Once upon a time, Signature Theatre would attract theatergoers by the hundreds this time of year with the lure of “summer hummer”-themed shows, in which top-notch entertainers get a little closer and more personal with patrons, packed into the organization’s intimate spaces in Shirlington.
Two years after the pandemic put a damper on all that, the company has announced a more diverse, as well as dispersed, summer season, kicking off with the free off-site “Signature Theatre Under the Stars” concert featuring powerhouse vocalist Kanysha Williams accompanied by Mark G. Meadows and his band The Movement.
Set to take place Friday, June 10, at 8 p.m., in Arlington’s Lubber Run Amphitheater (200 N. Columbus St.), the concert will include a mix of original tunes by Meadows as well as covers of upbeat iconic jams including “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” and “Superstition.”
Speaking of Meadows covering Stevie Wonder, this year’s summer cabaret series — officially marking the first cabarets at Signature since the pandemic — promises a focused riff on the impressive repertoire of the pop/R&B legend, centered around his 1980 platinum-selling album Hotter Than July, known for the hit “All I Do” and “Master Blaster (Jammin’).”
Meadows is the lead behind the cabarets, which will be directed by Signature’s Matthew Gardiner and presented in the ARK Theatre from July 5th to July 17th. Tickets are $38.
The summer 2022 schedule also includes Signature’s second annual “Broadway in the Park” outing at Wolf Trap featuring Signature stars and headlined by two Tony-winning leading ladies, Kelli O’Hara (The King and I) and Adrienne Warren (Tina: The Tina Turner Musical). The musical theater “under the stars” program takes place Friday, June 24, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30 to $180.
Meanwhile, summer will get to sizzling at Signature a week before the Stevie Wonder cabarets with a concert presentation of a timely new musical written by Harrison David Rivers with music and additional lyrics by Ted Shen.
Performed in the intimate ARK space Thursday, June 30, through Saturday, July 2, We Shall Someday, directed by Kelli Foster Warder, weaves together story and song to chronicle three generations of a Southern Black family tracing the effects of racism, activism, and legacy from the Civil Rights era to today. Tickets are $25.
Signature Theatre is at 4200 Campbell Ave., in Arlington, Va.
The U.S. Department of Education says it will begin suspending or cutting off federal funds to five Northern Virginia school districts that refused to roll back transgender-inclusive policies by an August 15 deadline.
"The Virginia districts will have to defend their embrace of radical gender ideology over ensuring the safety of their students," the agency wrote in a statement.
The five districts -- Alexandria City, Arlington County, Fairfax County, Loudoun County, and Prince William County public schools -- were previously threatened with losing federal funding after the Education Department determined that their trans-affirming policies, including allowing transgender students to use restrooms matching their gender identity, infringe on the rights of non-transgender students.
The marvelous cast of Signature's musical Play On! kick up their heels and sing up a storm in a vivacious new production staged by Lili-Anne Brown. Originally conceived by Sheldon Epps, with a book by Cheryl L. West, the three-time Tony-nominated musical employs a bevy of jazz and blues standards by D.C.'s own Duke Ellington, laced through a romantic comedy plot inspired by Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.
Turns out, the Bard and the Duke complement each other well. Twelfth Night's tale of a cross-dressing waif embroiled in a convoluted matchmaking scheme cuts a fine figure upon which to hang Play On!'s 1940s backstage romance set amongst the all-Black cast and crew at Harlem's storied Cotton Club.
Back in May, just after our 31st anniversary, I asked readers which of four classic cover interviews from our early years they'd like to see in print again: Greg Louganis (March 9, 1995), Sir Ian McKellen (Jan. 25, 1996), Camille Paglia (Feb. 1, 1996), or Eartha Kitt (Nov. 14, 1996). None of these conversations exist online, and they haven't been seen since their original print dates.
Out of more than 200 responses, 8% chose Paglia, 27% picked Louganis, 29% went for McKellen, and an impressive 36% cast their vote for Kitt.
Kitt, who passed away in December 2008, seemed a fitting choice to revisit. A pop culture icon for her turn as the second Catwoman (following Julie Newmar) on the late-1960s, camp-classic TV series Batman, she was slated to appear at Washington's legendary jazz nightclub Blues Alley when we spoke.
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.