After 33 years, the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Michael Kahn is going out with a big Greek bang, helming a huge, and very likely mind-blowing, production of The Oresteia. But that’s not the only highlight of the spring theater season. Ford’s has just opened a breathtaking production of everyone’s favorite fractured fairy tale musical Into the Woods, and Constellation is presenting what will certainly be a stunning take on Mary Zimmerman’s The White Snake.

The Kennedy Center, meanwhile, will become a huge gay audience magnet, with massive musical productions of Disney’s Aladdin, Hello, Dolly! starring the amazing Betty Buckley, The Band’s Visit, Dear Evan Hansen, and William Finn’s gay masterpiece, Falsettos. GALA, meanwhile, will get jubilant with an all-Spanish version of Fame, the Musical. And Signature’s Eric D. Schaeffer is inviting us all for a stay at his Grand Hotel. That’s one reservation — among many others — we’ll be more than happy to make.

ADVENTURE THEATRE MTC

7300 MacArthur Blvd
Glen Echo, Md.
301-634-2270
www.adventuretheatre-mtc.org

• Winnie the Pooh — Pooh and Piglet have to find the Heffalump, watch Rabbit scheme to rid the forest of Kanga’s dreaded bathtub, and help Eeyore search for his tail. Based on the A.A. Milne classic (3/29-5/26)
• The Cat in the Hat — A rainy day is turned into a miraculous, mayhem-filled adventure in this adaptation of the Dr. Seuss classic. Directed by Theater J’s Adam Immerwahr (6/21-8/18)

ARENA STAGE

1101 Sixth St. SW
202-488-3300
www.arenastage.org

• JQA — Aaron Posner imagines key confrontations between John Quincy Adams and a few of America’s most dynamic figures, including George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Frederick Douglass, and Abraham Lincoln (Now-4/14, Kogod)
• Junk — A junk bond trader prepares a hostile takeover of a family-owned manufacturing company in this bracing new work from playwright Ayad Akhtar (4/5-5/5, Fichandler)
• Jubilee — A World Premiere written and directed by Tazewell Thompson and featuring such spirituals as “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” and “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen” (4/26-6/2, Kreeger)

BALTIMORE CENTER STAGE

700 N. Calvert St.
Baltimore, Md.
410-332-0033
www.centerstage.org

Read Next

How Vending Machines Can Save Lives in Substance Abuse Crisis

• Indecent — Produced in conjunction with Arena Stage (Now-3/31)
• How to Catch Creation (5/2-5/26)

CONSTELLATION THEATRE

1835 14th St. NW
202-204-7741
www.constellationtheatre.org

• The White Snake — In Mary Zimmerman’s adaptation of an ancient Chinese folktale, a snake spirit transforms itself into a woman in order to experience the human world and falls in love with a pharmacist’s assistant. Directed by Allison Arkell Stockman (4/25-5/26)

EVERYMAN THEATRE

315 West Fayette St.
Baltimore, Md.
410-752-2208
www.everymantheatre.org

• Dinner With Friends — A dinner party goes south as two couples find themselves grappling with questions of loyalty, individuality, and commitment. Donald Margulies’ funny, sharply observed Pulitzer Prize-winning drama is celebrating its 20th anniversary (Now-4/14)

FOLGER THEATRE

201 East Capitol St. SE
202-544-7077
www.folger.edu

• Love’s Labor’s Lost — Shakespeare’s spry comedy is full of lovers and clowns, foolery and the follies of the heart (4/30-6/9)

FORD’S THEATRE

511 Tenth St. NW
202-347-4833
www.fords.org

• Into the Woods — This year’s musical is Stephen Sondheim’s imaginative remix of beloved fairy tales — everything from Little Red Ridinghood to Cinderella to Rapunzel — creating a dark, fantastic cautionary tale about getting what you wish for. It’s one of Sondheim’s most unforgettable scores, and the setting is ripe for creative, thrilling design, which Ford’s reportedly has taken to the very hilt of eye-popping. Peter Flynn directs (Now-5/22)

GALA HISPANIC THEATRE

3333 14th St. NW
202-234-7174
www.galatheatre.org

• Fame, the Musical — A diverse group of ambitious, young hopefuls dream of stardom while attending a prestigious high school for the performing arts (5/9-6/9)

KEEGAN THEATRE

1742 Church St. NW
202-265-3767
www.keegantheatre.com

Read Next

School Board Cancels ’30 Rock’ Star’s Anti-Bullying Talk

• Hands on a Hardbody — In this new musical from Doug Wright, Trey Anastasio and Amanda Green, ten Texans struggle to keep at least one hand on a brand-new truck in order to win it. Directed by Mark Rhea (Now-4/6)
• God of Carnage — A playground altercation between two boys brings together two sets of Brooklyn parents for a meeting to resolve the matter. Things turn ugly (5/4-5/25)
• Ripcord (6/15-7/6)
• Legally Blonde (8/3-8/25)

KENNEDY CENTER

202-467-4600
www.kennedy-center.org

• Broadway Center Stage: The Who’s Tommy — The world’s most famous rock opera (4/25-4/28)
• Hello, Dolly! — Broadway legend Betty Buckley stars in this Tony-winning revival, directed by Jerry Zaks (6/4-7/7, Opera House)
• Byhalia, Mississippi — A new Kennedy Center production of playwright Evan Linder’s uncompromising exploration of race, family, and betrayal in the American South (6/11-6/30, Terrace)
• Falsettos — William Finn and James Lapine’s groundbreaking musical revolves around the life of a charming, intelligent, neurotic gay man named Marvin and his family (6/11-6/23, Eisenhower)
• The Band’s Visit — A critically acclaimed new musical that celebrates the deeply human ways music, longing, and laughter connect us all (7/9-8/4, Eisenhower)
• Disney’s Aladdin — Pure Mouse House spectacle and magic, flying carpet and all (7/18-9/7, Opera House)
• Dear Evan Hansen — If you missed it when it started its life at Arena, you can now see the Tony Award-winning masterpiece in the Eisenhower (8/6-9/8)

MONUMENTAL THEATRE CO.

www.monumentaltheatre.org

• Daddy Long Legs — A two person musical, set in the 19th Century, tells of a love that grows between two people by way of handwritten letters (Now-3/13)
• Be More Chill — A high school loser goes to great lengths to gain self-confidence in this musical (7/11-7/29)

MOSAIC THEATER

Atlas Arts Center
1333 H St. NE
202-399-7993
www.mosaictheater.org

Read Next

Grindr’s New Feature “Roam” Connects Users Around the Globe

• Native Son — Richard Wright’s iconic novel about oppression, freedom, and justice comes to life in a ground-breaking adaptation (3/27-4/28)
• The Shooting Gallery — Aaron Davidman’s one-man show on one of the most incendiary topics of our day: guns (4/7-4/27)
• Sooner/Later — An exploration of romance, marriage, and parenting by Allison Currin (5/15-6/16)
• Twisted Melodies — A powerful one-man show, based on the life of ’70s soul singer Donny Hathaway, imagines the troubled and brilliant musician’s last day on Earth (6/19-7/21)

NATIONAL THEATRE

1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
202-628-6161
www.thenationaldc.org

• A Bronx Tale (3/26-3/31)
• Jim Steinman’s Bat Out of Hell — Paradise by the dashboard lights, indeed (5/7-5/26)

OLNEY THEATRE CENTER

2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Rd.
Olney, Md.
301-924-3400
www.olneytheatre.org

• Comedy of Tenors — Ken Ludwig’s latest door-slamming farce is set on the eve of a big concert in 1936 Paris (4/10-5/12, Mainstage)
• Mary Stuart — Jason Loewith directs the bracing Friedrich Schiller drama (5/8-6/9, Theatre Lab)
• Matilda — Based on the book by Roald Dahl, a young girl discovers her magical powers in this enchanting musical (6/21-7/21, Mainstage)

POINTLESS THEATRE

Dance Loft on 14th
4618 14th St. NW
202-733-6321
www.pointlesstheatre.com

• Forest Treás — A Beltway Sniper crisis looms over the residents of Forest Treàs, a neighborhood on the outskirts of Washington, D.C. A decision is made to put cameras everywhere and live-stream the neighborhood. What could go wrong? (5/31-6/30)

REP STAGE

10901 Little Patuxent Parkway
Columbia, Md.
443-518-1500
www.repstage.org

• The 39 Steps — Patrick Barlow’s fast-paced spoof of Hitchcock’s 1935 classic thriller. A cast of four portray a multitude of characters in a madcap evening (5/2-5/19)

RICHMOND TRIANGLE PLAYERS

1300 Altamont Ave.
Richmond
804-346-8113
www.rtriangle.org

• Act of God — A divine comedy by David Javerbaum (Now-3/23)
• Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England — A college dean faces the looming termination of her university’s shabby little natural history museum while contending with her much younger girlfriend and ex (4/10-5/4)
• Grey Gardens — Journey deep into the wild and wonderful walls of Grey Gardens, where it all began for the legendary mother-daughter duo, and follow along as they become the Edies, Big and Little (6/12-7/13)

ROUND HOUSE THEATRE

4545 East-West Highway
Bethesda, Md.
240-644-1100
www.roundhousetheatre.org

• Oslo — In 1993, a husband-and-wife team of Norwegian bureaucrats assemble a motley band of would-be diplomats from the Middle East to negotiate peace between Israelis and Palestinians (4/24-5/19)
• A Doll’s House, Part 2 — Holly Twyford, Craig Wallace, and Nancy Robinette lead a powerhouse cast in this “sequel” to the Ibsen classic (6/6-6/30)

SHAKESPEARE THEATRE COMPANY

450 7th St. NW
202-547-1122
www.shakespearetheatre.org

• Vanity Fair — A new adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray’s novel by Kate Hamill (Now-3/31, Lansburgh)
• The Oresteia — Michael Kahn goes out with a big Greek bang, directing Ellen McLaughlin’s adaptation of Aeschylus’s potent trilogy (4/30-6/2, Harman)

SIGNATURE THEATRE

4200 Campbell Ave.
Arlington, Va.
703-820-9771
www.sigtheatre.org

• Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity — Three women are trapped in a ravaged museum during a catastrophic hundred years war tasked with restoring a damaged Rembrandt painting. Holly Twyford stars (Now-4/7, Ark)
• Grand Hotel — Eric D. Schaeffer directs this intricate and magnificent musical set in a lavish hotel in 1928 Berlin (4/2-5/12, Max)
• Spunk — Based on three short stories of Zora Neale Hurston and adapted by Jelly’s Last Jam writer George C. Wolfe (4/30-6/23, Ark)
• Blackbeard — The World Premiere of a high seas musical adventure by the authors of The Witches of Eastwick and The Fix, commissioned by Signature (6/11-7/7, Max)

STUDIO THEATRE

1501 14th St. NW
202-332-3300
www.studiotheatre.org

• Admissions — A  no-holds-barred look at privilege, power, and the perils of whiteness from Joshua Harmon (Bad Jews) (Now-3/24)
• Queen of Basel — A bold and Spanish-infused take on Strindberg’s Miss Julie (Now-4/7)
• The Children — David Muse directs a taut and disquieting thriller about what one generation owes the next (5/1-6/2)

SYNETIC THEATER

1800 South Bell St.
Crystal City, Va.
800-494-8497
www.synetictheater.org

• A Midsummer Night’s Dream —  Synetic’s Teen Company is a year-round training program dedicated to developing the next generation of artistic performers. They take on one of Shakespeare’s most beloved works. (4/4-14)
• Richard III — The latest entry in the company’s Wordless Shakespeare series (5/15-6/16)
• Treasure Island — The company works its magic on Robert Louis Stevenson’s adventure classic (7/17-8/18)

THEATRE ALLIANCE

2020 Shannon Pl. SE
202-241-2539
www.theateralliance.com

• Blood at the Root — When a black student disrupts the status quo at her high school by occupying space typically reserved for white students, her community erupts in hate speech, violence, and chaos (Now-3/24)
• Klytmnestra: An Epic Slam Poem — Dane Figueroa Edidi’s dynamic one-woman slam poem is a saga of strong women, the men who seek to destroy them, and the dangerous extremes this kind of society can reach if left unchecked (5/19-6/16)

THEATRE J

1529 16th St. NW
202-777-3210
www.theaterj.org

• The Jewish Queen Lear — Penned in 1898, Jacob Gordin’s story of power and pride revolves around a wealthy widow who wants to find a good wife for her son. A masterpiece of Yiddish theater with a new English translation. Directed by Adam Immerwahr (Now-4/7, Georgetown’s Davis Performing Arts Center)

WASHINGTON STAGE GUILD

900 Massachusetts Ave. NW
240-582-0050
www.stageguild.org

• Resolving Hedda — Playwright Jon Klein reimagines Ibsen’s notorious schemer Hedda Gabler in this inventive work in which a major literary character refuses to succumb to her written fate (3/21-4/15)

WOOLLY MAMMOTH

641 D St. NW
202-393-3939
www.woollymammoth.net

• What the Constitution Means to Me — In 1988, a young woman tries to earn enough money to go to college by entering speech competitions about the U.S. Constitution in American Legion halls all across the country (4/1-29)
• Describe the Night — Seven lost souls are connected across decades by history, fiction, lies, and blood when a centuries old Russian diary is unearthed (5/27-6/3)

For more Spring Arts Stage listings, please visit www.metroweekly.com or follow our new interactive version of the print edition at www.issuu.com/metroweekly.