The DC Traveler

As one of the most popular and loved Broadway musicals of all time, spending over 20 years on Broadway time, and Victor Hugo’s best known story, Les Misérables, tells a passionate story of crime and redemption, love and betrayal, all set during the period of the French revolution.
The main character, prison parolee Jean Valjean, who is unable to find work after years in a labor camp, must steal in order to survive.  But his victim gives him a second chance when Valjean is caught by the police.  He takes the gift and changes his identify and his life.  Spending …read more

1 Comment

West Side Story is the classic American love story musical, about forbidden love between the member of one rival New York street gangs  and the sister of another.  The two rival gangs, the Sharks and the Jets, each coming from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, fight for their turf during the 1950s, in the rough streets of Hells Kitchen.
With the familiar musical score by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim and songs such as "America," "Maria," and "I Feel Pretty", adds to the story on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
The production coming to the National Theater in Washington, DC starting December 15th …read more

4 Comments

The comedy troupe 500 Clown uses fast-paced improv combined with circus arts to create a “where the heck are they going?” action-based, highly-charged performance.  Lots of slapstick, planned and improved elements and audience inclusion that propels the performers into extremely physical and at times, high risk acrobatics.
The Elephant Deal explorers the gap between military life and civilian life in the United States. Taken from Man Equals Man and The Elephant Calf, it explores how the common man is transformed though the breaking and recreating of the recruit, from a civilian into the perfect fighting machine.

500 Clown and The Elephant Deal …read more

Comments Off

In 1950, the singing cowboy, Gene Autry recorded the tune, “Frosty the Snowman” and it was an instant hit.  He had also had previous success with the now classic “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”. (see below to read the words of the classic Christmas song – Frosty.)
Four years later, WGN-TV in Chicago, broadcast a 3-minute holiday short, that brought Frosty the Snowman to life.
In 1969, a 30-minute television cartoon was broadcast and is today, an annual holiday classic.
Adventure Theater in suburban Glen Echo, Maryland bring to live the story of how the mischievous Frosty comes to life, thanks to a …read more

Comments Off

The children’s musical, Miss Nelson is Missing, is based on the children’s book by Harry Allard and James Marshall (The Stupids, George and Martha series). 
In a play perfect for children ages 4 and up, Imagination Stage brings back this musical comedy about the “worst behaved class in whole school” – the fifth graders of Room 207 at Horace B. Smedley Elementary School.
The unruly and spitball shooting students are so bad, even during story time, that their behavior drives their beloved and sweet Miss Nelson away. The next day, the appearance of the dreaded and not-so-sweet substitute, Miss Viola Swamp, …read more

Comments Off

Boom, the Twilight Zone-meet-sitcom end of civilization play now playing at Woolly Mammoth Theater in Washington, DC, tells the story of Peter, a student who simply wanted to study theatre. Yet during his second year, his wise advisor warned him against becoming a playwright, due to the low earnings potential of that type of career.
So deciding to be safe, he selected a second major, marine biology, based on his love of scuba diving .  And that’s where the two subjects started their collision course, and a discovery of the cycle that eventually kill all living things on the planet. …read more

Comments Off

One of my favorite Washington, DC theaters, Arena Stage, is offerings a special deal for one day only — Tickets to 7 upcoming show for only $25.00 per ticket.
Starting midnight Thursday, Nov. 13 through midnight Friday, Nov. 14, 2008, ALL TICKETS for only $25.00 each for the remaining 7 plays in the season will be available .
Tickets are available for the first week of performances only, so act fast. These tickets offer theater-goers up to 60% off standard Arena Stage ticket prices. 
Performances:

Next to Normal, November 21 – 28, 2008
I Love a Piano, January 29 – February 4, 2009
A …read more

Comments Off

Here’s an interesting FREE symposium on Monday for musical theater lovers…Where are you taking me?: What’s next in musical theater?
This free, day-long symposium with musical theater practitioners from both DC theaters (Signature Theatre, Arena Stage) and from around the country, will participate in a day long event, that lets the theater-going public the opportunity for a behind the scenes trends, strategies and challenges of creating and producing a new musical play.
The symposium includes:

Roundtable discussions of trends, challenges and best practices in developing new American musicals – 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Performance of  over ten songs from up-and-coming musicals currently …read more

Comments Off

Cirque du Soleil’s KOOZA opened last night under the yellow and blue Grand Chapiteau at National Harbor in Washington, DC.
The only word to describe KOOZA is… AMAZING!!!
I’ve seen several Cirque du Soleil productions and KOOZA was by far, the most physical, high-energy and awe inspiring show of all. 
The audience’s reaction to the gravity defying, body contorting, magical balancing, and fearless performances resulted in at not several, but many moments during the show, of audible group gasps, screams and shrieks. The story, led by a team of very funny clowns made for a slap-stick, …read more

2 Comments