Stage
Spring Arts Preview 2010
AMERICAN CENTURY THEATER
Master Class at Kennedy Center
Gunston Theater II
2700 S. Lang St.
Arlington, Va.
703-998-4555
americancentury.org
Stalag 17 — The Academy Award-winning film adaptation of this WWII dramedy became so famous that everyone forgot it was based on a 1951 Broadway hit (3/26-4/17)
The Amazing Sophie — Sophie Treadwell was a trailblazing female journalist, a playwright, a novelist, director, actress, and a courageous fighter for the rights of women. This play, based on her life, is written by local playwright Allyson Currin (5/27-6/19)
Babes in Arms — The Rodgers/Hart musical features such classics as “The Lady is a Tramp” and “My Funny Valentine” (6/24-6/27)
Serenading Louie — Lanford Wilson’s intimate examination of marriage in suburbia (7/23-8/21)
ARENA STAGE
Various Locales
202-488-3300
arenastage.org
The Light in the Piazza — Molly Smith directs an intimate, chamber version of this musical that won six Tony Awards. With a book by gay playwright Craig Lucas (Prelude to a Kiss) and music by Adam Guettel (3/5-4/25, Crystal City)
Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies — This glorious re-creation of the big band sound features some of Ellington’s most memorable tunes, including ”It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing” and ”Satin Doll.” Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright and choreographed by Maurice Hines (4/9-5/30, Lincoln)
R. Buckminster Fuller: The History (and Mystery) of the Universe — Does humanity have a chance to survive on Spaceship Earth? Explore this question with Renaissance man R. Buckminster Fuller, inventor of the geodesic dome. Written and directed by D.W. Jacobs (5/28-7/4, Crystal City)
CENTER STAGE
700 N. Calvert St.
Baltimore, Md.
410-332-0033
centerstage.org
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom — Part of August Wilson’s celebrated 10-play cycle examining the African-American experience throughout the 20th century. E. Faye Butler stars in the title role (4/7-5/9)
CHARTER THEATRE
Theatre on the Run
3700 S. Four Mile Run Drive
Arlington, Va.
202-333-7009
chartertheatre.org
Good Counsel — Written by Renee Calarco. Directed by Michael Skinner (4/9-5/11)
CONSTELLATION THEATRE
Source
1835 14th St. NW
202-204-7741
constellationtheatre.org
The Ramayana — Rama must conquer the king Ravana to rescue his beautiful wife Sita and to save the world from darkness. A sweeping tale of romance, abduction, friendship and war told by an ensemble of goddesses, demons, monkeys and heroes. Written by Peter Oswald (5/6-6/6)
FOLGER THEATRE
”Hamlet” at Folger
201 E. Capitol St. SE
202-544-7077
folger.edu
Hamlet — Perhaps the Bard’s finest, most haunting dramas. Directed by Joseph Haj (4/21-6/6)
FORD’S THEATRE
511 10th St. NW
202-347-4833
fordstheatre.org
Little Shop of Horrors — An all-new original production of the playful Alan Menken-Howard Ashman classic. Reportedly the cast is out of this universe (3/12-5/22)
FORUM THEATRE
Round House Silver Spring
8641 Coleville Rd.
Silver Spring, Md.
240-644-1099 ext.1032
forumtd.org
Amazons and Their Men — Set in Third Reich Germany and based loosely on the life of documentary filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl (Triumph of the Will), this drama chronicles the creation of art—and the collapse of a society (To 3/21)
GALA HISPANIC THEATRE
3333 14th St. NW
202-234-7174
galatheatre.org
El retablillo de Don Cristóbal/The Puppet Play of Don Cristóbal — Acclaimed Argentine director Adhemar Bianchi and puppeteer Ximena Bianchi re-imagine Federico García Lorca’s puppet play set against the tense and inflamed landscape of the Spanish Civil War (4/8-5/2)
Bola: El embajador de la canción cubana/Cuba’s Ambassador of Spoken Song — Hugo Medrano directs Héctor Quintero’s examination of Afro-Cuban singer and composer Ignacio Villa, known as ”Snowball.” Villa was an international sensation from the ’30s to the ’60, heralded for his unique ”spoken song” style. Despite a successful and glamorous career, Bola was uncomfortable with his homosexuality in a pre and post revolution Cuba that was reluctant to accept it (June, 2010)
GMU CENTER FOR THE ARTS
Rose — Olympia Dukakis performs a concert version of her West End and Broadway hit. The evening is an unforgettable portrait of an 80-year-old Jewish woman, Rose, who comes from a tiny ”shtetl” in the Ukraine. She takes us along on her journey through war-torn Warsaw to the borscht-belts of post-war Atlantic City and modern day Miami Beach (5/8)
THE IN-SERIES
Various Locales
202-204-7760
inseries.org
WAM! (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) — The amazing young stars of the Washington Ballet’s Studio Co. and In Series opera singers join to explore the miracle of Mozart’s childhood and the glorious explosion of his music. Directed by Septime Webre, David Palmer and Carla Hubner (3/14 and 3/18, Atlas Performing Arts Center)
Casino Paradise — Award-winning composer William Bolcom and playwright Arnold Weinstein’s sardonic cabaret-opera about an iconic tycoon, his dysfunctional family, and his glittering Casino, is a smashing assembly of jazzy rhythms, bluesy tunes and ironic lyrics (4/16-4/24, Source)
Searching for Gabriela — Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral was the first Latin-American to win the Nobel Prize. Director Abel Lopez leads a spellbinding bilingual journey through her poetry (4/16-4/24, Source)
Swingtime — Director Tom Mallan and conductor/pianist Fred Hughes lead singers, dancers and band players to relive the best of the swing era in dance and song (5/29-6, Atlas Performing Arts)
KEEGAN THEATRE
1742 Church St. NW
703-892-0202
keegantheatre.com
Dancing at Lughnasa — Brian Friel’s transcendental play, loosely based on events from his own life, and taking place during the Celtic harvest (3/20-4/18)
The Graduate — A different look at Mrs. Robinson, starring Sheri S. Herren (5/1-5/13)
A Man of No Importance — Stephen Flaherty’s musical, featuring a book by Terrence McNally, is based on the 1994 film starring Albert Finney, about a Dublin theater troupe that tries to stage Salome in a church, creating scandal (6/10-7/11)
Noises Off — Michael Frayn’s uproarious door-slamming farce (7/22-8/22)
KENNEDY CENTER
”Golden Age”
2700 F St. NW
202-467-4600
kennedy-center.org
Golden Age — Part of the “Terrence McNally’s Nights at the Opera” series, this backstage drama is set amid the premiere of Bellini’s final opera, I Puritani (3/12-4/4, Family Theater)
The Lisbon Traviata — Part of the McNally series, the drama revolves around the friendship of two gay men, both opera lovers, one of whom is going through an exceptionally painful relationship with his partner (3/20-4/11, Terrace)
Master Class — This third and final play in the McNally series was a Tony winner for Best Play. It focuses on Maria Callas as she gives a master class that finds her recalling her past glories, triumphs and tragedies. Starring Tyne Daly (3/25-4/18, Eisenhower)
Thurgood — Laurence Fishburne takes a CSI break to star in this dramatic retelling of the life of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall (6/1-6/20)
Mary Poppins — The Broadway musical adaptation of the Disney classic, based on the works of P.L. Travers about a magical nanny who is “practically perfect in every way.” Featuring choreography by Matthew Bourne. Step in time! (7/1-8/22)
METRO STAGE
1201 N. Royal St.
Alexandria, Va.
703-548-9044
metrostage.org
Tiny Dancer — Scottish Jewish guitar playing rocker Paul Scott Goodman (Rooms) tells his story of living and surviving the Soho music scene in the ’80’s, as an artist, lover, and ultimately, father (4/15-5/9)
NATIONAL THEATRE
1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
202-628-6161
nationaltheatre.org
Fiddler on the Roof — Just in time for Passover, Harvey Fierstein stars as Tevye in this revival of the Broadway classic. Matchmaker, matchmaker, make us a match! (4/13-5/9)
OLNEY THEATRE CENTER
2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Rd.
Olney, Md.
301-924-3400
olneytheatre.org
Da — A man returns to his childhood home in Dublin after the death of this adoptive father and is haunted by his ghost in Hugh Leonard’s Tony Award-winning tour de force (3/24-4/25, Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab)
Triumph of Love — The handsome, sheltered Prince Agis has been raised by his Spartan uncle and aunt to follow one rule: renounce love. Logic prevails until the charming and beautiful Princess Leonide arrives with her heart set on wooing the unsuspecting Prince. Book by James Magruder, music by Jeffrey Stock and lyrics by Susan Birkenhead (4/14-5/9, Mainstage)
Trumpery — Charles Darwin struggles to complete his theory of natural selection while coping with his daughter’s fatal illness and his own loss of faith. Meanwhile, halfway around the world, an unknown explorer is about to come up with the exact same theory (6/9-7/4, Mainstage)
The Savannah Disputation — In this contemporary comedy, a Pentecostal missionary gets more than she bargains for when she drops in on two Catholic spinsters and sparks a crisis of faith (7/29-8/22, Mainstage)
Dinner With Friends — Donald Margulies’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play explores what happens to decades of friendship between two married couples when one couple is on the verge of divorcing (8/25-9/26, Theatre Lab)
Misalliance — George Bernard Shaw’s classic comedy (9/29-10/24, Mainstage)
Annie — The sun will come out at Olney, dang it (11/17-1/2/11)
REP STAGE
10901 Little Patuxent Pkway.
Columbia, Md.
410-772-4900
repstage.org
On the Verge or The Geography of Yearning — Three Victorian ladies time-travel through the Terra Incognita of man’s recent recognizable universe in Eric Overmyer’s comedic adventure (4/14-5/2)
The Goat or, Who is Sylvia? — Edward Albee’s brilliant, alarming, provocative work involves a man in love with a goat. Yes, a goat (6/2-6/27)
ROUND HOUSE THEATRE
4545 East-West Highway
Bethesda, Md.
240-644-1100
roundhousetheatre.org
My Name is Asher Lev — Adapted by Aaron Posner from the novel by Chaim Potok. Asher is driven to draw and paint the world. Born into a Hasidic Jewish family in post-World War II Brooklyn, his artistic genius threatens to estrange him from his parents and his community (3/17-4/11)
Around the World in 80 Days — In this off-Broadway hit, five actors use lightning fast costume changes to play all 39 characters in a madcap comedy that’s been called ”Monty Python meets Jules Verne.” Directed by Nick Olcott (5/5-5/30)
SHAKESPEARE THEATRE COMPANY
The Harman Center
Lansburgh Theatre
202-547-1122
shakespearetheatre.org
Richard II — Michael Kahn directs this historical play written entirely in verse, containing some of the bard’s most thrilling language (To 4/11, Harman)
Henry V — David Muse directs this historical play about the young, brash king. In rep with Richard II (To 4/10, Harman)
The Liar — Dorante is charming, handsome, and a compulsive liar. For each problem his clever lying solves, it creates two new ones. Pierre Corneille’s French farce has been given an update by Broadway playwright David Ives. Directed by Michael Kahn (4/6-5/23, Lansburgh)
Mrs. Warren’s Profession — George Bernard Shaw’s comedy was originally banned from the stage for being too scandalous — the world of the idealistic Vivie is turned upside down when she learns that her family’s considerable wealth comes from her mother’s management of a chain of brothels. Directed by Keith Baxter (6/8-7/11, Harman)
SIGNATURE THEATRE
4200 Campbell Ave.
Arlington, Va.
703-820-9771
sig-online.org
Sweeney Todd — The Sondheim grand guignol classic is given a new environmental staging by Eric Schaeffer (To 4/4, MAX)
[title of show] — Jeff Bowen’s musical puts the audience right in the middle of the creative process. Matthew Gardiner directs (3/30-6/20, ARK)
Sycamore Trees — Composer Ricky Ian Gordon is the second recipient of the American Musical Voices Project Award to present a new work of musical theater on Signature’s stage and his work, Sycamore Trees, is the poignant tale of his family’s struggles and their reliance on each other through good and bad (5/18-6/20, MAX)
STUDIO THEATRE
1501 14th St. NW
202-332-3300
studiotheatre.org
Reasons To Be Pretty — Neil LaBute tackles the taboos and unspoken truths of contemporary American life. The play concludes LaBute’s trilogy exploring America’s obsession with physical beauty. Directed by David Muse (3/24-5/2)
60 Miles to Silver Lake — A father and son barrel down a highway in a car where nothing is what it seems and everything can change in an instant. By Dan LeFranc (4/14-5/9)
American Buffalo — Classic David Mamet — perhaps his greatest work — directed by Joy Zinoman and starring Ed Gero and Walleed Zuaiter (5/5-6/13)
Lypsinka Returns in Legends! — The lip-synching master’s take on James Kirkwood’s bitchfest (6/16-4/4)
Passing Strange — Keith Alan Baker directs this story of a rock musician on a quest for authenticity (7/14-8/8)
SYNETIC THEATER
The Rosslyn Spectrum
1611 N. Kent St.
Arlington, Va.
703-824-8060
synetictheater.org
Metamorphosis — Guest director Derek Goldman presents a re-imagining of Franz Kafka’s brilliant and darkly comic classic tale of family, alienation, and a giant bug (4/8-5/22, Spectrum)
Othello — Silence again reigns in this bold new production of the Shakespeare classic (5/27-6/13, Kennedy Center Family Theater)
THEATRE J
1529 16th St. NW
202-777-3210
theaterj.org
Andy Warhol: Good for the Jews? — Josh Kornbluth’s monologue takes on Warhol’s controversial series, “Ten Portraits of Jews of the Twentieth Century” (To 3/21)
In Darfur — This searing chronicle, based on true events, looks at recent situation in Sudan and pits the desperate need of a people alongside the complicated ethics of those destined to tell the tale (3/31-4/18)
Mikveh — Inside the secretive world of the ritual bath, eight women’s stories unfold in this sensitive depiction of religious observance and evolving feminist consciousness. When Shira, a new bath attendant, arrives, she opens a Pandora’s box of issues, revealing long kept secrets (5/5-6/5)
New Jerusalem — A theological courtroom drama revolving around rationalist philosopher Baruch de Spinoza, as he faces excommunication from the Jewish community of 1656 Amsterdam (6/26-7/25)
WARNER THEATRE
202-783-4000
513 13th St. NW
warnertheatre.com
The 39 Steps — A cast of four play over 150 characters in this fast-paced tale of an ordinary man on an extraordinarily entertaining adventure based on the Hitchcock classic (3/23-3/28)
WASHINGTON SHAKESPEARE CO.
601 S. Clark St.
Arlington, Va.
703-418-4808
washingtonshakespeare.org
Every Young Woman’s Desire — The company debuts an English language world premiere translation of Marco Antonio de la Parra’s Chilean drama (5/20-6/20)
WOOLLY MAMMOTH
641 D St. NW
202-393-3939
woollymammoth.net
Clybourne Park — In Bruce Norris’s drama, a white community in 1950’s Chicago frets about the African-American family about to move in. Fast-forward to our present day, and the same house represents very different demographics (3/15-4/11)
Gruesome Playground Injuries — In Rajiv Joseph’s drama, the lives of two eight-year-olds lives collide in the nurse’s office. As they mature from accident-prone kids to self-destructive adults, their broken hearts and broken bones draw them ever closer (5/17-6/13)
WASHINTON IMPROV THEATER
Source
1835 14th St. NW
202-204-7770
washingtonimprovtheater.com
Spring Programming — Includes the 4th Annual Tournament of the Fighting Improv Smackdown Tournament (F.I.S.T.), a bracketed elimination-style tourney of comedy pitting three-player improv shows against one another in head-to-head competition until one troupe emerges as the champion (To 4/10)
Late Night Summer Shows (5/7-6/5)
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