Week of May 25, 2025
1. “Senior Class” at Olney Theatre Center
“…a joyful, unflinching ride…both dazzling and disarming…smart, funny, and unafraid to ask hard questions.” – Teniola Ayoola
READ review.
Synopsis: When budget cuts to the arts program mean their high school theatre can’t pay for My Fair Lady, Colin and G.B., two Broadway-obsessed students, decide to stage their own original musical version of Shaw’s Pygmalion. The search for an actress to play Eliza Doolittle leads them to a Harlem-born-and-bred subway dancer who just might be perfect — but artistic egos and high school hierarchies threaten to undermine the production before the big opening night. As the quickly-assembled coalition of theatre kids, dance crew veterans, and the occasional jock, struggles to mount their production of My Leading Lady: A New Pygmalion… with a Preface and Sequel, the class and gender divides of Shaw’s original reemerge in surprising ways. Can the senior class musical be saved? (And will Colin score his much-wished-for “Jimmy®” Award to launch his meteoric rise to stardom as the first-ever J-EGOT?)
Lauryn Adams (Alizé) and the ensemble of “Senior Class” at Olney Theatre Center. Photo by Teresa Castracane Photography.
2. “Frankenstein” at Shakespeare Theatre Company
“…engaging…What is obvious…is the excellence of STC’s production of ‘Frankenstein.’” – Aidan O’Connor
READ review.
Synopsis: Emily Burns (adaptor of STC’s Macbeth and Much Ado About Nothing), reimagines Mary Shelley’s gothic science fiction masterpiece as a chilling exploration of the horror within humanity and what it means to create a new life. This visceral and provocative production reveals the inner lives of Elizabeth and Victor Frankenstein in bold new ways. Burns’s Frankenstein rides the edge of cinematic thriller and intense drama, redefining the legend we know, the name we fear, and the monstrous act at the heart of the story.
Rebecca S’manga Frank, Anna Takayo, and Nick Westrate. Photo by DJ Corey Photography.
3. “Picasso at the Lapin Agile” at Vagabond Players
“…the cast and crew create a humorous and bright story…stimulating and sometimes ridiculous—exactly how it’s supposed to be.” – Abigail Dobry
READ review.
Synopsis: Steve Martin plays fast and loose with fact, fame, and fortune in this brilliant absurdist comedy that places young Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso in a Parisian cafe in 1904, just before the renowned scientist transformed physics with his theory of relativity and the celebrated painter set the art world afire with cubism.
The cast of “Picasso at the Lapin Agile.” Photo by Shealyn Jae Photography.
4. “Circus of the Self: A Show About Queer Joy, Juggling & Identity” at Spooky Action Theater
“…effortlessly charismatic...moving, funny, and edge-of-your seat—all at the same time.” – Corvin Kevlihan
READ review.
Synopsis: In her one-woman autobiographical busking show, trans performer Lucy Eden interweaves circus, humor, poetry, and personal narrative to explore identity, gender, and our capacity for transformation. This love letter to the liberating power of performance includes balance, juggling, knives, and unicycles. Circus of the Self: A Show About Queer Joy, Juggling & Identity is an origin story, chronicling a journey of gradual self-discovery: fear, repression, acceptance, and celebration of the authentic self.
Lucy Eden. Photo by Barrett Doyle.
5. “Porgy and Bess” presented by the Washington National Opera at The Kennedy Center
“…a brilliant production…captivating…musically and visually stunning…” – Mark Dreisonstok
READ review.
Synopsis: It’s “summertime, and the livin’ is easy” in Catfish Row, a working-class fishing town in South Carolina. When a murder shakes the community and tempts Bess to return to her drug-filled past, Porgy becomes her unlikely refuge. As a hurricane descends and Bess’ violent old flame returns, she’ll find herself torn between Porgy’s steadfast love and the demons that tempt her. Artistic Director Francesca Zambello’s adaptation of Gershwin’s landmark “folk opera” returns after playing to critical acclaim across renowned opera stages. Often considered the first great American opera, Porgy and Bess melds jazz, gospel, and folk styles. Themes of community resilience, acceptance, and redemption weave through this poignant story, ultimately asking if even the most unwavering love can drive out darkness.
Chauncey Packer (center) performs “Sportin’ Life” in “Porgy and Bess.” Photo by Cory Weaver.
