Archive for 'Arts'

One for all and all for one at Synetic Theater

One for all and all for one at Synetic Theater

By Jordan Wright Synetic Theater’s dancers excel in perceived weightlessness and acrobatic suspension, and in “The Three Musketeers,” their talent is put on display. The play is full of good, old-fashioned swashbuckling, fight-till-the-death duels and leaping [...]

Booming sales prompts Port City Brewing’s expansion

Booming sales prompts Port City Brewing’s expansion

By Derrick Perkins Port City Brewing’s line of local craft beers has got tongues wagging, so much so the West End brewery is expanding capacity — again. Owner Bill Butcher, a native of the city, is [...]

MetroStage’s “Ghost-Writer” is a spellbinding show

MetroStage’s “Ghost-Writer” is a spellbinding show

By Jordan Wright As MetroStage celebrates its three Helen Hayes Awards for last year’s “Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris,” theatergoers are treated to another brilliant show by producing artistic director Carolyn [...]

A tale of troubled savants at Little Theatre

A tale of troubled savants at Little Theatre

By Jordan Wright “33 Variations,” playing at The Little Theatre of Alexandria, takes the audience on an intellectual exercise, meditating on Ludwig van Beethoven’s intent when he composed 33 variations on his music publisher’s mediocre waltz. [...]

Hobie and Monk: What to do when the kids aren’t all right

Hobie and Monk: What to do when the kids aren’t all right

Dear Hobie & Monk, I looked back through your columns, and I’m surprised that no one has written in about this topic considering the wealth of restaurants and children in Alexandria. When my son was young [...]

‘Six Degrees’ deftly captures a changing society

‘Six Degrees’ deftly captures a changing society

By Jordan Wright When John Guare’s iconic play, “Six Degrees of Separation,” was first produced at Lincoln Center in New York City in 1993, it fit in with the zeitgeist perfectly. Society had been reconfigured over [...]

Thinking about a trip abroad? Sri Lanka should be at the top of the list

Thinking about a trip abroad? Sri Lanka should be at the top of the list

By Frederica Dunn Where can you see the world’s largest land creature — the elephant — and the largest sea creature — the blue whale — on the same day? Sri Lanka. Rich in history and [...]

Sushi with a twist on The Avenue

Sushi with a twist on The Avenue

By Melissa Quinn For restaurateurs Mike Anderson and Bill Blackburn, a sushi restaurant in the Del Ray neighborhood was a long time coming. But it wasn’t until they saw another niche — for an adults-only venue [...]

Virginia Theological Seminary gets groovy

Virginia Theological Seminary gets groovy

By Melissa Quinn The Virginia Theological Seminary shook up the usual routine over the weekend, hosting a Christian rock festival in hopes of giving adherents and attendees a different view of the Episcopal Church. Though the [...]

‘The Last Five Years’ puts the music before the plot

‘The Last Five Years’ puts the music before the plot

By Jordan Wright Being a theater critic is not always the best way to enjoy a show. I’m not a typical audience member out for a spot of entertainment. Scribbling furiously in the dark, I analyze [...]