In One Flea Spare, Naomi Wallace's bubonic plague-set drama, director Alexander Strain moodily captures the claustrophobic feeling that results when four potentially infected individuals are quarantined in a room together. But when the constrained mood of Forum Theatre's latest production is combined with the work's sluggish pacing and unsurprising character reveals, the quartet aren't the only people eager to escape. more ›

One of the most talented filmmakers of the 20th century made her reputation supporting one of the most horrific governments to exist during that period. That dichotomy has always been the guilt-ridden asterisk next to the name of Leni Riefenstahl in the estimation of film fans, critics, and scholars. She was a magnificent innovator and master of the camera, but one feels a little dirty heaping praise on someone who used those talents to support the Nazis. more ›

The play may be called Kid-Simple, but the premise is anything but: a young prodigy invents a machine that hears things humans never could discern, and when it is stolen, takes a mythical quest with a boy virgin for company in order to get it back. Did we mention the whole thing's done in the style of an old fashioned radio play - only live, so we can see the action behind the scenes? Forum... more ›

This weekend is not only the last of January, but the last of the Chinese calendar year. We had some lewd jokes about fireworks and "The Year of the Rooster" prepared, but given that our last attempt at ethnic humor almost ended with us being chased out of D.C., we’ll play it safe this time and simply wish you all a Happy Lunar New Year. FRIDAY >>The key to a vibrant local music scene is... more ›

FRIDAY: >> DCist is pleased to offer $5 off Forum Theatre & Dance's performances of UpShot by Ami Dayan (a scene from the play is at left). It's already received several positive notices, and director Shirley Serotsky has let us know that anyone who shows up at the box office with a print-out of this post can purchase a ticket for $13 (normally $18). This deal is good for the entire run of the play,... more ›