1. ‘Blueberries for Sal’ at Adventure Theatre MTC.
“‘Blueberries for Sal’ is an all-ages show, and theatre lovers can take that to heart — you don’t need to be in the single digits to enjoy it.” – Peter Orvetti.
READ review.
Synopsis: Kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk! Sal and her mother are picking delicious blueberries to can for the long winter months ahead to make delicious desserts. On the other side of Maine’s Blueberry Hill, a mama bear and baby bear are filling up for the long hybernation. But somehow Sal and a baby bear have a mixed up adventure and lose their mothers!
Sarah Corey, Sophie Schulman, Karen Vincent, and Alex De Bard in “Blueberries for Sal” at Adventure Theatre MTC. Photo by Michael Horan.
2. ‘Steel Magnolias,’ Port Tobacco Players, La Plata, MD.
“This is a cast that delivers….this show belongs firmly to the ladies and they do an excellent job.” – Mary Ann Johnson.
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Synopsis: If you loved the movie (and who doesn’t), you will love the stage play! The action is set in Truvy’s beauty salon in Chinquapin, Louisiana, where all the ladies who are “anybody” come to have their hair done. Helped by her eager new assistant, Annelle, the outspoken, wise-cracking Truvy dispenses shampoos and free advice to the town’s rich curmudgeon, Ouiser; an eccentric millionaire, Miss Clairee; and the local social leader, M’Lynn, whose daughter, Shelby (the prettiest girl in town), is about to marry a “good ole boy.” Filled with hilarious repartee and not a few acerbic but humorously revealing verbal collisions the play moves toward tragedy. Even after this heartbreaking event, the group draws on the underlying strength—and love—which give the play, and its characters, the special quality to make them truly touching, funny and marvelously amiable company in good times and bad.
Amy Wathen Cooksey as Truvy Jones and Brenna Prestidge as Shelby Eatenton in ‘Steel Magnolias.’ Photo courtesy of Port Tobacco Players.
3. ‘Born Yesterday’ at Ford’s Theatre.
“In two quick-moving hours, Posner’s fine cast takes the audience back to the days of screwball comedy…” – Peter Orvetti.
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Synopsis: In this sharp-edged satire, opportunistic tycoon Harry Brock arrives in Washington with his naive girlfriend, Billie Dawn, to game the political system. With the help of an idealistic reporter, Billie wisens up and fights back to end the corruption. Aaron Posner (Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) directs Edward Gero (Hello, Dolly!; A Christmas Carol) and Kimberly Gilbert (Jefferson’s Garden, The Laramie Project) in this 1940s screwball comedy that shows truth and justice can win the day.
Eric Hissom, Evan Casey, Todd Scofield, Edward Gero, Kimberly Gilbert, and Naomi Jacobson in “Born Yesterday” at Ford’s Theatre. Photo by Carol Rosegg.
4. ‘Heisenberg’ at Signature Theatre.
“…funny and gentle and heartfelt, and … a balm in a time of great upheaval and uncertainty.” – Mary Ann Johnson.
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Synopsis: A chance encounter at a London train stop changes the course of life for two people in this hit Broadway play by Tony Award®-winning playwright Simon Stephens (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time). After mistaking him for someone else, Georgie finds herself improbably drawn to the much older Alex. Their instant connection ignites a tender, funny and intimate journey in an electric new play directed by Joe Calarco.
Michael Russotto (Alex) and Rachel Zampelli (Georgie) in the DC premiere of Heisenberg at Signature Theatre. Photo by Cameron Whitman.
5. ‘Summerland’ at Washington Stage Guild.
“This is an intelligent, resolute work that explores some large questions, and these actors bring us fully into that world.” – Mary Ann Johnson.
READ review.
Synopsis: The Civil War has ended, and a grieving nation sees many turn to spiritualism to contact the dead. A famous “spirit photographer” sees his business boom, as mourners, including a very famous one, flock to his studio. A city official makes it his mission to prove it’s a fraud, but finds that harder than he hoped. An area premiere.
Yury Lomakin as William H. Mumsler and Steven Carpenter as Joseph Tooker in Summerland. Photo courtesy of Washington Stage Guild.
