The cast of Shakespeare’s political power play King John at Folger Theatre. Photo by Teresa Wood.
That this play is rarely produced, is an enigma. Okay, it doesn’t have maidens frothily cavorting with lords a-leaping, but I couldn’t help thinking that if only I’d seen this as a teenager, much of my angst about studying Shakespeare might have been completely avoided. In King John Shakespeare affords us some of the most expressive language he has ever written. Wish I’d had some of his snappy putdowns in my mental back pocket. “Oh, dunghill,” one of the characters calls another making for a far more effective retort than, “You meanie!”. Amirite?
King John (Brian Dykstra) rules over England, with his mother Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine (Kate Goehring) by his side. Photo by Teresa Wood.
Apart from Richard II, King John is the only other Shakespeare play written entirely in verse. And though the play’s prose is already lyrically outstanding, six-time Helen Hayes Award-winning Director, Aaron Posner tosses in some of Shakespeare’s greatest lines from a range of his plays, “Let slip the dogs of war”, “Once more into the breach” and “My kingdom for a horse”, for good measure. And we’re off!
Philip, King of France (Howard W. Overshown) and John, King of England (Brian Dykstra) join hands in Shakespeare’s King John. Photo by Teresa Wood.
Set during King John’s turbulent reign from 1199 to 1216, war is ever present as the fight for ascension to the throne after Richard the Lionheart’s death, threatens John’s tenuous reign. The French want control of the territories, and everyone has a different notion as to who should wear the crown including the Vatican, France, John’s mother Eleanor, Pandolf, Philip Faulconbridge, the Dauphin and Constance, mother to Arthur, John’s young nephew, and ferocious defender of her son’s right. And then there’s the citizens of a French village, Angers (so apropos), who threaten to bar the gates if John becomes king. So pretty much everyone except Philip who is hired on to protect him and Eleanor who stands to lose the family jewels should John be deposed. As Shakespeare puts it, “I have never been so bethumped!”
Noble English Lords take up arms (left to right: Kate Goehring, Maboud Ebrahimzadeh, Holly Twyford) in Shakespeare’s King John.. Photo by Teresa Wood.
As King of England, John must fight off all pretenders and wannabes. Watching him wrangle the forces around him and destroy others in his path, is downright exhilarating as the action swings from one war to the next. One particularly effective scene is staged in total darkness. Actors light up their own faces one by one as they recite their lines from opposite regions of the stage.
As expected there is superb acting all around but most impressively from Kate Eastwood Norris in the male role as Philip of Faulconbridge, the bastard son of Lady Faulconbridge by Richard the Lionhearted, and Holly Twyford as Constance, the overly protective mother of Arthur. We are utterly besotted. As Folger’s Artistic Director, Janet Alexander Griffin puts it, “We are thrilled to have the talents of Aaron Posner and this extraordinary cast bring a timely history play of political posturing and covetous transgressions to life… just blocks away from the Capitol building.”
Louis the Dauphin, son of the King of France (Akeem Davis) and John’s niece Blanche of Spain (Alina Collins Maldonado) arranged to be wed, a sign of peace between France and England. Photo by Teresa Wood.
With Akeem Davis as Louis the Dauphin; Brian Dykstra as John, King of England; Maboud Ebrahimzadeh as Austria and Salisbury; Kate Goehring as Queen Eleanor, Lady Faulconbridge and Bigot; Megan Graves as Arthur and Prince Henry; Alina Collins Maldonado as Blanche of Spain; Sasha Olinick as Chatillon and Cardinal Pandulph; Howard W. Overshown as Philip King of France, Melun and Peter of Pomfret; Brian Reisman as Robert Faulconbridge and Elan Zafir as Hubert.
Scenic Design by Andrew Cohen, Costume Design by Sarah Cubbage, Lighting Design by Max Doolittle.
Through December 2nd 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.
Single malt whisky connoisseurs can rejoice at the news that some of the finest whiskies in the known world have reached our shores from Amrut Distilleries in India. Amrut “Fusion” has been rated “third best” whisky in the world by British whisky writer, Jim Murray, with 97 points from the Whisky Bible who at that time ranked it third in the world. They could also boast of the “Thumbs Up” award from Malt Maniacs and dozens more awards worldwide. A recipient of 92 points out of 4,800 entries by Whisky Advocate, they have consistently beat out the best-known Scottish whiskies in countless blind tastings. Its “Single Malt Peated Cask” has scored a coveted 92 points from the Whisky Bible. In 1987, and despite outsider prejudice, Amrut bravely put its product into these highly competitive Scottish tastings to prove it can compete with the best in its field. They are now the number one whisky in India, despite the country’s longtime preference for Johnny Walker Black, a holdover since the early days of British colonialism.
Last month I had the opportunity to taste all of Amrut’s products from their single malt through their entire gamut of whiskies and rums. I didn’t do a blind tasting, because frankly I would have planted my face in the floor, especially as it was a noon tasting and I hadn’t had breakfast. Managing to keep upright throughout, I settled in for a concentrated, thought-provoking experience that would both confound and alter my appreciation of whiskies outside the realm of the best-known brands.
Photo credit ~ Amrut
Made from select Indian malted barley grown in Punjab and Rajasthan, these spirits are distilled in the hot climes of India. They react to those conditions by coming to fruition far earlier than others of their ilk. Their flavors are modified by temperature, added ingredients (spices, citrus peel and the like), the wood used in the casks, Himalayan water from the Sutlej river, and the casks’ former use. These choices are made under the direction of Master Distiller Surrimar Kumar, a 33-year veteran of Amrut and award-winning whisky innovator, and veritable genius in drawing out the complexly crafted, unique personalities he is after. One of Kumar’s creations is Amrut “naraangi” that won “World’s Best Whisky 2018”. Aged three years in an ex-oloroso sherry cask, the single malt is then seasoned with wine and orange peel and aged for another three years.
Did you know that 60-70% of flavoring comes from the barrel? That’s how important the choice of wood is for determining the final profile. So, imagine for a moment using wood from five different species of trees to produce one whisky barrel. These specially designed barrels are used exclusively for their “Spectrum Single Malt Whisky” to be available in 2020. I’ve tasted whisky made in port barrels and sherry barrels (Amrut “Single Malt Whisky Intermediate Sherry” earned 96 points from the Whisky Bible), but this is an exciting new concept. A Special Limited Edition, Amrut “Madeira” aged in Madeira barrels, will be on the U. S. market in time for the holidays.
Neel Jagdale – Chairman of Amrut ~ Photo credit: Amrut
Next year, Ashok Chokalingam, who has been with the company for many years, will take the reins as Master Distiller and Whisky Innovator bringing his own imagination to the company’s growing range of whiskies and rums. At our first meeting he offered up this self-effacing quote. “We are a minnow coming from India,” he told me. Well, this minnow of a company has become a full-grown shark with a high demand for its products that’s currently five times what they can supply. But, no worries. The company’s newest plant will now be able to accommodate its rising popularity. Amrut is now in 45 countries and boasts $3M in annual sales. Surprisingly, the U. S. is the second largest market outside of Europe for “AmrutSingle Malt Indian Whisky”.
AMRUT – Photo credit: Jordan Wright
Now I’m no expert in describing the varied flavor profiles of whisky, I rely on my palate and my years of experience tasting spirits from around the world. I leave it to the whisky mavens to create descriptors for these products. They’re the ones that can extrapolate the taste of honey, chocolate, ginger, licorice, chocolate-chip cookie dough, driftwood (?!!!), orange, smoked fish, pepper, barbecued meats, pears, coconut, cherries, plums, raisins, lemons, and on and on. It’s a probably good thing they don’t describe food.
[Color Wheel Credit] ~ Courtesy of Whisky magazine
Because India is the world’s second largest producer of sugar in the world, Amrut made the decision to produce rum, and it is sensational. Ashok explained that rum existed since 320 BC – long before rum was produced in the Caribbean in the 17th century. Amrut offers two types of rum – “Two Indies Rum”, made with leftover sugar cane from Jamaica, Trinidad and Guyana. It is made with five rums that have been aged together. The “Old Port Deluxe Matured” has a lovely hint of coconut from the jaggery sugar used in the process. Jaggery is a by-product of sugar cane grown in India.
Two Indics Rum ~ Photo credit: Amrut
If you’re looking to impress a whisky connoisseur with the whiskies that everyone is talking about, you can do no better than some of these winning spirits.
Monica (Candice Shedd-Thompson) and Ian (Matthew Schleigh)~ Photo credit Chris Banks
If you were ever in a garage band, were a fan of the rock icons of the 70’s, or even dreamed of becoming a rock star, Rooms ~ a Rock Romance is calling your name. This sweet love story of two Glaswegian teens who find each other against all odds is a rock opera on steroids. Monica (Candice Shedd-Thompson) is a self-proclaimed Jewish princess while Ian (Matthew Schleigh), her unlikely collaborator and composer, is Catholic from the rough side of the tracks. She’s fire. He’s ice. Can they find success in show biz and romance?
Monica (Candice Shedd-Thompson)~ Photo credit Chris Banks
After Monica hires Ian to write the music to a song she’s written for her friend’s bat mitzvah, she invites him to share Shabbat supper with her family and a trip to the temple the following day. Ian likes her close-knit family, who are quite unlike his own. His dad is a drunk. His mom abused. While her family is loving, successful and supportive. He likes Led Zeppelin. Her idol is Carly Simon. She is set on a career as a rock star while introvert Ian prefers to stay in his room with his guitar. When she finally convinces him to become a band, they decide punk rock is where the money is. Together they form “The Diabolicals”, performing together in ever larger concert venues in London and America and becoming the rock stars Monica had dreamed of. Famed New York City punk palace CBGB is referenced as one of their gigs.
Monica (Candice Shedd-Thompson) and Ian (Matthew Schleigh)~ Photo credit Chris Banks
The couple experiences love, breakup, success and failure, not necessarily in that order, but against the backbeat of a kick-ass five-piece band positioned in full-view on two-tiered scaffolding. Paul Scott Goodman’s notable score underpins this high energy, sing-through musical giving us songs that are heart-meltingly memorable and ranging from rock to Scottish punk (remember The Clash?) to ballads. “Never Gonna Leave This Room” soloed by Ian at his lowest ebb is as gut-wrenching and powerful as Monica’s tender solo ballad about her father’s betrayal of her mother. In duets, their voices blend seamlessly.
Monica (Candice Shedd-Thompson)~ Photo credit Chris Banks
Directed by Thomas W. Jones II, Rooms ~ a Rock Romance was originally developed and presented at the New York Musical Theatre Festival and had its world premiere at MetroStage ten years ago when it received five Helen Hayes nominations and a win for Natascia Diaz for Outstanding Lead Actress.
Music Direction by Matthew Stephens, Co-book by Miriam Gordon, Set Design by Carl Gudenius, Light Design by Alexander Keen, Costume Design by Michael Sharp, Projection Design by Patrick W. Lord. Matthew Stephens on keyboard, David Cole on guitar, Tony Harrod on guitar, Yusef Chisholm on bass and Greg Holloway on drums.
Thoroughly entertaining. Rock on!
Through November 11th at MetroStage, 1201 North Royal Street, Alexandria, 22314. For tickets and information call 703 548.9044 or visit www.metrostage.org.
“We are all of us invented – cobbled together from cartilage and dust.” Thus, speaketh Renfield, who finds himself chained to the wall in Dr. John Seward’s lunatic asylum. Seward struggles to explain the young man’s sudden madness and thirst for blood. “I will solve the mystery of your mind,” he claims forebodingly.
Heather Benjamin as Mina Murray and Brendan Quinn as Jonathan Harker ~ Photographer: Doug Olmsted
Tis the season of the witch and the spellbinding legend of Count Dracula of Transylvania… the time for telling ghostly tales and spreading terror in the hearts of our dear citizenry. To that end, Director Jennifer Lyman gives us a horror story with a soupçon of laughter… all the better to cheer you up and frighten you half to death.
Lynley Peoples as Lucy Westenra and Chris Andersen as Dracula ~ Photographer: Doug Olmsted
Two young women, Mina Murray, betrothed to Jonathan Harker, and her childhood friend, Lucy Westenra, live together in Lucy’s London home. Lucy has three suitors, in particular Seward, who is eager to wed her. But it is the unknown man who visits after all are tucked in their beds that has the most sway over Lucy’s sleepless nights and terrifying dreams.
Chris Andersen as Dracula ~ Photographer: Doug Olmsted
Soon Harker, who has been brokering a deal with the Count to purchase an estate in London, and Seward join forces to solve the mystery. Professor Abraham Van Helsing, a man with serious street cred for driving out vampires, comes to their aid and the three sail to Transylvania and the castle of the Count hoping to drive a stake through his heart before the Count, aka ‘Nosferatu’, arrives in London to terrorize the city. As a vampire of note, this Dracula is no ordinary neck-obsessed villain. In his quest for victims, he is fearsome yet funny with a thick Romanian accent that delivers plenty of hilarious double entendres.
Jeff Elmore as Renfield ~ Photographer: Doug Olmsted
This creepy pot-boiler is jam-packed with thrills and chills and plenty of vampire paraphernalia to lift your ‘spirits’ – stakes, crypts, mirrors, strings of garlic, harpies, bats, crosses, clanking chains and more. Most impressive are the production values – the aforementioned props, atmospheric lighting and billowing fog (Gratefully hyper-allergenic!), eerie music, ghoulish makeup and sinister sound effects. Even the clever set design of a two-story castle with multiple entrances and exits commands high marks.
Brendan Quinn as Jonathan Harker, Lynley Peoples as Lucy Westenra, Griffin Voltmann as Dr. John Seward, and Kirk Lambert as Abraham Van Helsing ~ Photographer: Doug Olmsted
With JeffElmore as Renfield, Heather Benjamin as Mina Murray, Lynley Peoples as Lucy Westenra, Brendan Quinn as Jonathan Harker, Griffin Voltmann as Dr. John Seward, Chris Anderson as Dracula, Kirk Lambert as Abraham Van Helsing.
Director Jennifer Lyman, Assistant Director and Fight Choreographer Michael Page, Set Designer Matt Liptak, Properties Designer Michelle Hall, Lighting Designer JK Lighting Design, Sound Design Janice Rivera, Special Effects by Art Snow, with period Wardrobe Design by Shannon Robichaud.
Kudos to Gothic novelist Bram Stoker’s Victorian vampire and LTA’s cast and crew. You’ve given us a monster of a ghoulish show this Halloween.
Through November 3rd at The Little Theatre of Alexandria, 600 Wolfe Street. For tickets and information call the box office at 703 683-0496 or visit www.thelittletheatre.com.
Warning: This is not your childhood storybook version of Sleepy Hollow. Thanks to Director Paata Tsikurishvili, Washington Irving just got woke. This reimagining foretells a far darker, far cooler, swashbuckling horror story of a headless horseman and his nemesis, Ichabod Crane. Zombie lovers, this one’s for you.
Photo credit : Synetic
Adding to their ever-popular wordless series of dramas, Synetic gives us a wholly different dynamic to ponder. And, hey, it works. You didn’t really expect the Headless Horseman to talk. Did you? Here the HH is presented in a more sympathetic light after he is beheaded by the marauding Ichabod in a bloody battle against Hessian troops. Not only does the HH return to haunt and torment Ichabod, but he messes up Ichy’s romance with the beautiful and feisty Katrina Van Tassel.
Suitably ghoulish and intentionally macabre, Ichy finds the HH’s head and, clutching it like a trophy, dances with it. There are hauntings by the ghosts of dead soldiers and a relentless chase to hunt down Ichabod and his cohorts. The darker scenes are lifted by a lavish banquet, comical drinking scenes, and a passionate love scene between Ichabod and Katrina in which he pledges his troth.
Vato Tsikurishvili as Ichabod ~ Photo credit : Synetic
Acts of war and death seen through Katrina’s eyes become slow motion flashbacks. These vigorous fights are executed with the soldiers moving backwards and it is quite spectacular. There is nothing like murder and mayhem done in slo-mo.
Vato Tsikurishvili as Ichabod cuts a most imposing figure. His massive size and glowing bald head belie his graceful abilities in the fight scenes, but even more so in the height he achieves with his leaps, tumbles and lifts, striking a perfect contrast to the delicate Katrina.
Maryam Najafzada as horse puppet – Photo credit Synetic
But there is another fantastical creature that commands our attention in this fast-paced, riveting tale and it is the giant metal puppet of the horse portrayed with great expressiveness by Maryam Najafzada and her three puppeteers. To watch her mimic the characteristic movements of a horse, twitching her long tail and pawing the air, is mesmerizing, and adds an important element of charm and vulnerability.
Phil Charlwood’s rafters-high, twisted metal ‘trees’ and branch-covered organ provide escape routes for the many chases, while Konstantine Lortkipanidze’s eerie electronica music and spooky sound effects put us in mind that Halloween is just over the horizon.
McLean Jesse as Katrina and the Puppeteers/Ensemble cast of Jordan Clark Halsey, Anne Flowers, Megan Khaziran and Matt Stover. ~ Photo credit: Synetic
Recommended for ghosts and goblins and those who love them.
With the beautiful McLean Jesse as Katrina, Scott S. Turner as the Headless Horseman, Justin J. Bell as Brom, Thomas Beheler as Van Tassel/Ensemble, and the Puppeteers/Ensemble cast of Jordan Clark Halsey, Anne Flowers, Megan Khaziran and Matt Stover.
Choreography by the inimitable Irina Tsikurishvili, Assistant Direction by Tori Bertocci, costumes by Erik Teague and lighting by Brian S. Allard.
Through November 4th 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.
Much excitement has been generated by the hiring of new General Director and leadership partner, Timothy O’Leary, to the Washington National Opera’s senior leadership. O’Leary served for ten years as General Director for Opera Theater of Saint Louis producing innovative programs that attracted a new audience of millennials to opera. Working in partnership with Artistic Director Francesca Zambello it promises to be a formidable collaboration. So, it was great anticipation that I attended his first production of the 2018 – 2019 season. It did not disappoint.
Jacqueline Echols as Violetta ~ Photo credit Scott Suchman
La traviata, Verdi’s classic grand opera of the young woman, Violetta, who finds love just as she has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, has been updated in a number of ways. New cutting-edge, computer-controlled lighting now lends a more focused and instantaneous sense of place and mood with four fixed overhead spotlights – cyan, red, yellow and magenta – that dramatically highlight the performers. It is the first time since the Ring cycle was presented here in 2016 that this lighting has been used in the Opera House. For that production, ladders had to be used to mount the lights in the ceiling’s nether regions and then take them down at the end of the run. Going forward, the lights will remain in place in the Opera House for all productions.
Violetta (soprano Jacqueline Echols) contemplates her fate in WNO’s La Traviata 2018 ~ Photo credit Scott Suchman
Adding to the thrill, are Tony Award-winning designer, Jess Goldstein’s gorgeous costumes, especially her replication of the scandalous satin gown from John Singer Sargent’s painting of ‘Portrait of Madame X’ from the turn of the 20th century. Lavish red gowns and formal evening wear with red satin-lined capes for the men in the second act’s masquerade ball are breathtaking. To further amplify the experience, new sets by Peter J. Davison incorporate swiveling ‘periactoi’ columns creating a sense of lavish elegance in the belle époque party scenes.
Zampello has switched things up too, moving Violetta’s Act Three death bed scene to the opening scene in Act One. Flashbacks inform the rest of the opera when Violetta suddenly sheds her hospital gown to reveal a fashionable gown and the scene is transformed into a banquet. “Pleasure is my drug of choice!” the beautiful young woman declares in a quick scene change to a Parisian party filled with glamorous guests.
Giorgio Germont (baritone Michael Chioldi) watches as his son Alfredo (tenor Mario Chang) learns that his love has betrayed him in WNO’s La traviata 2018 ~ Photo credit Scott Suchman.
Jacqueline Echols as Violetta is exceptional at the extremely difficult arias – holding the high notes while managing to soften their extensions and singing full tilt into the uppermost ranges. Her supreme vocal talents are evenly matched with Mario Chang as Alfredo Germont her impassioned lover and Michael Chioldi as Georgio Germont, Alfredo’s manipulative dad.
Eye candy exceptionally performed.
With Deborah Nansteel as Flora Bervoix, Alexandria Shiner as Annina, Arnold Livingston Geis as Gastone, Michael Hewitt as Baron Douphol, Samuel Weiser as Marquis d’Obigny, Timothy J. Bruno as Doctor Grenvil, Aurelio Dominguez as Giuseppe, Rob McGinness as Messenger, Spencer Adamson as Flora’s Servant, the WNO Chorus, the WNO Dancers and the WNO Orchestra led by conductor Renato Palumbo.
Dancers and matadors enliven the party during WNO’s La traviata 2018 ~ Photo credit Scott Suchman
Choreographed by Parker Esse with lighting design by Mark McCullough. Music by Giuseppe Verdi, Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave.
Through October 21st at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St., NW, Washington, DC. For tickets and information for future shows call 202 467-4600 or visit www.Kennedy-Center.org.
