What's Cooking At Kennedy Center
If you like your composers Russian, your theater traditional and your Shakespeare, well, everywhere, the Kennedy Center's 2006/2007 season has much to please.
As part of "Shakespeare In Washington," the Bard shows up in lots of the Center's theatre, dance and orchestral offerings, from a Royal Shakespeare Company production of Coriolanus to the Kirov Ballet's Romeo and Juliet.
The season also brings with it two new partnerships: Arlington's Synetic Theater, which just had a hand in The Dybbuk, will present Frankenstein this September as part of a five-year relationship. Also, Shen Wei Dance Arts has received an arts residency from the Center.
Other highlights:
Theater:
Though some of the year's choices look a little stodgy (Carnival is quite the sexist, old-fashioned show; and really, Kennedy Center, The Phantom of the Opera?), there are definitely some shows to look forward to. The coutroom drama Twelve Angry Men kicks things off in October. Kathleen Turner and Bill Irwin will star in Albee's who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? next January and the Tony-blessed The Light In The Piazza preceeds it in December. For those of us bummed we missed Brian Stokes Mitchell and Christine Baranski in Sweeney Todd a couple years back (DCist's excuse? We didn't exist yet), the pair is joining together in a concert revival of the show some time this season.
Classical Music
The National Symphony Orchestra will give a shout-out to contemporary Russian composer Shostakovich with a variety of programs in November, including an appearance by Yo-Yo Ma. Richard Strauss's Salome, in concert, with Deborah Voigt, soprano, will be performed next January. There's an all-Mendelssohn program next February, and a nice mix of standards, from Mozart to Mahler. Hamlich and the NSO pops have some fun things planned as well, from a Monster Mash in October to a night of Broadway Divas next April.
Dance:
In the "weird" department, we have a Danny Elfman-scored production of Edward Scissorhands, and other shows include Don Quixote, A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Nutcracker.
Best of the Rest:
In jazz, performances from Hank Jones, Paquito D'Rivera, Clark Terry and Ron Carter light up the calendar. There's also some interesting options for families, from Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka to the Katie Couric-penned The Brand New Kid.
A full list of the new season's schedule is available here.