Pitiable…arresting…bad-ass…shrew? Charlayne Woodard’s portrayal of the infamous Kate in Shakespeare Theatre’s The Taming of the Shrew defies one-word description. She’s an integral part of what’s so appealing about Rebecca Bayla Taichman’s take on the show, a production which almost manages to overcome the sexist undercurrents of the work itself. For those who missed English class that day (or have never seen Kiss Me Kate, or Ten Things I Hate About You, or that “Moonlighting” episode…),…

A new “old musical” may sound like a contradiction in terms, but that’s exactly what Meet John Doe, now playing at Ford’s Theater, is. At first, one might wonder if we need a show that takes us back to the days of classics like Kiss Me Kate and Sweet Charity, but with such intelligent lyrics and such a satisfying blend of hope and cynicism, John Doe is more than a nostalgia trip, and doesn’t have…