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A model of the set for “The Fantasticks”
by Eugene Lee at the Lincoln.
Courtesy of Arena Stage.
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There are sets being built on many stages in local theaters in preparation for shows that you just might want to take your visiting friends and relatives to this holiday month. If you aren’t expecting any visitors, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t go see these shows anyway.
They aren’t all holiday-themed. Indeed, most aren’t. There’s a wide variety, and some particularly whet my appetite as this busy theater month gets underway.
Among the clearly holiday-themed shows is Ford’s Theatre’s brand new mounting of “A Christmas Carol.” Ford’s has tried a number of versions of Dickens’ classic of Scrooge and the ghosts of Christmases Past, Present and Future since 1987, so it is something of a Washington tradition. They even managed to mount their last version in a neighboring theater when their historic house was under renovation.
This year, back in their 10th Street hall, they have a new version, which will have veteran DC actor Ed Gero as the miserly Ebenezer, Felicia Curry as two of the three ghosts who visit him on Christmas Eve, and Christopher Block as his long-suffering clerk, Bob Cratchit. It sounds as if this will be a very musical version of the story with many carols under choral director Jay Crowder.
A different historical take on a holiday theme is the Theater Alliance’s revival of Langston Hughes’ “Black Nativity,” which retold the ancient story with an all black cast and a distinctly gospel feel to the carols. Hughes, a leader of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and ‘30s, continued to be an innovative force in jazz, literature and theater through the 1960s, and his “Black Nativity” dates from 1961 when New York Times reviewer Howard Taubman said, “There is a lot of song but hardly any play in Langston Hughes' Christmas song play.” The Theater Alliance’s revival will feature 10 gospel singers as well as dancers and actors.
Secular themes seem more popular this year. There is much to tempt you this month from Shakespeare to musical fantasy and classic comedy to – well, how do you classify Judy Gold’s “multi-media comic memoir with original music” about “being a working gay mom, anti-depressants, nursing homes, and raising two boys in New York City”? She’s bringing her “Mommy Queerest” to Theater J at the DC Jewish Community Center on 16th Street starting on Dec. 16.
Already playing by the time this column is in print will be the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s musical remounting of “As You Like It,” which director Maria Aitken has envisioned as taking place on a Hollywood movie set where scenes crop up as a collage of tributes to movie types from westerns to big musicals. She’s even hired Michael John LaChiusa to compose a musical score for the piece.
A more traditionally musical musical will play the Lincoln Theatre on U Street. It is Arena Stage’s new production of the “The Fantasticks,” which still holds the record for the longest run of any musical in the history of New York, where it ran for over 17,000 performances between 1960 and 2002. Director Amanda Denhart has had legendary set designer Eugene Lee place the show in an abandoned amusement park.
Arena has another musical this season as well, this one playing briefly at their Crystal City facility on the Virginia side of the Potomac. The unique pop-rock band Groove Lilly, with Valerie Vigoda’s distinctive electric violin, will perform its hybrid of musical theater and concert which tells Hans Christian Andersen’s story of “The Little Match Girl.” Their version is a charming musical with the title “Striking 12,” which they will perform just 10 times between Dec. 2 and 13.
Studio Theatre on 14th Street unearths a farce from the ‘50s that has a lot to say about corporate competition that rings true in this new century. George S. Kaufman and Howard Teichman’s “The Solid Gold Cadillac” finds a sweet old lady asking embarrassing questions at a company’s annual meeting. The powers-that-be try to silence her, but she ends up triumphing instead. The part of the little old lady seemed tailor-made for one of Washington’s funniest actresses, Nancy Robinette. Thank goodness Studio cast her in the role.
Variety isn’t just to be found at theaters around town. You can find quite a range of choices all under one roof on the banks of the Potomac – the Kennedy Center. Three of the center’s offerings this month present theater for very different audiences. If you’re looking for distinctly adult fare, last year’s Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner for best play, the three-act, 3 ½ hour comedy/drama “August: Osage County” by Tracy Letts, comes to the center’s Eisenhower Theater with Estelle Parsons in the lead role of the sharp-tongued, drug addicted matriarch of a family with every conceivable character fault and problem.
At the other end of the scale, if you want to take children to the center, you’ll find “Teddy Roosevelt and the Ghostly Mistletoe” in the Family Theater. This sequel to the 2006 “Teddy Roosevelt and the Treasure of Ursa Major” is a family-friendly musical with songs by Mark Russell that will run just about one hour.
Somewhere in the middle, between the maturity of Letts’ play and the innocence of Mark Russell’s songs, lies the raunchy humor of Mel Brooks, whose musical “Young Frankenstein” takes up residence in the center’s Opera House starting mid-month. As you would expect of Mel Brooks, the master of flatulence humor and barely cloaked innuendo, the humor here isn’t quite for younger members of the family. The musical reunited most of the creators of the mega-hit “The Producers,” but its Broadway run didn’t repeat the magic of that earlier blockbuster. Still, the national touring version offers performances by the likes of Roger Bart who originated the title character on Broadway, Shuler Hensley as the monster whose rendition of “Puttin’ on the Ritz” always was the funniest thing in the show. The cast also includes a local favorite, Brad Oscar as the town’s inspector.
Washington has developed an incredibly vibrant theater community, and if you have visitors in town this month, you might just want to show it off.
Here is information on the shows mentioned in this article:
Arena Stage “The Fantasticks” at the Lincoln Theatre through Jan. 10 (1215 U St. NW). $25-$74. 202-488-3300, www.arenastage.org.
Arena Stage “Striking 12” at Crystal City, Dec. 2-13 (1800 South Bell St., Arlington, Va.). $25-$50. 202-488-3300, www.arenastage.org.
Ford’s Theatre “A Christmas Carol,” through Jan. 3 (511 10th St. NW). $16-$65. 202-397-7328, www.fordstheatre.org.
Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater “August: Osage County,” through Dec. 20 (2700 F St. NW). $25-$80. 202-467-4600, www.kennedy-center.org.
Kenney Center’s Opera House “Young Frankenstein,” Dec.15-Jan. 17 (2700 F St. NW). $37-$150. 202-467-4600, www.kennedy-center.org.
Kennedy Center’s Family Theatre “Teddy Roosevelt and the Ghostly Mistletoe,” through Dec. 30 (2700 F St. NW). $18. 202-467-4600, www.kennedy-center.org.
Studio Theatre “Solid Gold Cadillac,” through Jan. 10 (1501 14th St. NW). $41-$61. 202-332-3300, www.studiotheatre.org.
Theater J’s “Mommy Queerest,” Dec. 16-Jan. 3 (1529 16th St. NW). $27.50-$55. 202-470-4779, www.theaterj.org.
Theater Alliance at the H Street Playhouse “Black Nativity,” through Jan. 3 (1365 H St. NE). $15-$30. 202-399-7993, www.theateralliance.com.
The Shakespeare Theatre Company “As You Like It,” through Dec. 20 (610 F St. NW). $36-$70. 202-547-1122, www.shakespearetheatre.org. |
