For those familiar with the original work, there’s something daunting about the fact that when intermission rolls around during Catalyst Theater’s production of Christopher Gallu’s adaption of 1984, we know that all there’s really left to see is the interrogation scenes — and they aren’t going to be brief. The decision to divide the play at this point really drives home this version’s emphasis on torture — its brutality and more importantly, its futility,…

Catalyst Theater’s production of The Flu Season is something you want to like. You’ve got a small, scrappy theater company taking on a complex, ambitious work. There’s a fine cast assembled, and its purely functional set contrasts nicely with its fantastical backdrop of abstract, stormy trees. But attributes aside, it comes down to the fact that, as a play, Will Eno’s work is just a little too pretentious to be enjoyed. The work takes place…

>> D.C. United host rivals New England in a game nationally televised on ESPN2. Posters and t-shirts await the first 10,000 and 3,000 entrants, respectively. Be sure to get there early for food, drink, and some party rock courtesy of Love Seed Mama Jump in Lot 8. [RFK Stadium (tickets still available), 7 p.m. kickoff; pregame festivities at 5:30 p.m.] >> Don’t forget the Onion’s D.C. kickoff party with Georgie James, Neil Hamburger, Aziz…

As April was the month of 80 zillion new play openings, we kind of thought things would slow down a bit for the theater community in May. Not the case – we’ve got lots of exciting productions to share with you, from post-modern Hamlet comedies to, well, Hamlet itself. Plus, something new from the guy behind “Schindler’s List”. Here’s what’s playing. Catalyst Theater impressed all its larger competitors by taking home the award for best…

So the big winners at last night’s Helen Hayes awards were… puppets? Indeed, Aaron Posner’s unique vision for Measure for Measure, produced at the Folger this year, where puppets took on many of the play’s roles, earned him a best director trophy (he tied with Michael Kahn, for his zany take on Love’s Labor Lost), as well as the award for Outstanding Resident Play. Signature Theater’s Assassins won the most awards of the night with…

If Hitler had been a gangster, what color tie would he have worn? To some, that inquisitive trajectory is irrelevant and even downright disrespectful. Hitler was not only obsessed by power and violence, but a monster to whom, most would say, we should never extend the benefit of a psycho-history. To Bertolt Brecht, however, the value of an inquiry into Hitler the gangster outweighed the dangers. Brecht’s The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (pictured), now…

Written by DCist contributor Vince Wadhwani of BuyIndie.net. Despite the misperceptions of outsiders, we all know that D.C. has a ton to offer in the form of entertainment. Seems like almost every week there’s a new bar or restaurant opening up, ranging in scale, much like canned peaches, from regular to extra fancy. If you want to enjoy a play, however, the city’s options can sometimes feel greatly limited by your pocket book. Granted you’re…

As we hoped, last night’s Unbuckled, starring Middle Distance Runner and the Vita Ruins, was a hell of a show. The Vita Ruins kicked things off with an atmospheric set to a packed DC9 crowd. It’s one of the first handful of shows the band’s performed, and it went off without a hitch. Middle Distance Runner capped off the evening with an incredibly impressive show — one that made a lot of fans out…

By now, you and your entire network of friends, acquaintances and enemies have made plans to meet at DC9 tonight to take in the glory that will be Unbuckled 4: DCist’s Official 2nd Anniversary party. Right? Well, just in case you haven’t been sold by our lineup alone (and don’t forget to check out our reviews of Middle Distance Runner and The Vita Ruins), let us give you 5 more reasons that Unbuckled is the…

For a city often characterized by expensive food, high-priced drinks and rising real estate prices, low-priced entertainment is actually pretty easy to find in DC –- if you know where to look. Live here awhile, and you’ll find yourself outraged when you travel elsewhere and discover you actually occasionally have to pay admission to get into a museum, or hand over more than $25 for a decent concert ticket. The theater scene is no…