Les Misérables is kind of like a ouroboros of misery that you wish would just end, but never does. Which makes it probably the worst movie or musical to see during the holiday season.

Damn their warnings, damn their lies. Signature Theater has proven that it doesn’t take a turntable stage and a National Tour to produce a dazzling and, more importantly, individualized production of one of the theater’s most beloved musicals, Les Miserables. The company is only the second theater to stage a regional production of the ubiquitous musical, now that the rights are available for more than just a touring show to grace local stages. And…

If you’re like us, you’ve got more holiday parties to attend this weekend than you can count with your socks off. But just in case you’re still looking for more merriment, here’s a look at this weekend’s offerings. FRIDAY: >> Charm City’s own Lake Trout has been getting stellar reviews for their sophomore effort, Them, Not You. They also spent part of the fall opening up for the Pixies, which makes us so envious, we…

For those of us with the ability to become completely swept away by the entirely-sung epic tale of cause-driven students, young love and the suffering of a reformed convict, Les Miserables is a beautiful, heartbreaking reminder of those things worth fighting for, and the tremendous cost that some ideals can demand. One shouldn’t go into a national tour expecting a revolutionized take on a treasured production, and the National Theatre’s version is no exception,…

Though most local theaters are wrapping up their 2005 seasons come December, the Christmas season’s also a great time for national tours to empty the pockets of those hunting for gifts for their Broadway babies. While new regional pickings are sparse this month, if you’ve got a craving for a large-scale musical, this is your time of year. Hear the People Sing over at the National Theatre’s production of Les Miserables. They’re calling this the…

“I don’t think too many people are going to come see this musical, Officer Lockstock,” Little Sally whines during the second act of Signature Theatre’s production of Urinetown. And sure, it has what Sally calls an “awful title” and is, after all, about a town where times have gotten so tough, people have to pay in order to pee. But D.C. theater lovers should certainly beg to differ with young Sally’s assessment; Signature’s current…