Emily Skinner as Mae West in Dirty Blonde. Title aside, Dirty Blonde turns out to be a lot more inspirational than it is salacious. Though it’s focused on one of Hollywood’s first sex symbols, Claudia Shear’s play with music about the life of Mae West, now being staged by Signature Theatre, is more interested in the woman as a feminist icon, a figure who can teach others to be bolder, to take less bullshit….
It’s hard not to want to love See What I Wanna See, the Michael John LaChiusa musical being intimately staged in Signature’s Ark theater. You’ve got an ambitious composer trying to do more than produce commercialized Broadway drivel. You’ve got jazzy musical moments of sheer pleasure. And you’ve got Bobby Smith. And yet, the evening never really comes together. See What I Wanna See is kind of all over the place, a piece which…
It was a good year for the musical. Especially the Signature musical. The 2009 Helen Hayes Awards nominations are out (D.C.’s local version of the Tony Awards), and leading the pack is Signature Theatre with a whopping 39 nominations in various categories. It’s not a surprise, really. The Arlington-based company is on a fabulous streak, finishing off a year that included a critically-acclaimed Kander & Ebb festival (including the haunting Chita Rivera vehicle The…
From Signature Theater’s Twitter feed: “Comp tickets to Les Miz tonight. Call 703 820 9971 to book!” That number actually appears to be a typo, though; the correct number is (703) 820-9771. Our theater critic Missy Frederick loved this version of the classic musical, noting that seeing this excellent regional production of a very challenging work was one of her year’s theatrical highlights. If you’re free tonight, she highly recommends taking advantage of this offer….
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…
The blood factor of Signature Theater’s hilariously demented The Lieutenant of Inishmore makes the red pageantry of Tim Burton’s recent Sweeney Todd adaption star to feel almost as tame as an adolescent-run Haunted House. Here, though, the spattering is played much more for comedic effect and sheer gross-out factor than artistic impact. And what it achieves is incredible, sick fun. Credit the deft direction of Jeremy Skidmore (along with the fact Karl Miller makes for…
Does a musical have to break new ground in order to be considered a success? It’s true that Broadway has seen some exciting evolution lately in the form of “younger” works like Spring Awakening and In The Heights. But in an era that’s largely been dominated by jukebox musicals and cinematic retreads, it’s refreshing to see a new production that feels like a return to the old form, and a triumphant one that’s neither nostalgic…
Signature Theater’s Glory Days was only the second show in history to transition from D.C. to Broadway – and its run only lasted one night. The musical both opened and closed its doors this Tuesday, after running for 17 preview performances. What happened? Producers attributed the show’s short shelf life to poor advance sales and negative overnight reviews. We didn’t get the chance to catch the show when it was in D.C., but SanDiego.com theater…
Sure, we knew it’d have a shot at a Helen Hayes award, but the recent Signature Theater production of the new musical Glory Days could even have a Tony coming its way sometime in the future. The show, which ran at Signature through mid-February, is now officially Broadway-bound. Glory Days will have a run at the Circle In The Square Theater in New York City beginning April 22. We didn’t get a chance to catch…
Chris Lee’s imaginative design work makes the lighting for Signature Theater’s Kiss of the Spider Woman a dynamic character in its own right in this slick and sexy production. Beams serve as bars for the jail center that is the work’s centerpiece. Hues of red, silver and blue add dramatic punch to various scenes. Flashlights perched on the top add a certain spookiness to a parade of creepy male nurses in the “Morphine Tango”….
