By Mark Edelman
February rolls around and some great theater rolls along with it. Whether it’s Washington, Lincoln or someone else’s birthday, celebrate the month with these great productions, Live! on DMV stages:
NUNSENSE A-MEN!
Next Stop Theatre
Now thru February 11th
The latest edition of Dan Goggin’s long-running Nunsense franchise, this latest musical comedy finds five Little Sisters of Hoboken putting on a benefit show to pay for the burial of the other nuns, who died in a catastrophic cooking fire. Don’t get out the hankies–it’s all in good fun (and drag). Tickets at www.nextstoptheatre.org
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE
Studio Theatre
Now thru February 18th
Not all plays are fun. For every frothy Mamma Mia or silly Noises Off, there are countless theatrical endeavors meant to enlighten, ennoble or cast a light on our human foibles and follies. Mike Bartlett’s Love, Love, Love, now in a finely-wrought production at Studio Theatre, is such a work.
Best known as the author of the controversial West End verse play King Charles III, which skewered the royal family (and presciently wrote Prince Harry’s girlfriend as a bomb-throwing anarchist), Bartlett picks up the mantle of British social commentators like Pinter and Stoppard to trace where the idealism of the 60s went awry. Max Gordon Moore and Liza J. Bennett play Kenneth and Sandra who, in Act One, meet cute in the apartment of Kenneth’s brother Henry (well-played by a forlorn Hunter Hoffman), who’s trying to get Sandra in the sack himself. Henry’s the responsible working stiff; Sandra and Kenneth swing, smoke and seduce their way thru a time when, as Sandra puts it, “anything is possible.” Acts Two and Three have other ideas, as the two hipsters come to grips with the harsh reality of parenthood.
The Studio production is impressive, with set designer Alexander Woodward nicely evoking three different eras on that postage stamp stage. Artistic Director David Muse guides the ensemble efficiently, especially Ms. Bennett, who wreaks havoc with a gimlet eye. Matthew M. Nielson’s sound swatches, from the Stones and Kinks to the Who’s obligatory “My Generation,” take us back to the ‘Swingin Sixties’ in style.
As a boomer myself, I felt more than a few pangs of realization, as the once carefree “we’re going to change the world” Ken and Sandra grow up and join the selfish establishment. Perhaps you’ll recognize someone, too. Tickets at www.studiotheatre.org
NEXT TO NORMAL
Roundhouse Theatre
Now thru February 25th
Diana is a suburban mom struggling with bipolar disorder. Daughter Natalie is a stressed-out overachiever about to snap. Her husband Dan is determined to keep everything “normal.” This brilliant Tony® and Pulitzer Prize winning musical tracks a family sharing grief and struggling to connect with one another. Full disclosure—despite the gloomy premise, I love this musical. Tickets at http://www.roundhouse.org
THIS MUCH I KNOW
Theatre J
Now thru February 25th
In the midst of a lecture, a psychology professor’s marriage fractures, sparking a moving study of three characters as they become entangled in their search for self-discovery. Part mystery, part love story, part philosophical quest, this DMV premier spins our axis of belief and understanding. Tickets at www.theatrej.org
LAS HERMANAS PALACIOS
Gala Hispanic Theatre
Now thru February 25th
Cuban siblings navigate Miami’s treacherous landscape circa 1985 in this freeform adaptation of Chekhov’s Three Sisters. Clinging to memories of their homeland, the sisters survive in this poignant tale of longing, resilience and the unbreakable bonds of family. In Spanish with English sub-titles. Tickets at http://www.galatheatre.org
MINDPLAY
Arena Stage
Now thru March 3rd
Mentalist Vinny DePonto guides us on an entirely new theatrical event in which our thoughts play a leading role. A love letter to the imperfect mind, this DMV premier explores the fragmented and flawed nature of our memories and asks us to question whether we can trust the voice inside our heads. Tickets at arenastage.org
A CHORUS LINE
Toby’s Dinner Theatre
Now thru March 10th
Seventeen talented hopefuls line up for an audition unlike any they’ve ever experienced. By the end of the show, you’re rooting for them to get the job in a Broadway chorus. Tony® and Pulitzer Award- winning Best Musicals don’t come along that often. This one changed musical theater for a generation. Tickets at www.tobysdinnertheatre.com
THE SENSATIONAL SEA MINK-ETTES
Woolly Mammoth
February 4th – March 3rd
High school performance team the Sensational Sea Mink-ettes are days away from their Homecoming half-time show and the pressure is on. The student body, the administration, the alumni, their families — everyone is expecting perfection. As the big day creeps closer, the women must contend with flaring tempers, bodies pushed to their limits, and what it means to be a team in another Woolly Mammoth world premier. Tickets at www.woollymammoth.net
PRIVATE JONES
Signature Theater
February 6th – March 10th
A world premiere musical inspired by the true story of a deaf Welshman who hides his hearing loss and fakes his way through enlistment, becoming a celebrated World War I sniper. An unexpectedly funny and gripping musical adventure about service, friendship, and the cost of war. Tickets at www.sigtheatre.org.
KEN LUDWIG’S LEND ME A SOPRANO
Olney Theatre
February 7th – March 10th
After he gave up his day job lawyering at Steptoe and Johnson, DC’s own Ken Ludwig wrote a slew of funny plays. For this new one, he swaps genders from his first Broadway hit Lend Me A Tenor to follow world-famous Italian soprano Elena Firenzi and her penchant for men and liquor. When Ms. Firenzi comes to town for a gala performance to save the opera, it falls to a lowly assistant to keep her on schedule and out of trouble. As expected, trouble ensues. Tickets at olneytheatre.org
ANNIE
Alexandria Little Theatre
February10th – March 2nd
Our very own award-winning theater company takes on the comic strip turned musical theater favorite. Tickets at http://www.boxoffice@thelittletheatre.com
AIN’T TOO PROUD
Kennedy Center
February 13th – 18th
Warm up an otherwise chilly night with the group that put Motown on the map. Fans of playwright Dominique Morisseau, whose The Mountain Top and Skeleton Crew drew raves at Round House and Studio Theatres respectively, get the inside scoop on the celebrated Temptations, whose career had as many hits as heartaches. “My Girl,” “Get Ready” and the eponymous track are just three of more than thirty songs that made R&B history. Tickets at http://www.kennedy-center.org
WHERE WE BELONG
Folger Theatre
February 15th – March 10th
In 2015, Mohegan writer/actor Madeline Sayet traveled to England, where she found a country unwilling to acknowledge its ongoing role in colonialism. In this solo piece—once again co-produced by the Folger and Woolly Mammoth– Sayet echoes a journey to England braved by her Native ancestors in the 1700s following treaty betrayals and forces us to consider what it means to belong in an increasingly globalized world in the face of Brexit and isolationism. Tickets at http://www.folger.edu
DESPERATE MEASURES
Constellation Theatre
February 15th – March 17th
A gun-slinging nun teams up with a shrewd sheriff and salty salon dancer to save Sister’s bad boy brother from certain death in this Wild West musical version of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. Tickets at http://www.constellationtheatre.org
ROMEO & JULIET
Synetic Theatre
February 16th – March 24th
In fair Verona, two young lovers find themselves in the middle of a violent family feud. Reimagined as only Synetic can, Shakespeare’s tale of love and tragedy finds meaning in an unforgettable, wordless production. Tickets at http://www.synetictheatre.org
TEMPESTUOUS ELEMENTS
Arena Stage
February 16th – March 17th
Born into slavery in North Carolina, Anna Julia Cooper was a visionary Black feminist and educator in the late 19th/early 20th centuries, and only the fourth African American woman to earn a doctoral degree. Arena Stage shines a light on Cooper’s herculean efforts to keep Black education alive, despite the racism, gossip and sexism that threatened to consign her to obscurity. Tickets at arenastage.org
THE LEHMAN TRILOGY
Shakespeare Theatre Company
February 22nd – March 24thThis brilliant new play— a hit in both London and on Broadway—introduces us to three immigrant brothers who build an American dream that crumbles into a chaotic nightmare for future generations. Covering 160 years of family struggles, achievements, and missteps, this cautionary tale examines the double-edged sword of capitalism and personal choices that created the largest financial crisis in American history. Tickets at http://www.shakespearetheatre.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.