by Mark Edelman

Celebrate our country’s 250^th birthday with some of the DMV’s best theater. You don’t need a UFC boxing ring or no-talent concert to show your patriotism. Spend a few bucks at one of the following box offices and keep free speech alive!

PIPPIN

Signature Theatre

Now through July 26

Brayden Bambino is a handsome, winning Pippin and Erik Teague’s costumes sparkle in this Fosse-faithful production of “Wicked,” composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz’s Broadway musical hit. Naomi Jacobson scores again as Pippin’s wiry grandmother, all under the loving direction of Matthew Gardiner. Choreographer Rachel Leigh Dolan does a nice job reshaping the original movement for Signature’s in-the-round performance space, while musical director Jon Kalbfleisch hews close to the original orchestrations. Leading Player Cedric Neal pushed a little too hard for my tastes, but an appreciative audience gave the production the hoots and hollers it deserved. Tickets at www.sigtheatre.org

 

HOW SHAKESPEARE SAVED MY LIFE

Folger Library Theatre

Now through July 5

Calling on the Bard and a host of genius rappers, half-crazed preachers, and soulful poets, playwright-actor Jacob Ming-Trent takes us on a propulsive ride that reaffirms the power of language and music in this one man show that follows Ming-Trent’s attempt to reclaim his youth and connect to the deeper parts of us all. Over one hundred uninterrupted minutes, Ming-Trent grabs us by the heart and demands we follow his soul-crushing life story to its triumphant conclusion. Join the congregation while you can!  Tickets at http://www.folger.edu

 

FEELING AFRAID AS IF SOMETHING TERRIBLE IS GOING TO HAPPEN

Studio Theatre

Now through July 12

Marcelo Dos Santos stars in this one-man show about a permanently single, professionally neurotic stand-up who finally meets Mr. Right and then proceeds to do everything wrong. His dark journey through self-awareness and self-sabotage leads him– and perhaps some of us as well—to choose between love and that killer punchline, delving into the anxieties of modern life from the fear of intimacy to the terror of vulnerability.  Tickets at http://www.studiotheatre.org

 

THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG

Keegan Theatre

Now through July 12

Those well-meaning thespians at the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society are presenting another old chestnut when things go rather swiftly from bad to utterly disastrous. Whether it’s the unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead, or actors who trip over everything including their lines, the show must go on, despite the hilarious consequences. Tickets at www.keegantheatre.com.

 

NO EXIT

Now through July 19

Atlas Performing Arts Center

Scena Theatre’s offers up Jean-Paul Satre’s existential drama about three fraught souls seemingly locked in a room together. Force to confront their pasts and each other, they (and we) come to the conclusion that psychological torture can be far worse than physical pain. Tickets at http://www.atlasarts.org.

 

WHAT BECAME OF US 

Now through July 26

Signature Theatre

Signature employs two separate casts from very different backgrounds to tell this story about   two siblings—one an immigrant, the other native-born—who remain connected across oceans over the course of a lifetime. Each pair’s disparate perspective leads to both fractures and forgiveness as they witness each other’s story in Signature’s intimate Ark space. Tickets at http://www.sigtheatre.org

 

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN

Little Theatre of Alexandria

Now through August 8

Based on the unbelievable true story of one of the most famous con artists in history, Frank Abagnale Jr., this rousing musical pits Frank against Agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks in the movie), whose dogged pursuit of the miscreant provides the arc of this Broadway musical. From the creative team behind “Hairspray,” it’s the tale of an ingenious, yet lonely, boy looking for his place in the world. Tickets at http://www.thelittletheatre.com

 

CRAZYSEXYCOOL—THE TLC MUSICAL

Arena Stage

Now through August 9

Storming the ’90s music scene and  topping the charts, the world-renowned vocal trio TLC created the look, the sound, and the soul of a generation with their unforgettable anthems, fly dance moves and head-turning style. Now their journey comes to the stage in this fresh new musical by writer/ director Kwame Kwei-Armah, who brings TLC’s (mostly true) story of unshakable sisterhood to the stage with multi-platinum hits from “Waterfalls,” and “Creep,” to “Unpretty,” and “No Scrubs.” Tickets at http://www.arenastage.org.

 

SLEEPING BEAUTY: THE TIME TRAVELER

Now through August 23

Adventure MTC

The renowned children’s theater company in Glen Echo Park—celebrating its 75^th birthday—adds a contemporary spin to the classic tale. There’s still an evil curse and a hidden spindle—but that’s about all you’ll recognize in this new musical about girl power and breaking out of your “castle” to see the world, no matter the risks. As always, Adventure MTC offers an easy bridge for young theatergoers to navigate as they grow from sixty minute musicals about their favorite fairy tales (this one with a computer game twist) and grown up fare like “Wicked” or “The Sound of Music.” Tickets at www.adventuretheatre-mtc.org.

 

BETTLEJUICE

July 7-19

National Theatre

Say the title three times and you’re in big trouble. The musical that refuses to die has been touring the country with occasional stops back on Broadway since it opened in 2019, following a try-out here at the National (talk about returning from the dead!).  Based on Tim Burton’s film about an unusual teenager whose life changes when she meets a demon with a thing for stripes, this is one wacky musical.   Tickets at www.broadwayatthenational.com

 

ADRIFT 

July 16- August 2

Round House Theatre

Happenstance Theater melds music, comedy, magic and puppetry in a post-apocalyptic voyage that channels the paintings of Hieonymous Bosch and tarot card icons. Follow along as this pod of eccentrics drifts thru their shared hopes and fears, ultimately finding a way forward. Tickets at http://www.roundhousetheatre.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 http://www.onstagedmv.org.

Photo credits:  Beetlejuice by Matthew Murphy; Pippin by Daniel Rader; How Shakespeare Saved My Life by Erika Nizborski. Feeling Afraid… by D.J. Corey; The Play That Goes Wrong by Cameron Whitman