By Mark Edelman
As the weather cools and the trees dazzle in their dormancy, it’s a great time to find a seat at one of our local performing arts venues. From the intimacy of a two-hander to the big splash (literally) of a visiting Cirque show, there’s much to be admired and enjoyed onstage in the DMV this month.
DAMN YANKEES
Arena Stage
Now thru Nov 9
The Nationals and Orioles may have finished in last place, but Arena Stage wins this year’s Fall Classic with its “revisal” of the 1955 Broadway musical comedy about a hapless ball club (this time the O’s) and one long-time fan’s dream to beat the dreaded Bronx Bombers. A Golden Glove Broadway creative team—Will Power and Doug Wright on book, Lynn Ahrens on lyrics and Tony nominee Rob McClure on pitchfork—updates the musical comedy chestnut with dugout help from director Sergio Trujillo, who staged the superlative, muscular choreography as well. Hamilton alum Jordan Danica channels both Derek Jeter and Brian Stokes Mitchell as swoon-worthy Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, MO. Ana Villafane is a smoking hot Lola, the devil’s assistant with a heart of gold. The cast bats a thousand; orchestrations and their performance are winners; and, like any ballgame, there’s an audience singalong. If you love musical theater, you don’t want to miss this home run; besides, it’s so much easier to get to Southwest than Broadway, next stop on their championship season. Tickets at www.arenastage.org
THE INHERITANCE – PARTS ONE & TWO
Roundhouse Theatre
Now thru November 2
Inspired by E. M. Forster’s celebrated novel Howard’s End and winner of the Tony Award and London’s Olivier for Bes Play, this two part, seven-hour tour de force chronicles the life and times of a group of young gay men wrestling with love, legacy and the shadow of the AIDS crisis. The popular production has been extended to November 2. Tickets at http://www.roundhousetheatre.org
THE GREAT PRIVATION
Woolly Mammoth
Now thru Oct 12
Time jumps two centuries as a mother and daughter try to protect their dearly departed loved ones from desecration and their ancestors cavort on the same hallowed ground. Tickets at www.woollymammoth.net.
THE AMERICAN FIVE
Ford’s Theatre
Now thru Oct 12
The courageous tale of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. his wife Coretta, and trusted advisors Bayard Rustin, Stanley Levison and Clarence B. Jones as they move mountains to plan the March on Washington and craft the speech that would galvanize the nation and inspire generations. Tickets at http://www.fords.org
LUZIA
Now thru October 19
Cirque Du Soleil’s Big Top at Tysons Corner
Those magical folks at Cirque Du Soleil spirit us to an imaginary Mexico through a series of grand visual surprises and breathtaking acrobatic performances. It’s a surrealistic journey through a vibrant world filled with wonders, playfulness and striking artistry, passing from an old movie set to the ocean to a smoky dance hall or an arid desert under Cirque’s custom- made tent—the way circuses are supposed to be—a few blocks from the Tysons metro stop. Tickets at www.cirquedusoleil.com/luzia.
JULIUS X
Folger Theatre
Now thru Oct 26
Just as Shakespeare used history to understand the events of his day, the folks at the Folger reflect on our current challenges by blending the Bard with the story of Civil Rights leader Malcolm X, highlighting the all too human hankerings of ambition, betrayal, and brotherhood. Tickets at http://www.folger.edu
THE HEART SELLERS
Studio Theatre
Now thru Oct 26
Over wine and a stubbornly frozen turkey, two young Asian women bond over Soul Train and Jane Fonda, the shape of their homesickness the cost of pursuing The American Dream. Tickets at www.studiotheatre.org
STRATEGIC LOVE PLAY
Signature Theatre
Now thru Nov 9
After matching online, a man and a woman meet for a date. Starting off on the wrong foot, they slowly begin to let down their guards in the hope that this time they’ve found something real. Tickets at http://www.sigtheatre.org
NOT YOUR MOTHER’S GOOSE
Adventure Theatre MTC
Oct 3- Nov 2
In this high-energy romp through Gooseville, where nursery rhymes come to life and fall apart in the most delightful way, the enchanted Tickety-Tock Clock grinds to a halt, unleashing chaos. Time unravels, day turns to night without warning, and rain refuses to fall. Enter the ever-rhyming Mother Goose, the mischievous Itsy-Bitsy Spider and their lovable gang of nursery rhyme characters to restore order. In Glen Echo Park for the kids and the kiddies in all of us. Tickets at http://www.adventuretheatre-mtc.org.
FREEMONT AVENUE
Arena Stage
Oct 8- Nov 23
Director Lili-Anne Brown, who gave us Signature Theatre’s rollicking Play On! last month, helms this world premiere that moves across three generations of Black men who come face-to-face with each other across a card table. What begins as a game devolves into a reckoning with masculinity, identity, and the weight of silence passed down. Tickets at http://www.arenastage.org
MRS DOUBTFIRE
Capitol One Hall
October 17-19
After losing custody in a messy divorce, an out-of-work actor takes on the role of a lifetime–Scottish nanny Euphegenia Doubtfire –in a desperate attempt to see his kids. Based on the award-winning Robin Williams comedy, this touring musical reprises the film’s heartfelt and hysterical story about holding onto your loved ones against all odds, BTW, if you can’t make it to McLean to see the show, the same tour will be playing the Kennedy Center next July. Tickets at www.capitolonehall.com
THE WILD DUCK
Shakespeare Theatre Co
Oct 18- Nov 16
STC Artistic Director Simon Godwin takes on Ibsen’s classic about the tragic toll truth can take when an idealist returns to his home town to expose the hidden truths and self-deceptions of his friend’s family. A wounded bird in the family’s attic symbolizes their fragile existence which is shattered by the newcomer’s well-intentioned though destructive crusade. Tickets at http://www.shakespearetheatre.org
GREASE
Alexandria Little Theatre
Oct 25- Nov 15
Danny Zuko, Sandy, Rizzo and the Rydell High School gang are back in all of their 50s glory in one of the longest-running musicals in Broadway history. If you’re hopelessly devoted to the tale of the Pink Ladies and the Burger Palace Boys, shine up your 57 Chevy and make like a drum and beat it over to Alexandria for this happy hit. Tickets at http://www.thelittletheatre.com
About the Author: Mark Edleman 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 http://www.onstagemdv.org.
Photo credits: Damn Yankees by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman; Inheritance by Margot Shulman; American Five by Scott Suchman; Luzia by Anne Colliard; Wild Duck by Gerry Goodstein;