tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18744504289402084532012-01-26T12:16:44.837-05:00The which if you with patient ears attend, <br> What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.comBlogger2731100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-22417156312159779422012-01-25T15:03:00.005-05:002012-01-26T12:16:44.873-05:00

I'm of two minds about The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Shakespeare Theatre Company's latest offering, driected by PJ Paparelli. On the one hand, there's a hell of a lot to love in this production, from the cast to its energetic staging and some of the best character-centric costume design I've seen in a while. On the other hand, remember that oft-quoted Coco Chanel directive about always taking off

Rudesbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981683897479247160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-30671644183562795222012-01-18T18:45:00.005-05:002012-01-18T19:49:21.142-05:00

Ibsen's "Hedda Gabler" is a play that can be hotly debated amongst his fans and detractors, and has in fact been done so since its premiere at the end of the nineteenth century. It's a brilliant examination of a fascinating character, held up for the scrutiny of an audience as she twists and turns as circumstances contrive to compel her toward that inevitable ending.Kerry Waters and Lee Ordeman

Rudesbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981683897479247160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-53599343240143420852012-01-15T14:54:00.006-05:002012-01-15T18:51:13.313-05:00

Henry V. Propeller. Brighton Theatre Royal. Directed Edward Hall. 11 November 2011.Propeller are one of those companies I had never got round to seeing, despite their international reputation as a talented and thought- provoking all male ensemble. Every now and again I would have a look at their website and say to myself ‘I really must go and see these guys’. Then I would absentmindedly forget to

Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682923879853047786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-66730946134949457622011-12-07T15:33:00.005-05:002011-12-07T17:36:34.658-05:00

True confessions of a theatre blogger: I found myself walking through my apartment this afternoon, proclaiming to the empty rooms, 'O Lord, he will hang upon him like a disease...God help the noble Claudio! if he have caught the Benedick, it will cost him a thousand pound ere he be cured.' It's one of Beatrice's first jests in the play, one that sets the tone for the evening to come. I'm not

Rudesbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981683897479247160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-37629198706371683842011-11-16T17:48:00.005-05:002011-11-16T18:15:20.286-05:00

Some afternoons are grey, misty, cold and dingy and as such require bolting oneself away into a warm, dark corner with tea and comfort. It was one of those afternoons along the South Bank as I headed to the National Theatre to see Heywood’s Jacobean Domestic Drama A Woman Killed With Kindness. Written in 1603, Heywood’s drama explores two female protagonists, both -in their own way –trapped

Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682923879853047786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-2499022362303644352011-10-24T17:41:00.007-04:002011-11-01T21:29:35.534-04:00

How on earth can you tell the story of Oedipus in the modern day? We're not talking a modern-dress version of Sophocles, mind you- that's easy peasy and has been done many, many times. No, what Steven Berkoff's version of the Oedipus legend sets out to do is to actually create a version of the story in the modern day. Or, sort of the modern day- Berkoff wrote the play in 1980, and it's his

Rudesbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981683897479247160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-26342544975181708372011-09-30T22:41:00.004-04:002011-09-30T23:08:49.620-04:00

Every now and then a musical comes along that is at once beautifully entertaining, heart-breaking, and thought-provoking. Jason Robert Brown (music and lyrics) and Alfred Uhry (book)'s Parade is one of those rare gems, and Ford's (along with Theatre J) does a brilliant job with it.Going in, I knew little about the actual story. I have the soundtrack and think it's utterly beautiful -

somethingwickedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939313408050261350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-14296628122700300272011-09-13T10:51:00.005-04:002011-09-13T12:52:13.527-04:00

There's something awfully satisfying about kicking off a new season of theatregoing at the Shakespeare Theatre. After a long and stultifyingly dull summer, at last!- back to what I love. And what better way to start their 25th Anniversary Season of comedies than with a new David Ives transladaptation (his term, not mine) of a classic French comedy? "The Heir Apparent" is an evening of great fun.

Rudesbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981683897479247160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-22460886100536858552011-08-15T14:00:00.004-04:002011-08-15T14:09:29.418-04:00

Two weekends ago, I finally made it to the much talk-about Sleep No More, by England's Punchdrunk. I had heard much about this production, and thankfully managed to forget most of it before walking in. It is truly a unique theatrical experience, what I would call a choose-your-own-adventure site specific dance piece. Audience members enter the McKittrick Hotel on the west side of Manhattan and

Charlene Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668369080227540555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-29528572854250846112011-08-15T13:32:00.002-04:002011-08-15T13:36:31.368-04:00

At the beginning of the month, Marc Kudisch brought his new cabaret show, “What Makes Me Tick” to Signature Theatre. It's a glorious performance, one where Kudisch commands every song, be it from Broadway or the top 40 list. Kudisch opens with the number 'What Makes Me Tick' by Michael John LaChiusa (cut from The Wild Party), and moves into a melody of songs and musicians that influenced his

Charlene Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668369080227540555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-25641923325924810552011-08-10T08:56:00.007-04:002011-08-10T09:29:29.582-04:00

Macbeth. Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Stratford. Monday 8 August 2011 Director: Michael Boyd Excited beyond all reason to be seeing Jonathan Slinger back with the RSC (he was triumphant as both Richard II and Richard III for the RSC Histories season) it was nonetheless with mixed feelings that I ventured forth unto the ‘cockpit’ of the RST. The production had generally good reviews

Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682923879853047786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-72784319795503094742011-07-22T18:48:00.003-04:002011-07-22T19:35:42.422-04:00

Not too long ago, I was studying Euripides' Trojan Women in grad school, pondering the nature of its particular form of tragedy for my exams. I've been fascinated by the characters of classical drama and myth since I was a child, and thus part of my task was to tamp down my enthusiasm at seeing the familiar faces in the text and evaluate them and the mode of their tragedy coolly and rationally.

Rudesbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981683897479247160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-58357954440017907702011-07-08T10:47:00.002-04:002011-07-08T10:50:24.584-04:00

The Merchant of Venice is a production of the type that is becoming all too frequent at the Shakespeare Theatre: tons of style, not much substance. Director Ethan McSweeney sets the play in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, during prohibition. Twenty-four actors fill the stage as gangsters, newspaper boys, devout Jews, and Italian playboys. Suits, hats, dresses, even a real life dog and full size

Charlene Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668369080227540555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-53616818305373116472011-06-10T15:12:00.003-04:002011-06-10T15:27:17.068-04:00

One of the features Two Hours Traffic hopes to bring you on a semi-regular basis is a Meet the Artist interview. One of us will sit down with an actor, a playwright, a designer, or any one else within the theatrical field and ask them questions. For the first one, I sat down with actor Eric M. Messner. Eric was expecting the hard ball questions, so was surprised when I started with the mundane.CS

Charlene Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668369080227540555noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-25644983530852715642011-05-11T19:37:00.003-04:002011-05-15T16:14:28.852-04:00

One of the reasons I always look forward to a Constellation Theatre production is because artistic director Allison Arkell Stockman never talks down to her audience. She challenges us to experience new types of theatre and a range of styles. If you have a fully Ibsenized and Stanisklavsky trained mind, like I do, it may take you an act, or even a production or two to adjust, but once you do,

Charlene Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668369080227540555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-6866660997185182612011-05-07T14:07:00.008-04:002011-06-20T22:24:46.845-04:00

The Folger advertised its season this year with a triptych of a tag line:One big ego One big farce One big noseWe've seen the ego in their crackingly good production of Henry VIII this fall, and I really enjoyed the commedia-inspired Comedy of Errors earlier this spring. Now it's time for the Nose with Cyrano, Michael Hollinger's new translation of Edmond Rostand's classic play, directed by

Rudesbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981683897479247160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-33498782134477942212011-04-25T15:17:00.002-04:002011-04-28T22:04:43.121-04:00

One of our new projects here at Two Hours’ Traffic is taking a look at some of the up and coming theatre companies in DC each month. While Forum Theatre might seem to be a little more established than just an “up and coming,” now is a great time to take a look in and see a company growing itself in exciting new directions.First, a few facts about Forum for those who might not be as familiar with

Rudesbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981683897479247160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-26741220962077345392011-04-17T18:10:00.002-04:002011-04-18T07:39:09.900-04:00

Family vacations, best friend road trips, work commutes, the average American spends 80 minutes in the car a day (though one would suspect that that number is even higher for those of us driving in the DC metro area). As such, Taffety Punk’s The Car Plays is an evening to theatre that we can all relate to. All three plays involve situations that are heightened dramatically, but all have a

Charlene Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668369080227540555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-10317427639798908142011-04-13T14:01:00.008-04:002011-08-10T09:32:23.125-04:00

Firstly, Dear Reader, I must offer a humble apology for the considerable dearth of offerings from this nook-shotten Isle. I can offer very little reason for this other than the strumpet fortune has been more than a little dictatorial with her demands upon my pocket. Resultantly, outings to the spaces where disbelief is to be suspended have been somewhat curtailed. It was therefore with a spirit

Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682923879853047786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-51494554329730059062011-04-10T11:22:00.000-04:002011-04-10T11:22:23.279-04:00

Okay you History Majors, a pop quiz: Which of our founding fathers chopped down cherry tree? Who rode at midnight to warn the colonists that the British were coming? Who discovered electricity with a kite? The answer, to all three questions, is Liberty Smith. Or so it is in the brand new musical of the same name playing at Ford’s Theatre. This wholly fictitious piece of theatre imagines a

Charlene Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668369080227540555noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-86753719610271552912011-04-01T17:57:00.001-04:002011-04-01T17:57:38.694-04:00

Artistic Director Ari Roth preceded opening night of Theatre J’s latest production, Photograph 51, with his usual welcoming curtain speech. In it, he quoted The Chosen, saying that both these and these were the work of DC’s Theatre J. Both plays rely heavily on narration, but I found the way narrative elements functioned in the script of Photograph 51 to be much more dramatically successful.

Charlene Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668369080227540555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-7285740624383669012011-04-01T12:16:00.002-04:002011-04-10T11:16:18.954-04:00

Last weekend I saw Lydia R. Diamond’s Stick Fly at Everyman Theatre and it was one of those plays that left me musing about How Theatre Works. The production is very strong, with a consistent level of talent across the cast. The set, by James Fouchard, is incredible. The inside of the Martha’s Vineyard Cottage sprawls all the way across the stage. The play involves the coming together of a

Charlene Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668369080227540555noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-81527004081953510672011-03-28T11:13:00.002-04:002011-03-28T11:55:57.140-04:00

Conor McPherson is hailed as the finest contemporary Irish playwright, and I think that title is well-deserved. The Weir was my first experience with him. The moment I walked out of the wee little theatre on H Street, I knew I was going to be finding the rest of his plays and reading them. He has this beautiful style of writing that can start out with casual banter back and forth at the bar to

somethingwickedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939313408050261350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-74600412632190977382011-03-24T08:27:00.013-04:002011-03-24T12:50:53.721-04:00

On Sunday night, Ford’s Theater held another of its blogger previews for Liberty Smith, a world premiere musical set to have its official opening at Ford’s next week. I was able to attend the first half hour of the technical rehearsal and started to get a feel for the show.Liberty Smith has a pretty simple concept- what if there was a founding father we’ve never heard of? That would be Liberty,

Rudesbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981683897479247160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-79858513791189372012011-03-16T16:47:00.001-04:002011-03-16T16:48:18.609-04:00

Keith Baxter’s production of Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband begins with a giant coin projected on the curtain, highlighting the play’s economic concerns. This coin is repeated in the circular design of the set, and as the curtain rises we see the various cast members frozen in poses across the set, and we hear the sound of minor chords. The production has a mostly solid cast, covered in lavish

Charlene Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668369080227540555noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-15302597107161028682011-03-15T22:56:00.005-04:002011-03-16T22:18:47.008-04:00

There are 4 fantastic reasons to see The Chosen, Theater J's latest show in residence at Arena Stage. Those reasons are:1 Ed Gero2 Rick Foucheux3 Joshua Morgan4 Derek Kahn ThompsonThe cast brought together by Aaron Posner, with Aaron Davidman rounding out the ensemble, is incredible. Getting to see Gero and Foucheux share the same space, moving in and around each other but never actually

Rudesbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981683897479247160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-37281001182489490002011-03-14T11:55:00.004-04:002011-03-16T09:35:59.817-04:00

Ten years after its original production, Theatre J is reviving everyone’s favorite Jewish bromance tale, The Chosen. Adapted from the classic novel by Chaim Potok by Aaron Posner, the play deals with politics and religion, and the relationships between two very different fathers and sons.Theatre J is producing the play in residence at Arena Stage. So if you are seeing it, head to the waterfront,

Charlene Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668369080227540555noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-48217094922756877342011-03-12T10:46:00.002-05:002011-03-12T10:46:55.649-05:00

Over the next few months you’ll be seeing some exciting changes here at Two Hours Traffic. We’ll be sprucing up our design and debuting some new features. Things to look forward to include: The return of the weekly discount post: every Monday we’ll be letting you know what free or affordable theatre you can attend that week. These posts will cover free play readings, pay what you can previews,

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-25202474004692495682011-03-07T10:45:00.003-05:002011-03-10T12:37:12.454-05:00

The Comedy of Errors -- 4 starsHenry VI, Part 3 -- 4 starsLook About You -- 3 starsAfter spending another weekend in Staunton, Virginia, I must repeat the recommendation I always make: “Hie thee to the Blackfriars Playhouse!” If you have never been, you will discover Shakespeare anew. If you have been before, the troupe and the theatre continue to engage and entertain. Through the end of March,

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-78151633276312851572011-03-06T21:21:00.003-05:002011-03-12T10:37:58.981-05:00

Back to the Blackfriars! What a glorious phrase. The American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, VA is one of my very favorite places to be. Their approach to Shakespeare excites me as a scholar and a theatre critic, and speaking as an audience member, shows rarely disappoint here. The Actors’ Renaissance Season is, for my money, the best time of all to visit, and so it’s no surprise that I’m

Rudesbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981683897479247160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-11362883898930401122011-02-07T10:52:00.005-05:002011-03-12T10:37:58.982-05:00

Once upon a time, I tried to read Tom Stoppard's On the Razzle but gave up in frustration. Too many jokes, too much cleverness of the cloying sort. Even as I put the book back on my shelf, I held onto the hope that if ever I SAW the show, what was tedious on the page might find life on the stage. So imagine my excitement when I saw that Constellation was doing Razzle- rapture! Here was my

Rudesbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981683897479247160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-74170319266262698212011-02-03T10:49:00.003-05:002011-03-10T12:38:23.660-05:00

Aaron Posner, director of The Comedy of Errors and other Folger shows such as the well-received Orestes: A Tragic Romp from last season, brings another charming production to the Folger Shakespeare Theatre. The main trick of this show is to make the audience truly believe that the actors are two sets of identical twins, and Posner cleverly side-steps that by using masks in the Commedia dell'Arte

somethingwickedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939313408050261350noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-24002851497172004252011-02-02T17:14:00.008-05:002011-03-12T10:37:58.983-05:00

Oh Aaron Posner.Mr P and I have had our difficulties in the past. I was fairly horrified by his Measure for Measure, underwhelmed by his Tempest, and just couldn't get into his Macbeth (yes, the one everyone and their brother raved about).But then came a perfect Arcadia, and last year I couldn't get enough of Orestes. Had the tide turned? Were Mr P and I finally to be friends? Would his Comedy

Rudesbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981683897479247160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-80275514919380857732011-01-29T22:42:00.002-05:002011-03-12T10:39:39.284-05:00

Walking into the theatre for this performance was like sinking into a warm bath after a day playing in the snow. It's cozily lit, like a sunset. The soft lighting set the mood for the rest of Horton Foote's play, The Carpetbagger's Children. It is the story of three sisters, daughters of a "carpetbagger" - someone who moved from the North to the South during Reconstruction. The play is made

somethingwickedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939313408050261350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-77118706188417396642011-01-29T18:29:00.003-05:002011-03-10T12:37:12.456-05:00

The National Theatre of Scotland is touring America with its acclaimed production of Black Watch. Right now it is at the Shakespeare Theatre, where you need to find yourself on an evening before February 6. It’s a production that makes you remember all the reasons why we go to the theatre. The imagination displayed by playwright Gregory Burke, director John Tiffany and the cast is inspirational.

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-57522371242197983962011-01-29T18:24:00.001-05:002011-03-10T12:37:12.457-05:00

Marcus; Or the Secret of Sweet is the third play in the Brother/Sister plays, a trilogy by Tarell Alvin McCraney. Marcus is about a 16-year-old boy struggling with his sexual identity, growing up without a father, and with a closed-lipped mother. Like the other Brother/Sister plays (In the Red and Brown Water and The Brothers Size), Marcus is written with a mix of colloquialisms, poetic imagery,

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-45484885727383339362011-01-29T14:33:00.002-05:002011-03-10T12:37:12.459-05:00

It’s fascinating to me how many reviews of the Shakespeare Theatre’s current production of Cymbeline starts off by talking about how difficult the play is to produce, to understand, to perform. It’s as if every one feels they have to make apologies for the fact that this is not a production that works. Maybe they are confused by the fact that director Rebecca Bayla Taichman’s last two outings,

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-54621204389920969092011-01-29T14:33:00.001-05:002011-03-10T12:37:12.460-05:00

There is a strange level of meta-reality to sitting in a theatre on press night for a play about Kenneth Tynan, one of the most influential critics of modern times. It’s strange to listen to Tynan’s thoughts on the role of a critic, in a room with other critics, all of whom can never even able to hope to reach the level of importance that this man did. One is also naturally forced to wonder what

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-32340847295037296292011-01-21T12:19:00.001-05:002011-03-10T12:38:23.665-05:00

Tonight Ford's Theatre begins performances of Horton Foote's The Carpetbagger's Children. In a series of charming, humorous and poignant vignettes, the play weaves a captivating tapestry of family secrets, small-town lives and private tragedies. At the center of the play are sisters Cornelia, Grace Anne and Sissie, daughters of a Union soldier who moved south after the war. The sisters’ bonds are

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-72821750112095436612011-01-09T22:50:00.003-05:002011-03-12T10:39:39.285-05:00

I'll tell you right now I'm not Andrew Lloyd Webber's biggest fan. However, one of the two good things he did was Sunset Boulevard (the other is Evita). If you don't know, the musical is based on the movie of the same name, starring Gloria Swanson and directed by Billy Wilder. A faded movie star falls in love with a much younger man, who basically uses her for her money. Happy!As with most of

somethingwickedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939313408050261350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-7661229181416307562011-01-04T13:35:00.005-05:002011-03-10T12:37:12.464-05:00

We don't usually post blogs that fall on the side of advertising a performance, but I thought we should make an exception for this one.Local theatre artists in our nation's capital gather together to demonstrate their support of and solidarity with the company of Belarus Free Theatre and the people of Belarus.Being Harold Pinter incorporates transcripts from Belarusian political prisoners

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-10566724790605709702011-01-04T13:01:00.002-05:002011-03-10T12:37:12.465-05:00

Everyone is posting their "Best of" lists, and I figured we would not be any different.Here are the five productions that stuck with me this year:Next Fall by Geoffrey Nauffts, directed by Sheryl Kaller, Broadway, NYCandide by Leonard Bernstein, directed by Mary Zimmerman, Shakespeare Theatre Company, DCAll My Sons by Arthur Miller, directed by Vincent Lancisi, Everyman Theatre, BaltimoreOrestes

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-1080772919612775462010-12-12T09:11:00.001-05:002011-03-10T12:37:12.467-05:00

“It’s understood in this best of all possible worlds, all’s for the good in this best of all possible worlds.” This is the maxim Dr. Pangloss lives by, and this is the lesson he is teaching his three supremely happy students when the curtain rises on Candide. The opening scene looks like something from a picture book. Only a small rectangle of the stage is revealed, containing a long table, a

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-80938711364376177162010-12-08T11:06:00.001-05:002011-03-10T12:37:12.468-05:00

ALL MY SONS – Everyman Theatre. 4 stars. Now extended through December 18.Everyman’s current production of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons has broken box office records, and there’s a reason why. Director Vincent Lancisi has given audiences a sensitive, moving production. All My Sons demonstrates the very personal effects of very impersonal war. The stellar cast is lead by Carl Schurr, Deborah

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-85206801525442057002010-11-07T09:09:00.002-05:002011-03-10T12:37:12.471-05:00

As I stood in the PWYC line for House of Gold at Woolly Mammoth last Tuesday, friends I knew involved warned me that the play was “weird.” Weird is basically what Woolly Mammoth does, so for a play to be weird even by their standards, well, it left me wondering just what I would be in for that night.Pre-show, the lobby and house fills with the upeat techno sounds of cotton candy pop songs. The

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-88604105882219927872010-11-03T13:07:00.002-04:002011-03-12T10:39:39.287-05:00

Seeing this play really made me think about the question "What is theatre?" The show is based on the radio broadcast by Orson Welles in 1938 and shows the audience what was going on in the broadcast room during the radio show. While I think this is an incredibly interesting concept, I don't necessarily think that it's good for a play. There's so much more talking than there is action, and I

somethingwickedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939313408050261350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-74611116062644051982010-10-28T18:28:00.002-04:002011-03-12T10:43:08.400-05:00

Nicholas Hynter is a wise man; eschewing hey nonny traditionalism for an entirely modern take on the Great Dane was a wise choice. This was one of the hardest, darkest Hamlet’s I have seen for a while. Not that it is particularly violent or brutal, as some productions are, but through its unflinching presentation of Denmark as a dictatorial state; secret service men litter the stage, barely

Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682923879853047786noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-30879231809604800082010-10-27T14:19:00.003-04:002011-03-10T12:37:12.473-05:00

So here’s the thing – I did not particularly enjoy Theater J’s production of The Odd Couple. BUT, what you need to know is that my lack of enjoyment stems completely from my personal preferences about theatre and not due to any fault in the cast or crew. On the contrary, I can recognize that this is a superbly directed and acted production. I can pretty much guarantee that every person in the

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-15811260408342789262010-10-27T14:09:00.001-04:002011-03-10T12:37:12.475-05:00

Henry VIII is a bad play. There, I said it. It has to be said. If this play was anonymous, no one would ever put it one. Henry VIII falls into the Is it by Shakespeare, Is is not by Shakespeare, Can we blame Fletcher for this? category. As a result of its probable association with the Bard, it receives possibly unwarranted attention.Here’s why it is bad: the author is unable to risk offending the

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-35067358514049465622010-10-27T14:07:00.001-04:002011-03-10T12:37:12.476-05:00

I have to apologize for the delay in this blog post. I was putting it off because I knew it would not be much fun. When you find a new theatre company and each successive production delights you, you know there will come a time when you are disappointed. And that time has come for me with Constellation Theatre Company and their current production of Women Beware Women. (Note: I could only make it

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-50528884667741612172010-10-21T11:24:00.003-04:002011-03-12T10:37:58.985-05:00

I am a big geek in many ways, but even I admit that my geekery for Shakespeare’s history plays is probably epic in scope. Those two tetralogies of Richards and Henrys DO THINGS to me that other plays in the canon just don’t. But Henry VIII? It’s the odd duck, the redheaded stepchild, the one that is left outside. Plenty of scholars suspect that it was at least a collaboration between

Rudesbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981683897479247160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-13814276986251573382010-10-20T10:28:00.002-04:002011-03-10T12:38:23.671-05:00

When we watch a performance, our minds and intellects can be caught by different elements. Sometimes I am more interested in how a script works, or doesn’t work, than I am by the specific talents of the actors onstage. This was the case as I sat down to watch The Wiz at CENTERSTAGE last night. I don’t have many complaints about the performers themselves, and most of the ones I do are the fault of

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-55340988048097607272010-10-17T19:24:00.002-04:002011-03-12T10:44:25.962-05:00

For no other reason than we see Christopher Benjamin resplendent in green and purple silks, leaping into a giant laundry basket do I love this production.For regular followers of these epistles you may have noted that this sounds a little like Christopher Luscombe’s splendid production of Merry Wives from 2 years ago. Well you would be right. The same production was back after rave reviews, and

Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682923879853047786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-47081067736822987572010-10-14T21:46:00.003-04:002011-03-12T10:37:58.986-05:00

Charming.That's the word I kept coming back to after seeing Ford's production of "Sabrina Fair" this Sunday night. Was my world irrevocably altered by what I saw? Hardly. Was that the point? Not at all. "Sabrina Fair" tells a fun, romantic story, one that we aren't quite as familiar with as we might think from watching two separate film adaptations.Of course, this is a "Sabrina" with a twist.

Rudesbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981683897479247160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-56008634494032281062010-10-14T19:59:00.009-04:002011-03-12T10:44:25.963-05:00

A shocking lack of reports from the nook-shotten Isle of Albion of late, for which I can only make grovelling apologies. Summer’s lease was indeed all too short a date and so the theatrical highlights have come and gone, and now these tomes must be recorded before racking up my next Hamlet. (Rory Kinnear at The National; very excited about that. Kinnear = Genius)Anyway, back to the long days of

Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682923879853047786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-4316527200872357772010-10-08T12:11:00.002-04:002010-10-08T12:34:59.501-04:00

Congrats to our reader KATE! Kate talked about Mary Zimmerman's "Argonautika," which is also a favorite of mine (please know, we had a drawing by an impartial outside party). Kate- email us ASAP at twohrstraffic @gmail.com and let us know which date you want your tickets, especially if you want a ticket for Friday!

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-15629466578103647162010-10-05T10:09:00.002-04:002010-10-05T10:28:35.099-04:00

Gentle readers! The fabulous people at Ford's have granted us a wonderful opportunity to be your FAVORITE BLOGGING TEAM EVER. Ford's production of "Sabrina Fair" by playwright Samuel A. Taylor and directed by Stephen Rayne is just revving up this week. The play is best known as the inspiration for the film Sabrina, starring Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, and William Holden (and yeah yeah,

Rudesbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981683897479247160noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-85374718468873285332010-10-01T15:33:00.001-04:002011-03-12T10:37:58.988-05:00

What makes a good musical? Is there some sort of formula made up of the intricate relations between melody, lyrics, book, with the possible variables of dance and spectacle and so on? And hey- let’s not make the mistake of discounting spectacle, as Aristotle certainly didn’t, so neither should we. But what about those unpredictable variables of sentiment? What about performance? How do we

Rudesbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981683897479247160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-35316638511371625132010-09-27T20:04:00.000-04:002011-03-12T10:42:27.387-05:00

Circle Mirror Transformation, now playing at Studio, is a lovely night of theatre. The play takes place over a six week Creative Dramatics class for adults at a community center in Vermont. As the class unfolds, relationships develop and change, and personalities and histories are revealed, usually through the use of acting games. Much of the humor comes from the audience laughing at these games,

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-33303512436128836762010-09-27T19:49:00.001-04:002011-03-12T10:42:27.388-05:00

Director Blake Robinson has achieved what I thought was impossible. He has cast four of the best actors working in DC, Karl Miller, Marcus Kyd, Naomi Jacobsen, and John Lescault, and managed to create a thoroughly boring night of theatre. The Talented Mr. Ripley, which just closed at the Round House Theatre, is a very misguided production.The Talented Mr. Ripley tells the story of con man Tom

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-59169281581244208032010-09-27T09:51:00.003-04:002010-09-27T09:55:47.959-04:00

October is Free Night of Theatre month. I love this event because it often gives me a chance to get to a theatre I haven't been to yet, or see a play I could not normally afford to see. I'm very sad to report that DC theatres are not taking part this year. I think it's a shame. Baltimore, however, is participating. So well done Baltimore for being cooler than DC on this count. There are less

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-50040760797137363482010-09-24T12:09:00.004-04:002011-03-12T10:39:39.288-05:00

There is a reason this show is not often produced. Many of the main characters are easily disliked and never redeem themselves. I can't even imagine why Helena even WANTS to be with Bertram. Let's be honest - that guy is a dick. When she chooses him according to the king's decree, he up and leaves the very night they get married to go to war. As always, Shakespeare throws in some mistaken

somethingwickedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939313408050261350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-11715410463464237622010-09-22T11:17:00.003-04:002011-03-12T10:42:27.389-05:00

And then there was Chess. The history of this famous (infamous) musical has been well documented. Check out wikipedia for the info. The musical has received cult status, inordinately loved by some, rarely seen, and downright panned by others. It’s one of those musicals that usually gets dismissed with a “the book has problems.”And well, frankly, that is the truth. Director Eric Shaeffer and a

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-41812227770632137942010-09-22T11:11:00.001-04:002011-03-12T10:42:27.391-05:00

I saw two shows this last weekend that have been getting rave reviews, Chess at Signature Theatre and In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play at Woolly Mammoth. I enjoyed myself both times, but found I have to disagree with the unqualified praise these productions are getting.First up was In the Next Room, the newest play from Sarah Ruhl, who just might be America’s best young playwright. Ruhl’s

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-5124867795714905842010-09-08T15:00:00.003-04:002011-03-12T10:39:39.289-05:00

Sarah Ruhl has taken a subject so taboo people don't generally speak about it in mixed company and turned it into a hilarious romp. When electricity was first invented, one of the first appliances to be used in the home was the vibrator. They were mostly sold to physicians who helped cure women of "hysteria," which was a common ailment at the time. It was believed that hysteria was caused by a

somethingwickedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939313408050261350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-86469337233780409392010-08-17T14:06:00.004-04:002011-03-12T10:42:27.392-05:00

somethingwicked's just posted review of Chess reminded me that here we are once again at the beginning of a new theatre season. Here's what I'm looking forward to, this year:ARENA STAGE - The Edward Albee Festival.Arena Stage is celebrating 60 years, opening a brand new facility in SE DC, and producing a season of seminal American works. The must see on my list is the Edward Albee Festival,

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-4766931082669899302010-08-17T12:43:00.003-04:002011-03-12T10:39:39.290-05:00

If any theatre in the DC area was going to take on the first professional production of this 80s-rock musical in nearly 20 years, Signature would be the one you'd want. With first-rate cast made up of both Broadway and Signature veterans, plus a design team that went with their concept completely, you've got one hell of a show on your hands. The orchestral arrangement does not shy away from the

somethingwickedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939313408050261350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-6075013450795013432010-07-19T21:08:00.004-04:002011-03-12T10:37:58.989-05:00

Confession: I've never been to a Fringe show before. Or at least, I hadn't until this past Sunday, when I went to the Warehouse for Odd Act's 'How the Money Goes.'Why not? I'm not entirely sure, but I think it has something to do with a longstanding snobbery that am willing to own up to- I rarely see work by contemporary playwrights (just as I rarely read current bestsellers). I've always much

Rudesbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981683897479247160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-63105875821550473112010-07-19T16:44:00.003-04:002011-03-12T10:37:58.990-05:00

"Wait, what?"That was pretty much my reaction to hearing that Avenue Q would be coming to the Shakespeare Theatre on its latest pass through Washington, DC. Its first stay over had been at the National Theatre, a roadhouse theatre that's a much more typical home for a tour of Avenue Q's ilk.Of course, one of the things my press packet brought to mind is that Q really is a bit of an oddball. The

Rudesbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981683897479247160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-41327264000349078612010-07-18T23:19:00.003-04:002011-03-12T10:39:39.291-05:00

I would call this play quirky at best. In all honesty, I can't really tell you what it's about; there's no clear storyline at all. The space is fairly large and calls for much more projection than the audience got for the most part. I have a feeling that I missed more than a few key lines because of that and the speed with which most of the actors spoke. It didn't help that with only a couple

somethingwickedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939313408050261350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-63179113748481568022010-07-18T22:56:00.003-04:002011-03-12T10:39:39.293-05:00

This is a beautiful piece of theatre. It's well-cast and overall performed with skill, especially for a Fringe production. It's the story of a grown-up Charlie Brown (though thinly veiled as "C.B.") and his friends. They're now in high school and are dealing with much tougher problems and dealing with the consequences of their actions. It deals with many of the issues today's teenagers deal

somethingwickedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939313408050261350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-28296291763304190572010-07-09T19:30:00.002-04:002011-03-12T10:44:25.964-05:00

Wandering through the hazy heat of a Friday London night in July, I was struck by the bright lights, smiles and merriment of the revelers along the riverbank by Southwark. Looking at the historic buildings and hundreds of people enjoying the late summer, my delightful friends and I wandered indulgently to The Globe for a midnight performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The place was packed and

Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682923879853047786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-25852589695303300462010-07-09T19:26:00.003-04:002011-03-12T10:44:25.965-05:00

On a balmy summer evening, sipping an idle martini, watching the sun drum down upon the river Thames. Idyllic. Golden lights twinkle in the trees, and a wave of lazy ease engulfs one and all.Except at this moment I am not actually on the south bank – not even in London. No, on this occasion I am nestled in the darkness of my local cinema with a bottle of water, a bag of jelly babies (Do they have

Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682923879853047786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-4483015939631166912010-07-09T19:21:00.004-04:002011-03-12T10:44:25.967-05:00

I have said before in these theatrical dispatches that Romeo and Juliet is one of those plays which doesn’t really work for me. Too many whiny teenagers moaning and being just faintly ridiculous. I want to be convinced, desperately but usually come away with a faint sense of dissatisfaction.So as I settled into the familiar red seats of the Courtyard theatre I wanted, wanted very much to enjoy

Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682923879853047786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-36551011062188997602010-07-09T19:16:00.004-04:002011-03-12T10:44:25.968-05:00

From distant lands I first heard of this production –the call came across the Atlantic and like the lunatic Shakespeare fiend I am I found the website and booked the tickets.Of course it had lot to recommend it before I got that far. The ever reliable Rory Kinnear who pulled off Middleton’s The Revenger's Tragedy with such notable aplomb at the National, and Anna Maxwell Martin redoubtable

Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682923879853047786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-63802773915407943362010-07-09T19:12:00.003-04:002011-03-12T10:44:25.969-05:00

This was my first visit to this theatre in the well loved seaside city of Brighton. Dilapidated Regency splendour sits with the ever-so-slightly-faded opulence of the Theatre Royal.Hedda Gabbler is one of those plays – a sort of theatrical Everest and with the distinctive feature of having a woman as the protagonist. Hedda is a confusing woman – tough but fragile with a low boredom threshold and

Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682923879853047786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-21518162184313759902010-07-09T19:05:00.004-04:002011-03-12T10:44:25.970-05:00

Charles Dickens- or Charles Chickens as he is affectionately known in my house- created huge, monumental, scathing novels with wending and winding intricacies that can make your head spin when trying to explain them. For so many of the panoply of people who emerge from the pages of his books there is often sympathy, a non-judgmental stance that is quite surprising for a Victorian novelist (

Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682923879853047786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-38947441663164240852010-07-09T19:03:00.002-04:002011-03-12T10:44:25.971-05:00

I can offer no reason for my slapdash approach to posting reviews other than it has been a very hot summer so far- a thing unheard of in England!! Catching up... Jules

Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682923879853047786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-50347459491792611252010-06-16T12:44:00.002-04:002011-03-12T10:42:27.393-05:00

I’m in double rehearsals now, so I’m afraid I have been doing a terrible job keeping up with blogging about shows I’ve seen. Several pieces I’ve seen have closed, so here is just a quick catch-up.Sycamore Trees, Signature Theatre – 1 star – Sycamore Trees, written and composed by Ricky Ian Gordon and Nine Mankin, is about the childhood of Gordon and what it was like growing up gay in a working

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-46193952076241779152010-06-16T12:18:00.001-04:002011-03-12T10:42:27.394-05:00

The Shakespeare Theatre has mounted a solid production of Bernard Shaw’s Mrs. Warren’s Profession, under the direction of Keith Baxter. Shaw, in lesser hands, can be rather stolid and preachy, but this production, despite a few flaws, keeps the pace moving and the audience entertained.Mrs. Warren is an unmarried businesswoman, lively and wealthy. She has used her wealth to bring up her daughter,

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-87064785715044421602010-06-06T11:47:00.004-04:002011-03-12T10:37:58.992-05:00

Oh, ASC. I heart you. Let me take you back many years- in 2003, I was still a wee little undergrad in Pennsylvania while my big sister was wrapping up her undergrad years in Maryland. For a lark, she and come of her college friends drove down to a little place called Staunton, VA to see a play they'd never heard of: The Knight of the Burning Pestle. Several years later, after we'd both gotten

Rudesbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981683897479247160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-90834987847099782502010-06-03T15:48:00.003-04:002011-03-12T10:37:58.993-05:00

Last night, I got to go to an early performance of Courage, Dog & Pony's version of everybody's favorite rock and roll political hootenany, Mother Courage and Her Children. Or maybe that's just the show when D&P is in charge.Because here's the thing. For all that I have a shiny secondary degree in theatre, my knowledge of Brecht is contained to what I picked up from an Intro to Theatre class (

Rudesbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981683897479247160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-84583301257470016842010-05-20T10:38:00.000-04:002011-03-12T10:42:27.396-05:00

Not to long ago, I was posting about how part of having a successful theatre company is knowing what shows belong it what spaces. Well I can think of no better example of doing this right than Arena Stage’s current production of Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies. Sophisticated Ladies is a musical and dance concert that takes us through the oeuvre of jazz great Duke Ellington. There is no

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-83698020824853648022010-05-20T10:21:00.002-04:002011-03-12T10:42:27.398-05:00

[title of show] is a musical with a lot of hype. When it was off-Broadway and on Broadway, its fans, known as [tos]ers, were inordinately enthusiastic. They were sure to tell everyone how great the musical was, and decried the fact that it wasn’t selling tickets fast enough to stay on Broadway. So there’s a lot of hype surrounding the piece, and, in my mind, the actual show doesn’t live up to

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-25415631323011960192010-05-17T21:51:00.001-04:002011-03-12T10:37:58.994-05:00

Kate Eastwood Norris, in the immortal words of Rod Stewart, have I told you lately that I love you? You charmed your way into my heart in the first play I saw after moving to DC in fall of 2005- a perfect Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing at the Folger. Then came She Stoops to Comedy at Woolly, and, well. Can I be blamed for quoting Sir Roderick?So when I heard that Norris was performing a

Rudesbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981683897479247160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-56823777799987412342010-05-14T17:59:00.003-04:002011-03-12T10:42:27.399-05:00

I have to admit, Hamlet is a play that is increasingly difficult to review. When you have such a strong familiarity of a work, and have seen it over and over again, it’s very difficult to sit back and see the whole picture, rather than the production as a series of choices made in famous moments. When I see Hamlet nowadays, I find myself spending the whole night thinking, “Okay, that’s what they

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-49527189991145538522010-05-02T08:20:00.005-04:002011-03-12T10:37:58.996-05:00

It's hard not to like the Great Dane. In the production directed by Joseph Haj at the Folger Theatre, however, like is about as far as it could go for me. A mounting number of missteps throughout the production added up to a lot of Meh in the service of one of the greatest plays ever written.To start with, there's the stage itself. The lovely Elizabethan-style space is transformed into a blazing

Rudesbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981683897479247160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-59369942329761399262010-04-14T15:59:00.002-04:002011-03-12T10:42:27.400-05:00

The weekend finished with an emotional knockout - the stunning and beautiful Next Fall by Geoffrey Nauffts. This production benefits from a strong ensemble cast, one without a weak link; a smart scenic design by Wilson Chin, where elements that are one object in one location seamlessly transition into another object in another location; a fun costume design by Jess Goldstein, who shows by her

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-41776376567943192462010-04-14T15:31:00.002-04:002011-03-12T10:42:27.401-05:00

Note: as a working artist, nine productions out of ten involve someone I know. It can't be helped. I generally try to avoid blogging about a production if I am particularly close to someone. But sometimes I still want to. So just so you know, the playwright of Engaging Shaw, John Morogiello, is a close friend of mine.After the gruesome comedy of McDonagh, I headed off-off-Broadway to the Abingdon

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-87353588820885989462010-04-14T15:14:00.003-04:002011-03-12T10:42:27.403-05:00

I had a full weekend in New York City recently, and it was about time too, since I hadn't been to the Big Apple in almost a year. I probably won't be heading back anytime soon, at least not until the RSC does their residency in 2011. So I was very pleased that all three plays I saw this weekend were excellent.First up was Martin McDonagh's new play, A Behanding in Spokane. Frequent readers of the

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-82759941261203336052010-04-13T17:19:00.004-04:002011-03-12T10:37:58.997-05:00

Oh, CORNEILLE. How I suffered through Le Cid. How I filled pages of notebooks on neoclassicism and your unwillingness to abide by its strictures. How I wish I could say I'd seen your play on Sunday night.The production of The Liar that has just opened at the Shakespeare Theatre and directed by Michael Kahn is NOT Corneille's original comedy. Not entirely. Instead, it's been 'translapted' by

Rudesbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981683897479247160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-28293865875041877552010-03-19T12:20:00.002-04:002011-03-12T10:42:27.404-05:00

Reviewing productions at the American Shakespeare Center is a bit different from reviewing productions elsewhere. This is because the ASC has a house style. So you don’t wonder what a particular director’s vision is going to do, or how well a concept will work with a particular show, because the vision is always the same, the concept is always the same. And it always works.The house style is

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-73260635889615054182010-03-17T17:13:00.004-04:002010-09-27T20:01:14.602-04:00

You read that right. Ford's, best known for being the place where Abraham Lincoln was killed, is currently producing off-Broadway cult hit Little Shop of Horrors. Seems weird, right? I thought so too, but it turned out pretty well.For those readers who don't know the story, the main character is Seymour Krelborn (Christopher Kale Jones), who works in Mr. Mushnik (Chris Bloch)'s flower shop on

somethingwickedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939313408050261350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-77702090411138099012010-03-15T23:09:00.003-04:002010-09-27T20:01:30.415-04:00

I went into Arena's temporary Crystal City theatre with no prior knowledge of this show. Sometimes it's really fun doing that. The entire night I was practically on the edge of my seat, wondering what would happen next. My fellow blogger Two Hours Traffic was with me that evening, and she did know about the show and I imagine got a good laugh at my expense a couple of times. However, that is

somethingwickedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939313408050261350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-91225820058930319852010-02-27T22:03:00.002-05:002011-03-12T10:42:27.405-05:00

I finally made it this weekend to see Orestes: A Tragic Romp at the Folger Theatre, directed by Aaron Posner. My two blogging compatriots saw it much earlier in the run and gave it glowing reviews, which you can find here:http://twohourstraffic.blogspot.com/2010/02/orestes-tragic-romp-at-folger.htmlhttp://twohourstraffic.blogspot.com/2010/02/orestes-tragic-romp-folger-theatre.htmlI saw the

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-29571340267806735232010-02-27T21:35:00.003-05:002011-03-12T10:42:27.406-05:00

Have you wondered what it is like to watch an actor steal a show? Do you want to know what it looks like to see an actor command a stage? Well, for an answer, head down to Studio Theatre and take in Yaegel T. Welch’s performance as Shango in In the Red and Brown Water. Shango is the epitome of cocksure. The hyper-masculine, too-smooth lover whom our heroine Oya knows in her brain is bad news, but

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-89532480952566470062010-02-27T11:25:00.005-05:002011-03-12T10:42:27.407-05:00

Cover your heads, and mock not flesh and bloodWith solemn reverence: throw away respect,Tradition, form, and ceremonious duty,For you have but mistook me all this while:I live with bread like you, feel want,Taste grief, need friends: subjected thus,How can you say to me I am a king?Oh, Shakespeare. How I love your brilliance, especially as it demonstrates itself in your histories. For in all of

Two Hours Traffichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076773202130580828noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-40074102845300015182010-02-26T17:38:00.004-05:002011-03-12T10:37:58.998-05:00

A friend of mine was complaining just yesterday about the overuse of the word "shenanigans" in recent years, but as it regards the title of this post,a) Alliteration trumps ALLand b) He doesn't read this blog, anyway.To start things off, last week featured a romp with my very favorite Richard (keep your hunchbacks!) at the Shakespeare Theatre in their Richard II, part of their Leadership

Rudesbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12981683897479247160noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-31949903517114946002010-02-16T15:19:00.004-05:002011-03-12T10:39:39.294-05:00

When I was in London in May 2006, I actually went to Fleet Street and saw where Sweeney's barber shop was supposed to be. Signature Theatre's production looks nothing like present-day London (or 2006 London); it's actually made to look like a factory complete with elevator. James Kronzer creates a bleak, industrial world where Sweeney exacts his revenge.Ed Gero, whose resume reads like a who's

somethingwickedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939313408050261350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1874450428940208453.post-2704576363689673312010-02-16T14:06:00.004-05:002011-03-12T10:39:39.295-05:00

I'll be honest with you. If a theatre in DC was doing Chekhov, I'd probably go see it because that's what you do. When you're in theatre, you go see Chekhov. End of story. You don't have to like it, but we're pretentious people - don't be offended, you know it's true - and Chekhov and Shakespeare are about as pretentious as it gets. However, I did get really excited when I saw that one of my

somethingwickedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14939313408050261350noreply@blogger.com0