Shakespeare Theater announced today that its annual “Free For All.” a no-charge outdoor restaging of one of the company’s productions, will no longer be held at Carter Barron Amphitheater. Starting in 2009, the event will now be at the company’s impressive new Sidney Harman Hall. Shakespeare Theater’s press release said the move will allow them to hold 22 free shows rather than 10, avoid weather related cancellations, make the event more Metro accessible and provide…

Shakespeare Theater Company’s The Way Of The World marks the return of a well-received pairing of Veanne Cox and Christopher Innvar as the play’s romantic leads. But these two have some competition for the spotlight — from the show’s costumes. Set against a stark, pristine white backdrop of a set by Wilson Chin, costume designer Jane Greenwood’s pieces are all green excess. The Way of The World, a restoration comedy, is a period piece for…

Over the past several years, there has been an explosion of local dance companies specializing in South Asian dance. Organizations like SAPAN, Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh, Natyam, Dhoonya, and others are not only presenting the gamut of Indian dance, from the popular Bollywood to traditional forms, but are also looking to break new ground by fusing the classical styles of South Asia and the West. The Tehreema Mitha Dance Company is one such ensemble and is…

Rene Auberjonois and Nancy Robinette star in Shakespeare Theater’s The Imaginary Invalid. It takes a nerd showing up for things to really get going in Shakespeare Theater’s production of The Imaginary Invalid. And this is one hell of a nerd. As Thomas Diafoirus, unwelcome suitor to the young Angelique, Levi Ben-Israel has the bushy red hair, the dorky glasses. He sputters, sniffles and belches through his awkward advances to the young heiress, all the…

That Mark Antony was really a master manipulator. Watching the statesman (Andrew Long) effortlessly work a crowd is one of the many joys of Shakespeare Theater’s Julius Caesar, now playing at Sidney Harman Hall. The company has finally found a production that, in the capable hands of director David Muse, befits the grandeur of the company’s massive new space. Dan Kremer plays Caesar as an out-of-touch, ego-driven leader bound by superstition and plagued with bouts…

Shakespeare Theater’s production of Argonautika is one of the most visually-stunning works we’ve seen in quite some time on the D.C. stage. And it’s not just something pretty – director Mary Zimmerman, who also wrote the piece, has taken a wholly imaginative approach to representing this somewhat familiar Greek tale of hubris, adventure and tragedy. The Argonautika is a journey tale, like many Greek myths. Our hero Jason is nephew to Pelias, who has…

The DC theater community is starting the year off right with…no more productions of A Christmas Carol. Seriously, there’s plenty to like in January, from gutsy works to brand-new musicals. The Neo-Futurists (pictured) are back! Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind, which our critic Chris Klimek loved, makes a return engagement at Woolly Mammoth (Jan. 4). Stick ’em up! The American Century Theater gets nostalgic for police dramas with their production of Cops…

Shakespeare Theater’s Tamburlaine has a snazzy new venue, a gravitas-heavy star and some looming special effects. If only the play were a little more interesting. Maybe Rorschach Theater’s recent sexy treatment of Tamburlaine scribe Christopher Marlowe has heightened our expectations — how could a figure with such a dashing, myth-heavy past produce such a lumbering, monotonous work? Unfortunately, even the author’s more lyrical moments can’t hold our attention for this three hour-plus extravaganza….

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…),…

While no major event on the schedule this week trumps all others, there are several concerts that will merit your attention. Three of them are scheduled for Thursday night. If contemporary music was the headliner last week, this week it is early music. >> Opera Lafayette’s bread and butter is in presenting obscure Baroque operas, usually French, sung by exceptional voices and with the help of their fine instrumental ensemble. The group opens its season…