When a phrase becomes as ubiquitous as “Big Brother” (and we’re not even counting the reality show here), you wonder if it still holds any meaning, even when it’s coming from the original source. Meat and Potato Theatre company’s sparse but solid production of 1984 shows us that the man who wrote the book on totalitarian society still can have an impact, even on a small D.C. blackbox stage. Part of this, of course, comes…

In its first weekend, the Capital Fringe Festival turned downtown D.C. into a moveable feast of performance, as show after show made its Fringe debut. As we enter Day Five of the festival, it’s now time to go get a second helping—a show you want to see again or a show your friends have told you is a must-see. Even still, a handful of shows will get their start today. At DCist, we’d love to…

Though you might not realize it upon entering the poster-decked bar which probably would be right at home next to Don’t Tell Mama on Restaurant Row, the tiny back room of the Playbill Café has its very own puppet show going on. These puppets have a weightier task ahead of them than the jovial characters on Sesame Street, or even the dysfunctional lot over on Avenue Q. Puppets, and various other props, are what drive…

In May, the D.C. theater community has devils, Dorian and the deformed — and in Round House Bethesda’s case, an affection for alliteration that we apparently share. We love the work that Actors Theatre of Washington does, and their latest effort is “Mondays In May”, where for three days this month, they showcase new talent. We Wildephiles are particularly interested in what they’re going to do with The Picture Of Dorian Gray on May 8….

Sure, you can make pumpkin soup, buy some fall-spiced candles or purchase some candy for the imminent trick-or-treaters, but nothing really puts you in the Halloween spirit like a little Edgar Allan Poe. And a simple but clever little production over at the Playbill Café on 14th Street serves up just the right dose of humor, horror and just plain creepiness to put you in a sufficiently macabre mood for October. Poe 2000, staged by…

October is here, and it’s inevitable that local theater companies would try to haunt us with some spookier fare. Here’s a look at who’s obliging our more macabre sensibilities next month: >> Don’t tell Mom, well, anything about the babysitter? Studio Theatre has Marie Ndiaye’s Hilda, a horror story about a mother’s growing obsession over the woman she hires to care for her kids (Oct 5). >> There’s double, double, toil and trouble over at…