Bringing to Life ‘Is He Dead?’
Providence Players present recently unearthed Mark Twain comedy.
It is rare that a play written by one of America's iconic writers is found and produced a century after it was written. But the Providence Players are bringing to life "Is He Dead?" written by Mark Twain in 1898 and first published in print in 2003.
Love Can Give Us Beauty
Reston Community Players present "33 Variations."
Where and When Reston Community Players present "33 Variations" at CenterStage, Reston Community Center, 2310 Colts Neck Road, Hunters Woods Shopping Center, Reston. Performances: April 26 – May 11, 2013. Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m., a Sunday matinee, May 5 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets $ 17-$20. Call 703-476-4500 or visit www.restonplayers.org.
‘Rumors’ Arriving at the Alden
McLean Community Players are bringing “Rumors,” a Neil Simon farce.
The word farce conjures up frenetic energy, slamming doors, any number of wacky situations and characters to match. To rid audiences of any remaining winter blues or general funk, the McLean Community Players are bringing "Rumors," a Neil Simon farce about the upwardly mobile, professional classes to the Alden stage.
Grown-up Play About Grown-up Things
Providence Players of Fairfax present "Dinner with Friends."
Sitting around a table at a recent rehearsal, Providence Players of Fairfax Director Tina Thronson and some of her cast discussed the troupe's funny yet bittersweet Pulitzer Award winning next play, "Dinner with Friends" by Donald Margulies.
Love Keeps You Grounded
Hub Theatre presents "A Man, His Wife and His Hat."
Fairfax's professional Hub Theatre continues to delve into delightfully complicated aspects of love by playwrights often new to the D.C. area. Now the Hub is bringing on Lauren Yee's play described as a "klezmer-inspired love triangle between a man, his wife and a hat."
Some Crimes Never Fade Away
‘Never the Sinner’ at 1st Stage.
It was the "trial of the century" that mesmerized the nation in 1924. Two teenage college students, Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, went on trial for the murder of a 14-year-old boy. They were defended by the most famous defense lawyer of the day, Clarence Darrow. These facts and the ultimate outcomes are easily found on Wikipedia.
Music to Love
American Contemporary Music Ensemble at Reston's CenterStage.
The advance guard in contemporary string and percussion music is arriving courtesy of Reston's CenterStage Professional Touring Artist Series. It is certain to be an evening that will provide handsome renditions of masterworks ranging from exhilarating to Zen-like, serene to dissonant, from the new and perhaps rarely heard, to classics and Grammy-nominated composers of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Riverbend Opera to Open New Season
"The music of opera takes me to beautiful places in my imagination, with swirling passions and languid times of reflection," said John Turner (McLean) in describing his love for the art form. He is one of the artistic forces behind Fairfax County's own Riverbend Opera Company. With its 2013 season, Riverbend will have a double-bill of one-act works by Giacomo Puccini. Puccini's operas are some of the most performed such as "La Bohème," "Madame Butterfly" and "Tosca." Each of the one-acts, "Il tabarro" and "Suor Angelica" has "almost achingly beautiful music" said Turner.
A Passion for Dance
Richmond Ballet II to perform and teach master class.
The importance of dance is clear to Stoner Winslett, artistic director of the Richmond Ballet. "Dance is the expression of the human spirit through movement. It is the instinctive language of our hearts and minds," she wrote.
Rock Musical Takes CenterStage
Reston Community Players to present "Next to Normal."
A "cathartic, powerful rock musical, with a hopeful ending and a great honesty to it" is the way director Andrew JM Regiec describes the next Reston Community Players production, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award recipient "Next to Normal." With a score of about three dozen songs "Next to Normal" tells the story of a suburban family battling personal demons "through a fast-paced story-telling and the heightened emotions that music can bring," said Regiec.
Providence Players of Fairfax County Receive 19 WATCH Nominations
The Providence Players of Fairfax County have been nominated for 19 Washington Area Community Honors (WATCH) for artistic and technical excellence in Community Theater.
Reston Community Players Receive 15 WATCH Nominations
The Reston Community Players has been nominated for 15 Washington Area Community Honors (WATCH) for artistic and technical excellence in Community Theater.
Elden Street Players Receive 10 WATCH Nominations
The Elden Street Players have been nominated for 10 Washington Area Community Honors (WATCH) for artistic and technical excellence in Community Theater.
A Pleasing Romantic Comedy
1st Stage presents ‘Italian American Reconciliation.’
The pedigree of playwright John Patrick Shanley is top notch; he was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for his play "Doubt" and won an Oscar for the screen play for "Moonstruck." His "Italian American Reconciliation," now playing at 1st Stage in Tysons, will not disappoint.
McLean Community Players Receive Seven WATCH Nominations
The McLean Community Players have been nominated for seven Washington Area Community Honors (WATCH) for artistic and technical excellence in Community Theater.
Wonderful Tunes, Wonderful Voices
The Gay Men's Chorus of Washington comes to the Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia.
Continuing to expand its Performing Arts Series, the Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia (JCCNV) is bringing the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington (GMCW) to the local area for an evening of entertainment of Broadway show tunes, pop music and traditional choral music.
Local Dancers Perform With Renowned Group
Mark Morris Dance Group, Dance Gala at Mason.
The celebrated Mark Morris Dance Group will soon bring its energy and style, its live music repertoire and several local dancers to enthrall audiences at the Mason Center for the Arts.
Provocative Lyrics, Rock Score
McLean Community Players present award-winning musical “next to normal
Where and When McLean Community Players present "next to normal" at the Alden Theatre, McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave, McLean. Performances: Feb. 1-16, 2013, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Tickets: $18-$20. Call 703-790-0123 or visit www.mcleanplayers.org. Note: Mature themes and language, most suitable for ages 15 and up.
Colorful, Satirical Musical Revue
Elden Street Players to present “Tom Foolery.”
Be inspired as "Tom Foolery" takes audiences into the world of Tom Lehrer who delighted so many with his musically-based attacks and banter on everything, both high-brow and low. The time is the 1960s, when there were "few if any restrictions to what could be said about life, but always with tongue-in-cheek" said Adriana Hardy, director of the Elden Street Players (ESP) production.
Comedic Wit and Wisdom Fills the Workhouse
Once it was a place with the clanging noise of jail bar cells closing, but now laughter regularly wafts through the Workhouse. The source is the liveliness and vigor of stand-up comics of distinct genres and attitudes filling the seats as comedy nights are now a fixture at the Workhouse.
Life-affirming Comedy
Reston Community Players presents "The Savannah Disputation."
The Reston Community Players will soon bring the D.C. area community theater premiere of "The Savannah Disputation" to audiences. The play was written by emerging award winning playwright Evan Smith.
Holiday Favorites at GMU
American Festival Pops Orchestra to present “Holiday Pops: Songs of the Season.”
Under the direction of founder and artistic director Anthony Maiello, Northern Virginia’s very own 60-member American Festival Pops Orchestra (AFPO) will soon be performing a sparkling musical celebration befitting the Holiday Season at the Mason Center for the Arts.
A Premiere of Hilarity and Weight
The Hub Theater presents “How I Paid for College.”
"My life is a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle I have to put together while wearing mittens" is one of the off-beat lines that powers "How I Paid for College," by Helen Hayes Award-winning playwright Marc Acito. The premiere play opens Friday, Dec. 7, at the ever-adventurous Hub Theater in Fairfax.
’Tis the Season for Joyfulness
"Altar Boyz" at Tysons’ 1st Stage.
There is a joyful noise full of tight harmonies backed by spot-on keyboards and percussion with lyrics full of universal positive messages at 1st Stage.
Ball in the House Comes to Alden Theatre
Group brings musical entertainment “a cappella.”
An evening of lively, fun a cappella style singing will be in store for audiences at the Alden Theatre.
Buoyant Holiday Fare
Providence Players present “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.”
A delightfully boisterous, but controlled chaos lit up a recent rehearsal of the Providence Players' next production, the family-friendly holiday treat "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever." Over a dozen joyously energetic middle school and high school students were rehearsing their roles under the watchful eye of Director Beth Whitehead (Mantua).
Fast, Funny and Physical
Reduced Shakespeare Company brings treats to Reston's CenterStage.
The Reduced Shakespeare Company will be making its annual visit to Reston's CenterStage to bring its "fast, funny and physical" theater.