Archive for 'Theatre'

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 [...]

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. [...]

‘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 [...]

‘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 [...]

Arena Stage conquers ‘The Mountaintop’

Arena Stage conquers ‘The Mountaintop’

By Jordan Wright When playwright and actor Katori Hall’s “The Mountaintop” was staged on Broadway in 2011, it starred Angela Bassett and Samuel L. Jackson, two of the finest American actors we know. But after taking [...]

‘Mary T. and Lizzy K.’ falls flat

‘Mary T. and Lizzy K.’ falls flat

By Jordan Wright Four exceptional actors captivate audiences at Arena Stage’s world premiere of “Mary T. and Lizzy K.” Of that there should be no argument. They are in an elite class of actors — powerful [...]

Of gods and men

Of gods and men

By Jordan Wright At Arena Stage’s Mead Center, Tony Award-winning director Mary Zimmerman’s “Metamorphoses” unfolds on a stage transformed into a giant central pool.   Ornamented by a single crystal chandelier, the shallow body of water [...]

Of gods and men

Of gods and men

By Jordan Wright At Arena Stage’s Mead Center, Tony Award-winning director Mary Zimmerman’s “Metamorphoses” unfolds on a stage transformed into a giant central pool. Ornamented by a single crystal chandelier, the shallow body of water is [...]

Port City Playhouse draws from real life struggles

Port City Playhouse draws from real life struggles

By Jordan Wright Michael Healey’s “The Drawer Boy” as performed by Port City Playhouse is — by turns — a darkly funny and deeply poignant piece of theater that examines the bonds of friendship and the [...]