By Mark Edelman
It’s May—time for Mother’s Day. Can’t think of a better gift this month to remember the little lady who gave us life than live! theater. Mamma Mia! – what better way to say I love you (and thanks for putting up with me at two, thirteen and last week) than a visit to one of these nurturing plays or musicals:
FAKE IT UNTIL YOU MAKE IT
Arena Stage
Now thru May 4
Renowned playwright Larissa FastHorse’s comedy about a collision of friends and foes, ensnaring colleagues and bystanders and unraveling secrets that highlight the absurdities of ambition and authenticity. Amidst the laughter, genuine connections form, emphasizing the value of unexpected paths to success. Tickets at http://www.arenastage.org
SISTER ACT
Ford’s Theatre
Now thru May 17
Based on the hit 1992 Whoopi Goldberg film, a nightclub singer takes refuge with a group of nuns to escape retribution from a couple of goodfellas (i.e. mobsters). Cooped up in the convent, she helps her new Sisters discover their powerful voices while, inevitably, finding her own. Tickets at http://www.fords.org
CHARLOTTE’S WEB
Adventure Theatre MTC
Now thru May 25
Take the kids and celebrate the power of friendship and the enduring impact of kindness—a virtue sorely missing in public life these days—as eight-legged Charlotte saves her friend Wilbur with her miraculous web. Tickets at adventuretheatre-mtc.org
HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH
Signature Theatre
Now thru June 22
With killer heels and a fabulous wig, Hedwig tours the country, trailing the ex-lover who stole her songs and made it big. Hear her sorrow-filled tale in a hard rock story about growing up behind the Iron Curtain, living thru a botched sex change operation and coming to America. Tickets at http://www.sigtheatre.org
HEAD OVER HEELS
Constellation Theatre
May 1- June 1
Here’s a kicky idea: mash up a famous Elizabethan romantic comedy with the catalogue of 80s girl group The Go-Gos, Belinda Carlisle’s old band. Blame it on conceiver/book writer Jeff (Avenue Q) Whitty and the creative folks at Constellation. Ticket at www.constellationtheatre.org
AKIRA KUROSAWA EXPLAINS HIS MOVIES AND YOGURT…
Woolly Mammoth
May 4- June 1
Renowned filmmaker Akira Kurosawa (or an actor who looks like him) explains his iconic filmography, brilliant mind, the thrilling world of movies, and “culture.” But… why can’t he stop talking about yogurt? In this whimsical world premiere, playwright Julia Izumi weaves through media and memory to examine cultural imperialism, “healthy” consumption, and why we make art. Tickets at http://www.woollymammoth.net
THE STORY OF A ROSE
Ruth Schlesinger Concert Hall
May 7
Sub-titled A Musical Reverie of the Great War, Broadway star Melissa Errico debuts her newest original concert-theatre piece in a one-night-only performance in Alexandra. Here she takes the real-life role of her Aunt Rose, a Ziegfeld Follies star and Italian immigrant living during the Great War. Accompanied by a jazz ensemble, Ms. Errico is joined by Broadway actor/musician George Abud in this tribute to love and sacrifice. Tickets at https://bit.ly/story-of-a-rose-tickets.
FOOTLOOSE
Next Stop Theatre
May 8 – June 8
Head to Herndon for the stage version – complete with those great pop songs—of the 1980s movie about a city-born teenager who shakes up a small town’s uptight moral code and dance ban as he fights for freedom and self-expression. And guess who wins the heart of the town minister’s daughter? Tickets at www.nexstoptheatre.org
FALSETTOS
Keegan Theatre
May 10- June 15
The Tony Award ®winning musical about family, relationships, bar mitvahs and baseball, among other life lessons. When Marvin leaves his wife Trina and son Jason to be with his lover Whizzer, tempers flare, problems escalate and everyone learns to grow up fast. Tickets at http://www.keegantheatre.com
WE ARE GATHERED
Arena Stage
May 16- June 15
Academy Award winner Tarell Alvin McCraney (Moonlight)t offers a contemporary twist on one Shakespearean’s wedding plays Do Free and W. Tre make it to the altar? As they approach a milestone anniversary, each wonders if he’s met Mr. “Right” or had a long one-night stand with a lovely Mr. “Maybe”. Tickets at http://www.arenastage.org
KIMBERLY AKIMBO
National Theatre
May 20- June 1
This Tony Award ® winning musical about growing up and growing old welcomes us into the world of sixteen-year-old Kimberly, who is forced to navigate family dysfunction, first crush, a rare genetic disorder and possible felony charges on her road to happiness against all odds. Tickets at http://www.broadwayatthenational.com
PORGY & BESS
Kennedy Center
May 23-31
The Gershwin Brothers Great American opera, torn from the tales of the marginalized people who lived through and found love and redemption in their suffocating confines. Washington National Opera artistic director Francesca Zambello reminds us why the Kennedy Center is so important to this community for the diverse, moving histories revealed on its stages. Tickets at http://www.kennedy-center.org
FRANKENSTEIN
Shakespeare Theatre Company
May 27- June 22
Mary Shelley’s gothic masterpiece is reimagined as a chilling exploration of what it means to create new life. Redefining the legend we know and the name we fear, this new adaptation asks us to reconsider the monstrous act at the heart of the tale. 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. Catch his monthly podcast at www.onstagedmv.org.
Photo credits: Kimberly Akimbo photo by Joan Marcus. Fake it… photo by Daniel Rader. Sister Act photo by Scott Suchman. Melissas Errico photo by Marco Vacchi. Twelfth Night photo by Joseph D. Tran.