I summarize Yasmina Reza’s play ‘Art’ to my companion as a play about three dudes bitching about stuff, and a painting. I’m not even sure there’s a plot. At least, I don’t remember a plot.

It’s more of a premise. And the premise is that three grown men are having an existential meltdown over a white painting. Serge blows a fortune on what looks like a blank canvas, Marc can’t believe his friend spent money on the thing, and poor Yvan is stuck trying to keep the peace while both sides take turns losing it. What starts as an argument about modern art turns into a hilarious, petty, and painfully honest showdown about ego, friendship, and who’s the real intellectual in the room. In spite of this, it’s great fun. 

Everyman Theatre puts on a lot of highbrow theatrical performances. Honestly, I was stunned (delighted, but also stunned) to see them doing Harvey in 2023, a distinctly lowbrow play about a man who befriends a six-foot-tall invisible rabbit. But even Harvey was highbrowed-up significantly at Everyman. Reza’s ‘Art’ script is already pretty highbrow, which is, I suppose, one of the things people like about it, at least, the sort of people who use the word ‘sportsball’ unironically in a sentence. Snazzing it up further with a posh set stretches the limits of relatability, which is forgivable as the set is a visual delight.

Kyle Prue, Bruce Randolph Nelson, and Tony K. Nam as Marc, Serge, and Yvan (respectively, in order of appearance) are all splendid performers who, as characters, take themselves dreadfully seriously. If there were even a hint of a twinkle, the comedy wouldn’t work. The comedy works. Each performer has excellent timing and good interplay with the others. What they don’t have as characters is any particular likability. I acknowledge that my preference for likable characters is a personal quirk, so this won’t be a problem for everyone. Prue stops just shy of sarcasm, and I’ve never not enjoyed Bruce Nelson in anything. Nam, who was absolutely magnificent as George in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? this past spring, portrays a very different sort of character in ‘Art’. Director Noah Himmelstein delivers restrained character movements while keeping the piece from being static, a real risk in such a “talk-y” show. 

The sound quality is crystal clear. It helps that the audience is very quiet, but with the crisp and rhythmic dialogue Reza has written, missing any of it would be disastrous to comprehension.

Scenic Designer Paige Hathaway, whose turntable candy-boxes for Primary Trust thrilled me earlier this year, presents a single set that emits a luxurious gleam through subtly burnished furniture and glorious trappings. Tastefully elegant brass chandeliers and sconces, hung very high, suggest vaulted ceilings and enormous mansions, and whisper “spared no expense.” Smooth sliding panels glide back and forth to indicate scene changes. A particularly beautiful piece of the set is the scrim behind the panels, which catches color like a skylit lake. Lighting Designer Harold F. Burgess II creates mesmerizing glows on that backdrop, setting the tenor of each scene, moving rapidly through briefly fascinating ombre color shifts during scenic changes, then settling down so we can watch the actors.

‘Art,’ was originally written in French and translated into English almost immediately by Christopher Hampton. At this point, it has been performed in at least 30 languages. It opened in the West End (London) in 1996 and ran for six years. ‘Art’ gathered a number of awards, including a Moliere (France), an Olivier (England), and a Tony (USA). Reza’s following play, God of Carnage (2008), and its subsequent film adaptation may have brought renewed attention to this quiet show. Learn more about the playwright and translator when you have a peek at Everyman’s online program. 

The pre-show bar offers thematic drinks — I choose “Blank Canvas,” which I enjoy very much, though it is a bit sweeter than my usual preference. There are also alcohol-free specialty beverages. Don’t wait until intermission: there’s not one in this show. Drinks with lids are permitted in the theater, but snacks are not. 

One of the entertaining things about art is that people disagree about art. Yasmina Reza’s ‘Art’ at Everyman places that tempest in a pretty china teapot. It’s sharp, it’s smart, it’s short, and it might make you appreciate your friendships more and your decor less, or, possibly, the reverse.

Running time: 90 minutes, with no intermission. 

‘Art’ plays through November 16, 2025, at Everyman Theatre, 315 West Fayette Street, Baltimore, MD. For tickets (starting at $60, with student discounts and Pay-What-You-Choose tickets at every performance), call the box office at (410) 752-2208 (Monday-Friday, 10 am to 4 pm and Saturday 12 to 4 pm), email boxoffice@everymantheatre.org, or purchase them online.

The playbill is here.

‘Art’
By Yasmina Reza
Translated by Christopher Hampton
Directed by Noah Himmelstein

CAST
Tony K. Nam: Yvan
Bruce Randolph Nelson: Serge
Kyle Prue: Marc

CREATIVE TEAM
Noah Himmelstein: Director
Paige Hathaway: Scenic Design
Jeannette Christensen: Costume Design
Harold F. Burgess II: Lighting Design
Sun Hee Kil: Sound Design
Lewis Shaw: Fights/Intimacy
Molly Prunty: Stage Manager

Final Factoids: When I reviewed Art at Vagabonds Theatre in 2014,  the production had a completely different ethos.  A revival of Art on Broadway, starring Neil Patrick Harris, plays through December 2025. 

The post ‘Art’ and craftsmanship delight at Everyman Theatre appeared first on DC Theater Arts.

One of the nicest things about a short play festival is that you’ll see things you’ve never seen before. One of the saddest things is that you are unlikely to see them again. For both of these reasons, I recommend you see Rapid Lemon Production’s Variations on Night at Strand Theater on Harford Road sooner rather than later. Opening night played to a sold-out house.

Baltimore’s Variations project presents a dozen or so short plays, freshly written, around a theme chosen by the previous Variations audience. At last year’s Variations on Courage, audiences chose “Night” as this year’s theme. by cash donations into glass milk jugs.  When you come to see Variations on Night, bring some bills so you can vote to choose the theme for the next iteration of Variations: Silence, Resistance, or Destiny.

I had the opportunity to be immersed in the project’s development process this year. I attended the Variations party in January, which was open to everyone and is a community event focused on idea generation. Finished scripts were due at the end of February. In March, the plays were read over the course of several weekends by a number of actors who attended one session or many, reading each submission “cold,” that is, without preparation time. These cold readings allow playwrights to hear their words read aloud, possibly for the first time. The readings also serve as auditions for the actors. Once all the plays were read, the selection of cast and scripts happened simultaneously, as an ensemble cast performs all the roles in all the plays. One person — this year, Lauren Davis — directs the entire show, which lends continuity, aesthetically speaking, no matter how different the pieces are from one another. Rehearsals began in April, with playwright involvement, in case tweaks or rewrites were advisable. This season’s batch of scripts is solid, each with a kernel of human universality, sometimes sweet, sometimes unsettling, and occasionally brilliant.

Variations on The End, the 2023 one-act festival, had a distinct science fiction ethos. Variations on Night strikes me as thriller/ horror, a genre not frequently seen live on stage. The hardest thing in theater is, theoretically, comedy, whatever theme is the current soup du jour. The Lemons excel in this regard. No matter which flavor of Variations you sample, there’s frequently at least a sprinkle of comedy, often a generous dollop or an entire sandwich (I’m looking at you, “Bar Noir,” and the extra cheese all over that sandwich), and Variations on Night certainly highlights humor.

The actors, without exception, are impressive, versatile, watchable, relatable, and in a few cases, even better than the scripts. Devon Michelle Hernandez plays characters who are eternal, teenage, middle-aged, and a few hundred years old with equal panache and enthusiasm. Pablo Akira is terrific in both serious roles and silly ones. His deadpan is to die for, and his timing during a sound-cue-heavy sequence is perfect. ReginaGinaG is a spitfire of an elderly woman, a silky, foxy spot of trouble, a troubled teen, and a furious wife, so different in each that I checked the program twice.

Isaiah C. Evans has a delightful voice and a charming, grounded presence each time he appears, and his mournful sweetness as a marshy icon communicates even through layers of ghillie suit. Sarah Lynn Taylor’s performance ranges from exhausted sibling to femme fatale to super mom, and her sharp delivery is crisp and keen. Anthony Ross Ocampo is all over the spectrum of archetypes and clearly loving it. He is convincing as an anxious teen with an alarming issue, and disturbingly recognizable as a slimy, predatory dude who swears he’s harmless, giving each character a different attitude and physicality. This season’s Variations cast is outstanding and full of heart. Director Lauren Davis has made great choices with casting, timing, and blocking, and the whole show looks polished and shiny.

The show’s technical aspects are also exceedingly well done. Each costume, designed by Rowan Gardner, is perfect for its character, yet understated, so that the performance, not the wardrobe, is the star. Lighting Designer Martin Sundiata delivers beautiful regular lighting and excellent special effects. He and Sound Designer Max Garner create a wonderfully convincing thunderstorm that acts as an additional character in one of the plays.

I like short play festivals because I’m guaranteed to avoid looking at some old thing I’ve already seen, and if it’s boring or badly written, it’s over pretty quickly. Sometimes I sort of like some of them, and sometimes the whole thing is a hot mess. Rapid Lemon’s thoughtful and comprehensive handling of the Variations Project has taken it to a very high level of production value. Variations is now a showcase for local writing and acting talent. If you’re in the market to produce something brand new by a local writer, you need to cast an upcoming show, or you’re a curious theatergoer with a taste for fresh takes, come have a look at Variations on Night, and while you’re at it, enjoy a few laughs.

The plays
“Light Strikes a Deal” by Meri Robie
“Night Crawlers: A Coming-of-Age Story” by Isaiah C. Evans
“Son of My Son’s Son” by Dwight R.B. Cook
“Night Hawks” by Jalice Ortiz-Corral
“Who is She” by Kristen Wheeler
“Bar Noir” by Jonathan Tycko
INTERMISSION
“Fanann” by Tad Cleaves
“Meeting at Midnight” by Janis Hannon
“Another Dark Night of the Soul” by Clarinda Harriss
“Thank Myrnis” by Felicia Barr
“The Switch” by Iman Michele Dancy
“The Nicest Hotel in All of Iceland” by Allegra Hatem

Running Time: Two hours and 10 minutes,  including one brief intermission.

Variations on Night plays through July 27, 2025 (Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 8 PM; Sundays at 2 PM) presented by Rapid Lemon Productions performing at Strand Theater, 5426 Harford Rd, Baltimore, MD, (443) 874-4917. Purchase tickets ($25) online or at the door.

Seating is general admission, and, as Strand features nicely arranged risers, you’ll have a good view, wherever you sit. Intermission allows for a snack and bathroom break, but since Strand has only one restroom, there may be a wait. Street parking is available, and though it’s not necessarily plentiful or close, it’s often free.

Strand Theater, which is devoted to amplifying the voices of women, is located near a couple of really nice eateries — I’ve been meaning to try Maggie’s Farm, Diasporan Soul, and Lost In The 50s diner. However, I can personally recommend Koco’s Pub, Silver Queen Cafe, and Emma’s Tea Spot.

Final Factoid: Max Garner, who has been involved with the Variations Project since its inception in 2005, can recite, in order, each theme from all of the years.

The post 12 thriller one-acts in ‘Variations on Night’ from Rapid Lemon Productions appeared first on DC Theater Arts.

In Baltimore Center Stage’s current family-oriented show, Akeelah and the Bee, an urban young person suffering from a lack of positive attention gets pulled into competitive spelling and discovers several unimagined worlds alongside her own. Based on the 2006 film featuring young Keke Palmer, this production has every reason to delight theatergoers: broad appeal, representation, drama, humor, lively action, and local references.

Akeelah and the Bee, playing now through April 13, is a nationally relatable story, or should be, though I understand there are great swaths of America that have no Black people in them at all. For Baltimore, it’s a darn close approximation of us and includes some hometown touches. If you’re not familiar with the 2006 movie by the same title, you’ll get to see something brand new. If you are familiar with Doug Atchison’s movie, you also get to see something new. The movie is moody and gritty. The stage production is sassy, friendly, and jubilant.

Playwright Cheryl L. West makes several important, enriching adaptations from the screenplay, condensing Akeelah’s family and adding neighborhood characters, focusing on relationships, interdependence, and community. Like the movie, the play centers on non-white characters who may not look like all parts of the U.S., but certainly very like Baltimore. Baltimore Center Stage puts a Baltimore twist on it, not shying away from the violence of some of the neighborhoods in which our children are expected to live, thrive, overcome, stay out of trouble, and perform well academically. Akeelah and the Bee is part of ongoing Baltimore Center Stage’s youth programs.

Baltimore Center Stage’s production of Akeelah and the Bee includes students from Baltimore School of Arts (BSA), freshmen and sophomore actors. Having high school students portray middle school students theoretically should work, especially for freshmen, who have recently left middle school. These kids, however, are physically larger than middle school students and, as written, imbued with loftier ambitions and inflated street savviness, so it’s a hybrid of middle and high school aesthetics and concerns. BSA freshman Natalya Benton does a splendid rendition of Akeelah, and her interactions with her onstage mother and brother (Zipporah Brown Gladden as Gail Anderson and Theodore Sherron III as Reggie Anderson, respectively) are authentic and relatable.

The performances that the actors, including the BSA students, deliver are nuanced, authentic, and familiar, sometimes uncomfortably so. The neighborhood surrounding Akeelah is populated with archetypical locals, including Miz Ruth, played by Morgan Stage graduate Tracy “Symphony” Hall with warmth, humor, and Baltimore drip. Among students, standout performances include Tonica “Toni” Davis as antagonistic Ratchet Rhonda, Grace Elizabeth Rolley as fabulously visual spelling contender Mohawk Girl, William “Will” Dombrowski as Akeelah’s new friend and champion Javier Mendez, Chloé Sheppard as design-hopeful bestie Georgia, and Braxton Singhanath as a surprisingly sympathetic arch-competitor Dylan Chiu.

The adult cast, many of whom have local connections, are also delightfully watchable. ArtsCentric and ChesShakes veteran Quincy Vicks as neighborhood “lord” JT has few lines but lots of expressiveness, Dwayne Alistair Thomas, who portrays Drunk Willie, is a hoot with physical comedy, and Jefferson A. Russell, an Everyman company member, playing stuffy Dr. Joshua Larabee nails his underlying torment. This deeply educational opportunity for the BSA students to work alongside professional actors, to see up close many different ways in which to be a working artist, is heartwarming and encouraging beyond artistry, at a very basic human level.

Scenic Designer Anton Volovsek presents a single set that does everything required without fuss or ostentation. The set is very, very green. It’s nearly remarkable how green it is. In that way, it resembles no neighborhood or building in Baltimore, announcing silently that it is meant as representation, not reproduction. The back wall is a green brick facade inset with round windows and brick arches above. At street level, doors with an assortment of brass fittings provide entrances and exits, as well as separation between dwellings. It serves as both exterior and interior, with seamlessly choreographed transitions between sequences. The floor, patterned in four or five different green/blue tile textures, hides surprises, and the apparent simplicity of the set is quite literally a facade for some very elegant underlying complexities. Contrasting geometry captures the eye of the audience before the set is even lit, and the onstage action spills over into the first couple of rows in the audience. We are not watching a show about Akeelah and her spelling bee; we are part of her community.

Director Jerrica D. White keeps the action snappy. Her choices about character interactions and added Baltimore touches bring the people of Baltimore into the story. Using actors who are already onstage as Run Crew for set changes accelerates the pace of the play, and there is no lag at all between one scene and the next. Transitions happen during dialogue, so the whole show moves quickly.

Seats at Center Stage are comfortable, the aisles are reasonable, and the sightlines are excellent. This is a great show for families, appropriate for anyone over the age of 10, and even younger if you’re okay with minor swear words. It depicts real-life working family, found and biological, with flaws and challenges, facing issues more weighty than Brady Bunch sitcom plots. Single parenthood, teen parenthood, gun violence, substance abuse, bullying, socioeconomic inequity, and neglect of the “good” child in favor of the “troubled” one are more pressing than popularity or prom in this show, giving it an all-ages vibe rather than a middle- or high-school one.

If you’re interested in supporting young working actors, other than being a parent to one, the thing to do is show up and appreciate their craft. A warm audience is the best friend an actor can have no matter what age, but it’s especially important to the young ones, and the applause of strangers holds a different level of meaning than the cheers of loved ones. The cast of Akeelah and the Bee gets, and deserves, both. Join in, won’t you?

Running Time: Two hours and 20 minutes, with one 15-minute intermission.

Akeelah and the Bee plays through April 13, 2025 (Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 PM; 2:00 PM on Saturdays; 3:00 PM on Sundays), at Baltimore Center Stage, 700 North Calvert Street, Baltimore, MD.  For tickets ($10–$90, with senior and student discounts available), call the box office at (410) 332-0033 (Tuesday through Friday, noon–5 pm), email boxoffice@centerstage.org, or purchase them online.

The program for Akeelah and the Bee is available online here.

COVID Safety: Masks are encouraged and welcomed but not required.

Final Factoid: Screenwriter Doug Atchison, who is not African American, conceived the premise for Akeelah and the Bee after seeing the 1994 Scripps National Spelling Bee and noting that most competitors came from secure socioeconomic backgrounds. After completing the script, Atchison was unable to secure backing from a production company until 2004. In the following year, it was filmed in South L.A. and released in 2006.

Akeelah and the Bee
By Cheryl L. West
Directed by Jerrica D. White
Based on the original screenplay by Doug Atchison

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Theater lovers, something wonderful is afoot in Columbia, Maryland: Silhouette Stages’ production of Kinky Boots —  this sole-ful romp. Charlie Price, a reluctant shoe factory owner, finds his destiny after a late-night encounter with Lola, a performer who needs boots strong enough for a man but made for a woman.

Kinky Boots, with a book by Harvey Fierstein and music and lyrics by pop superstar Cyndi Lauper, is based on the 2005 Miramax motion picture Kinky Boots, screenplay by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth. The film was based on the work of Steve Pateman, his inherited shoe factory, WJ Brookes, and his transformative efforts to save the family business. The movie and Broadway musical smash (six Tony awards, including Best Musical, and a six-year Broadway run) end more happily (or perhaps just earlier) than the actual story.

Silhouette Stages is 100 percent a volunteer organization, and I am always interested to see the effects of a limited budget on increased creativity. Director Jeremy Goldman delivers a respectable reproduction of the Broadway staging, which is admittedly visually engaging.

Choreographer Jeremy A. McShan creates dramatic dance numbers that dazzle and gleam. In this production, there are at least a dozen people making their debut performance with Silhouette in Kinky Boots, but few are inexperienced. All are obviously having an extraordinary amount of fun and meld together nicely as a fully rounded cast.

The crucial Lola/Simon role is played by Joshua Franklin. This chap is flat-out amazing. I’m delighted to watch his towering antics onstage and am surprised I haven’t had the opportunity to enjoy his work before now. “Hold Me in Your Heart” is a powerful ballad, and as moving as that is, as much visual fun as “The Sex is In the Heel” is, my favorite of the Lola numbers is the tango “What a Woman Wants” at the top of Act II.  Joshua Franklin is riveting to watch every moment he is onstage. Shoe factory owner Charlie Price is played by multi-hyphenate Xander Conte, a confident and capable performer. As Charlie, he’s awkward and charming, and his Act II anger is completely believable.

Chris Riehl plays the role of the show’s main agitator, factory worker Don. It’s so important to cast Don perfectly. He’s got to be kind of a jerk, but not so much of a jerk that no one will like him at all. It’s imperative that he have a character journey the audience can be invested in, and he does. Christ Riehl deftly manages the delicate balance between annoyingly awful and absolutely unsalvageable.

Lola’s entourage of backup dancers, the Angels, are played by Silhouette regular Seth Fallon (whom I adored as Squidward in The SpongeBob Musical); Leon Nguyen, an experienced drag performer; Thomas Allen, who, amazingly, has never been part of any theatrical cast; and veteran actor/ dancer Julie Mimms. The Angels not only look and sound fabulous 100 percent of the time they’re onstage; they also execute some pretty impressive and acrobatic dance moves.

Erica Miller is brilliantly brittle as Charlie’s ruthlessly ambitious love interest, Nicola. Her height and slenderness add to her “above it all” persona in the context of the show. Cera Baker shares with Maddie Ervin the role of Charlie’s other love interest, Lauren. As she belts out “The History of Wrong Guys,” it’s evident that Baker is the complete package — even more than a triple threat, she’s got added assets of physical comedy and snappy timing.

George, the Price shoe factory floor supervisor, is played with nuance and subtlety by MarQuis Fair. As Young Simon, teen performer McKenley Barnes enacts some engaging opening insights into the development of our central queen. Ensemble members Maddie Ervin, Coby Kay Callahan, Madison Clay, Chris Draghi, Elijah Davis, Alex Gubler, Terin Kelsey, and Zen Tabligan fill out factory floor scenes, also serving as set-moving stagehands, which makes transitions smooth and nonintrusive.

The assorted “British” accents in the cast work fairly well. There are a lot of Britishisms in the script. It will help to know that “fag” is Brit slang for a cigarette, and that “budge up” means “scoot over.” No dialect coach is credited. Music Director Matthew Dohm gets some really good sound out of this enthusiastic cast. All the songs are catchy and fun, as one might expect from Cyndi Lauper. Sound quality is, unfortunately, a bit uneven — amplification is perfect on some of the characters and completely absent on others. The characters I can hear sound excellent.

Set Designer Sammy Jungwirth’s fluid set allows for a lot of movement of the set pieces, and the cast around the set pieces. Lots of bits that roll around and offer multiple-leveled playing space provide ample visual interest. Costuming has a definite ’90s grunge vibe, and there is a lot of plaid. I remind myself that a show set in the ’90s is a period piece. And the wigs…. so many wigs. Most of them behave themselves most of the time, thanks to the skill of Hair and Wig Designer Ryan DeVoe.

Located in the Wilde Lake community of Columbia, Slayton House, home of Silhouette Stages, is tucked into a corner of a mixed-use plaza, The Shoppes at Wilde Lake. Residents will know it as the place where David’s Market used to be. Parking is free and available both near the Columbia Swim Center and the shopping area. Neither feature a pull-up to the entrance of Slayton House for mobility-impaired folk. Seating is general admission, so an early arrival is your best bet for the most choice options. Intermission is billed as 15 minutes, but it takes 20 for everyone to cycle through the restrooms and get their lobby-only snacks and drinks.

Kinky Boots is a story of family, discovery, acceptance, and surprises. It’s also a celebration of counterculture, big dreams, and splendid outfits. The songs run the spectrum from heartfelt ballads to glittering showstoppers. Silhouette Stages brings together a body-positive cast of diverse characters to shake what Mama gave ’em and sing all the oxygen out of the room. Kinky Boots demands a diva performance, divine dance moves, daring dresses, and working-class heart. This production delivers every bit of that and more.

Running Time: Two hours and 25 minutes, including one intermission.

Kinky Boots plays through March 23, 2025 (Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 pm, Sundays at 2:00 pm), presented by Silhouette Stages performing at Slayton House in the Wilde Lake Village Center, 10400 Cross Fox Lane Columbia, MD. Purchase tickets ($25, adult; $20, senior, student, military, educator; $15, child) online. For additional information, call 410-216-4499 or email info@silhouettestages.com

The Kinky Boots program is online here.

COVID Safety: Masks are highly encouraged but not required.

Final Factoid: despite Kinky Boots being the first musical she’d scored, Cyndi Lauper won a Tony award for Best Score, becoming the first solo woman composer to win in that category.

Kinky Boots
Book by Harvey Fierstein
Music and Lyrics by Cyndi Lauper
Original Broadway Production Directed and Choreographed by Jerry Mitchell
Based on the Miramax motion picture Kinky Boots
Written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth

PRODUCTION TEAM
Director: Jeremy Goldman
Music Director: Matthew Dohm
Choreographer: Jeremy A. McShan
Stage Manager: Tyler Hart

CAST
Charlie Price: Xander Conte
Lola/Simon: Joshua Franklin
Lauren: Cera Baker (March 7, 8, 21, 22, 23)
Lauren: Maddie Ervin (March 14, 15, 16)
Nicola: Erica Miller
Don: Chris Riehl
Pat: Amy Haynes Rapnicki
Trish: Tricia Anderson
George: MarQuis Fair
Angels: Seth Fallon, Leon Nguyen, Thomas Allen, Julie Mimms
Harry/Richard Bailey: Henry Cyr
Mr. Price: Keith Field
Young Charlie: Will Hertz
Young Lola: McKenley Barnes
Ensemble: Maddie Ervin (Dance Captain), Coby Kay Callahan, Madison Clay, Chris Draghi, Elijah Davis (Simon Sr.), Alex Gubler, Terin Kelsey, Zen Tabligan
Milan Stage Manager: Angie Townsend
Delivery Man: Neal Townsend

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The stage play Rope, later adapted to become Alfred Hitchcock’s 1948 film of the same name, is an upside-down whodunnit. That is to say, the audience, in what became a film noir trope in the 1940s, knows something that the characters of the piece do not know at the very outset. We know Who, and fairly soon, we know the other W’s as well. These are revealed in the opening sequences of Rope by the two primary characters, Wyndham Brandon, played smoothly and with an eerie believability by Vedant Sharma, and Charles Granillo, frequently referred to by other characters as “Granno,” performed with high energy jitters by Joseph Battley II. It’s elegantly done, with a creative use of materials to achieve visual poshness. I have admired Hitchcock’s work since childhood, so this production is a fun prospect for me.

The show opens with a dastardly deed, and the two perpetrators planning an evening gathering at the very location of the crime. The tension of Rope, published by English playwright Patrick Hamilton (later the author of Gas Light)  in 1929, is retained throughout both acts of the show and, arguably, beyond the final curtain. Our villains host a dinner party and invite an assortment of characters, particularly chosen for the “piquancy” they’ll add to the macabre event. The tension is derived from whether the central characters will be discovered, and how far they’ll go to prevent that happening. The language of the script, while old-fashioned and quite British in nature, is constructed so as to very clearly reveal what is going on and why.

Director Rick Bergmann, who also is responsible for set design and light and sound design, arranges the single-set show with more cleverness than technology and immediately evokes mood and era with furniture colors and antimacassars. Sound cues are appropriate and well-timed, especially the thunderstorm, which is quite realistic. A few issues with lighting are handled swiftly if not ideally, and the actors and actions are all perfectly visible. The skyline out the window is evocative and adds to the drama, particularly at the show’s finale.

The actors’ movements and interactions look natural, while of course being meticulously planned. Bergmann’s cast is smashing, as is his fostering of their relationships, as they not only perform brilliantly individually but also connect genuinely in interactions.

As Charles Granillo, Joseph Battley II is excitable to the point of hysteria, and by turns petulant, sulky, and brash. His comic timing is very good. Vedant Sharma, playing chief anti-hero Wyndham Brandon, a classmate of Charles, Kenneth, and one other character whom we never see, is elegant and smooth, with a snappy delivery that doesn’t strain our ability to hear and comprehend the content of his lines. As house servant Sabot, Polly O’Rourke has a dour dryness that makes her quite convincing in the role. Playing Kenneth Raglan, Carter Wescott is every inch the fresh-faced, eager-to-please puppy of a young man, quite susceptible to the charms of Leila Arden, played with an air of blithe empty-headedness that takes quite a lot of skill by Rebecca Goldberg. Edward V. Crews plays book collector Johnstone Kentley with stuffy scholastic ways, and as his sister Mrs. Debenham, Elizabeth L. E. Wiggins is comedy genius in motion and dialogue. Edward Brennan in the investigative role of Rupert Cadell is the highlight of the show with sardonic wit, dry delivery, and impeccable timing.

Special Fight Choreographer John Cusumano has created some dramatic sequences in Act II, and they are cleanly executed and thematically effective. Costume Designer, Set Designer, and Props Goddess Joanne Breene comes up with a unified but individualized aesthetic for the cast’s wardrobe, and it adds to the show’s appeal that the period of the play could be anywhen from the thirties to the fifties. I particularly notice a pair of purple T-strap shoes and co-ordinating handbag.

The home venue of Upstage Artists, Emmanuel United Methodist Church in Beltsville, is a little southwest of South Laurel and about equidistant from Route 1 and I-95. Nearby are an assortment of restaurants, and I can personally vouch for pho and Vietnamese coffee at Pho VN One. Parking at the venue is free.

The show is performed in what may be the church social hall. Seating is floor-level, without risers, in comfortable padded folding chairs. During the ten-minute intermission, water and snacks are available for purchase. The church offers restrooms designated Men, Women, and Accessible. There do not seem to be formal COVID precautions in place, though masking is the option of some audience members, and respectful distance seems standard among theatergoers nowadays.

Since it’s mentioned frequently, I’ll decode a bit of antique slang. The ‘It’ in ‘Gin and It’ is short for ‘Italian,’ referring to Italian Vermouth, redder and sweeter than the dry white French style. Plenty are poured during the show. If you’re game to step into a dark evening of drama, drinking, and dirty deeds, grab your like-minded cohorts and enjoy a time-travelish outing where you’ll leave your decade at the door. If you like mystery, if you like noir, you’ll enjoy Upstage Artists’ highly entertaining and thrillingly affordable production of Rope.

Running Time: One hour and 45 minutes, with one ten-minute intermission.

Rope plays through March 2, 2025 (Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 PM, Sundays at 2 PM), presented by UpStage Artists performing at Emmanuel United Methodist Church, 11416 Cedar Lane, Beltsville, MD. Purchase tickets ($10) online.

COVID Safety: Masks are recommended, not mandatory.

The Alfred Hitchcock film version of Rope was made to look as if it were one continuous shot. Significant changes to names and motivations for the film make it differ quite a bit from the stage script, which you can hear in this radio broadcast featuring Alan Rickman as Rupert.

​​​​The Cast of Rope
Vedant Sharma as Wyndham Brandon
Joseph Battley as Charles Granillo
Edward Brennan as Rupert Cadell
Rebecca Goldberg as Leila Arden
Carter Wescott as Kenneth Raglan
Edward Crews as Johnstone Kentley
Polly O’Rourke as Sabot
Elizabeth Wiggins as Mrs. Debenham

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Primary Trust is the name of a bank in the show, but also the theme of the show. Who do you turn to when the world is terrifying? How do you navigate when you don’t have the vocabulary to ask for help? What is it like to be invisibly damaged while appearing to be fully functional? How do you learn to interact with and love others when your lifetime experience is one of being “othered”? Primary Trust doesn’t ask these questions, or fully answer them, but it certainly provokes them in a discerning audience.

Playwright Eboni Booth has written some captivating prose and dialogue, including natural conversations and moving monologues. There are some amazing lines in this beautifully written show, but just as well-written are the incredibly awkward moments, and there are many. It’s a new play — Primary Trust won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished Play by an American Author. Because of its theme, it falls into the category of “dramedy,” though it’s got a lot of well-played humor embedded.

Director Reginald L. Douglas sure-handedly combines the facets of theater: an expressive, relatable cast, a well-constructed, auditorily pleasing script, and a theater that quietly has all the bells and a few extra whistles hidden beneath its “aw, shucks, nothing fancy” aesthetic. The result is a cohesively excellent production.

Kenneth, our main character, is facing unexpected, and, frankly, unwanted changes in his life after being fired from his bookstore job. His reluctant growth is supported by good-hearted people who genuinely want Kenneth to succeed and even thrive. Most of them actually exist.

RJ Brown as Kenneth is new to Everyman, but his earnestness seems familiar. As his character undergoes fundamental changes during the show, the levels and intensity of emotion he commits to with each performance are impressive. Also debuting at Everyman is Louis E. Davis, who plays Bert, Kenneth’s best pal, with genuine warmth and quick humor. Portraying several influential figures in Kenneth’s life is Resident Company member Jefferson A. Russell, who gives each character a different physicality and dialogue delivery so thoroughly that I double-check the program. Andrea` Bellamore changes like quicksilver to become all the staff at Kenneth’s favorite hangout and all the customers at Kenneth’s new job. As his new friend Corina, Bellamore is approachable, enthusiastic, and tremendously appealing.

Everyman Theatre’s space is a beautiful mystery. Adorable turntable shoebox mini-sets and suspended frames filled with pictures of neighborhood-style buildings are all much more sophisticated than they appear at first glance. My fascination with scene-change wizardry makes me sit up straight and crane my neck in a couple of spots where the functional word is “whoosh.” Set Designer Paige Hathaway gives the production storybook cuteness, wristwatch precision, and a whisper of the otherworldly in the spaces between them.

Lighting Designer Harold F. Burgess II illuminates Hathaway’s storybook set with lights both bright and dim, and throws shadows at extreme angles, adding an almost graphic novel element to the visuals. Sound Designer Kathy Ruvuna uses specific sounds to create some of the set, and deploys ambient sound and dramatic silence with specific intent, to excellent effect. Costume Designer David Burdick gives each character a signature look with no obvious fashion clues as to when this story takes place. Maybe now, maybe 1980, which gives the show timelessness and relatability for audience members of every age.

From the cheerful box office staff to the sleek bathrooms downstairs, the themed cocktails at Vinny’s bar, and the extremely helpful ushers, the experience at Everyman is a high-end, low-key delight before you even take your seat. Sitting in your seat, enjoying the direct address of the story’s central character, Kenneth, you’ll share his world, one that’s both idealized and terrifying, and you’ll join — and encourage — him as he gradually moves toward a manageable reality. How much reality is there in this fictional work? Far too much for comfort, but the hopeful resolution of the show gives us reason to believe in positivity and, yes, even trust.

Running Time: 90 minutes, with no intermission.

Primary Trust plays through March 2, 2025 (Wednesday through Saturday at 7 PM, Saturdays and Sundays at 1 PM) at Everyman Theatre, 315 West Fayette St., Baltimore, MD. Purchase tickets ($63–$86, or Pay What You Choose) online or contact the box office by phone at 410-752-2208 (Mondays–Fridays 12 PM – 5 PM; also open two hours prior to every performance) or email boxoffice@everymantheatre.org.

Accessibility: Everyman emphasizes its commitment to accessibility for all, including those with economic challenges, with Pay-What-You-Choose prices.

The cast and creative credits for Primary Trust are available here (scroll down).

COVID Safety: Masks are encouraged, though not required. Everyman’s complete health and safety guide is here.

Primary Trust
By Eboni Booth
Directed by Reginald L. Douglas

CREATIVES
Paige Hathaway: Scenic Design
Harold F. Burgess, II: Lighting Design
Kathy Ruvuna: Sound Design
David Burdick: Costume Design
Molly Prunty: Stage Manager

CAST
Andreá Bellamore: Corina / Wally’s Waiter / Bank Customers
RJ Brown: Kenneth
Louis E. Davis: Bert
Jefferson A. Russell: Clay / Sam / Le Pousselet Bartender

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Alice in Wonderland/Alicia en el País de las Maravillas features a cast of two dozen children and a couple of adults. This production is an example of very good quality youth theatrics. Youngsters will be enchanted by the bright outfits, active dance numbers, and amusing characters, though the fancy language might be lost on the littles.

Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, originally written by Lewis Carroll, is adapted to Alice in Wonderland/Alicia en el País de las Maravillas for Creative Cauldron by Lenny Mendez. The show, directed by Creative Cauldron founder Laura Connors Hull and playwright/ actor Lenny Mendez, includes music by in-house composer Matt Conner and lyrics by Stephen Gregory Smith.

If you love the original book version of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, you’ll enjoy this production. Great swaths of the book’s dialogue are included, in Lewis Carroll’s original phrasing, with Spanish added. (My Spanish isn’t good enough for me to verify the overall accuracy, but what I understood of it seemed to agree with the story.) If your only experience is with the Disney animated film from 1951, be aware that the show, while using the same source material, is significantly unlike the Disney version. If you don’t know the story at all, you may be quite confused. It’s compressed, so each entertainingly staged scene seems episodic, with only the tiniest hints at sequential order, and doesn’t build from one episode to the next, meaning it lacks a dramatic arc. This is amplified by the inclusion of scenes from Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There (the Garden of Live Flowers and Tweedledum & Tweedledee), which have no connection to the events in Wonderland. The Adventures are enclosed by bookend vignettes featuring Alice and her older sister at the show’s outset and closing.

Selections of dialogue are delivered or repeated in Spanish, but the script is mainly in English. According to the playwright, the original Alice books are so full of puns that translation was challenging because language-based humor is more difficult to adapt than concept-based humor. The wordplay is an element that Disney ignored entirely, which I’ve always felt was a shame, but Disney had its target audience, and language nerds were not it. I’m pleased to see a show that includes the Hispanic and Latinex community, who represent a significant portion of the DC and Virginia population.

Alice is presented by The Learning Theater, part educational program and part performance ensemble. The performers have, for the most part, been cultivated by the educational outreach of Creative Cauldron, which includes workshops, classes, and summer camps, all designed to nurture love and expression of performance arts in people of all ages. Some of the young performers are impressive — Whit Jenkins, performing as the Mad Hatter, is engaging and a strong onstage physical presence. Both the White Rabbit and Alice, played by Marie Solander and June Truss (though I’m not sure whom I saw in which role; they share the two parts) have excellent elocution and facial expression. Emerson Kelleher as the Duchess’ Cook (and also an understandably alarmed Mouse) packs great emotion into her roles and is extremely watchable. Gus Knapp, playing the King of Hearts, is an experienced adult actor who exudes warmth whenever he is onstage. Aarya Sridhara as the Doormouse manages to deliver lines sleepily without being mumbled or inaudible and is also heckin cute. Each member of the cast is easy to hear and understand throughout the show, which is commendable. I have reason to applaud impeccable auditory clarity from child actors.

In place of a run crew, actors often serve as set rearrangers and puppeteers for scenic effects and character work. This is executed smoothly and quickly so there’s minimal lag between scenes. Seating surrounds three sides of the cozy staging space. An intricate tree dominates the set, and a checkerboard floor is painted black and green. An impressive array of stage lights, including black lights, creates visual magic throughout the performance. A screen upstage facilitates projection effects, though these are somewhat underwhelming. Character entrances are made from backstage as well as through the main aisle leading from the lobby into the theater. Because of that, bathroom trips, if necessary during the show, need to be carefully timed. There are two all-gender individual lavatories. Both are large and accessible.

Many costumes adhere closely to John Tenniel’s original drawings and are amazing works of handcrafting. Margie Jervis and her team of designer/builders handle scenery and costuming in an imaginative, book-centric way to deliver a suggestive set, rather than representational, and present an inspired array of outfits that work for the characters, the audience, and the actors, some of whom have several wardrobe changes. Non-traditional materials are used to great effect.

This version of Alice in Wonderland, due to clever staging, exquisite costuming, and enthusiastic performance, looks terrific, sounds great in both spoken and sung sequences, and contains an abundance of Lewis Carroll’s original words. Add the twist of Spanish language dialogue and the result is a unique version of a beloved classic. Try not to make too much sense of the nonsense and just enjoy the ride.

Running Time: 75 minutes, with no intermission

Alice in Wonderland/Alicia en el País de las Maravillas by Learning Theater plays through November 24, 2024 (Fridays at 7:30 pm; Saturdays at 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm; Sundays at 2:00 pm & 4:00 pm), at Creative Cauldron – 410 South Maple Avenue, Retail 116, Falls Church, VA. For tickets ($18–$20, with family 4-packs available for $65), call (703) 436-9948 or purchase them online.

A live streaming option is available on Saturday, November 23, 2024, at 7:30 pm for $15.

The program for Alice in Wonderland/Alicia en el País de las Maravillas can be viewed in English here and in Spanish here and purchased in the lobby for $5.

A multi-level parking garage on the same block as Creative Cauldron offers free public parking. There’s more information and directions available online.  I did not see (and I looked) any official theater policy regarding Covid precautions, but I did see several guests wearing protective masks, as I hope anyone would do who is at risk or feeling run down.

Final Factoid: Lewis Carroll, deliberately writing highfalutin’ satirical nonsense in the late 1860s, was certainly an influence on what would become the Dada art movement. Consider this exchange: “I know what you’re thinking about,” said Tweedle-dum, “But it ain’t so, nohow.” “Contrariwise,” continued Tweedledee, “if it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn’t, it ain’t. That’s logic.”

COVID Safety: Creative Cauldron is a mask-optional environment.​ Creative Cauldron’s COVID-19 Theater Protocol is available here.

Alice in Wonderland/Alicia en el País de las Maravillas
A Learning Theater Production
Adapted by LENNY MENDEZ
Directed by LAURA CONNORS HULL & LENNY MENDEZ
Music by MATT CONNER
Lyrics by STEPHEN GREGORY SMITH

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Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine at Bowie State University is an entertaining evening of one woman’s journey unto her true self.

Did you ever wish you were someone else? Did you ever want to leave behind everything and everybody in your life to find or form a new one? That’s the premise of Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine, presented by Bowie State University Theatre in the Dionne Warwick Theater through Saturday, November 9.

Having escaped the working-class neighborhood of her childhood, Undine finds herself in circumstances that require her to return there, where she must re-re-invent herself to accommodate the alterations in her personal economy, her body, her living situation, and her relationships. This leads her to a reassessment of her roots, her values, and her attachments.

Lynn Nottage, a highly regarded contemporary playwright, crafts a show with contemporary issues. Fabulation, sometimes billed as a “companion piece” to Intimate Apparel, is set one hundred years later, and can be described as a “riches-to-rags” story of self-discovery. The script is choppy by design, focusing on short, intimate scenes interspersed with the character of Undine directly addressing the audience in the course of the narrative. Because the scenes change so dramatically from one sequence to the next, there’s sometimes a significant set-change lag between them, almost as though Nottage had envisioned this script as a screenplay instead of a live performance.

Director Alexis Kennedy, a senior theater arts major, makes her directing debut at Bowie with Fabulation. Kennedy has assembled a cast of actors who work well together and has co-ordinated blocking and set changes to maximize the performance space and audience interest.

Lauren Christin, a BSU senior and understudy for Undine as well as assistant stage manager for this production, on short notice played the lead character at the performance I saw. The actor to whom the role is assigned, Oasis Lilliard, is expected to return for Friday’s performance. Christin handles the role capably, and despite the occasional dialogue falter, embodies excellent emotion and believable connections.

Other than Undine, the rest of the many characters are played by an ensemble cast.

Jalayah Muhammad, a junior theater arts major, is remarkable in each of her roles in the show. From a gently encouraging counselor to a fired-up person in police custody, she is eminently watchable whenever she appears. Ryan Chandler Wilson, in his first Bowie State production, handles each ensemble role with graceful assuredness, but is particularly enjoyable during his poetic moments as Flow. Devin Harper, a sophomore theater arts major, has a gift for character roles. His expressive face, wide gestures, and assortment of speech patterns add a comedic dimension to a show that is otherwise a little light in the hilarity department. Genesis Bratcher brings a calm confidence to each of her ensemble roles and is an excellent example of a supporting actor as her roles, though not meaty or passion-filled, are foils for the focus action. Jacobie Thornton, a senior theater major, in a very entertaining dual role as both Undine’s old and new love interest — smoothly charming and splendidly dressed as one, and awkwardly sincere as the other. He often appears as a flashback, and his performance as Undine’s idealized romantic partner is impeccable

Josiah Williams, a freshman theater arts major, smoothly moves between ensemble roles while assuring the audience that he’s a different person in each of them, with no change to his terrific hairstyle. Erica Harrell, a Baltimore native, is a music technology major and absolutely stunning to watch. Her transformation in each role is so complete that I don’t recognize her and need to check the program several times.

Of course, to create this illusion, costuming is very helpful. Costume Designer Kayla Grange’s study of fashion design helps create a unique look for each character of this very populated play. Assisted by Brielle Bertrand, a junior at Bowie, Grange manages to get everyone dressed (one such transition taking place hilariously onstage) both appropriately and in time to make their cues.

The significant assortment of costuming and props, wrangled by Assistant Stage Manager/ Props Manager Justus Harris, requires a tightly run backstage. This is handled by Head Stage Manager Keisha Brown, who is a rising senior theater major. Freshman run crew members Tiana Brown and Landon Bloodman keep things moving on and off stage to facilitate the show.

Lighting Designer London Diggs is a senior theater major, and delivers excellent lighting, including a special character spot, which is absolutely crucial to the show. The sheer number of sets requires a well-planned light design, and Lighting Design Mentor/Guest Artist Lorenzo Henriquez should be very proud of Diggs and Lighting Design team member Kyia Parker.

Sound Designer Ibrahim S Jalloh is a junior in the music technology program. Co-designer Myles Clark, a senior, makes his debut in sound design. On opening night, I found the sound quality uneven, as the mics are inconsistent and the music is sometimes out of balance with the dialogue, which makes dialogue challenging to understand. The design of the soundscape, however, is sturdy and clever. I particularly like the “ping” that marks the transitions between scenes and direct address.

Set Designer Nadia Kuffar, a junior, makes her set design debut at BSU. This script offers an assortment of set design challenges and Kuffar’s design skills make for an interesting stage with several small sets. Though set changes are occasionally cumbersome and time-consuming, in conjunction with London Diggs’s lighting design, the set is effective at bringing the audience to the time and space of the scene.

Faculty Mentor Elena Velasco, who serves also as producer and intimacy choreographer, guides this student-centric production, maintaining calm despite an unexpected cast change. Production values are high, and the enthusiastic cast is a delight to watch.

If you’re a fan of Lynn Nottage’s work, you might already have a ticket to this snappy, witty show, which is full of heart and human foible. If you’re not familiar with Nottage, Fabulation, or The Re-Education of Undine is a nice opportunity to experience it in a non-stressful, reasonably priced atmosphere. The students who’ve created this show are to be congratulated, applauded, and supported.

Running Time: Two hours, with one intermission.

Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine plays through November 9, 2024 (7:30 on Friday, 2:30 and 7:30 on Saturday), presented by Bowie State University Theatre in the Fine & Performing Arts Center, Dionne Warwick Theater, 14000 Jericho Park Rd, Bowie, MD. Tickets are priced at $16 general admission, $8 for students and senior citizens. Buy them online or call 703-328-8868. Parking in the large lot near Facilities Management and the Student Union is free and plentiful.

The program for Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine is online here.

Final factoid: Lynn Nottage was tapped to write the book for MJ, the jukebox musical about Michael Jackson.

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If you have even the slightest interest in this world premiere, buy a ticket right now. Buy two and bring a friend. Opening night was a sell-out, and based on audience response the run has been extended through October 20.

New to Baltimore Center Stage, Artistic Director Stevie Walker-Webb is doing some long- needed inclusion work in Baltimore City, not just for the artsy-fartsy crowd but for everyone. Bringing in new playwrights with new voices telling new stories is only the beginning.

Oh Happy Day!, a new play by Jordan E. Cooper with original songs by Donald Lawrence, is the product of a successful previous partnership. Walker-Webb and Cooper collaborated on the Broadway production of Cooper’s Ain’t No Mo’, earning multiple Tony nominations for the pair and making Cooper at age 27 the youngest Black playwright to debut on Broadway. A separate production of Ain’t No Mo’ played to enthusiastic audiences on Baltimore’s Center Stage.

The program calls Oh Happy Day! “a saucy reimagining of Noah’s Ark.” Pre-show music and DJ patter sets us in Mississippi and mezzes us right in the medius, with authority. The characters immediately earn our affection and we’re enjoying them even as we wonder what the heck is going on.

There is a live band, but I can’t see them. I wonder where they’re stashed. Under the musical direction of Daniel Rudin, the they give terrific backup to the songs, without overpowering the voices or the lyrics.

Featuring Latrice Pace, Courtney Monet, and Tiya Askia as The Divines, our beatific, belt-it-out tour guides, the show begins with a song I’d be happy to hear on the radio. They remind me of the Muses in Disney’s animated Hercules. The Divines wear beautiful gowns, which hint at choir robes, but in a glamorous way, by Costume Designer Celeste Jennings, and sway with graceful choreography by Charlique C. Rolle. The song “A Good Day to Be Happy” is a gorgeous gospel anthem written by composer Donald Lawrence.

Following the opening number, we meet the family. Niecy, who drives a great portion of the action, is played by Tamika Lawrence with ferocity, humor, and sass. Justin Sturgis plays her son Kevin, and is completely convincing as a teen trying to navigate the world and survive his family. As Lewis, Niecy’s father, James T. Alfred is obstinate, self-righteous, inflexible in attitude, and so realistic that many among the audience are a little bit triggered as they recognize someone in their own life. Keshawn, the estranged son and brother, is performed by Cooper, and his authentic, heartfelt performance is moving, inspirational, and frightening. His onstage intensity is a power to behold. I believe in this family. We’ve just met, and I already love them.

The show is about faith, family, fury, and generational trauma. It’s also about finding the truth in a shared story that it turns out isn’t shared at all. It’s about love, and how complicated humans make it. It’s about pride and how pitiful pride is as a substitute for love. It’s also about violence and survival. It’s a comedy hung on serious social issues, and Cooper takes us from laughter to tears with heat-lightning speed, repeatedly and deliberately.

There’s a lot of cussing in the show, and plenty of situationally appropriate N-word use, for which Cooper makes no apology. As with Ain’t No Mo’, Cooper seems in Oh Happy Day! to deliberately invoke a Chitlin Circuit vibe: “If you go to a Chitlin Circuit play, it doesn’t feel like Broadway; it feels like you’re at a family reunion. You see niggas in cat-daddy hats with they side pieces. You see people coming in with Solo cups,” Cooper has said.

The cast and script tell truths that resonate with the audience, and the audience is not shy about responding to the dialogue and the characters. This responsiveness was introduced and encouraged at the opening of the show by the Divines using direct address to wave away the invisible fourth wall traditionally erected by a cast who pretends the audience is not there. This is a very clever move on the part of Cooper and Walker-Webb. Instead of being observers of a story that is removed from themselves, the audience, in responding, agrees to be part of the story, and are drawn in as though they are members of the family. The three generations represented give opportunity for each of us to identify with someone in the family, and if it happens that we don’t identify with anyone, or know anyone who might be a member of the cursed Johnson family, we might count ourselves as lucky. We might more accurately count ourselves as privileged.

With some surprisingly effective low-tech special effects and the subtle, enchanting skyscape by Lighting Designer Adam Honoré, Oh Happy Day! is more than its clever, well-written dialogue. It’s a visual spectacle on all levels, and includes a set piece by Scenic Designer Luciana Stecconi that brings me nearly to tears with its extravagant beauty.

This show is a wonderful work of art. It plays like a novel I wish I’d read, like a mini-series I didn’t quite catch, like a movie I hope to see. It’s soulful, supernatural, and splendid. It’s bound for Broadway. If you can, catch it while it’s here.

Running Time: Two hours including a 15-minute intermission.

Oh Happy Day! plays through October 20, 2024, produced in association with The Public Theater, at Baltimore Center Stage, 700 North Calvert Street, Baltimore, MD. For tickets ($25–$65, with senior and student discounts available), call the box office at (410) 332-0033 (Tuesday through Friday, noon–5 pm), email boxoffice@centerstage.org, or purchase them online.

Performance schedule:
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday at 7:30, Saturday 2 PM and 7:30 PM, Sunday 3:00 PM
Additional Show: Wednesday October 9th at 12 PM.
Sunday October 6th includes audio description and a touch tour.
Friday October 12th will be ASL interpreted.

The program for Oh Happy Day! is available online here.

COVID Safety: Mask-optional performances are on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturday evenings, and Sunday matinees, and mask-required performances are on Wednesdays, and Saturday matinees. See Baltimore Center Stage’s COVID-19 Information and Resource Page here.

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Silver Spring Stage’s One-Act Play Festival is an ambitiously inclusive undertaking. Playwrights getting their feet wet have an opportunity to see their work produced, and possibly developed, in a legitimate theatrical setting, with audiences. The format features two weekends’ worth of five or six plays, this year totalling 11. The five shows performed on the first weekend, August 2 to 4, 2024, were reviewed by DCTA’s Julian Oquendo.

This was my first visit to Silver Spring Stage. A bright red facade makes the theater easy to find, while a narrow staircase, recessed floor, and multiple doorsteps are a little challenging to navigate. The seats are on risers, so sightlines are good, and they’re quite comfortable to sit on for two hours.

The Festival originated in the ’90s and has appeared regularly, though not always annually, at Silver Spring Stage. Mounting 11 one-acts, with 11 casts, 10 directors, and a different stage manager for each weekend, offers ample opportunity for inclusion of both new and experienced talent in every arena of stage production. The consistent element is the tech, both light and sound, which across the board is solid, and in some cases, very excellent.

“Choices” by James McLindon, directed by Mercedes Blankenship, features Courtney Naughton and Hart Wood. It offers a dark premise, which is well executed, convincingly performed and funny, with moments of precisely timed lighting drama.

“No Transferable Skills” by Kathleen Roult Marx, directed by Jen Katz, assisted by Suzanne Kang, features an amusing premise that never develops fully, with a rather disappointing resolution. Actors Mark Regini, Selina Tom-Johnson, Juanisha Brooks, and Emma Wesslund give nice performances; sadly, the characters are two-dimensional. The dialogue relies too heavily on shared cultural references — those who aren’t privy to them miss much of the humor.

“Little Free Library” by Bill Schauman, directed by Matt Bannister, floats a “what if” premise that Rod Serling might endorse for The Twilight Zone. Actors Thomas Friend and Kerala Bannister seem comfortable together as a couple faced with an unlikely supernatural antagonist. The dialogue seems natural, though scenic change blackouts lead to audience confusion about where the ending is. The special effects are effective.

Intermission offers an opportunity to purchase snacks or make donations, as well as find the QR code that allows you to vote for your favorite of the one-act plays.

Update from Silver Spring Stage August 12: The adjudicated top three were “Snack Machine Blues,” “A Close Inncounter,” and “Choices. The Audience Favorites were “Case of the Missing Know-It-All” (Week One) and “Snack Machine Blues” (Week Two). And playwright David Malouf won the Best Script award for “The Death of Boson X.”

“Snack Machine Blues” by Chuck Smith, is the most fully developed piece of the evening. Directed by Seth Ghitelman, with musical direction by Zoe Fischthal, costume design by Jennifer Morrisey and sound design by Rich Frangimore, this is a completely realized short play, from costuming to set design. The characters have backstories and depth, plus individualized voices speaking lively dialogue. It incorporates some singing, effective costuming and beautiful, expressive blocking. Nadia Abouraya’s appearance is short but impactful. Matthew Dantas-McCutheon has excellent timing, Zophie Shampanade communicates confusion and naivete with physical and vocal variety, Steve Malone is a genius at dry wit. Alan Gonzales Bisnes really sells the premise, and his expositional dialogue is terrific. Nancy Sommers, in an iconic outfit, is perfectionary as Debbie. Rich Frangimore’s sound design is practically an additional character in the piece, and is extremely well done.

“Heard Mentality” by Allison Fradkin, directed by Jen Katz, with Shaq Stewart, assistant director, features Michelle Norris, Kerala Bannister, and Gill Rydhol. The actors are comfortable with each other, and are convincing in intimate conversation. Three personalities on a sofa worrying about first impressions is a different take on inclusion- disability. The topic is oblique but eventually reveals itself. The script is full of puns and is probably an entertaining read but lacks the necessary urgency to create drama.

“The Worst Hallmark Christmas Movie Never Made” by Les Abromovitz is directed by Jacqueline Youm witth Andy Mauer, assistant director. Everyone I know enjoys making fun of the Hallmark formula. This script is a long-form dive into that trope. Though the two cast members move around a great deal, the situation isn’t dynamic. “Two people try to write a screenplay…” seems like only half a premise. The abrupt ending is at odds with the rest of the script. Juanisha Brooks, filling in for an absent cast member, does a terrific job and if I hadn’t been told, I wouldn’t have known. Camden Salguero is expressive and enjoyable to watch.

I applaud the idea of short play festivals. One is assured of seeing something fresh, quality notwithstanding. Seeing experienced performers blend with newcomers is a reminder that everyone starts as an amatuer. There is the opportunity to see something fantastic, by someone who may eventually become one of your favorite playwrights. One is certain to be among fans of theatrical arts, participating in an ambitious tradition. Encouraging expansion and inclusion in the arts is something all of us should do more often.

Running Time: Two hours and 15 minutes, with one 15-minute intermission.

The Silver Spring Stage 2024 One-Act Festival played August 2 to 11, 2024, presented by Silver Spring Stage, 10145 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD.

The program is online here.

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Are you ready to see something brand new? Are you game for something “artsy”? Are you looking to get out of the heat? Variations on Courage by Rapid Lemon Productions plays now inside MICA’s Gateway Building, in a well-equipped black box theater called BBox, and the air conditioning works GREAT.

This is the 20th year of the Variations on… project, billed as Baltimore’s Ten-Minute Play Festival. Twenty years of anything is noteworthy, but particularly so in theater. This longevity is largely due to the persistence of Max Garner, who has been the festival’s most steadfast advocate since its inception. Here’s the concept: Playwrights create and workshop short pieces around a unifying theme. A team of ensemble actors assembles to perform these short plays, under guidance of a single director, presented to the public for entertainment and edification. Which brings us to this year’s Variations.

The theme is Courage, and participating playwrights will see their works, which they submitted back in March, in front of a live audience for the first time. Several playwrights are extremely effective at communicating what they wish with efficiency and wit. Some pieces could use a bit of additional editing. As a whole, though, the show does what it sets out to do, which is explore a theme from multiple viewpoints via fresh new works.

Director Jalice Ortiz-Corral arranges the delightfully versatile ensemble cast in roles for which they are suited, and, occasionally, roles that seem rather a stretch.The pace is brisk, and adjustments of the sparse set happen quickly. When the show’s impetus slows, it is not due to lagging transitions.

Six of the 13 pieces deal with contemporary social issues, three feel performance art-y, four are complete stories. Five are comic, four are tragic and three are both. All of them have something important to add to societal conversation. You’ll meet old people, angry people, energetic people, military people, fringe people and a number of creatures.

In Act I, “I Wanna Ride a Pony,” playwright Jessica Rota handles a heartbreaking subject with hilarity. Taariq Saadiq creates truly believable characters in “The Killer Instinct.” “So Brave,” by Colin Riley, who is also one of the ensemble players, plays with a premise to uproarious effect. Malik Barry’s “More Than Food” is touching, though it strikes a sour note with a few people in the audience. “From the French, Meaning Heart,” by DonnaAnn Ward, is cute, funny, and very active. “W.O.O.F.,” by Tess Huth, does several things at once, all of them beautifully. “Shades of Honor,” by Petula Caesar is brilliantly uncomfortable.

Act II delivers a surprising twist in “Heavens Above” by Hillary Glass, then an unlikely relationship in “Deer Season,” written by Leslie Fields. “Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?” by Archie D. Williams Jr. features a street-corner standoff. In Damian Hawkins’ “Fires and Forms,” we are fly-on-the-wall for a very intimate and all-too-common conversation that no one ever feels they handle well. “Her Watery Tomb,” by Ayibatari Owei, is lyrical, mystical, and mysterious. “Eyeballs,” by Tia Thomas is weirdly funny.

The 2024 Variations Ensemble includes K.S. Garner, whose distinctive look is no obstacle for playing wildly different characters. Niki Jay has admirably clear physical communication.

Jae Jones believably portrays a man hobbled by experience in “The Killer Instinct” to one youthfully exuberant in “From the French, Meaning Heart” to middle-aged and awkwardly concerned in “Deer Season.” Valerie Lewis hits exactly the right note in each of her roles, and is especially fun in “Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?”

Broadus Nesbitt III demonstrates quicksilver salesmanship in “Heavens Above,” which belies his fury in “The Killer Instinct.” Colin Riley surprises me in every new performance, playing somehow against type in each one. Aparna Sri has a very expressive face, and her portrayal of a heartbeat in “From the French, Meaning Heart” rather stole mine. Sarah Lynn Taylor, whose subtle adaptiveness makes her a granddaughter in one piece and a middle-aged wife in another, is an excellent brunching lady in “So Brave.”

Kitt Crescenzo’s understated costumes fit both character and performer. They add a great deal to the audience’s understanding of what, exactly, is going on, without drawing attention to themselves. This is a very fine line, and Crescenzo glides along it gracefully. It takes a lot of work to look effortless.

Lighting Designer Martin Smith’s work is evocative, filling in sparse sets, creating environment and motion, particularly in “Deer Season,” and realistically renders a specific setting in “More Than Food.” Sound design, by Max Garner, is often subtle, occasionally crucial, and always an enhancement rather than a distraction. For “So Brave” and “More Than Food,” the soundscape gives context. In “Her Watery Tomb,” the sound suggests additional characters, and is responsible for creating the set for “Deer Season” and “Eyeballs.”

I love that the Variations project exists. Is there potential for a clumsy piece that doesn’t resonate? Sure, but given the diligence of cast and crew, along with high standards for conception and craft, it’s unlikely. Is it a terrific opportunity for playwrights to get their figurative writing feet wet? You betcha. Does it give theatergoers a chance to see brand-new stuff, some of which might be by the next up-and-coming local playwright? Absolutely. Will you enjoy the spectacle created by a confident director, emotive actors, a well-equipped, new-ish theater, and its climate control system? Again, resoundingly, yes.

This is not just LIVE theater, it’s FRESH theater. In a world of rehashes, sequels, and spin-offs, it’s refreshing and reassuring to see something truly new in the world of entertainment. Applause, applause for these brave souls reaching for and connecting to audiences, and bringing us Variations on Courage.

Running Time: Two hours and 10 minutes, including one 15-minute intermission.

Variations on Courage plays through July 21, 2024 (8:00 pm on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays; 2:00 pm on Sundays) presented by Rapid Lemon Productions performing at The BBOX in the Maryland Institute College of Art’s Gateway building, 1601 W. Mount Royal Avenue, Baltimore, MD. Tickets ($20, general admission) are available here or through Rapid Lemon’s website. Discounted Industry Night tickets are just $10 for the performance on Thursday, July 11.

There is free parking outside the Gateway building. Bring some cash to vote for next year’s theme by dropping donations in one of the jars labeled “One Million,” “Pride,” and “Night.”

Final Factoid: 20 years of Variations includes the infamous year 2020, when performances were accessed via Zoom.

Variations on Courage

ACT 1
“I Wanna Ride a Pony” by Jessica Rota
“The Killer Instinct” by Taariq Saadiq
“So Brave ” by Colin Riley
“More than Food ” by Malik Berry
“From the French, Meaning Heart” by DonnaAnn Ward
“W.O.O.F.” by Tess Huth
“Shades of Honor” by Petula Caesar
ACT 2
“Heavens Above” by Hillary Glass
“Deer Season” by Leslie Fields
“Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?” by Archie D. Williams
“Fires and Forms” by Damian Hawkins
“Her Watery Tomb” by Ayibatari Owei
“Eyeballs” by Tia Thomas

CAST
K.S. Garner
Niki Jay
Jae Jones
Valerie Lewis
Broadus Nesbitt III
Colin Riley
Aparna Sri
Sarah Lynn Taylor

Directed by Jalice Ortiz-Corral. Stage Management by Janis Beltran, with combat and intimacy direction by Mel Gabel; production designs by Martin Smith, Kitt Crescenzo, and Max Garner.

The post Fresh new one-acts play ‘Variations on Courage’ from Rapid Lemon Productions appeared first on DC Theater Arts.

But first, dinner. Guests are advised to arrive between 6:00 and 6:15 for dinner, as the food is cleared away at 7:20. Dinner is well-prepared. A served salad with pre-poured dressing arrives at the table in advance of your invitation to the main meal. Dinner is served cafeteria-style and features six side dishes and three entree items, fish, chicken, and ham. Your choice of one of four desserts is brought to your table, along with remarkably good coffee. The special cocktails are a treat — my companion enjoys the frozen Juliet’s Curse, while I have a refreshing white sangria. All food is cleared in preparation for the actors to begin the performance promptly at 8 PM.

From the theater’s website: “It’s customary to tip 15% of your ticket price and bar tab at a dinner theatre, but many of our patrons tip a lot more than that (bless their gracious hearts). We also like to let guests know before they arrive that gratuity cannot be put on a credit card.” That indicated to me that I ought to bring cash. The tipping expectations are explained preshow as well, though citing a figure of 18% of ticket and bar tab totals, and no mention of cash vs. card.

Many full-grown adults have no reason to remember the movie Tootsie starring Dustin Hoffman, which had the third-highest U.S. movie gross in 1982. In a nutshell, an out-of-work actor dresses as a woman hoping to land a job, does so, and takes the production by storm.

For the stage adaptation, the role is that of a well-known character in an unheard-of musical sequel to perhaps the best-known Shakespearian play. Despite this, there is a surprising dearth of Shakespearian jokes or references. Some numbers seem to satirize the quirks of the Traditional Broadway Musical and are amusing if one understands them as satire. Billed as “New York City, Present Day,” the show doesn’t look contemporary. No cellphones, no internet, no existential dread, no vaping, no gamer culture. In a nod to Gen Z sensibilities, Will VanDeVenter gives a presence to non-binarism in the cast, and they are subtly effective.

A dude in a dress isn’t automatically comedic, so the script has some work to do. Should it say something about the pains Michael goes through to be believable as a woman? Or the everyday masking women need to do to get along in a world stacked against them? Certainly, it should, but it doesn’t. Some of the sequences are witty. Many songs have clever lyrics. Other songs fall flat, as do swaths of dialogue. It’s theoretically possible to squeeze a good musical comedy from mediocre source material (I can’t think of an example), but this isn’t it. The show seems overstuffed with plot-irrelevant, un-hummable songs. The middle is too long and the ending too abrupt. There are wonderful moments, and some hilarity, but even judicious editing wouldn’t remove the basic premise. I find the premise problematic. Brin Solomon and Christian Lewis articulate some of the disturbing points. Beyond that, producing the show during Pride Month seems a questionable choice.

A few songs are terrific. “What’s Gonna Happen” in Act I is one of these. Act II begins with “Jeff Sums It Up,” which is the high point of the show from my perspective. Sometimes the lyrics are better than the songs, with “The Most Important Night of My Life” being an emblematic example.

Music Director Tina Marie Bruley delivers clear ensemble vocals for the production, though the recorded music backing up the show’s live singing occasionally overpowers the voices of the performers. Bill Kiska’s set design features multipurpose pieces, several of which are not quite in the right spot when the curtain drops — repeatedly. Some rolling props used in “Unstoppable” are noisy enough to interfere with the vocals. Director/Set Designer/ Co-Costumer Bill Kiska is also the executive producer and CEO of Way Off Broadway. Lighting design is by Justin M. Kiska, theatrical producer and novelist who also performs in the show. Choreography is by Mallory Coombs. The dances are engaging and executable, and everyone shines in them. The versatile ensemble, three of whom perform for the first time with WOB, is Christopher DeOCampo, Grace Guzman, Jonah Milam, Will Van DeVenter, Olivia Wynne, Wil Spaeth, and Shelby Young. They pop in and out of many costumes, gliding elegantly through large dance numbers.

Jarod Glou as Michael Dorsey/Dorothy Michaels, the main character, is much more likable as Dorothy than as Michael, which is the salient point of the piece. Because Glou does such a good job convincing us of Michael’s basic despicability, it’s tough rooting for him as Dorothy. The character journey is inadequately detailed. Dorothy’s influence and rise to potential stardom and Michael’s casual acceptance of those things smacks more of male privilege than of teachable moment. Amy Cajigas as Julie Nichols, Michael’s love interest, has subtle expressiveness and sounds lovely in her solos.

In his debut performance with Way Off Broadway, Robert Howard as Ron Carlisle, Broadway director, is volatile, furious, and an agile dancer. Lizzie Bartlett as Sandy Lester, Michael’s ex-girlfriend, is endearingly frenetic, and her mood swings have the commitment of a Major League batter. Justin M. Kiska as Stan Fields, Michael’s agent, is bombastic and stentorian, with fine-tuned comic timing. He has the range to give dimension to an otherwise flat character. Megan Elizabeth West as Rita Marshall, producer of the Broadway show, makes excellent use of the well-deployed pause before speaking, and her clipped, casual delivery is delightful. Kyle Donovan as macho actor Max Van Horn knocks the plucky comic relief role out of the park.

The highlight of the show, a truly likable character, is Jeff Slater, Michael’s friend and roommate, played by Bob Gudauskas with exquisite timing and dry, understated delivery. He not only has the pithiest lines and the best song of the show; his is the story we can appreciate and support. Gudauskas’ undisclosed operatic talents support his vocals, which seem effortless.

Costuming by director Bill Kiska and Denise Hoover reflects the uneven ethos of the script. The iconic red sequined gown appears, though with an egregious wardrobe malfunction during the curtain call. April Horn of Hair Worx Salon provides the crucial wigs for the show.

The enthusiasm and talent exhibited by the cast is unquestionable, and they’re absolutely charming as wait staff. Whatever your opinion of the characters onstage, you’ll enjoy the good humor and attentiveness these working actors shower upon you during dinner. A pleasant atmosphere, a well-prepared meal, a delicious cocktail, and some amusing moments make for a nice evening out on the town.

Running Time: Two hours and 40 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission.

Tootsie plays weekends (except July 5–7) through August 24, 2024, at the Way Off Broadway Theatre, 5 Willowdale Drive, Frederick, MD. Tickets, including a buffet dinner, are priced at $56–$65 for adults and are available only through Way Off Broadway’s box office at 301-660-6600 (Tuesday–Friday 10 am–4 pm, Saturdays 12 pm–4 pm). Performances are Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons. The theater does not sell tickets online. The theater is located in the Willowtree shopping center just off West Patrick Street. Parking is conveniently close to the entrance. For more information, go to the website.

The cast and creative team credits are online here.

The buffet menu is here.

Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre’s next production, Anastasia, begins September 13 and runs through November 2, 2024.

Tootsie
Music & Lyrics by David Yazbek
Book by Robert Horn
Directed by Bill Kiska

The post A lively ‘Tootsie’ the musical at Way Off Broadway Dinner Theater appeared first on DC Theater Arts.