Detail of a sculpture on the Folger Shakespeare Library. Photo Credit: Nathan Arrington/Flickr
Last year, DCist challenged you to see more theater. How did you do? At the very least, we sure hope you’re not still clinging to the excuse that it’s too expensive (discounts can be found at pretty much every major theater). If you’re still claiming you have no one to go with, well, who are we to judge?
It’s not too late to turn over a new leaf and go see some great theater. Here’s our list of shows you can catch this month:
LAST CHANCE
>> KISS ME, KATE at Shakespeare Theatre Company through January 10.
>> BRIGHT STAR at the Kennedy Center. Our reviewer found the Steve Martin-penned, Broadway-bound musical lacking, but had nothing but praise for lead Carmen Cusack. Through January 10.
>> MATILDA THE MUSICAL Mara Wilson deserves to be known more for her on point twitter feed than being “that girl from Matilda,” but there’s a reason the telegenic telekinetic Roald Dahl character has stuck in our minds for all these years. This musical version by way of West End shouldn’t be missed. At the Kennedy Center through January 10.
>> A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD: A series of musical vignettes based on the classic books by Arnold Lobel. At Imagination Stage through January 10.
NOW PLAYING
>> AS YOU LIKE IT: Another entry in Synetic’s ongoing series of motion-and-dance-driven, wordless Shakespeare, with all the cross dressing, mistaken identities, and marriages at the end you’d expect from a Shakespeare comedy. At Synetic Theater through January 17.
>> WEST SIDE STORY: Get up close and personal with snapping, dancing gang violence. This production has a full cast and orchestra in a strikingly small, 275-seat theater. At Signature Theatre through January 24.
>> BAD JEWS Joshua Harmon’s comedy cages together very different family members after a funeral. Hilarity ensues. The show has been a smash hit; during its long-extended run last year, it became the best selling show in Studio history. It’s back for another run with a new cast. At Studio Theatre through January 17.
>> GEORGIE: MY ADVENTURES WITH GEORGE ROSE: A one-man biographical show from Ed Dixon about his 20-year friendship with fellow actor George Rose. At Signature Theatre through February 7.
>> THE CRITIC and THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND: Let’s get meta. The Critic is an update to an 18th century tale about that most dastardly villain in the theater world: critics. The Real Inspector Hound is a Tom Stoppard play-within-a-play. Both run with the same cast, back-to-back. At Shakespeare Theatre Company through February 14.
>> WRESTLING JERUSALEM: I have an ongoing debate with a friend about whether “Mosaic” is meant to be a pun on Moses (as in, Mosaic law). I consider this play, originally commissioned by Theater J, to point towards “maybe”. From Mosaic Theater Company, at Atlas Performing Arts Center through January 24.
LATER THIS MONTH
>> BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY: This dark comedy about fighting city hall was the winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize. At Studio Theatre from January 13 through February 28.
>> CHOCOLATE COVERED ANTS: Restoration Stage’s drama peers into the mind of men to examine the survival of Black women in America. It’s back at Anacostia Playhouse from January 14 through February 7.
>> A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM: Presented with Indonesian shadow puppetry and a full orchestra at WSC Avant Bard from January 14 through February 7. Disclosure: regular DCist theater contributor Jonelle Walker is involved in the production.
>> A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM: This one is directed by Aaron Posner and, as far as I know, has no shadow puppets. At Folger from January 26 through March 6.
Have we overlooked anything? Let us know in the comments.
