Probably no single profession has been more analyzed, mythologized, deconstructed, vilified, or venerated by TV and the movies than that of the Big City Cop. In the late 60s and 70s, with Vietnam and civil rights and Watergate causing Americans to look at virtually every aspect of government with growing skepticism, fictitious portrayals of lawmen darkened to suit the times. The best modern dramatizations of police work focus on its endless potential to corrupt those…

The American Century Theatre’s update of the FDR-era Broadway smash Hellzapoppin’ kicks off with a terrible joke: An announcer on the P.A. who thinks he’s there for another show throws a fit when he sees the copy he’s supposed to read. It’s forced. It’s painful. It’s not funny. Then — Mercy! — a man in a gorilla suit shows up. Man in gorilla suit = crazy hilarious. But if you don’t agree, then perhaps…

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…