Photo by Nicole.
A dark raincloud is about to hang over D.C., and I’m only partially talking about the weather. Famously depressed playwright Anton Chekhov is at the center of three shows currently running—though, before you go grabbing a bottle of Xanax, you should know two of them are comedic adaptations. Whether the arrival of spring has you reveling in the blossoms or grumbling about the tourists they bring, we’ve got a play to fit your mood. Here’s our selection of shows running over the next few weeks:
NOW PLAYING and OPENING SOON
>>DRUNKLE VANYA: Last summer LiveArtDC had a Fringe hit with a boozy adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, originally developed by Three Day Hangover in NYC. The latest in that trend is a vodka-infused (naturally) take on Uncle Vanya, running in the basement of the Pinch. Look for a review in the next few days. Through April 25.
>>VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE: – We spoke with director Aaron Posner about his latest Chekhov project; this time he’s at the helm of Christopher Durang’s play at Arena Stage. Posner’s own Chekhov remixes might outshine the play, but it’s a fine night of depression comedy nevertheless. Through May 3.
>>UNCLE VANYA: Rounding out (sorry) the Chekhov trifecta is a traditional, unadorned take on the classic via Round House Theatre. Yes, we’ve officially reached the point where you can stand out from the Chekhov crowd just by not doing an adaptation. Through May 3.
>>MURDER BALLAD: For those in a mood to rock the pain away. A fairly bold experiment in theater from Studio, this rock musical promises an “immersive” audience experience. Studio is also stressing, presumably with a knowing wink, that full bar service is available prior to the show. Through May 10. LAUGH, also at Studio, closes April 19.
>>SOON: This ominously-titled production at Signature Theater involves a Jewish goldfish and an impending heat apocalypse; our reviewer writes that the show “veers confidently from doom-laden to charming to claustrophobic.” Check out our review of the show here. Through April 26.
>>JACK AND THE BEANSTALK: The DCist theater team has a soft spot in our hearts, which we believe exists entirely for puppet theater, no matter what our doctors tell us. For those of you who have solved the problem of having no plus ones to take to shows by having children, The Puppet Co is running this show through May 3.
>>very still & hard to see: We promise this isn’t a sequel to “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.” This play from Steve Yockey (whose show Pluto debuted in D.C. last year) features lurking sea monsters and evil ghosts haunting some people who probably would rather just not be haunted. This one is well within Rorschach Theatre‘s wheelhouse. Through May 10.
>>LIGHTS RISE ON GRACE: This play, debuting at Woolly Mammoth via the National New Play Network, has one of the most thoroughly modern depictions of “family” I’ve ever seen. Large, Riece, and Grace put each other—wittingly and unwittingly— through hell, but they’re held together by love. Just like most other families. Through April 26.
>>MAN OF LA MANCHA: The classic Don Quixote is notoriously ahead of its time—a metafictional adventure written hundreds of years before metafiction—and notoriously difficult to adapt as a result. The musical running at Shakespeare Theatre Co. is a famous exception to that rule, which is why you have the lyrics “dream the impossible dream” stuck in your head right now. Extended through May 3.
>>THE FIRE AND THE RAIN: This musical, set in India, will be opening via Constellation Theatre later this month. The plot involves masks that possess their owner, so fingers crossed that it’s as good as Majora’s Mask. Or The Haunted Mask. Or even just The Mask. I think I might just like stories about haunted masks. Through May 24.
OTHER PICKS
>>G-D’S HONEST TRUTH at Theater J about rescuing a religious relic. Yes, you should be in an “Indiana Jones” mindset. Through April 19.
>>THE NORWEGIANS via Scena Theatre at Anacostia Playhouse. Through April 19.
>>MARIELA IN THE DESERT at GALA Hispanic Theatre, performed in Spanish with English surtitles. Through May 10.
>>THE ORIGINALIST at Arena Stage, a comedy about that beloved joker Antonin Scalia. Extended through May 31.
