New-play festival at Round House: Travelogue outpaces hostage drama by Celia Wren

Two world premieres, "It's Not a Trip It's a Journey" and "We Declare You a Terrorist … ," are running in rotating repertory in inaugural National Capital New Play Festival.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 10:07am on April 26, 2022[SHARE]

At Keegan Theatre, satirical 'Yoga Play' strikes a warrior pose by Celia Wren

Katie McManus as CEO Joan is a highlight of Dipika Guha's gleeful skewering of the athleisurewear-meets-enlightenment mind-set.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 2:37pm on April 12, 2022[SHARE]

Pointless Theatre's 'Rhinoceros,' while flawed, throws its weight around by Celia Wren

French dramatist Eugène Ionesco's 1959 absurdist classic provides a shock of connection and recognition in our hyperpartisan era.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 4:37pm on April 4, 2022[SHARE]

Sis finds hot-girl soul of Ado Annie in 'Oklahoma!' at Kennedy Center by Celia Wren

Q&A with Sis, the trans actress playing Ado Annie in the touring production of 'Oklahoma!'

SOURCE: Washington Post at 10:42am on April 1, 2022[SHARE]

Washington Stage Guild's 'Mrs. Warren's Profession' has a firm grip on comedy and critique by Celia Wren

Production of the 1893 George Bernard Shaw play, at the Undercroft Theatre through March 27, features terrific performances.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 2:36pm on March 10, 2022[SHARE]

Washington Avant Bard's 'Ada and the Engine' doesn't always run smoothly by Celia Wren

Now stodgy, now delightful, the Lauren Gunderson play is anchored by winning actress Dina Soltan as 19th-century inventor Ada Lovelace .

SOURCE: Washington Post at 2:48pm on March 8, 2022[SHARE]

Psalmayene 24's autobiographical 'Dear Mapel' has a promising yet uneven debut by Celia Wren

Mosaic Theater Company production, in-person and streaming, could use more connective tissue between antecdotes

SOURCE: Washington Post at 3:33pm on February 7, 2022[SHARE]

Keegan's 'Trans Am' is an absorbing autobiographical show of transgender experience, enhanced by a rock score by Celia Wren

Production is the in-person premiere for Lisa Stephen Friday's solo show.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 3:06pm on February 3, 2022[SHARE]

'Compulsion' follows the journey of Anne Frank's diary from the page to the stage, with marionettes by Celia Wren

Playwright Rinne B. Groff's 'Compulsion' follows the backstory of Anne Frank's diary and its journey from the page to the stage.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 10:36am on January 25, 2022[SHARE]

Beckett the Brawler? Towering statures meet buddy comedy in 'Sam and Dede.' by Celia Wren

Washington Stage Guild production of Gino DiIorio's play imagines a decades-spanning relationship between wrestler André the Giant and playwright Samuel Beckett.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 2:48pm on January 24, 2022[SHARE]

At Studio Theatre, the plight of Afghan orphans comes alive in miniature dioramas by Celia Wren

Glasgow's Vox Motus brings its innovative and emotional storytelling to D.C.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 10:24am on December 15, 2021[SHARE]

'My Children! My Africa!' still resonates in expected and unexpected ways by Celia Wren

Timely themes, and one splendid performance, sustain Washington Stage Guild's production of Athol Fugard's 1989 play.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 2:12pm on November 19, 2021[SHARE]

Full-court banter and intensity mark a gripping 'Great Leap' at Round House Theatre by Celia Wren

A stellar cast embodies the idiosyncratic characters in the Lauren Yee play.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 2:18pm on November 17, 2021[SHARE]

Olney's 'Beauty and the Beast' succeeds with a Belle who brings complexity to the role by Celia Wren

Jade Jones leads a cast in a thoughtful, if occasionally flawed, take on a Disney megahit.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 1:54pm on November 14, 2021[SHARE]

Prolific playwright Lauren Yee bounces back from pandemic cancellations with two area productions by Celia Wren

Yee's 'The Great Leap' at Round House will be followed by Arena's 'Cambodian Rock Band' next spring

SOURCE: Washington Post at 10:06am on November 10, 2021[SHARE]

At Olney Theatre, casting 'Beauty and the Beast' with an eye to inclusion by Celia Wren

Disney's musical fairy tale about looking beyond lookism takes on added resonance.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 10:42am on November 2, 2021[SHARE]

She might get top billing, but 'Celia and Fidel' at Arena Stage shortchanges the female revolutionary by Celia Wren

World premiere run of Eduardo Machado's play about Celia Sánchez and Castro was shut down immediately after opening night at the start of pandemic.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 3:36pm on October 27, 2021[SHARE]

The sound of Constellation Theatre's 'Mysticism & Music' transcends its script by Celia Wren

Chinese-dulcimer virtuoso Chao Tian and percussionist Tom Teasley infuse an age-old quest with new energy.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 11:03am on October 26, 2021[SHARE]

Soul-searching and suspense carry a riveting 'Lesson of Jan Karski' at Shakespeare Theatre by Celia Wren

A virtuosic David Strathairn plays the real-life Holocaust witness and diplomat in solo show written by Clark Young and Derek Goldman.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 4:36pm on October 11, 2021[SHARE]

'Thanksgiving Play' at Olney Theatre Center takes a carving knife to wokeness by Celia Wren

A serious undercurrent runs through Larissa FastHorse's funny if writ-large satire of White wokeness.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 2:06pm on October 5, 2021[SHARE]

Round House Theatre's dark and playful 'Quixote Nuevo' strikes a contemporary chord by Celia Wren

Production of Octavio Solis's 2018 play, also streaming starting Sept. 23, is by turns a commentary on migrants, fear and loss.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 2:12pm on September 17, 2021[SHARE]

Drama and momentum are in short supply in 'Doña Rosita' at GALA Hispanic Theatre by Celia Wren

New adaptation of Federico Garc�a Lorca play resonates with the text's bursts of lyricism but embraces tedium all too well.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 7:32pm on September 13, 2021[SHARE]

'Twelfth Night' at the D.C. War Memorial features pop music and the (unscripted) sounds of traffic by Celia Wren

In this outdoor production by Her Majesty & Sons, 20th-century tunes amplify the wit.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 7:42pm on August 9, 2021[SHARE]

An unvarnished view of reality in two lively shows: Round House's 'We're Gonna Die' and Constellation's 'The Last Five Years' by Celia Wren

Music and storytelling mesh in both shows, streaming through July 11.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 6:12am on June 22, 2021[SHARE]

Native American dramatist explores her roots in the one-woman show 'Where We Belong' by Celia Wren

Woolly Mammoth mounts a streaming version of Madeline Sayet's play, in association with the Folger Shakespeare Library.

SOURCE: Washington Post at 9:48am on June 8, 2021[SHARE]