergoing the Middle Passage from their ancestral lands. Tossed by a tempest at sea, their journey reflects the pain and degradation of a slave market. From that dramatic unveiling, our storytellers find themselves in dire circumstances humorously expressed through costume, character and morphing appearance. Because the actors play multiple parts, I found it tricky to puzzle out who played which character. Thatâs a testimonial to the extraordinary costume design by Mika Eubanks, who has created here some of the most beautiful, zany, over-the-top and imaginative costumes Iâve seen all year.
Cast sings âKing Fisherâ song in Folger Theatreâs staging of Metamorphoses. Pictured top: DeJeanette Horne and Billie Krishawn; bottom, left to right: Manu Kumasi, Kalen Robinson, and Yesenia Iglesias. (Photo/Brittany Diliberto)
Imagine the goddess, Iris, sporting a pink Afro with a frilly rainbow-hued and ruffled tutu â another character super fly in full-on glittering gold and white and the morphing of Alcyone (Renee Elizabeth Wilson) who with her beloved husband take the form of birds, reflecting the well-known phrase âhalcyon daysâ.
Thereâs a lot to be said for brevity when it comes to complex themes of love and loss and in these stories, the objective is clear. In each piece we meet the hapless cast of characters and learn of the hot mess theyâve gotten themselves into challenged and complicated by the muse or god positioned on high â in this case upon the balcony. The frailties and passions of mere mortals are highlighted, while the gods, busy spewing their edicts and curses, become fodder for ridicule with the moral of the story revealed after each vision quest.
Narcissus (Gerrad Alex Taylor) accepts a flower from the Water Nymph (Miss Kitty) (Photo/Brittany Diliberto)
The choice of Midas (brilliantly played by Jon Hudson Odom) as the opening myth, is a good one, since we all know the tale of the greedy king who wished everything he touched turned to gold unfortunately that included most his beloved daughter (Kalen Robinson). Clad in a green velvet jacket and crown, Midas rues the day he threw over his daughter for the golden touch and goes on a mission to undo the terrible curse. Odom, totally tricked out, returns as Orpheus busting Motown moves to James Brownâs âGet Up (I Feel Like Being a Sex Machine)â and Michael Jacksonâs âWanna Be Startinâ Somethinââ. And, boom! We are laughing our tailfeathers off.
Metamorphoses shows that it is possible to speak of enigmatic things when they are creatively and hilariously interpreted and passionately performed by an ensemble of such high calibre.
Lighting Designer William K. DâEugenio and Scenic Designer Lawrence E. Moten III have crucial tasks since there are no set changes and no curtains to draw. Along with Sound Designer and Composer Nick Tha 1DA Hernandez, ambiance is key to support the stories. And because the wigs and hair designs are so over the top, Iâd be remiss if I didnât give a shout out to Designer Rueben D. Echoles.
Highly recommended!
The cast of Mary Zimmermanâs Metamorphoses (Photo/Brittany Diliberto)
With Edwin Brown as Third Man: Phaeton and others; Dejeanette Horne as First Man: Zeus and others; Renea S. Brown as Third Woman: Myrrha and others; Yesenia Iglesias as First Woman: Aphrodite and others; Billie Krishawn as Second Woman: Eurydice and others; Manu Kumasi as Fourth Man: Vertumnus and others; Gerrad Alex Taylor as Fifth Man: Bacchus and others.
Artistic Director, Karen Ann Daniels; Choreographer, Tony Thomas; Original Composer, Willy Schwarz; Sound Designer, Nick Tha 1DA Henrnandez; Props Designer Deb Thomas; Dramaturg, Faedra Chatard Carpenter PhD.
Through June 16th at the Folger Theatre, Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol Street, SE, Washington, DC â For tickets and information visit www.folger.edu or call the box office at 202 544-7007.Â
