Sam's Review Club

Witches are not sexy. They are a representation of centuries of oppression women did (and still do) experience for doing things they shouldn’t. Creative Cauldron’s new production of Witch , part of their Bold New Works for Intimate Stages initiative, simultaneously educates audiences of the injustices “witches” throughout history face while paralleling the tales with modern struggles for equality. The evening is largely a success, revealing the ways this once deadly moniker can be a beacon of girl power for the 21st century. With America at a crossroads for gender equality, works like this are essential in sparking conversations necessary for our society’s advancement. The musical employs a simple frame story to propel the evening’s action. Seven women gather at the first Women's March in 2017. Three generations are present: Marie, Fiona, and MAry are accompanied by their mothers Destiny, Molly, and Maggie. To round out the group, Maggie's mother, Becky, tags ...

Ro Boddie(Willie), Craig Wallace (Sam) and Nick Fruit (Hally) in Master Harold... And the Boys at Round House Theatre. Photo by Kaley Etzkorn. Athol Fugard is one of the most difficult modern playwrights. His shows are largely punctuated by blunt dialogue, devoid of noticeable metaphor, and rely on the creation of highly realistic scene scapes defined oftentimes by the most mundane. None of his works exemplifies this style more than his most famous work, Master Harold… And the Boys . This is what makes Master Harold such a challenging work. Round House Theatre’s new revival, which opened Monday in Bethesda, tries hard but doesn’t prove up to the challenge of this dense work. A semi-autobiographical work, Master Harold chronicles a rainy afternoon spent between a white South African youth and the two black men who work his mother’s tea shop. Master Harold, affectionately known as Hally, searches for anything to distract him from the boring school work placed in fron...

Yesenia Iglesias, Lisa Hodsoll, Keith Irby and Teresa Spencer in The Caucasian Chalk Circle Photo by Daniel Schwartz Allegorical works are becoming more atypical during the age of Trump. For modern playwrights, it's easier to bluntly educate audiences (a la Arena Stage's Sovereignty ), attack leaders (Mosaic Theatre's Vicuña ), or explicitly advocate for change (Signature's 4,380 Nights ). Burying meaning behind complex, and often ridiculous, stories can make underlying themes more difficult to parse for audience members. This proves a double-edged sword, however, as complex allegories give audiences a reason to dissect and discuss what has unfolded in front of them. Constellation Theatre Company's new production of Bertolt Brecht's The Caucasian Chalk Circle isn't perfect. It is undoubtedly a celebration of what smart allegory can be. As this small theater company stretches itself to the limits to ensure they do Brecht's seminal work just...

Karen Malina White and Gilbert Glenn Brown in The Mountatintop . Photo by Kirk Richard Smith. "We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountaintop... And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land." Martin Luther King, Jr. declared that statement almost exactly 50 years ago on April 3, 1968. His words, a confident assessment on the future of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, echo with the same power as when he bellowed them all those years ago. Dr. King never made it to the promised land, having been assassinated only one day after his "Mountaintop" speech. His spirit, however, lives on beautifully in Katori Hall's play The Mountaintop at George Mason University's Center for the Arts on Saturday, April 14 as part of Los Angeles Theatre Works...

Shoot the Moon . Photo by Rahi Rezvani. There is something profound about the simple. Such is the driving force behind the Nederlands Dans Theater’s (NDT) program currently playing at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Three shockingly different dances fill this two hour program and, while the dancers wrap themselves about in complex positions regularly, the emotions portrayed are always simple and translate brilliantly. Artistic Directors Paul Lightfoot and Sol León are to be commended for their diverse and cutting-edge selections. The first piece moves the audience before the curtain even rises. Set to a Philip Glass piece, movement II from Tirol Concerto , the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra elevates the orchestrations to great heights. Such highs are only complimented when the curtain rises to reveal a simplistic facade of a room interior. It could be any room anywhere, and thus the audience is transported to whatever location they have felt the longi...

The Paper Dolls... All dolled up. Photo by Stan Barouh. If you’ve ever thought what it would be like to cross an episode of Ru Paul’s Drag Race with a searing Middle East drama and put all of the action to pop hits of the early aughts, Paper Dolls the perfect show for you. Mosaic Theater Company’s newest entry to their Voices from a Changing Middle East cycle is a delightful piece of sheer entertainment. The show unfortunately tries to cover too many topics, however, and is thus unable to reach the dramatic heights some of its subject matter calls for. Based on the award-winning 2006 Israeli documentary of the same name, Paper Dolls reveals the world of five gay male Filipino nurses in Tel Aviv who care for elderly Orthodox and Chasidic men six days a week. On the seventh day? They become the Paper Dolls and headline their very own drag show. At one such performance, the group is spotted by a young gay documentarian, Etai (John Bambery, who does good work with a thinl...

Dancers Lauren Stucko (senior) and Madison Brott (junior) beautifully dance the roles of Red Girl and Pink Girl in Lar Lubovich's  A Brahms Symphony. Photo by Tim Coburn George Mason University is a bit of a trek when discussing arts organizations in the DMV area. If Saturday night’s School of Dance Fête and Gala Concert is any indicator, then this trek is worth making. Celebrating the strides Mason’s (still young) dance program has made in recent years, the evening was a unique combination of educational panels and dance showcases. With four moving performances capping off the evening, Mason’s dance program cements itself as one to not be underestimated. Beginning the evening with the Dance Fête (meaning a celebration or festival) allowed the Mason faculty and students to better connect with their most ardent supporters. Multiple panel discussions were held to break down the upcoming performances on stage in a way which made those who may not have an extensive dance ...

Photo by: Susana Millman Don't be fooled by all of the bright colors. The Mark Morris Dance Group's (MMDG) newly commissioned Layla and Majnun , which opened last night at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, lacks the necessary energy to elevate this tragic yet formulaic love story. It's evident from the start that all of the performers on stage are immensely talented, which is why the lack of cohesion throughout the evening becomes frustrating. A Persian love story that has previously been expressed mostly through poetry, Layla and Manjun is a story of star-crossed lovers akin to Romeo and Juliet . Despite growing up together as childhood sweethearts, Majnun is believed to be possessed by his love for Layla and the two are driven apart. Layla is then married off to another while Majnun becomes a hermit who writes lengthy verses about his immense love for her. Though the two attempt to meet later in life, they die without ever doing so. ...

Photo credit: Margot Schulman Few productions can claim to be as much of an institution as Shear Madness is to Washington, D.C. With over 13,000 performances under its belt at the Kennedy Center, this show has become once of theater's most notorious tourist traps. This comedic caper whose plot can vary wildly each night incentivizes repeat viewings to those who are true converts. And although the stereotype-laden script struggles when viewed in 2018, the immersive whodunnit remains an experience unique enough to justify Shear Madness 's continued existence. Walking into the Kennedy Center's intimate Theater Lab space, it is clear the evening will be a wacky one. The vibrant set decoration (originally designed by Kim Peter Kovac and adapted by Scott L. Hammar) is a treat to look at. Contrasting blues and pinks pop and pull the eyes to a new part of the set every few moments. Coupled with Mr. Hammar's complimentary costumes, the sensory overload is a good pr...

Photo Credit: Christopher Banks The Women’s Voices Theatre Festival may be winding down in D.C. proper, but Alexandria’s MetroStage is looking to keep the focus on female-centered stories with their Spring Solo Series. The second of these one-woman shows, George—Don’t Do That: The Music and Magic of Joyce Grenfell, is a love-filled tribute to British comedienne Joyce Grenfell who became a global sensation in the mid-20th century thanks to her intellectual satire and good natured spirit. Despite clear adoration for the play’s subject, the work doesn’t properly explain who Ms. Grenfell is or why she became so famous, information which would be helpful for a modern American audience. British actor Catherine Flye (MetroStage’s Christmas at the Old Bull and Bush ) stars as Ms. Grenfell in this tribute which she has been performing throughout the British Isles since 2003. It’s surprising, then, that so much of this production feels incomplete. On many occasions, Ms. Flye referenc...

Logo courtesy of VH1. I already miss Morgan McMichaels. Sure, she was a hardcore bitch who was a hot mess in last week’s challenge but she brought a hardness to the competition which is desperately needed in a show where the queens are concerned so much at not coming off as antagonistic to not upset their fans. BenDeLaCreme spends so much time agonizing over how much she hated sending Morgan home and the other queens rightfully point out they don’t buy the act. Thankfully Aja is around to stir up some drama by saying she would have sent home Chi Chi if she had won the lip-sync. I agree with that choice: Morgan showed more promise than Chi Chi did in that first act. But if I learned anything from Season 8, it is that Chi Chi knows how to make a comeback. No mini-challenge this week, instead the queens are hurled right into their maxi-challenge which is another All-Star mashup lip-sync combined with celebrity impersonation. Thorgy Thor immediately launches into her ...

©2017 Nickelodeon. All Rights Reserved. Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? The same cute sponge who has made his home at Broadway’s Palace Theater. Like (I’m sure) many others, I scoffed and rolled my eyes at the thought of a SpongeBob Squarepants musical. But this production—helmed with a lighthearted touch by Tina Landau and featuring an eerily spot-on SpongeBob in the form of newcomer Ethan Slater—demonstrates the power imagination has in creating a Broadway spectacular. If you aren’t already familiar with SpongeBob, there isn’t nearly enough time to catch you up. And this musical doesn’t even try. But honestly, when the cast is filled out by a lazy starfish, an eternally woeful squid and a sea-dwelling squirrel, new converts will be confused no matter what. Thankfully, the deliriously technicolor sets and costumes by David Zinn give you plenty to look at even when the action onstage reaches it’s most manic. Unlike preceding animation-to-Broadway adaptation...

©VH1. All Rights Reserved. Acting challenges are the bread and butter of ANTM ’s wackiness. Why Tyra thinks that any of her girls will have even a semi-successful acting career is beyond me. I’m not complaining. After all, watching young wannabe models flail their way through a short scene is always the most entertaining. I still fondly remember the time the girls needed to whip out a cockney accent for their challenge in Cycle 4. If you haven’t seen it, go and watch it. “SUNNY ROSE I AM!” Classic. That also happens to be the episode where Tyra yells at Tiffany. Cycle 4. Episode 7. I’ll wait while you go and catch yourself up. Welcome back to the review! The Cycle 24 acting challenge is standard Top Model fare. Tyra sends some scripts over to the girls (“be sure you memorize these”), pairs them with an attractive male actor (this time in the form of Kevin Phillips) and all of the girls’ lines quickly fly out the window. In their defense, the scene is amazingly ...