By Mark Edelman
Theaters in the DMV are lit up brightly for the holidays in December with no fewer than three A Christmas Carols among the batch. Check out these fine productions this month, live! onstage at a theater near you:
RAGTIME
Signature Theater
Now thru January 7
If there’s a show of the month, it’s got to be this gorgeous production of the award-winning musical based on E. L. Doctorow’s novel about turn of the century (1890-1910) America. Odd choice for the holiday season you say? Well, both the Christmas story and Ragtime introduce us to a new way to live our lives. Or as a luminous Teal Wicks as Mother sings, “we can never go back to before.”
Besides Wicks, stand-out performances include handsome Nkrumah Gatling as Coalhouse Walker (think a beefier Denzel but with a voice from heaven). Bill English found the pathos in the difficult role of Father and Dani Stoller the earthiness in Emma Goldman. Awa Sal Secka made a moving Sarah and the rest of the cast was first rate throughout.
The topography of Signature’s Max Stage worked well for this Ragtime, with Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner stylishly moving the story from below to above and up and down the aisles. And speaking of above, how about that seventeen piece orchestra? In an era when touring Broadway shows send out twelve in the pit with keyboards covering reeds and strings, it’s a joy to hear this beautiful score fully-realized in a three hundred seat theater. No skimping here. If you see a show besides A Christmas Carol this month, put Ragtime on your list. Tickets at www.signaturetheater.org.
THE WINTER’S TALE
Folger Theatre
Now thru December 17
With the magic and fantastical elements of a fairy tale, Shakespeare’s late career romance takes us on a journey filled with fascinating characters, complex relationships—and a bear chasing everyone around. One of the Bard’s more complex offerings. Tickets at http://www.folger.edu
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
Olney Theatre
Now thru December 31
What better way to celebrate the holidays than with this crowd-pleasing Broadway classic? Tevye the milkman has three daughters he hopes to marry off to rich men. The girls have other ideas. What’s a father to do? Tickets at http://www.olneytheatre.org
MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET
Toby’s Dinner Theatre
Now thru January 7
The holiday classic becomes a Broadway musical in this adaptation of the film about a young girl who doubts the existence of Santa Claus until a very special old man changes her mind. Tickets at www.tobysdinnertheatre.com
PUBLIC OBSCENITIES
Woolly Mammoth
Now thru December 23
A bi-lingual—Bengali and English—play about coming home to the things we see, the things we miss and the things that turn us on. A grandfather’s photograph exposes some of the unspoken past that threatens to come between a Kolkota native and his Black American boyfriend. Tickets at www.woollymammoth.net
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Ford’s Theatre
Now thru December 31
Old Abe might have made it through the performance if John Wilkes Booth had been playing the lovable old Ebenezeer Scrooge instead of an angry segregationist. The holiday classic, always a favorite at Ford’s. Tickets at www.fords.org
SWEPT AWAY
Arena Stage
Now thru December 30
With the bookwriter of Moulin Rouge, the director of Spring Awakening and Thoroughly Modern Millie and award-winning Broadway actors John Gallagher, Jr and Stark Sands, the Arena’s holiday entry sounds NYC-bound. The Avett Brothers new musical about the four survivors of a whaling ship disaster explores how facing tragedy can open the door to forgiveness, if we only let it. Tickets at www.arenastage.org
MOSES
Theatre J
Now thru December 24
A world premier about faith, love and going it alone, this one man show takes us on a singular journey to find forgiveness, a long-lost dream, and the man himself. Tickets at http://www.theatrej.org
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Alexandria Little Theatre
Now thru December 16
Join all your favorite Dickens characters – Tiny Tim and the Cratchit family; the Fezziwigs; the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come; and, of course, everyone’s favorite curmudgeon, Ebenezer Scrooge – as they transport us back to Victorian England in this holiday classic. Tickets at http://www.thelittletheatre.com
A STEAMPUNK CHRISTMAS CAROL
Next Stop Theatre
Now thru December 17
Ebenezer Scrooge’s Phantasmagorical Holiday Adventure marks its tenth anniversary, a “by kids for kids” holiday tradition suitable for the whole family. Expect an imaginative retelling of this beloved holiday story. Tickets at http://www.nextstoptheatre.org
AS YOU LIKE IT
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Now thru December 31
In this hippie-dippie adaptation of the Bard’s youthful comedy, Beatles tunes, mixed signals and mistaken identities make for a total blast this holiday season. Rosalind and the gang discover that “all you need is love” in this sometimes silly take on one of Shakespeare’s lighter efforts. Tickets at www.shakespearetheatre.org.
THE SEAFARER
Round House Theatre
December 6-31
Conor McPherson’s riveting play, set on a stormy Irish coast, brings a pair of down-on-their-luck brothers together to confront their pasts and fight for their futures. The dark comedy celebrates camaraderie and the hope provided by second chances. Tickets at www.roundhousetheatre.org
THE SNOW MAIDEN
Synetic Theater
Dec 9- Jan 6
Arlington’s renowned physical theater company presents a holiday tale about a boy whose snow friends miraculously comes to life. Their time together is full of mischief and laughter, but can the cold winter keep their friendship alive forever? Tickets at http://www.synetictheater.org
About the Author: Mark Edelman is a playwright who loves writing about theater. He is a lifetime member of the Broadway League and a Tony voter.