Brad Oscar and J. Fred Shiffman star in The Mystery of Irma Vep at Arena Stage. Brad Oscar and J. Fred Shiffman are the newest odd couple to hit the D.C. stage in Arena’s The Mystery of Irma Vep. And they pull it off twice in one night, first matching wits as a pursed-lipped housekeeper and a gauche stableman, then as a histrionic former actress and her brooding Egyptologist husband. Along the way, they......

Rick Foucheux, Tim Getman, Nancy Robinette, and Jeremy S. Holm are all smiles in Arena's Death of a Salesman. Photos by Scott Suchman/courtesy Arena Stage. Willy Loman is a tired, pitiable, senile man, older than his 60 years. But in the canon of 20th century American drama, he’s the Alpha dog, the big man, the Steve McQueen. He’s become an iconic figure, like Icarus or Hamlet, and lots of people who have never seen......

Victory — not the concept, but the statue at State Place and 17th Street NW — is the Ghost of Christmas Past. Freedom — the Eastward-facing statue atop the Capitol Dome; not that thing that The Terrorists hate us for — is the Ghost of Christmas Present. And the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come arrives draped in the inky robes of Grief. This stunt-casting of local landmarks as Charles Dickens’ familiar trio of......

It’s November, so most minds are on turkey and stuffing, but two theater companies are getting a jump on Christmas festivities. While we won’t see Ford Theater’s annual production of A Christmas Carol until December, both Arena Stage and Synetic Theater have their own take on the classic. Arena's Christmas Carol 1941 emphasizes the DC Christmas experience (Nov 16), while Synetic's promises to be more choreography-driven (Nov. 24). The relatively new company Spooky Action Theater......

Meat and Potato, the low-fi theatre company devoted to reviving disused devices such as puppetry and masks, has taken on Rashomon as their latest experiment. Is this a good idea? No, it's a great idea, which makes it all the more disappointing that the show, despite the obvious care and labor that has gone into it, arrives half-formed. The story, of course, is so iconic that its title has become shorthand for any situation wherein......

>> DC9's hosting a Dubstep party featuring DJs Beatcarnival and Gavin Holland. Get your bass-heavy electro-dance Thursday groove thing on for $8. >> Novelist Porochista Khakpour to discuss her debut, Sons and Other Flammable Objects, at The Modernist Society's event at Bourbon in Adams Morgan. Free drinks from 8 to 9 p.m., then questions from the audience until 10 p.m. >> Tickets are still available to the opening night of the DC Asian Pacific American......

We wanted to remind you about this weekend's upcoming photo contest sponsored by DCist and non-profit Cultural Tourism DC as part of the semi-annual WalkingTown DC event. On Sept. 29, photographers are encouraged to attend any of the free walking tours on offer as part of WalkingTown DC, and enter their photos to win great prizes. Details and rules below, and also feel free to sign up for the unofficial Flickr group. Here's the deal:......

Photo by Scott Suchman." src="http://dcist.com/attachments/dcist_heather/2007_0924_well.jpg" width="404" height="271" class="right"/>Do you ever eye someone suspiciously when they tell you they suffer from allergies (or irritable bowel, or ADD), and just always seem to be sick? You might find yourself in similar company with Lisa Kron (Emily Ackerman), who just doesn't understand why some people seem to get well and some (like, for example, her mother) don't. Kron's play, Well, isn't just a play, it's an autobiographical......

DCist is once again an official media sponsor of the free walking tours offered twice a year by non-profit Cultural Tourism DC. This time around, WalkingTown DC, a day-long event scheduled for Sept. 29, is teaming up with us to sponsor a photo contest to encourage people to come out to the free tours and snap photos as you explore new neighborhoods. Here's the deal: * Attend any WalkingTown DC tour on Sept. 29 and......

The conceit may be strange, but one performer’s energy can make all the difference. In Daniel Beaty’s show, Emergence-See!, now being performed at Arena Stage, a slave ship has shown up in a modern-day New York harbor. Protagonist Rodney’s father’s headed right towards it, as it's messing up the poetry slam in which he’s supposed to be performing. A little farfetched? Truly. But Emergence-See! isn’t a show that is dependent on its set-up. It’s one......

Written by DCist contributor Chris Klimek Arena Stage's Peter & Wendy is so swollen with visual and musical marvels one might undervalue the performance of Karen Kandel, narrator of this hypnotic take on Peter Pan. She plays Wendy, along with every other speaking part, but this is no one-woman show. Sharing the stage are seven white-hooded puppeteers, and a company of dolls they bring to such astonishing life that it’s hard not to think of......

Arena Stage is giving pratfalls for Christmas. And to be honest, it isn't a bad gift. For its final production of the holiday season, the company has staged Noises Off, a farce that is always a crowd pleaser. And this particular production has its share of charms, even if it wasn't on your list this year. Noises Off is that literary standard, an amusing play-within-a-play. A goofy group of actors is staging a complicated production......

Having a hard time getting out of bed this morning, Washington? We feel your pain. Whether it's the cold weather making you feel sluggish, or that you spent all last night reading over the Iraq Study Group report, it sure would be nice to take a sick day and lounge around in our bathrobes. The views expressed here are not necessarily the views of DCist.com or GothamistLLC and should not be construed as the literal......

It's officially December, so we find our thoughts turning to holiday shopping. Will you be giving the gift of local theater (or hoping to receive it) this season? Here are a couple of things on our wish list for the D.C. theatre community: 1. For tiny companies like Meat & Potato and Natural Theatricals to have their seats filled more frequently, and for small but innovative companies like Rorschach to get Helen Hayes nods this......

There's something strangely Disney-like about Arena Stage's production of She Loves Me. Is it the candy-colored sets? The cartoonish dancing? The opening song, "Good Morning, Good Day," which calls to mind Beauty and the Beast's "Bonjour" number? Or maybe it's just that leading lady Brynn O'Malley seems to have taken her recent performance as Belle in Broadway's Beauty and the Beast and transplanted it in D.C.? She Loves Me, a classic, romantic musical adored by......

Two years ago, I heard an interesting piece on public radio about a one-woman play that was in the middle of a critically successful run at Manhattan Ensemble Theater. I had missed the introduction of the segment but listened raptly as the author, whose voice sounded very familiar, described how she had come to write a show about the lives of Iraqi women during the American military occupations. My jaw hit the floor at the......

Halloween's just about here and there's a whole host of costume ideas you haven't yet explored. Forget going as a snake on a plane, a sexy devil/nursemaid/Little Red Riding Hood, or some sort of tasteless Mark Foley political reference. What about going as Lola from Damn Yankees? Adelaide from Guys And Dolls? M. Butterfly him/herself? Ok, these ideas may be too obscure for your typical Saturday night costumed blowout. But if you've got a theatrical......

The Tony's. The Helen Hayes Awards. Opening night of just about anything, natch. The world of theater has a lot of big nights, it seems. Add one more to the list. On October 19, D.C. will celebrate a Free Night of Theater. Participating theaters — and there are many of them — will offer free tickets to some of the area's most popular shows. And we're not talking just a few tiny theaters desperate for......

Those familiar with the spectacular 1998 Broadway revival of Cabaret might leave the first act of Arena Stage's current production wondering if the local theatre company played it entirely too safe with their version. The tone of that first act is one of frenetic, unadulterated fun, a sort of harmless debauchery. And Brad Oscar as our trusty emcee, while he seems to be have a grand old time in the role, takes a clown-like......

Just as it's back-to-school time for area students, it's back-to-the-boards time for the area's theatre community. September brings with it a host of new productions to get you through the lingering heat. Arena Stage bids us Willkommen, Bienvenue and Welcome with their inaugural production of Cabaret (Sept. 8). The presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson was just crying for a Shakespearean take, at least according to American Century Theatre, who will stage Macbird! (Sept. 8). Two......

Ed Lazere, the executive director of the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute, has an interesting piece in the current Hill Rag analyzing the Mayor's budget proposal for arts funding in 2007. Noticing large amounts of cash in the budget set aside for repairs and expansion of a handful of private cultural institutions — notably $8 million to repair the roof at the Corcoran Gallery of Art and an additional $5 million for Arena Stage's expansion —......

Sure, there probably aren’t too many office pools going around wagering on whether Scott Bradley will take Tony Cisek in the set design category. But lack of watercooler chatter aside, tonight is an important night for the D.C. theater community. This evening, Warner Theatre will be bustling with our local onstage and backstage heroes, dressed to the nines, as they celebrate the Helen Hayes Awards, which recognize the year’s finest contributions to professional theatre in......

FRIDAY: >> Here at DCist we like to pimp scrappy locals and industrious indies who are charging hard against the establishment. When it comes to stand-up comedy however, sometimes we have to make an exception. This isn't to say you shouldn't support up-and-coming local comedic talent. You should. But we'd be the first to admit that there's something particularly distasteful about amateur stand-up done badly -- when a comic punts on stage, you just have......

When trying to help someone you love, which is the proper approach? A brutal honesty grounded in cynicism, or a dreamy optimism which may not be grounded in reality? In Arena Stage's production of The Rainmaker, the characters learn that a little hope can go a long way towards achieving the reality they desire. The Rainmaker focuses on a simple western family, the Currys. The family's two brothers, sister and father are more than anxious......

The Arena Stage is holding their 14th Annual Benefit production of the The Pundit Whodunit: The Case of the Political Puzzle tonight at 8:30 p.m. at the Kreeger Theater. If you've got an extra $200 to $400 lying around, you too can be seated front and center for a one night only performance of local playwright and director Harry M. Bagdasian's comedic murder mystery, starring prominent members of Congress and the media. Members of the......

Cheaters...women's sex lives...Salman Rushdie...during March in the D.C. theater world, looks like anything goes; even Anything Goes. Starting off the month is George Bernard Shaw's Fanny's First Play, produced by Washington Stage Guild (March 2). This "comedy within a comedy" should prove witty enough, as Shaw always has a way with words. Speaking of renowned male authors, Haroun And The Sea Of Stories, a Salman Rushdie D.C. premiere, begins at the H Street playhouse this......

DCist fans may have fervent opinions regarding the building of a baseball stadium, but are there any Nats fans loyal enough to sell their soul to see the team take a pennant? One devoted Washington Senators fan and Yankee-hater makes such a deal in the oft-performed Damn Yankees, now closing out the year at Arena Stage. Middle-aged Joe Boyd (Lawrence Redmond) makes the infamous pact with Satan (Brad Oscar) to turn back the clocks and......

Though most local theaters are wrapping up their 2005 seasons come December, the Christmas season’s also a great time for national tours to empty the pockets of those hunting for gifts for their Broadway babies. While new regional pickings are sparse this month, if you’ve got a craving for a large-scale musical, this is your time of year. Hear the People Sing over at the National Theatre’s production of Les Miserables. They're calling this the......

FRIDAY >> We've long been fans of John Hodgman, the "former professional literary agent" turned "professional writer" who doles out "advice" in his regular column in McSweeney's (and occassional appearances on This American Life). Tonight Hodgmania will take hold at Warehouse Theater, as the writer reads from his new book, The Areas of My Expertise, a sort of compendium of completely made-up "history" and "facts." Listen to Hodgman read the 700 Hobo Names You Requested......

Living in a city where indictments and cronyism are crowding the headlines, there's something really satisfying about spending the night at the theater and rooting for the nerdy, idealistic Washington journalist to keep his integrity, get the girl and take the system down a peg in the process. But that's not the only reason to check out Arena Stage's polished production of Born Yesterday, which opened last night. Another is the staging. The entire......