1. Disney’s The Little Mermaid at Olney Theatre Center.
“Olney Theatre Center’s production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid is a splashing success!” – Mark Beachy.
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Synopsis: In a magical underwater kingdom, the beautiful young mermaid Ariel longs to leave her ocean home – and her fins – behind and live in the world above. But first she’ll have to defy her father King Triton, make a deal with the evil sea witch Ursula, and convince the handsome Prince Eric that she’s the girl whose enchanting voice he’s been seeking.
“Under the Sea” in Olney Theatre Center’s production of DISNEY’S THE LITTLE MERMAID. (Photo: Stan Barouh)
2. A Midsummer Night’s Dream presented by Brave Spirits Theatre at Anacostia Arts Center.
“Washington is blessed to have young, creative, multi-talented emerging companies like Brave Spirits here.” – Andrew Smith.
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Synopsis: It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and Hippolyta. These include the adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of six amateur actors (mechanicals), who are controlled and manipulated by the fairies who inhabit the forest in which most of the play is set.
Jacqueline Chenault as Titania. (with Zach Roberts and Willem Krumich.) Photo by Kevin Hollenbeck.
3. Tiny Tim’s Christmas Carol at Adventure Theatre MTC.
“For those wanting to start their holiday viewing a little early this year, make the trip to Glen Echo Park, turn left at the carousel and check out Tiny Tim’s Christmas Carol. With an award-winning playwright and his son, a director who is a master at his craft, and a cast of talented performers and designers, here is a gift you’ll be totally glad you received.” – Elliot Lanes.
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Synopsis: Tiny Tim longs to have his father home on Christmas day, but mean old Mr. Scrooge won’t give Bob Crachit the day off! There must be a way to change Scrooge’s mind – perhaps a ghost or two will set Scrooge right. Can this clever boy and his best friend Charlotte save Christmas and change the heart of the meanest man in town? This exciting world premiere story of a father and son is adapted by Broadway’s Tony-winning Ken Ludwig (Twas the Night Before Christmas) and his very own son, Jack. Get ready for the wildest ride you’ve ever had at Christmas!
Chris Dinolfo as Tiny Tim with Conrad Feininger as Scrooge in bed. Photo by Bruce Douglas.
4. Bad Jews at the Studio Theatre.
“This outrageously funny production transcends race and religion–and even the questioned identity of “Delawarians”–to deliver a seethingly witty commentary on the people we try to be versus the ways our identities are etched upon us.” – Heather Hill.
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Synopsis: The night after their grandfather’s funeral, three cousins engage in a verbal battle royale over a family heirloom. In one corner is “Super Jew” Daphna: volatile, self-assured, and unbending. In the other, Liam: secular, entitled, and just as stubborn. And in the middle, Liam’s brother Jonah tries to stay out of the fray and honor his grandfather’s memory on his own. A savage comedy about family, faith, and legacy.
Alex Mandell (Liam), Irene Sofia Lucio (Daphna), Maggie Erwin (Melody), and Joe Paulik (Jonah) battle over a precious heirloom. Photo by Teddy Wolff.
5. Arcadia at Memorial Players.
“The Memorial Players are to be commended for tackling this challenging play by Tom Stoppard.” -Mark Beachy.
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Synopsis: Set alternately in the early 19th century and contemporary times, the play follows the scientific discoveries, scandalous affairs, and tragic turns of a past era while in the modern era we witness sparring scholars as they attempt to decode and piece together those events using letters, articles, and ephemera from the time. We meet Thomasina, a 13-year-old genius who, working with her brilliant young tutor, Septimus, intuits mathematical formulae, the second law of thermodynamics, and chaos theory generations before they are discovered and accepted in scientific circles. We meet Hannah Jarvis, a notable scholar who is researching the mystery of the “Hermit of Sidley Park”, and Bernard Nightingale, a don at a modern university whose ambition and hubris cloud his academic judgment.
Shira Concool (Hannah), Isaac Lunt (Gus), Ryan Tisch (Valentine), Karissa Strawley (Chloe), and David Forrer (Bernard). Photo by Kristine Smets.
