Edward Gero and Kerry Warren in the 2015 production of The Originalist. (C. Stanley Photography)
DON’T MISS
It’s time for another Fringe Festival. Check out dozens of shows scattered throughout the city; see our preview, and stay tuned for comprehensive coverage on DCist.
Kennedy Center continues to tap the musical theater canon with revivals of Cabaret (July 11) and The King and I (July 18).
Speaking of festivals, it’s also the Logan Festival of Solo Performance at 1st Stage.
Woolly Mammoth closes out its season by bringing back the provocative An Octoroon (July 18). “In one second you’re going to be laughing so hard you almost pee on yourself, and then the next moment your heart kind of gets ripped out from underneath you. And then you find yourself laughing again,” actor Jon Hudson Odom told us last year.
Anacostia Playhouse revives the former Audra McDonald vehicle Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, which is all about jazz singer Billie Holiday (July 15)
Wig Out! at Studio focuses on the rise of a drag star (July 12).
The Scalia-focused The Originalist. We found its 2015 production to be a, “a smart, thrilling trip through Supreme Court history.” It returns to Arena Stage (July 7).
Presidential musical 1776 makes a cameo appearance from Landless through July 2.
Synetic’s The Mark of Cain opens July 19 (Synetic)
ALSO OPENING THIS MONTH
The Mark of Cain is Synetic’s brand new take on the biblical story; they call it a “a neo-surrealist distillation of human history”. (July 19).
The sacred and the secular face off in Unexpected Stage’s Oblivion, about a secular couple whose teenage daughter decides to become a Christian (July 13).
More Shakespeare, with a twist — The Welders (a D.C. playwright cooperative) stage To Tell My Story: A Hamlet Fanfic from Washington Post columnist Alexandra Petri (July 18).
The racially charged Anne & Emmett, about an imagined conversation between Anne Frank and Emmett Till, has a limited run at MetroStage (July 28).
The scrappy Happenstance presents Bon Voyage! A Happenstance Escapade, about a group of 19th century dreamers who meet on the way to Paris (July 14).
Discover The Happiest Place on Earth, courtesy of The Hub. Yes, they’re talking about Disney World. (July 7)
Nu Sass presents Exit Carolyn, an exploration of grief (July 7).
The justice gets served in Thurgood, about the late Chief Justice, at Olney (July 19).
Quotidian presents Horton Foote’s Night Seasons, about an elderly woman who feels her age is a punishment. (July 14).
Melody Betts and Charlotte Maltby In The Sound of Music, at Kennedy Center through July 16. (Matthew Murphy/Kennedy Center)
STILL PLAYING
Catch Flying V’s Fights: The Secret History of the Unknown World through July 2.
Wonderland: Alice’s Rock & Roll Adventure has until Aug. 13 at Imagination Stage.
Kennedy Center is staying alive with The Sound of Music through July 16. We wrote that, “much as Maria unifies the Von Trapp children’s multitude of voices into a harmonious choir, this is a show that can unite us with its art.”
Also at Kennedy Center, Hedwig and the Angry Inch closes July 2. We wrote that, “her gags and calamities, which culminate in redemption, leave us rapt, willing captives deep in the pocket of her denim hotpants.”
Get immersed in Keegan’s When We Were Young and Unafraid by July 8.
The Return at Mosaic makes its exit July 2.
Classic musical My Fair Lady wraps up at Olney July 23.
The August Wilson-centric How I Learned What I Learned closes July 2. We wrote that “even through a proxy, experiencing such an unbreakable spirit is an inspiring way to spend an evening in a year that has mostly bred cynicism.”
Shakespeare Theater Company finishes up its Moliere adaptation The School for Lies July 9.
The gripping revival of Jesus Christ Superstar from Signature closes July 9. We wrote that it “still has the ability to make us think — and to make us uncomfortable.”
The matriarchal Still Life With Rocket appears on stage at Theatre Alliance until July 2.
Arthur Miller’s Broken Glass disappears from Theater J July 9.
LOOKING AHEAD
August brings Whipping, or the Football Helmet from Longacre Lea, Wolf Trap will have a take on Cinderella and more.
