March Theatre Roundup

TNG's theatre guy Chris brings you the low-down.

Happy March! Once again, it’s time for a roundup of theatre goings-on. Here's a slew of shows I think may be interesting to TNG readers. I want to be sure to cover shows that you want to hear about. Are you in a show or part of a production team? Did you see something you loved (or hated?) Email me and let me know. This month’s shows cover a lot of ground, including US/Iraq relations, a dance audition, a creepy office receptionist, Little Edie Beale, and the “golden years” of tap dance. I’ve highlighted great deals with a $ sign and be sure to check out the bottom of the page for shows I covered last month which are still running. The shows, in no special order, are below:

--- After the Garden: Edith Beale Live at Reno Sweeney – Ganymede Arts

You're going to hear a lot about Grey Gardens in the next few months. Grey Gardens is a few things: first, it's the East Hampton mansion that was home to Jackie O's uncle, aunt and cousins. Secondly, it's the title of the 1975 cult-hit documentary by Albert and David Maysles following the bizarre and fascinating behavior of “Big Edie” and “Little Edie” Beale, the isolated residents of the mansion in decay. It's also a Broadway musical (recently at Studio Theatre) based on the documentary. Finally, it's the title of the HBO movie premiering next month starring Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore. I find the Grey Gardens story extremely haunting (and I promise a follow-up review with more information). Instead of remaking the documentary, Ganymede Arts, DC's LGBT arts company, brings us a restaging of Little Edie's 1978 cabaret act. Gerald Duval, the producer of Little Edie's original show, has recreated the evening in After the Gardens, premiering in DC before heading to NYC. Performances take place in the Backroom of Miss Pixie's, on 14th St.

Runs March 5 - 29, 2009.
$ - Tickets are $25.

--- A Chorus Line - National Theatre

“Who am I, anyway? Am I my resume?” Lord, I love this show. In 1975, A Chorus Line saved Broadway and changed the path of contemporary musical theatre (and that’s not an understatement). This Pulitzer-winning musical tells the story of Broadway dancers auditioning for a show. In turn, each dancer shares his or her story, all based on the real experiences of original cast members. This is the national tour of the 2006 Broadway revival, which I saw in New York. The choreography and musical arrangements are stellar and there is sure to be dancer eye-candy. The piece really speaks about personal passions and what part of our self we give up to follow our dreams (or just pay the bills). The tour stops in DC for two weeks only.

Runs March 10 – 22.

--- Marisol – Forum Theatre

This “modern fairy tale” by Puerto Rican playwright José Rivera is a surreal journey through some tough times. The Angels are waging war on a failing God and back down here on Earth, the apocalypse is stressful, to say the least. A young copy editor, Marisol, has been left by her guardian angel, and must navigate a chaotic New York City with the other survivors. The Forum Theatre Company just received their first Helen Hayes Award nomination for their production of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot. Performances are at the H Street Playhouse, in the arts and entertainment corridor of NE.

Runs March 14 – April 5.
$ - Tickets range from $15 – 20.

--- Cool Papa’s Party - MetroStage

This is the world premiere of this musical, with book and lyrics by Thomas W. Jones II and music by William Knowles. Covering a period from the 1920s through the Civil Rights movement and into the 1980s, Cool Papa’s Party tells the story of the “last great American hipster.” This show is a tribute to entertainers like Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra who defined stylized entertainment at the height of their popularity. Much of the buzz around this show has focused on the choreography by tap dancer extraordinaire Maurice Hines (brother of the late Gregory). MetroStage performs just across the river in Alexandria.

Runs until March 15.

--- Ion – Shakespeare Theatre

There’s nothing like an old Greek tragedy to remind you that humans have been behaving the same way ever since we crawled out of the goop. Ion was written by Euripides around 412 BC. Shakespeare Theatre presents the American premiere of this new adaptation by David Lan. Set at the Oracle of Delphi, the orphan Ion confronts his origins in this story of family, revenge and jealousy. This production is performed in the new and gorgeous Sidney Harman Hall.

Runs March 10 – April 12.
$ - There are tickets available for $10 each week for those under age 35. Click here for details.

--- The Receptionist – Studio Theatre

This dark comedy takes stabs at our "culture of surveillance." The Receptionist runs in Studio's alternative space, 2nd Stage. The 2nd Stage series allows Studio to perform contemporary theatre that is especially gritty and daring, oftentimes featuring local playwrights and actors. This piece is bound to change how you think of Administrative Professionals' Day...

Runs until March 22.

--- Benedictus – Theatre J

Theatre J's 2008/2009 season features a collection of plays and special events organized into a Middle East Festival. Benedictus is tagged "An Iran-Israel-US collaboration" and the piece pulls plot right from the headlines. Set 72 hours before the US is to strike Iranian nuclear sites, a Jew and a Muslim reunite with an American ambassador. This sounds like a gripping evening of theatre that will hit uncomfortably close to home.

Runs March 14 - 29.
$ - Tickets are $15-30.


Still Playing...
I featured a number of shows in my February Theatre Roundup that are still running.

Dante’s Divine Comedy – Synetic Theatre
Runs until March 11th.
Check out my interview with Synetic's Ben Cunis.

A Delicate Balance - Arena Stage
Runs until March 15th.

The Dog in the Manger – The Shakespeare Theatre
Runs until March 29th.

The Heavens Are Hung in Black – Ford’s Theatre
Runs until March 8th.

The Little Dog Laughed – Signature Theatre
Extended until March 15th.

Roundheads and Peakheads – Catalyst Theatre Co. (at the Atlas)
Runs until March 15th
$ - Tickets are $10

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Synetic Theater's Ben Cunis: The New Gay Interview

TNG theatre guy Chris brings you this interview.

I was fascinated by local troupe Synetic Theater’s take on Dante’s Divine Comedy. Synetic actor Ben Cunis, who plays Dante in this production, was kind enough to answer a few questions. (And if inquiring minds want to know, he's straight.) We discuss the collaborative artistic process, the relationships between the characters, the challenges in bringing this epic story to the stage and what it’s like going through Hell night after night.

The New Gay Chris: What drew you, Nathan [Weinberger] and Paata [Tsikurishvili] to the work? What were some of the challenges in adapting the piece for Synetic? Describe the creative and rehearsal process in bringing this production to the stage.

Ben Cunis: This is a big question...

Dante is, much like the sin it depicts, a piece with a lot of attraction coupled with a lot of danger. It contains a wealth of fantastic imagery -- some of which can translate directly to the stage, some of which cannot. It depicts a deeply psychological and emotionally complex journey on the part of the hero. There are literally hundreds of characters throughout the Commedia, and a vast variety of punishments, challenges, rewards, and various adventures.

The wealth of material is a double edged sword. One danger we continually found ourselves running into was the risk that the show become a sort of museum, a pastiche of horrific images. So much time had to be spent creating the environments that it took enormous additional effort to work them, as "units" of hell, into a dramatic storyline -- and therein lies the key challenge that anyone who has ever adapted the Commedia must face: it is a hero's journey in the epic form, which is fundamentally different from the dramatic form to which we (as a culture and a company, both) are accustomed. The epic format is episodic, with a regular rising and falling of action over a long period. The dramatic form can put the entirety of one of those rise/fall/rise episodes in a single evening. Our challenge was ultimately to make an epic story's flow match up with what Paata [Tsikurishvili, director] likes to call a dramaturgical flow.

Our process is intensely collaborative. Audiences, critics, and judges alike all comment on the remarkable choreography and unity of the productions, but perhaps rarely glimpse the true combination of individual genius that goes into creating one of these shows. Paata is a master not of crafting a story and a vision on his own, but a master of taking the qualities, ideas, and talents that his artists bring to him, and weaving them together with powerful vision. The same can be said of Irina [Tsikurishvili, choreographer] -- she takes the movement capabilities of our members, improves them, and then uses them in the best way possible. Both of them will observe a large amount of improvisation on the part of the cast, then take the elements that work and use them. I've never felt such ownership of a role as with my roles in Synetic.

The process is very long -- up to 3 months of training, improvisation, creation, and rehearsal. Other theater companies are putting their work up in one to two months of rehearsal. Our rehearsal process encompasses not only "rehearsal" per se, but also a massive amount of training and improvisation, and through that, the integrated creation of the music, costumes, set, fights, dances, etc. (all theater is intensely collaborative, yes, and none if this is meant to denigrate the fantastic work of other theaters in the area, we simply have a very different process). Most actors come into a process when it has already been running, we come into the process almost at ground zero (the exception to this is that usually the adaptation and basic concept sketches are prepared beforehand -- even though these change massively in rehearsal). This is because the majority of story and concept work comes out of improvisation and experimentation with the actors.

A piece like Dante is the result of a lot of sweat, argument, and effort over a long period. If I had to come up with one term for the way Synetic creates its work, it's Mass Brute Creativity.

TNG: One of the fascinating things about Dante's work is that the sins he details in Hell are, for the most part, still considered wrong or sinful today. What do you think the piece has to say about right and wrong in a contemporary society?

BC: This was an important element of the creation process -- Paata sensed that the piece had to resonate with today's life, and that the show is ultimately about things that are in all of us. I look at the farcical scene of the Prodigal and Avaricious as a great example. A bunch of people in rags are forced to haul around large numbers that take on lives of their own and fling the sinners about in a chaotic mess. You can look at the state of our economy today, or look at the source of a number of our societal ills, and I, personally, think that it can often boil down to people to whom numbers are the "point"...they become slaves to the numbers and blind to actual humanity.

As for right and wrong, I think there is an interesting bit of wonderment in Dante. I think it asks a question -- at what point is sin unforgivable? Do we ever sin to the point of losing our contact with the divine...for eternity?

TNG: I found the relationships between Dante, Beatrice and Virgil very compelling. After the opening scene, Beatrice is essentially untouchable, while Virgil is very physically present, even affectionate with Dante. How would you describe Dante's relationships with Beatrice and Virgil in this production?

BC: The relationship with Beatrice, and the loss of her, is very much the catalyzing event for me. It's what takes Dante to the place of darkness, to escape from which requires his journey (though perhaps the true source of Dante's being "lost in a dark wood" is some more deep seeded attitude about life on his part). Beatrice is an ideal to Dante, and to me, the kind of ideal she is changes over the course of the story. She starts as an ideal of earthly love, of beautiful human connection, but by the end Dante begins to see her as a divine ideal, something that elevates not only the heart but the soul as well.

Virgil is something else. He is, (I'm about to be pretentious) in a Jungian sense, Dante's shadow. He is a part of Dante, to me. At the beginning of the process we toyed with making this more overt -- Virgil and Beatrice are parts of Dante's fragmented psyche, and the hero's journey is one of unification or shedding of these estranged parts. This ultimately did not get worked directly in, but to me, that's the story -- Dante is broken apart by loss and trauma, and his journey to the depths of evil and the heights of divinity brings him to wholeness. The entirety of the Inferno is, to me, a story of a man plunging through the depths of his own soul, not an external physical hell. It's an internal story, told through an external quest.

The relationship with Virgil, then, is more like having an adventure with a long lost twin, than a road trip with some crazy tour guide.

TNG: This is an extremely physical show for all of the actors and I imagine it's mentally exhausting as well. How did you and the cast prepare? As an actor, what is it like to go through Hell, literally, night after night? Is there a circle of Hell you find particularly disturbing in this production?

BC: Our training is rigorous, long, and difficult, and our rehearsal process is ten times as physically hard as performing the show itself. Fitness is a necessity for, and a result of, our creation process.

Every show requires a good hour of warming up, stretching, vocal warmup, various backflips and traditional chant things, and a few moments of listening to music by myself.

Going through Hell is a sweaty process, and the emotional heights I have to jump into at the end are made easier to enter by the fact that my lungs are burning/full of CO2 fog.

The circle of the hypocrites is particularly disturbing to me -- it contains some POWERFUL (and controversial) imagery...and I have to hold still and watch it every night.

TNG: If you had to make your way through Hell, who would you choose as your guide?

BC: Hmm. My roommate Ryan Sellers [a fellow Synetic actor]. He's friends with all those folks anyway, so I wouldn't have to worry about getting chomped by demons.

TNG: Is there anything else you'd like readers to know about the production or Synetic Theater?

BC: I suggest planning on grabbing a drink/companion/cold shower after this one.

Dante runs through March 22nd at Rosslyn Spectrum. Running time is 90 minutes and there is no intermission. Directed by Paata Tsikurishvili and choreographed by Irina Tsikurishvili. Set, costume and props designed by Anastasia Ryurikov Simes. Lighting designed by Andrew F. Griffin and music design by Konstantine Lortkipanidze. Fight Choreography by Ben Cunis. The piece was adapted by Ben Cunis, Nathan Weinberger and Paata Tsikurishvili. Tickets are $15 – $40. For more info, visit http://www.synetictheater.org

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Reminder: CRACK Show Tomorrow Night 9PM @ Town

TNG advice columnist of infamy, Summer Camp, invites you to celebrate the weekend with CRACK.


10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...BLAST OFF!!!

Tomorrow night CRACK is taking over TOWN to host another one of our absurd shows. This time we're going to outer space and hope you'll join us for the trip direct to Uranus.

Ooh, I just got so excited about tomorrow night's show, I spilled my glass of Tang.

As usual, the cabaret/talent show will be packed with absurd performances (including TNG's Zack), outrageous short videos, and gasp-inducing audience participation games. The fun starts as soon as the doors open at 9 PM as Brightest Young Things will run an irreverent photo-booth that audience members can use during the hour before the show starts, plus an hour of campy sci-fi movies and outer space-themed music.

CRACK: JOURNEY TO URANUS
Saturday, February 28
Doors 9 PM / Show 10 PM
TOWN Danceboutique
2009 8th Street NW
21 and over
Tickets: $8.00 at the door (includes admission to TOWN after show)
Facebook Event Page
More info on CRACK website

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Your Morning Upper: Wolverine at the Tonys

TNG theatre guy Chris shares this video de jour.

Mornings suck. So every morning, TNG brings you a fun video to help ease the pain.

Here’s the hook: Hugh Jackman riding a camel, lounging on a piano and humping the air in tight gold pants. Have you clicked the play button yet? Last weekend’s Oscars were a reminder that Wolverine is a great song and dance man. Like many of the best screen actors around, Jackman has his roots in theatre. In 2004, he won the Tony for his role as Peter Allen in The Boy From Oz, the bio-musical about the gay Australian singer/songwriter who worked with Judy Garland and eventually married her daughter, Liza Minnelli. In this clip, Jackman sings and swivels in the finale from Act I, “Not the Boy Next Door." Whether you like the song or not, hang in there until he pulls Sarah Jessica Parker up on stage. SJP, we thought your hubby told you never to sit in the front row at the Tonys…

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Theatre Review - Pluck: The Titanic Show

TNG theatre guy Chris submits this post.

In the interest of full disclosure, I’m a full-blown music nerd. You all can think back to high school and picture the band geeks and orch dorks. Some were “worse” than others, but there was always a sense of humor there that these music nerds shared. When one goes to college and majors in music, the bad music jokes get better, smarter, and dirtier. Wind quintet rehearsals turn into drinking games. It’s this sort of humor that makes Pluck’s newest show, The Titanic Show, so much fun.

Because they come from the UK, it makes it very easy to say “Oh, that’s Monty Python crossed with a string trio.” There are certainly similarities, including slapstick and bad puns. But by building their shows around actual classical tunes arranged for string trio, Pluck adds another layer to their manic performances.

This gets difficult to describe. First and foremost, Pluck presents a concert, featuring works by Mozart, Rossini, Schubert, Bach, Tchaikovsky, etc. The arrangements are simple and played effortlessly. This is the secret to their success. Outlandish behavior and physical comedy only work if the performances have a solid foundation, in this case, the music. If these players were hacks, the entire performance would be a painful experience for the audience. But instead, the three Pluck members are each stellar musicians.

So, we’ve got great music. Now, add in a stage show. The Titanic Show is based on the lives of the string players on board the ship who played on the famous ship even while sinking. Not much is known about these players, although fact has been incorporated where the researchers were able. However, this is mostly silly fun and as the program states, “Nobody knows what happened to those brave few before tragedy struck…so Pluck has made it up.”

Like musical humorists such as Victor Borge and PDQ Bach, Pluck, comprised of Adrian Garratt, Siân Kadifachi and Jon Regan, have this tricky performance art perfected. The jokes reach a wide audience and the physical comedy is nearly non-stop. And somehow they manage to give The Titanic Show a happy ending.

Pluck: The Titanic Show features Pluck (Adrian Garratt, Siân Kadifachi and Jon Regan). Directed by Cal McCrystal with chorography by Robyn Simpson. Lighting by Natasha Chivers, sets by Sue Mayes and video by Ben Rogers. Musical arrangements by Julian Saxl and Pluck. Runs through March 1st at the Bethesda Theatre, which is very easy to get to on the red line. For more info, visit http://www.bethesdatheatre.com/.

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Synetic Theater's Dante

New TNG theatre guy, Chris, submits this review.

Describing Synetic Theater’s current production of Dante is difficult without first understanding how the Synetic artistic team approaches the stage. In his program notes, director Paata Tsikurishvili describes Synetic, “To us, the stylistic, the surreal, the musical and vocal and choreographed elements of theatre, are all tools of our storytelling. None are ends in their own right, and the creation of the visual opera necessitates the use of all these elements.” As the name suggests, Synetic Theater presents audiences with a compelling synthesis of acting, interpretive dance, movement, pantomime and acrobatics woven together with original music. Synetic Theater chooses a classic work and then tears it open, turns it inside out and puts the piece back together. The result stays true to the original, yet allows audience members to gain a new perspective on the material. Synetic’s take on Dante Alighieri’s epic poem The Divine Comedy is wild, gritty and thought provoking.

Written sometime between 1308 and 1321, the Commedia tells the story of Dante (the author in first person) traveling through Hell, Purgatory and Paradise. Being “type A” to the extreme, Dante assembled his vision of the afterlife with multiple circles (Hell has nine), terraces (Purgatory has seven) and spheres (Paradise has nine). Within each of these strata are various layers and rings, each an allegorical setting populated with the dead. Instead of interpreting all 14,000 lines of the poem, Synetic’s adaptation team (Ben Cunis, Nathan Weinberger, and Paata Tsikurishvili) tells a more personal story of Dante’s disillusionment with the world, his love for his “ideal woman,” Beatrice, and his travels through Hell to redemption.

The demanding role of Dante is played by Ben Cunis who is on-stage for nearly all of the show. Cunis’ Dante is strong but vulnerable enough to be appropriately affected by the horrors he experiences in Hell. I found myself rooting for this anti-hero from the beginning. Instead of storming into Hell ready to kick ass and take over, Cunis brings humility and humanity to Dante that is immediately appealing and suits him well throughout the evening. Greg Marzullo plays Dante’s guide, the ancient poet Virgil, with meaningful depth. Instead of merely being a guide, Marzullo’s Virgil is caring yet mischievous. Throughout his performance, I was reminded of the cautionary ghosts in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, or the sultry Emcee from the musical Cabaret. These characters are guides, yes, but they aren’t necessarily the protagonists’ best friend. Natalie Berk, as Dante’s love Beatrice, shines in the opening love duet and then pops up throughout the show as a beacon to Dante, displaying appropriate longing and desire.

A fifteen-person supporting cast fills the roles of demons, souls and others that Dante meets along his way. Philip Fletcher, Alex Mills and Ryan Sellers bring Satan’s demons to life with savage glee as they taunt, whip and torture the residents throughout Hell. Other standouts include Elizabeth Van Den Berg as Ugolino, a haunting soul with a stomach-turning confession, and Chris Galindo as a corrupt bishop who receives his jaw-dropping punishment in a startling and unsettling scene that I don’t dare give away.

The set and lighting are clean and effective. A spiraled and jagged series of rings draw the audience to center stage where a portal opens to reveal some of the spookier citizens of Hell, backlit in intense reds and blues. The costumes, designed by Anastasia Ryurikov Simes, are staggering and bold. Imagine a mix of BDSM leatherwear with 80s New York punk with classic medieval garb. The costumes, around 70 in all, are lurid, innovative and dramatic – and show plenty of skin on the guys and girls both. The cast is athletic, agile and attractive. The physical displays lend undertones of sexual energy where effective. There are a number of erotic moments (homo and hetero), ranging from the very subtle to the graphic and disturbing. Simes does a fantastic job in bringing the difficult characters to life. The Fortunetellers stumble with their limbs and head twisted the wrong way, and The Gluttonous are wrapped in sickly plastic, worming their way around the stage. Irina Tsikurishvili’s choreography is physically demanding and extremely energetic. The physicality carries the storytelling responsibilities well where words are few and far between.

Synetic gives its audience plenty to ponder. The journey with Dante becomes a personal one – I couldn’t help but wonder which circle of Hell Dante would cast me off to (as if such things are decided by 14th century Italian poets). Many of the images, particularly those of The Hypocrites and The Suicides, are deeply disturbing and difficult to watch. Still, the truly spooky thing is that we see a bit of ourselves in each scene. The piece resonates so well because it holds a mirror up to our own actions and forces a long stare. Dante found his redemption, giving us the hope that we can do the same.

Dante runs through March 22nd at Rosslyn Spectrum. Running time is 90 minutes and there is no intermission. Directed by Paata Tsikurishvili and choreographed by Irina Tsikurishvili. Set, costume and props designed by Anastasia Ryurikov Simes. Lighting designed by Andrew F. Griffin and music design by Konstantine Lortkipanidze. Fight Choreography by Ben Cunis. The piece was adapted by Ben Cunis, Nathan Weinberger and Paata Tsikurishvili. Tickets are $15 – $40. For more info, visit Synetic Theater

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February Theatre Roundup

This post is submitted by TNG reader Chris, a musician and teacher working in consulting for not-for-profit performing arts groups. He is music director and adjunct faculty member in the theatre and dance department at UMW. Sometimes his living room turns into a piano bar in the wee hours of the weekend and for that he apologizes to his downstairs neighbors.

If anyone ever tries to tell you that DC suffers from a lack of creative, exciting, compelling and meaningful theatre it is your duty to smack them upside the head. Then bring them to a show. In February alone nearly fifty different shows will run throughout the metro area. Yeah, fifty. I find that overwhelming, in the best possible way. Even if you’re the biggest theatre fan on the planet there’s no way to see everything, let alone afford it. At the start of each month, I will happily bring you a Theatre Roundup that attempts to focus on some of the shows happening in and around Washington. I’ve tried to pick shows that I think may be especially interesting for you, the TNG reader. And because we’re all dirt poor until we get some Obamabucks, I’ll toss in some info about pay-what-you-can nights or great deals (and I’ll mark those with a $). In no particular order, here goes…

• A Delicate Balance - Arena Stage
Edward Albee is one of the great American playwrights and, good news, he’s still alive! And because he’s alive he was part of the production process. He worked with director Pam MacKinnon from time to time on this production of one of his great stories about family life and how fragile some of our situations really are. While Arena’s gorgeous new center is under construction, they are performing in Crystal City in temporary space under the Crystal City Marriott in a full theatre they’ve rigged up.

Runs Feb. 6 – March 15

• Dante’s Divine Comedy – Synetic Theatre
Hell, Purgatory and Paradise all in one night? I hope Dante packed a sandwich. This is bound to be quite the show (and rumor has it may be laced with some homo tendencies).

Runs Feb. 6 – March 21

• The Little Dog Laughed– Signature Theatre
Little Dog is staged in Signature’s more intimate Ark Theatre and officially earns a Hottie Alert for the beautiful four-person cast. The story follows a Hollywood actor and the juicy gay gossip surrounding him, endlessly frustrating his agent. Get this – Cutie Actor has a thing for this Rentboy and Rentboy’s Girlfriend is not thrilled. But what if Rentboy likes Cutie Actor? I’m not ashamed to tell you that I dig shows that warn of “brief nudity, sexual content and side-splitting humor.”

Runs until March 8.

• The Dog in the Manger – The Shakespeare Theatre
So, as Aesop’s fable goes, a dog falls asleep in a manger of hay. When the cows wake him up because they are hungry the dog doesn’t let them have any of the hay, even though he can’t eat it himself. We’re left with a moral along the lines of “we often begrudge others what we ourselves can’t enjoy.” From there, 16th century Spanish playwright Lope de Vega’s play is an exploration of class and love. The Shakespeare Theatre is top-notch professional acting that doesn’t disappoint.

Runs Feb. 10 – March 29.
$ - There are tickets available for $10 each week for those under age 35. Click here for details.

• Hell Meets Henry Halfway –Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
Woolly Mammoth is one of my all-time, absolute faves in DC. Philadelphia-based Pig Iron Theatre Co. makes a guest appearance on the Woolly stage for a show that will be, without exaggeration, unlike anything you’ve ever seen. The official press blurb has a sentence worth a million bucks, so I’ll just give you that: “…Pig Iron transforms a gothic mystery into an orgiastic celebration of nihilism…An existential classic explodes into delicious darkness and antic acrobatics.” Who can resist that promise of nuttiness?

Runs Feb. 2 – March 1.
$ - There are $15 tickets available to all shows for folks under age 25. They also do $15 “stampede” tickets available 2 hours before any show for those of us who have said goodbye to those tender years. Click here for details.

• Avenue Q – The Warner Theatre
It’s Sesame Street for grown ups who cuss and watch porn. The Warner brings us the hit musical as part of their first Broadway series. With songs like “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist,” “The Internet is for Porn,” and “You Can Be As Loud As the Hell You Want When You’re Makin’ Love” this is a brash, bust-up laughing show for anyone muddling through their quarter-life crisis.

Runs Feb. 10 – 15 (one week only)

• Roundheads and Peakheads – Catalyst Theatre Co. (at the Atlas)
Performing at the snazzy Atlas Performing Arts Center in the equally snazzy H St. Corridor, Catalyst brings us one of Bertolt Brecht’s searing works. If you haven’t seen any Brecht, this is the time. Set in the land of Yahoo, the poor tenants begin to rise up against the greedy landowners. So the landowners do what any sensible, mean, money-grubbing person would…they try to turn the tenants against each other using class and race warfare.

Runs Feb. 11 – March 15.
$ - Get this…all tickets are $10. And pay-what-you-can previews are Feb. 11 – 14.

• The Heavens Are Hung in Black – Ford’s Theatre
After what feels like forever, Ford’s Theatre will reopen this month after a major renovation. In a totally expected, and probably appropriate move, their first show will be about…wait for it…Lincoln! While I think this show will skew a bit sappy, it’s a great opportunity to see the new Ford’s. If you’re the musical theatre type, you may want to wait until March when The Civil War begins its run.

Runs Feb. 3 – March 8.

• The Inspector General – Journeymen Theatre
Playing in a small theatre near Dupont Circle, Journeymen brings a 19th century Russian satire into the heart of Washington, forcing the comparison between the corrupt and dysfunctional government depicted in the play and our own a few blocks away.

Runs Feb. 4 – 28.
$ - Tickets are $20 and each Wednesday is a pay-what-you-can night.

• Les Miserables – Signature Theatre
I can hear what you’re saying. “I’ve seen this 3 times already” or “Mom used to make me watch the concert video over and over.” Yes, yes, I get it. Les Mis wasn’t ever one of my very favorite musicals either. But the uber-talented folks over at Signature have totally re-crafted this huge show and managed to fit it into their intimate black box theatre. You’re nearly sitting in the action and suddenly this becomes a very real and gritty drama. Where other productions go sappy, Signature plays up the realism and violence. If you like the show or music, you’ll want to see this new production. It’s extremely rare that Les Mis ever gets a break from that damn rotating stage.

The extended run closes Feb. 22.

• The Seafarer – Studio Theatre
Seafarer took the Tony awards by storm last year and is currently running on Studio’s mainstage. Set in Dublin, four friends drink and play cards until the Devil shows up to ruin their fun. What follows is a card game full of humor, inebriation and stabs at redemption mashed up with a “Devil Went Down to Georgia” and Faustian spin.

Runs until Feb. 22.

• The Marriage of Figaro – Constellation Theatre (at SOURCE)
Playing at the hip Source theatre you’ve walked past on the way to Black Cat, Constellation brings us the play that inspired Mozart’s well-known opera. This farce is full of period humor, using bawdiness, mistaken identity, and class conflict. Their promo materials also feature a scantily clad bosom.

Runs until Feb. 22.
$ - Tickets are $20.

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CRACK isn't WACK...it's BACK!

Hi TNG Readers. For those of you who don't know me, I'm Summer Camp. Three years ago, I teamed up with Chris Farris and Karl Jones to create a performance group called CRACK. We produce cabaret shows that combine live performance, short films, and audience participation. CRACK shows provide an alternative outlet to local artists who have fallen through the cracks of DC's established performance scene. Get it? That's why we call it CRACK.

CRACK, which we proudly bill as a "low budget of mess of stage and screen" is returning to the stage next month with another edgy and bizarre cabaret. On Saturday, February 28, CRACK is taking its special brand of theater to a new and bigger venue: TOWN Danceboutique.

Please save the date! We hope you'll join us for a live show packed with irreverent, outrageous, and ridiculous performances from local talent. If you're interested in performing, send an email to CRACK and let us know what you'd like to do. TNG's Michael and Zack are planning to perform! For more information visit our website or facebook group.

Until we see you in February, please enjoy CRACK's latest short film, "Loopy Summer Day."

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Tonight: Trans Hamlet in the Park

This above all — to thine ownself be true
Tonight and through June 1, catch Zorf (aka Jeffrey Carlson, above) out of All My Children and onto the Carter Barron Ampitheater stage as Hamlet. It'll be a beautiful night to spend in the great outdoors with The Shakespeare Theatre Company, contemplating love, death, betrayal, and the masterful language of the master poet himself. Bring a picnic and a respectfully concealed beverage of your choice to the park at 16th and Colorado.

Deets:
Hamlet
by William Shakespeare
directed by Alexander Burns
May 22 - June 1, 2008 at 7:30pm
Carter Barron Amphitheatre

FREE. Pick up same day tickets at the Carter Barron Amphitheatre beginning at noon.

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Theatre: The Last Days of Judas Iscariot

This post submitted by TNG reader "Cesar," who performs in the play.

The Bible's greatest villain is on trial in a town called Hope, deep in the heart of Purgatory. But he's catatonic with guilt and can't defend himself. So the judge, jury, lawyers, and witnesses--from Mother Teresa to Sigmund Freud to Satan--try his case without him. And along the way, they debate free will, divine intervention, punishment, and redemption.

Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 8:00pm-
Sunday, May 4, 2008 at 5:00pm

H Street Playhouse
1365 H St. NE
Washington City, DC

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