Elliot Lanes - Page 13

MetroStage continues its winning 2018/19 season with the company's fourth production of Three Sistahs. This musical premiered in 2002 and it's easy to understand why it is one of Producing Artistic Director Carolyn Griffin's favorites.

Today's subject Matthew Bourne has done what some might say is impossible, making his theatre life quite the big deal. Bourne has managed to meld the worlds of classical dance and theatre together in his internationally acclaimed company New Adventures with some pretty terrific results. His latest creation, Cinderella, hits the stage of the Opera House at Kennedy Center on January 15 playing through the 20th.

If you were to ask anyone who they think was one of the greatest all-around performers of the twentieth century, chances are Judy Garland would definitely be one of the most popular answers. It's hard to fathom all she accomplished in her short 47 years of life. It's even more challenging to consider what would have been had she lived longer.

Given the current political climate in this country you have to ask if there is any such thing as a truly honest politician. Today's subject, Nehassaiu deGannes, is currently living her theatre life onstage at Studio Theatre portraying just that type, Rep. Sydney Millsap, in local playwright Sarah Burgess' Kings. The production runs through January 13th in Studio's fourth floor space.

There are many companies presenting Theater for Young Audiences (TYA) shows in and around the DC area. One of the newest is a company that's been around for over twenty years, but has relatively recently branched out into the family entertainment genre.

For many years now, the famed Cirque du Soleil has been combining the two worlds of circus and theater to create some spectacular productions. Anyone that has seen one of their shows in Las Vegas or elsewhere knows that when you attend a Cirque production, it's an unforgettable experience. Cirque has repurposed the music of The Beatles, taken us to a spectacular jungle world and elsewhere in their past productions, but with their latest touring show Crystal the company adds ice skating to their repertoire. Combining traditional circus skills with breathtaking ramp jumps, break dancing, show skating and much more Crystal is not your typical Cirque du Soleil production. It takes place entirely on an ice rink, but for those that remember it, this is not your standard Ice Capades by any stretch of the imagination either.

There are certain theatrical presentations you can always depend on for sheer holiday joy at this time of year. Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker is definitely high on that list. The music has spawned many different interpretations over the years, including Duke Ellington's version featuring a swinging saxophone section. The music is also used in many television commercials so even if you didn't know the music was from the classic ballet, chances are you at one point or another have been exposed to The Nutcracker.

How far would you go to be with the one that you love? Sonya Kelly's autobiographical How to Keep an Alien, now being presented by Solas Nua, explores this question with warmth, humor, and a tour-de-force performance from DC acting goddess Tonya Beckman. This production marks the first time Kelly has not performed in the show herself.

Some pieces of theater require your undivided attention because of some deep underlying message that the playwright doesn't want you to miss. This is not the case for MetroStage's return holiday engagement of Catherine Flye's Christmas at The Old Bull & Bush and that's totally ok. This British Variety Music Hall Entertainment is full of music, good performances, and some really corny jokes. In other words, it is everything you would expect from a show set in 1918 in Hampstead, London.

There are some plays in the history of Broadway that you just scratch your head as to why they didn't have a longer run. Paula Vogel's Indecent is definitely one of those plays. It opened to rave reviews on Broadway, won the Tony Award for best direction and only ran 128 performances. The award win gave the show a considerable box office bump, but not enough to convince the show's producers to make a run of it in the summer heat. Thankfully, PBS preserved the Broadway production for posterity and the play is now getting a much deserved second life in regional theaters across the country.

We all know how stressful the holidays can be, especially finding the perfect gift for friends and family. But what about the perfect accoutrement, - that's a fancy word now isn't it - for the top of your Christmas tree? Yes, the tree topper can make or break any holiday celebration and you won't find a better illustration of this fact than Adventure Theatre's super splendid (that's a fancy word for really excellent) production of Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas. The show boasts a score by Randy Klein (music), Matthew Hardy (lyrics) and Cara Lustik and Matthew Hardy (book).

Any one of us that has ever seen an animated feature or short produced by the Walt Disney Animation Studios knows that the music is always a big component in making the film a success. Let's face it, aren't you all still singing 'Let it Go' from Frozen even though the film is now five years old? Songs like that one and classics like 'Heigh Ho' and 'A Whole New World' are etched in our collective memories for a lifetime.

For something completely different this holiday season, you might want to consider Signature Theatre's latest offering. Billy Elliot the Musical is not your standard holiday fare by any means. Sure, there are big production numbers, but the story features important underlying themes of labor tensions, economic inequality, and acceptance. In other words, this show follows my philosophy that theater is meant to educate as well as entertain. The production also features some pretty incredible ballet and tap choreography with a cast that performs it beautifully.

The story of Cinderella has been presented in many forms throughout the history of entertainment.  Each has enchanted audiences of all ages. There was the classic Disney cartoon, the Rodgers and Hammerstein television adaptation that has since become a stage musical, a few television remakes, and the famed London pantomimes. No matter which version of the story you've seen, there is something about a common girl's quest for true love that gets us every time.

Today's subject, Nancy Anderson, has been living her theater life on Broadway and in regional theaters for many years now. You can currently see her as the tight-fisted, but caring dance teacher Mrs. Wilkinson in Billy Elliot at Signature Theatre. The production plays through January 6, 2019 in the MAX space. Directed and choreographed by Signature Theatre's Associate Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner, it very well may be the largest production the company has presented to date.

One of the best things about being a columnist is you can introduce some fresh new talent to the public. Take, for example, today's subject Candice Shedd-Thompson who is currently living her theatre life onstage at MetroStage in its tenth anniversary production of the pop-rock musical Rooms a Rock Romance. The production runs through November 11th.

With the holiday season fast approaching Arena Stage is readying their annual Gold Standard Musical. This year it's the classic ship shape Cole Porter musical from 1934, Anything Goes. The production begins performances on November 2nd and plays through December 23rd in the Fichandler space.

My theatre life subject for today is one I've wanted to interview for a long while now. Tiler Peck is one of those performers that automatically brings any stage to life from her first entrance and keeps you captivated until her final bow.

Over the past few years DC's Constellation Theatre Company (CTC) has branched out from its mostly classical offerings by presenting a few musicals. They include the blockbusters Avenue Q and Urinetown and one lesser known entity – the Andrew Lippa version of The Wild Party. In all three cases, the shows fit perfectly into CTC's home at Source.

Here is the scenario. Imagine going to a community theatre in Arlington, VA to see a show that requires a good size choir and a fourteen-piece orchestra. I imagine some of you might think that the company was crazy. I'm here to tell you that, in the case of The Arlington Players' 68th season opener The Hunchback of Notre Dame, you would be totally wrong. Never assume anything until you witness it. The production indeed features a twenty-member choir and it utilizes Michael Starobin's full orchestration but besides that, the production overall is as good as I've seen from some professional theatre companies. Yes, you read that right folks.