Opening This Month
At
Studio Theatre January 2 through 27, Brit playwright Duncan Macmillan (Lungs) directs the US premiere of
Contractions
by Mike Bartlett. The dark satire about a controlling employer in a
Big Brother-esque society was called “brutally entertaining” by the
Daily Telegraph when it ran at London’s Royal Court Theatre.
We, Tiresias, Stephen Spotswood’s hit at last year’s Capital Fringe festival, gets a two-week
engagement at
Forum Theatre. The play explores the blind prophet who recurs in stories throughout Greek tragedy.
January 3 through 13.
Washington Stage Guild presents the local premiere of Karoline Leach’s
Tryst, about a con man and set in Edwardian England. The play debuted in 2006 off-Broadway,
where the
New York Times called it “a suspense drama of a distinctly old-fashioned stamp.” January 3 through
27.
American Century Theatre stages
The Show-Off, the 1924 by George Kelly about a Philadelphia family infiltrated by a pompous social
climber. January 24 through February 2.
In partnership with Georgetown University,
Theater J presents
Boged (Traitor): An Enemy of the People, an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s play by Boaz Gaon and Nor Erez at Georgetown’s Davis
Performing Arts Center. The production tells the story of a mayor and his environmentalist
brother who become divided over a chemical leak in an industrial park. January 12
through February 3.
Constellation Theatre Company presents a new adaptation of
Zorro
by Eleanor Holdridge and Janet Allard January 17 through February 17. Directed by
Holdridge at Source, the show is about fictional nobleman Don Diego de la Vega, who
adopts a secret identity to fight tyranny and injustice.
January 18 through February 17,
Rorschach Theatre offers
The Minotaur, an adaptation of the Greek myth by Anna Ziegler. Randy Baker directs at Atlas Performing
Arts Center.
At
Folger Theatre, Robert Richmond directs Shakespeare’s
Henry V. Having ascended the throne, Henry (formerly Prince Hal of
Henry IV Parts I and II) is forced to deal with the Battle of Agincourt and an attempt on his life by the
Earl of Cambridge. January 22 through March 3.
MetroStage presents the world premiere of
Ladies Swing the Blues, a musical dedicated to vocalists Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn,
and Peggy Lee. Set in a New York jazz club in the 1950s, the show features music by
William Knowles and book and lyrics by Thomas W. Jones Jr. January 24 through March
17.
Keegan Theatre turns its hand to eight-time Tony Award winner
Cabaret, the John Kander and Fred Ebb musical set in a nightclub in 1931 Germany as the Nazis
are gaining power. January 26 through February 23.
Our Town
opens at
Ford’s Theatre January 25. Director Stephen Rayne looks at the American classic with a newcomer’s
eyes, and using a diverse cast to give the show a contemporary influence. Through
February 24.
Ongoing/Last Chance
The Pajama Men: In the Middle of No One
closes January 6 at Woolly Mammoth. Read our review.
Apples from the Desert
closes January 6 at
Theater J. Read our review.
Natsu Onoda Power’s collaboration with
Synetic Theater,
A Trip to the Moon, closes January 6. Read our review.
Arena Stage’s
My Fair Lady
also closes January 6. Read our review.
Also at
Arena Stage,
Pullman Porter Blues
closes January 6. Read our review.
Million Dollar Quartet
closes at the
Kennedy Center January 6. Read our review.
Signature Theatre’s
Dreamgirls
closes January 13. Read our review.
An Iliad
closes at
Studio Theatre January 13. Read our review.
Events
January 24 at the
Kreeger Museum, experts
Peter and Syril Kline and psychiatrist
Richard Waugaman discuss the many claims about the provenance of Shakespeare’s plays.
