By Mark Edelman

 Happy New Year! As the first two months of 2025 roll around, there’s plenty to celebrate on DMV stages. This schedule is replete with plays and musicals new to our metro— some world premieres to boot– so check out what’s onstage as we begin a new year:

 MATILDA              Alexandria Little Theatre            Feb 8- Mar 1

 From the classic Roald Dahl’s children’s book comes this family-friendly musical about an exceptionally gifted young girl with a vivid imagination who loves books. Along with her friends and favorite teacher Miss Honey, Matilda stands up for justice against the wicked headmistress Mrs. Trunchbull, her selfish parents and adults everywhere who can’t be bothered with the affairs of their children. Tickets at http://www.thelittletheatre.com

 LIFE OF PI    Kennedy Center      Now thru Jan 5

Winner of three Tonys ® and the Olivier® Award for Best Play, this beautifully-rendered dramatization of the epic novel about a shipwreck in the middle of the Pacific Ocean is a dazzler. A 16-year-old boy named Pi survives the arduous trek that ends on a lifeboat with four strange companions—a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan, and a Royal Bengal tiger. Tickets at http://www.kennedy-center.org.

 & JULIET      Kennedy Center            Now thru Jan 5

What would happen if Juliet didn’t end it all over Romeo? That’s the question Anne Hathaway (Shakespeare’s wife, not the movie star) ponders as she withholds certain favors until the Bard comes up with a happier ending. The ensuing romp is a sell-out musical comedy hit on Broadway and in the West End. Thanks to the Ken-Cen, it’s the DMV’s turn. Tickets at http://www.kennedy-center.org.

 A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM   Signature Theatre  Now thru Jan 12

Matthew Gardiner and company turn in a fast-paced production of this comedy classic. If you’re feeling blue about the way the world is going, this funny thing will pick up your spirits and push them out the door. Tickets at www.sigtheatre.org

 DOWNSTATE     Studio Theatre            Jan 8- Feb 16

Tony® Award winning playwright Bruce Norris examines the limits of compassion, the desire for retribution, and what happens when society decides some acts are unforgivable. When a man shows up at a group home for registered sex offenders to confront the piano teacher convicted of abusing him as a child, events build to an explosive conclusion. Tickets at http://www.studiotheatre.org.

 OUT OF CHARACTER     Theatre J             January 8- 26

 Tony® Award-winner Ari’el Stachel;s one-man show brings to life a cast of fascinating characters

out of his past to illuminate what it means to pursue and accept our own complex identities. Co-produced by Mosaic Theatre. Tickets at http://www.edcjcc.org/theater-j

WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME    Round House Theatre      Jan 15- Feb 16

Obie® Award winning playwright Heidi Schreck takes a closer look at our Constitution and its impact on four generations of women in her family in this profoundly personal look at the evolution of our nation’s most debated document. A hit on Broadway, now live! in Bethesda in this new Round House production. Tickets at http://www.roundhousetheatre.org

 TINA…THE TINY TURNER MUSICAL       National Theatre            January 24-26

The Queen of Rock n’ Roll returns to the DMV in this uplifting comeback tale about a woman who broke barriers to become one of the most acclaimed pop stars of her generation. What’s love got to do with it? Find out at the National in this weekend stop for the musical’s national tour. Tickets at broadwayatthenational.com

GUAC    Woolly Mammoth Jan 25- Feb

Manuel Oliver, the father of a Parkland shooting victim, pulls no punches in this fearless, funny one-man tour-de-force theatrical experience about a father turned activist. Oliver’s story of an immigrant family in search of the American Dream only to be confronted by an American Nightmare. Tickets at http://www.woollymammoth.net

JOB    Signature Theatre        Jan 28- March 16

Direct from Broadway comes this gripping tale about a fragile young woman who must receive an evaluation from a crisis therapist before she can return to her tech job. During their session, secrets emerge and filters are stripped away as doctor and patient edge toward an epic showdown. Tickets at www.sigtheatre.org

SCHMIGADOON                        Kennedy Center            Jan 31- Feb 6

 New York doctors Josh and Melissa go backpacking in a last-ditch effort to save their failing relationship. Wouldn’t you know it though– they get lost in the woods and end up trapped in a magical town that’s a classic Golden Age Broadway musical come ridiculously to life! Jeffrey Finn and his team at the Ken Cen score an impressive bullseye, getting the world’s stage premiere of this Emmy Award®–winning TV show, a must-see if you’re a fan of the great American musical. Tickets at http://www.kennedy-center.org.

THE BEDWETTER                        Arena Stage            Jan 31- March 6

Not to be outdone by their colleagues over in Georgetown, the folks at Arena Stage celebrate their own world premier musical, based on that ever-fascinating comedy marvel Sarah Silverman. Her bestselling memoir springs to life in this tuneful tale about a 10-year-old  navigating a new school, her parents’ divorce, and a secret you’ll never guess unless you read the title. Tickets at http://www.arenastage.org

HAND TO GOD                        Keegan Theatre            Feb 1- Mar 2

Troubled youth Jason discovers an outlet for his anxiety at a Christian Puppet Ministry in smalltown Texas. His complicated relationships with the town pastor, the school bully, the girl next door, and his mom take on an other-worldly dimension when Jason’s hand puppet Tyrone takes on a shocking personality all its own. Tickets at http://www.keegantheatre.com

CONSTELLATIONS                       Constellation Theatre            Feb 6- Mar 9

No surprise that Constellation would get around to this hip new play with which it shares its moniker. In a swirling multiverse, star-crossed lovers travel through a myriad of experiences – from barbecue to ballroom dancing, bar-hopping to beekeeping. Through the magic of quantum physics and time travel, their love story illuminates destiny, adversity, and hope with infinite possibilities. Tickets at http://www.constellationtheatre.org

DRAGONS LOVE TACOS             Adventure MTC Theatre            Feb 7- Mar 30

A boy and his dog are watching a TV show about dragons when they unexpectedly get caught up in the ‘Dos and Don’ts’ of what to serve to dragons to eat. As the title implies, Dragons love tacos, but if they accidentally eat spicy salsa…watch out! Fun y divertidos for the whole family. Tickets to the production over in Glen Echo Park at http://www.adventuretheatre-mtc.org

IN THE HEIGHTS   Signature Theatre            Feb 11-May 4

 Before Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda celebrated his Washington Heights heritage with this tuneful treasure, which earned him his first Tony ® Award. With his ‘hood on the brink of gentrification and a life-changing winning lottery ticket somewhere in their midst, Usnavi and his neighbors share hope, loss and love the American way. Immigrants—they get it done! Tickets at www.sigtheatre.org

WAITRESS   Olney Theatre Center            Feb 13- March 30

Pop star Sarah Bareilles’ charming musical rom com follows the tale—like the movie it’s based on—of a hapless young woman who finds strength and purpose in the one-of-a-kind pies she makes for all emotional occasions. Tickets at http://www.olneytheatre.org

KUNENE AND THE KING             Shakespeare Theatre Company            Feb 16- Mar 16

A celebrated South African actor takes on the role of King Lear in the midst of a painful diagnosis. As he faces his own mortality, the actor clashes and connects with his at-home caregiver, discovering in the Bard’s play and his own machinations aspects of the meaning of life. Tickets at http://www.shakespearetheatre.org

SHUCKED                        National Theatre            Feb 25- March 2

A fall-out-of-your chair funny musical comedy about, of all things, corn. There’s a love story,

some backwoods skullduggery and enough great songs by acclaimed tunesmiths Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally to keep you in a state of Broadway bliss. Some of the jokes get a bit bawdy, but that’s all part of the fun. Tickets at www.broadwayatthenational.com

About the Author: The writer is a playwright who loves writing about theater. He is a lifetime member of the Broadway League and a Tony® voter.

Photo credits:  Life of Pi and Shucked  photos by  Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman. & Juliet photo by Michael Murphy.  Tina photo by Julieta Cervantes.