Melody Rose in Finding Neverland ~ Photo Credit Jeremy Daniel
Finding Neverland flew into the National Theatre last night, straight from the second star on the right. As the second-oldest theater in America, the National continues to provide us with the Broadway shows we are dying to see plus some that have made their out-of-town debuts right here. Seeing a big show on this smaller stage in this grand historic theater makes it feel as if you’re right on stage with the actors.
Ruby Gibbs in Finding Neverland ~ Photo Credit Jeremy Daniel
This supremely delightful musical takes its cue from the life of author J. M. Barrie and his inspiration for the beloved children’s book, “Peter Pan”. It’s an adventure suitable for all ages – that is if you still believe in fairies. And we do! Written by James Graham with music and lyrics by the composing duo of Gary Barlow & Eliot Kennedy, it is chockful of sweet ballads, rousing Irish jigs and toe-tapping chorus numbers. This song-writing team is solid gold. Barlow has sold over 45 million records with his pop group Take That and is co-writer on the popular musical The Band. Kennedy is a Grammy-Award winning musician/singer/songwriter who has had number-one hits with the Spice Girls, Celine Dion, Aretha Franklin and many more. Altogether, Finding Neverland has twenty original numbers.
The Company of Finding Neverland ~ Photo Credit Jeremy Daniel
Kensington Gardens is where Barrie, a playwright with writer’s block, meets Sylvia, a widow with four boys – George, Peter (of course), Jack and Michael. Trapped in a loveless, childless marriage with his imperious wife, Mary, he soon becomes enchanted with Sylvia and her lively brood, providing fuel to the boys’ imaginations as he recaptures his own inner child with a script heartily disapproved by his dyspeptic producer, Charles Frohman, and a stubborn-minded cast who refuse to play children’s roles.
The Company of Finding Neverland ~ Photo Credit Jeremy Daniel
Not to be compared with Peter Pan, the 1954 musical with Mary Martin who flew and crowed her way into Broadway history books, this fantasy adventure has equal amounts of appeal. Wonderfully engaging choreography by Mia Michaels, choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance and Cirque de Soleil’s Delirium. Michaels has choreographed for Madonna and Prince and is a three-time Emmy Award-winner. For this production, rather than flights aided by ceiling wire, cast members lift their mates as they ‘soar’ around Neverland. The children (and the adults!) around me were gobsmacked with glee.
Jeff Sullivan and Seth Erdley in Finding Neverland ~ Photo Credit Jeremy Daniel
A large banquet table proves to be a hilarious hiding place for the guests when napkins fly in Barrie’s posh home in “The Dinner Party” and “The Circus of Your Mind” that plays out to the sounds of a calliope as it delves into Mary and James’ private lives. At last, Barrie gets the theater’s troupe to recall their childhood imaginations in “Play”, a wildly animated tavern scene that brings all the imaginary characters together dancing and singing.
The Company of Finding Neverland ~ Photo Credit Jeremy Daniel
A nine-piece band, beautiful voices, adorable children, pirates! and clever projections (How do they create the stardust? Asking for a friend.) is guaranteed to keep this magical musical close to your heart.
Highly recommended for all ages. Hurry! It’s only in town till Sunday.
Through March 3rd at the National Theater, Washington DC – 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004. For tickets and information visit www.TheNationalDC.org or call 202 628-6161.
With Jeff Sullivan as J. M. Barrie; Ruby Gibbs as Sylvia Llewelyn Davies; Ashley Edler as Mary Barrie; Paul Thiemann as Albert; Conor McGiffin as Charles Frohman and Captain James Hook; Michael Luongo as Lord Cannan; Emmanuelle Zeesman as Mrs. Du Maurier; Joshua William Green as Mr. Henshaw; Spenser Micetich as Mr. Cromer; Kelsey Seaman as Miss Jones; Adrien Swenson as Miss Bassett; Melody Rose as Peter Pan; Marie Choate as Wendy; Daniel S. Hayward as Captain Hook.
Llewelyn Children played by Brody Bett (Jack/Michael); Seth Erdley (George/Peter/Jack); Caleb Reese Paul (George/Peter/Jack); Peter Schoeller (George/Peter/Jack); Josiah Smothers (Jack/Michael); and Ethan Stokes (George/Peter/Jack).
Original Direction by Diane Paulus; Direction Recreated by Mia Walker; Orchestrations by Simon Hale; Scenic Design by Scott Pask, Lighting Design by Kenneth Posner, Costume Design by Suttirat Larlarb, and Sound Design by Shannon Slaton.
Fans of Henry James will cotton to this period piece that debuted on Broadway in 1947.
(L-R) Laura C. Harris (Catherine Sloper) and Jonathan David Martin (Morris Townsend) in The Heiress. Photo by C. Stanley Photography.
Set in the Victorian era, it is based on James’ novella, Washington Square. The Heiress takes place in the parlor of the prominent Doctor Sloper’s home in New York City circa 1850’s – a time when proper ladies and gentlemen of a certain class comported themselves with the utmost dignity. But minding your P’s and Q’s at a time when a family’s reputation could be destroyed at the drop of a lace handkerchief, took serious adherence to well-circumscribed proprieties.
For the painfully shy doctor’s daughter, who struggles to live up to her late mother’s image in her father’s eyes, every social interaction is torturous. Every slight from her father’s lips remands her deeper into her silent world of embroidery until his sister, Lavinia, encourages Catherine to climb out of her self-imposed shell and reject his autocratic demands.
(L to R) Janet Hayatshahi (Elizabeth Almond) and James Whalen (Dr. Austin Sloper) in The Heiress. Photo by C. Stanley Photography.
When a cousin brings Morris, an attentive young suitor, to dinner Catherine begins to see how the attentions of an adoring young man can empower her to speak out. Naturally, her father disapproves as Morris is penniless, but Catherine finds her inner strength and, with the backing of her aunt, rebels against his social constraints.
Relatives provide disparaging gossip about Morris that he is a mere mountebank after Catherine’s fortune and the money her father has promised to leave her in his will. It’s easy to imagine how fraught these issues must have been when young women bowed to the demands of their fathers and society’s pressures to conform to the highest standards of conduct were unassailable.
(L-R) Jonathan David Martin (Morris Townsend) and Nancy Robinette (Lavinia Penniman) in The Heiress. Photo by C. Stanley Photography.
The great character actress Nancy Robinette as Aunt Lavinia is marvelous, as is Laura Harris as Catherine and Jonathan David Martin as the suspiciously-motivated Morris. It’s a well-balanced cast all around with an all-women creative team that includes Deputy Artistic Director Seema Sueko. Together they produce the precise ambiance to frame this classic period piece which draws upon women’s struggles to supersede their societal constraints.
Fans of period dramas such as Downton Abbey will swoon.
By Ruth Goetz and Augustus Goetz; Directed by Seema Sueko; Set Design by Mikiko Suzuki Macadams; Costume Design by Ivania Stack; Lighting Design by Sherrice Mojgani; Sound Design and Original Music by Emma M. Wilk; and Wig Design by Anne Nesmith.
With Lise Bruneau as Mrs. Montgomery; Lorene Chesley as Marian Almond; Laura C. Harris as Catherine Sloper; Janet Hayatshahi as Elizabeth Almond; Joanathan David Martin as Morris Townsend; Nanacy Robinette as Lavinia Penniman; Kimberly Schraf as Maria; James Whelan as Dr. Austin Sloper; and Nathan Whitmer as Arthur Townsend.
Through March 10th at Arena Stage – 1101 Sixth St., SE, Washington, DC 20024. For tickets and information call 202 488-3300 or visit www.ArenaStage.org.
Richard, bloody Richard the Third. Thirteen murders for a single crown. The Grim Reaper visits this drama so frequently it’s hard to keep count. Staged in what appears to be a prison somewhere in, oh well, pick somewhere obscure, let’s say Alabama circa 1920’s, where concrete walls and hidden rooms pop out to reveal spotlighted men hanging by chains. Pile on the poisonings, force feedings, hot cauldrons and decapitation and you’ve got no more than you might see in an R-rated flick. Let’s say The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, shall we?Oh, right, there is a chainsaw here too. Is that how we want to see Shakespeare’s prose come to life? That it is well-acted, is not in question. That it is maximumly dark and catering to extreme tastes, is manifestly certain. Is it really necessary to reenact each one of Richard’s gruesome crimes?
Matthew Rauch as Richard, Duke of Gloucester in Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of ‘Richard the Third.’ Photo by Scott Suchman.
“I am determined to prove a villain,” Richard claims in his opening line, and wow! is he spot on. His threats, killings and demands of loyalty are that of a Mafia kingpin. Director David Muse gives us a chorus of leather strap-snapping executioners and jailers who slick-sharpen their knives while taunting their next victim. And, though they lurk in shadow, his henchmen are always ready to provide their murderous services. Plus, they do an especially good job of mopping up the stage after each bloodbath.
In the Director’s Notes, Muse refers to the play as “…a pantry of tasty ingredients rather than a perfectly put-together recipe.” I can’t say food came to mind when I slogged through these ritualistic killings interspersed with Richard’s nefarious manipulations of his subjects. Maybe I have too delicate a constitution. Couldn’t we leave something to the imagination? In this production, Muse has admittedly condensed acts, changed words and altered characters to adapt to a two-hour time frame for what he refers to as the “modern audience”, but what is left is jam-packed with fratricidal murder and mayhem from beginning to end. As this homicidal maniac admits, “I am in so far in blood that sin will pluck on sin.” These days we might refer to him as a serial killer.
The cast of Shakespeare Theatre Company’s ‘Richard the Third.’ Photo by Scott Suchman.
Notwithstanding all the blood and gore, I was particularly taken by certain performances. Most especially the extraordinary Lizan Mitchell as Queen Margaret of Anjou, the prophetess; Sofia Cheyenne as the Mayor of London; and I have to hand it to Matthew Rauch as Richard III. He has to do this for the entire run of the play.
With David Bishins as King Edward IV and Sir Richard Ratcliffe; Cody Nickell as George, Duke of Clarence and James Tyrrel; Sandra Shipley as Duchess of York; Charlie Niccolini as Prince Edward; Logan Matthew Baker as Young Duke of York; Lizan Mitchell as Margaret of Anjou; Cara Ricketts as Lady Anne of Neville; Robynn Rodriguez as Queen Elizabeth; Todd Scofield as Earl of Rivers; Jonathan Feuer as Lord Gray; Christopher Michael McFarland as Duke of Buckingham; Derrick Lee Weeden as Lord Hastings; Michael Rudko as Lord Stanley; Evelyn Spahr as Earl of Richmond; John Keabler as Sir William Catesby; Sam Midwood as Lord Lovel; Harry A. Winter as Archbishop of Canterbury; Ahmad Kamal as Brakenbury; David Ryan Smith as Murderer 1; and Matthew Aldwin McGee as Murderer 2.
Dramaturg, Drew Lichtenberg; Scenic Designer, Debra Booth; Costume Designer, Murell Horton; and Lighting Designer Lap Chi Chu.
Warning: This production includes graphic depictions of violence, including violence against women and children, which may not be suitable for all audiences.
Through March 10th at Sidney Harman Hall 610 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20004. For tickets and information call 202 547-1122 or visit www.ShakespeareTheatre.org.
Maryam Najafzaga as Roxanne – Photo credit is Johnny Shryock
Talk about drama! With a scant 24-hour notice Vato Tsikurishvili was thrust into the role of Cyrano when leading man Justin Bell fell ill. Vato, a consummate performer and teacher, has performed in countless Synetic productions – his parents, Paata and Irina Tsikurishvili, are co-founding Artistic Directors. He has performed with the troupe since he was four and is a nine-time Helen Hayes Award nominee and five-time award-winning ensemble member with Synetic. He is also the Director of this production of Cyrano de Bergerac and naturally knew all the scenes. And since this is one of Synetic’s famed series wordless productions., at least he didn’t have to learn lines! Crisis averted.
The Cast of Cyrano de Bergerac – Photo credit is Johnny Shryock
During the six years I have reviewed Synetic’s stagings, they have performed within many unique sets. I once was blown away as they did the entire play in six inches of sand and another time for The Tempest the stage was constructed to hold six inches of water. Once they surrounded the stage with tall plexiglass panels so the audience wouldn’t get drenched in Day-Glo paint that was splashed around in a massive hookah-smoking party scene. But in this equally imaginative interpretation, one of their finest to date, there is no elaborate staging and no moving sets. It is just pure theater – full of classical pantomime, eye-popping dance and clever acrobatics.
Vato Tsikurishvili as Cyrano with Maryam Najafzada as Roxanne – Photo credit is Johnny Shryock
We all know the story of Cyrano. Dismissed as a lover by his unappealing looks (the nose!), he nevertheless remains friends with Roxanne. When his dashing friend Christian tells him of his love for the beautiful Roxanne, Cyrano takes a back seat, helping Christian write tender love letters while the men are off to war. As a result, she falls madly in love with Christian and marries him only to discover after his death, that Cyrano is the author of those letters that so touched her heart. Their re-uniting as old folks is what makes this an indelible and ageless love story.
Matt R. Stover as Christian with Maryam Najafzada as Roxanne – Photo credit is Johnny Shryock
Vato uses the 19th century play by Edmond Rostand as backdrop for this magnificent action ballet and pantomime starring Maryam Najafzada, a young classically-trained Azerbaijan ballerina. We saw and raved about her last October in Synetic’s production of Sleepy Hollow. Najafzada is as liquid as poured mercury. She first appears as a swan bathed in a golden light. Her dance is en pointe in a tutu that releases downy white feathers when she flutters. Her facial expressions speak more words than words could. She is magnificent.
Vato Tsikurishvili as Cyrano – Photo credit Johnny Shyrock
An invented character called Time is played by another Synetic regular, Ana Tsikurishvili, the daughter of Paata and Irina. A thoroughly captivating dancer clad in harlequin tights and a tutu, she signifies the passage of time and the futility of hours wasted in unrequited love. This delicate enchantress beckons Cyrano to make haste while life passes him by, appearing with fluttering doves in her attempt to end the war.
Ana Tsikurishvili as Time ~ Photo credit Johnny Shyrock
This action play owes much of its lyrical allure to Irina Tsikurishvili’s choreography, especially in the pas de deux with Cyrano and Roxanne, and another with Time and Roxanne, as well as its immersive mood created by Konstantine Lortipanidze who weaves techno-pop with tango.
A feast for the eyes and heart. Highly recommended.
With Matt R. Stover as Christian; Phillip Fletcher as De Guiche; and Anne Flowers as Priest.
Resident Composer & Sound Designer, Konstantine Lortkipanidze; Lighting Designer, Brian S. Allard; Adapter, Nathan Weinberger; Scenic Designer, Phil Charlwood; and Costume Designer, Alison Samantha Johnson.
Through March 10th at Synetic Theater, 1800 South Bell Street, Arlington, VA in Crystal City. For tickets and information call 1-866-811-4111 or visit www.synetictheater.org.
For Playwright Jessica Swale, who cleverly mixes factual events with a lively imagination, Nell Gwynn (Alison Luff), the orange seller who rose from her mother’s Coal Pan Alley brothel to become King Charles II’s most adored paramour, is the perfect vehicle to celebrate the rise of women’s roles in the theater. Swale, who was named “10 Brits to Watch for 2019” by Variety, earned an Olivier Award for “Best New Comedy” for the play when it debuted in London’s West End in 2016. “The rags-to-riches story of Nell Gwynn is an important and timely one,” says Director Robert Richmond. “Her tenacity, wit and honesty changed the theatrical landscape forever and won her a place in history.”
Nell Gwynn (Alison Luff) with musicians left to right: Zoe Speas and Kevin Collins. Photo by Brittany Diliberto, Bee Two Sweet Photography
Set during the Restoration period when men played women’s roles – early drag, you might say – it was a time when theaters were filled with a mix of royals, rowdy-dows and drunkards. Shakespeare cast men in women’s roles and that was the way of theater in the 17th century. That is until King Charles II declared women could be on the stage.
King Charles II (R.J. Foster, left) consults with Lord Arlington (Jeff Keogh) on matters of the court. Photo by Brittany Diliberto, Bee Two Sweet Photography
Fact: Discovered on Drury Lane by leading British actor, Charles Hart (Quinn Franzen), Gwynn proved to be a natural on the stage where her feisty, street-wise manner won over audiences.
Hart becomes Gwynn’s Pygmalion and lover, teaching her what he calls “the attitudes” – fear, terror, despair and desire. She does so well that she usurps one of the principal actors in the King’s troupe, Edward Kynaston (Christopher Dinolfo), who must now sacrifice all the female parts to her. “A woman on the stage! It will be the death of theater!” he cries out. There is a delightfully bawdy bit when she shows off her acting chops by demonstrating the use of a fan to lure a lover.
Rose Gwynn (Caitlin Cisco, left) shares a somber moment with her sister Nell (Alison Luff). Photo by Brittany Diliberto, Bee Two Sweet Photography
Gwynn soon comes to the attention of King Charles (R. J. Foster), who had a revolving door of glamorous mistresses who make their appearances along with the cuckolded Queen Catherine (Zoe Speas). Some of these women were well-known at court – Lady Castlemaine and Louise de Keroualle both played ladies by Regina Aquino. Foster is mesmerizing as the vainglorious king who prefers women to edicts or wars. He is the perfect foil for Ruff.
The sly Lord Arlington (Jeff Keogh), who has the most influence on the King and his courtesans, is determined to keep them at bay in order to maintain his power in the court. Remember the famed poet and dramatist, John Dryden (Michael Glenn), from your English Lit classes? Here he is portrayed as a bumbling, foppish playwright who takes direction from the actors.
The King’s Company in performance (left to right: Caitlin Cisco, Quinn Franzen, Christopher Dinolfo). Photo by Brittany Diliberto, Bee Two Sweet Photography
There are so many funny bits. Dinolfo as Camille re-enacting his memory of an oak door in order to create a back story to a scene; Catherine Flye as Nancy, the terrified wardrobe mistress flung onto the stage when Nell quits in a huff; and, of course, Luff, who will rob you of any sense of decorum with her charm and comic timing. Wait for the over-the-top hat scene mocking Louise de Kéroualle in Act Two.
A delicious royal romp!
With Nigel Gore as Thomas Killigrew; Caitlin Cisco as Rose Gwynn; Kevin Collins as Musician; and Alex Mitchell as Ned Spigett.
Original Music by Kim Sherman, Scenic Design by Tony Cisek, Costume Design by Mariah Anzaldo Hale, and Lighting Design by Andrew F. Griffin.
Through March 10th at the Folger Theatre at the Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol Street, SE, Washington, DC 20003. For tickets and information call 202 544-7077 or visit www.Folger.edu/theatre.
Solomon Parker III, Iyona Blake, Nova Y. Payton, Korinn Walfall and Kevin McAllister. Photo by Christopher Mueller.
Ain’t Misbehavin’, the show that opened on Broadway in 1978 starring Nell Carter is a revue of the compositions of the period, most notably Fats Waller’s. Performed by five super-talented singers, all well-known to Signature fans, who deliver thirty-nine numbers, some in short form. The music reveals the scope of Waller’s extensive repertoire and his mastery of the Harlem slide piano. Many of the songs may be unfamiliar, but some are surprisingly well-known – “Honeysuckle Rose”, “The Joint is Jumpin’”, “I Can’t Give You Anything but Love, Baby”, “It’s a Sin to Tell a Lie”, and “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter”, recorded by everyone from Frank Sinatra to Nat King Cole and Paul McCartney.
The show is a musical anthology rather than a story-driven theatrical production. Its format is a singers’ showcase performed by a quintuple of song stylists who interpret the melodies in a range of styles through dance, mood and motion. There are duets to revel in and sexy, sultry ballads that sizzle. There is jitterbug and jazz, blues and boogie-woogie, and even a glee club-styled dirge in the number “Black and Blue” which was Waller’s response to the racism he experienced. A particularly hot and rarely heard number, “The Viper’s Drag”, sung by Solomon Parker III, wows with a slinky dance and hep cat jam referencing his pipe dream of “a reefer five-feet long”. Iyona Blake, Kevin McAllister, Korinn Walfall and Nova Y. Payton round out the cast of top-notch singers.
Solomon Parker III and Korinn Walfall. Photo by Christopher Mueller
Marquee lights, Art Deco pendant lamps hung from the ceiling and small shaded lamps affording a honeyed glow rest on cocktail tables positioned in front of the stage to transform the MAX Theatre into a Harlem nightclub – one with a seven-piece onstage band led by Mark G. Meadows as Fats Waller. Glamourous costumes of the period – ladies dripping with fur and rhinestones and gents sporting crisply tailored chesterfields and spiffy black tie as conceived by Costume Designer Sarita P. Fellows.
Mark G. Meadows. Photo by Christopher Mueller
Thomas “Fats” Waller was a brilliant musician and fascinating character. An accomplished classical pianist who found too many doors shut to him until he arrived in Harlem to become one of the greatest and most prolific composers of early jazz and syncopated rhythms as well as a stylish performer in his own right. I tell you this up front, since, unlike other productions like Beautiful: The Carole King Story or the Gloria and Emilio Estefan musical On Your Feet! designed around the lives and works of the composers or the stars, this is a revue without a back story.
Iyona Blake and Solomon Parker III. Photo by Christopher Mueller
Perfect for date night!
Written by Richard Maltby, Jr. and Murray Horowitz and Directed by Joe Calarco. Additional cast members Da’von T. Moody and Kanysha Williams. Scenic Design by Paige Hathaway; Lighting Design by Sherrice Mojgani; Sound Design by Ryan Hickey; Choreography by Jared Grimes. Musicians: Mark G. Meadows on piano; Michael Bowie on bass; Carroll “CV” Dashiel III on drums; Ed Walters and Grant Langford on reeds; Kieron Irvine on trumpet: and Christopher Steele on trombone.
Through March 10th at Signature Theatre (Shirlington Village), 4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, VA 22206. For tickets and information call 703 820-9771 or visit www.signature-theatre.org.
