Articles Tagged With: The Kennedy Center

The North American tour of Company 📷 Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade

Company at The Kennedy Center

Somebody hold me too close.  Somebody hurt me too deep.  Somebody sit in my chair and ruin my sleep and make me aware of being alive.  Being alive.  That’s the plea of protagonist Bobby in Stephen Sondheim’s musical Company (book by George Furth) which is currently gracing the stage in the elegant Opera House at The John F. Kennedy Center for The Performing Arts in our nation’s capital.  Originally produced in 1970 Company was nominated for 14 Tony Awards and won six.

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US premiere of Théâtre de la Dame de Coeur's performance of Acupunk

Acupunk at The Kennedy Center

On a chilly winter’s evening, a gathering took place at the Kennedy Center’s Reach Plaza this week. Bathed in darkness (but luckily not bathed in rain), the audience gathered with rapt attention focused on the two giant figures set off to the side of the Plaza grounds.  But as the showtime began, these two 18-foot puppets sprang to life in movement, sound, smoke, and light to present the US premiere of Théâtre de la Dame de Coeur’s performance of Acupunk.

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Ain’t Too Proud at The Kennedy Center

Now in its first national tour, Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations opened a six-day run at the Kennedy Center on Tuesday, Feb 13. Certainly, the 2019 Broadway musical has one of the richest R&B songbooks a musical could hope for. It was also directed by Des McAnuff, who struck gold in 2004 directing Jersey Boys — a similar biographical musical about a 1960-born men’s vocal harmony group.

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The cast of Girl From the North Country 📷 Evan Zimmerman for Murphymade

Girl From The North Country at The Kennedy Center

Inspiration comes in dreams. Or maybe the answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind. Be it fever dream or disjointed wind that blows you into The Kennedy Center this December holiday season, you’re in for something a bit unusual when it comes to the National Touring production of Girl From the North Country. Now playing in The Eisenhower Theatre through new year’s eve, this ‘jukebox musical’ (and I use that term very,

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To Kill A Mockingbird National Tour 📷 Julieta Cervantes

To Kill A Mockingbird at The Kennedy Center

Our darkest days are always followed by our finest hours. One can only hope that in this current political climate, those words— belonging to playwright Aaron Sorkin— carry the burden of truth we so desperately need them to. Audiences across the nation would be fooling themselves if they didn’t think that Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, as adapted to the stage by playwright Aaron Sorkin, isn’t as— if not even more— relevant now than when it was written.

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The North American Tour of Moulin Rouge 📸 Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade

Moulin Rouge at The Kennedy Center

Moulin Rouge! The Musical (Based on the 20th Century Studios Motion Picture by Baz Luhrmann) runs through September 24, 2023 in the Kennedy Center Opera House. Tickets are currently available via the Kennedy Center website at the box office, or by calling 202-467-4600.

The real purpose of a review is to discern whether one should shell out one’s hard-earned money to see the show. The answer with Moulin Rouge!

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The Play That Goes Wrong 📷 Jeremy Daniel

The Play That Goes Wrong at The Kennedy Center

“When going to see The Murder at Haversham Manor at the Kennedy Center, presented by the Cornley University Drama Society (as made possible by the British-American Cultural Exchange Program), I was expecting an elevated evening of mystery with fine acting and a dazzling script. I confess that I loved what I saw, though what I saw was perhaps not what the playwright had intended. To say that there was a misfortunate moment or two in the production would be putting it mildly,

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The National Tour Cast of 1776. 📷 Joan Marcus

1776 at The Kennedy Center

Is anybody there? Does anybody care? That certainly seems to echo the sentiments of our country at present where large groups of people are concerned. When the Founding Fathers of this infantile country set out to free themselves from the tyranny of King George and the mighty English Empire… well, what we’ve got here in 2023? I’m sure they never could have dreamed of this. The story is history, that much is true.

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The Lion King North American Tour. 📸 Joan Marcus

The Lion King at The Kennedy Center

A shining new era is tiptoeing nearer…

And where does it feature? Just listen to teacher…

It’s the main stage feature of The Kennedy Center’s Opera House stage. Disney’s The Lion King, one of its most spectacular touring productions to date (and that’s saying something considering all of the fantastical magical enchantment that’s rolling around the country with Aladdin and Frozen), has arrived in the nation’s capital for a month-long summertime engagement!

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James Monroe Iglehart (center) as King Arthur and the cast of Spamalot 📷Jeremy Daniel

Spamalot at The Kennedy Center

King Arthur: “Have you heard of this Broadway?”
Sir Robin: “Yes Sire, and we don’t stand a chance there.”

Actually, Spamalot, the musical version of  the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail was a bona-fide smash, first lighting up the 2004-05 Broadway season, and now expertly mounted at the Kennedy Center through May 21st, as a part of their ‘Broadway Center Stage’ programming. Honestly, this production of Spamalot is dizzying,

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The Mortification of Fovea Munson at The Kennedy Center

Dead bodies are the worst! Or are they? I mean, is there anything worse than your parents naming you ‘Eyeballs’? Yes. Your parents naming you ‘Pitfall.’ Okay, not literally, but what if you figured out at the ripe old age of 13, which is a challenging age all on its own, that your name translates in Latin to the word ‘eyeballs’ or ‘pitfall’ or worse, ‘depression’? Wouldn’t that be enough to set you spinning into chaos?

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The Company of Into The Woods.📷Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman for Murphymade

Into The Woods at The Kennedy Center

Every moment is a moment when you’re in the woods. Be careful what you wish for, bring a slotted spoon to catch the potato, and nice is different than good. Direct from Broadway (including an opening weekend surprise of Andy Karl re-joining the company for the weekend), the darkened Sondheim Fairytale launches its National Tour debut from The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Are you ready to go Into The Woods?

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Sunset Boulevard at Broadway Center Stage at The Kennedy Center. 📷 Jeremy Daniel

Sunset Boulevard at The Kennedy Center

Teaching the world new ways to dream. But what happens when the shimmering gold of dreams fades to a distant silver of memory. Age comes for us all in the end does it not? The tragically beautiful and strikingly dramatic score of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard is sweeping the stage of the Eisenhower at The Kennedy Center this February as a part of the Broadway Center Stage series. With book & lyrics by Don Black &

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A Soldier’s Play at The Kennedy Center

“Any man ain’t sure where he belongs must be in a whole lotta pain.”

“War! Huh, (good God), What is it good for?” Well, that’s a loaded question for another day.  But back in 1944 on a segregated southern Louisiana Army Base, the promise of deployment to the battle front is a dream for many of our young characters of color that yearn for a chance of serving their country, and perhaps getting the chance to see a part of the world that doesn’t follow Jim Crow laws. 

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Jennafer Newberry as Glinda and Lissa deGuzman as Elphaba in the National Tour of Wicked. 📷 Joan Marcus

Wicked at The Kennedy Center

Popular! You know it’s going to be pop-u-lar! It’s the perfect show to see— while you’re in DC— it’s very, green for the hol-i-daaay. You’re simply gonna love it— so don’t wait— get your tickets to-daaay! The musical sensation that’s sweeping the nation once more, Tony Award-winning Wicked has once again landed in Washington DC at The Kennedy Center, having drifted away in an emerald cloud some six years ago. Directed by Joe Mantello,

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The Day You Begin at The Kennedy Center. 📷 Teresa Wood

The Day You Begin at The Kennedy Center

“There will be times when you walk into a room, and no one there is quite like you, until the day you begin to share your stories”

It is difficult at any age to enter a new space.  There are different sights, unfamiliar sounds, and usually, new faces who have different experiences than you.  Sometimes these new spaces take time to become familiar, and sometimes it takes courage within ourselves to open up to these new experiences to create our own place within this space. 

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Dear Evan Hansen at The Kennedy Center

“Do you think he’s gonna show the letter to other people?”

“He’s going to ruin your life with it”

Dear Valued Reader,

Today is going to be a great day and let me tell you why.  Because today (and most days between today and Sunday, September 25th), you have the chance to buy tickets to see the incomparable Dear Evan Hansen at the Kennedy Center!

This is the time where I can tell you how Dear Evan Hansen is the winner of six Tony Awards,

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Blue Man Group 📷Evan Zimmerman

Blue Man Group at The Kennedy Center

I am pretty sure that everyone has heard of Blue Man Group. You know that they paint themselves blue, play percussive instruments, have a fondness for primary colors and making a mess, all the while never saying a word. None of this is a plot spoiler. You walk into a theatre with moody lighting and a huge Syfy tech set with lots of LED lights and tv screens apparently showing random things – heck I even noticed a game of Pong.

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The Band's Visit. 📸 Evan Zimmerman

The Band’s Visit at The Kennedy Center

By conventional expectations of what constitutes a smash musical, The Band’s Visit shouldn’t be a success, and yet it is. It has, of course, won numerous Tony awards in the 2017-18 Season, and after seeing the production at the Kennedy Center, we can understand why it is well loved. 

The musical begins with the same words that opened the 2007 Isreali movie that inspired it: “Not so long ago, a group of musicians came to Israel from Egypt.

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The Second City's The Revolution Will Be Improvised. 📸 Scott Suchman

The Revolution Will Be Improvised at The Kennedy Center

“The couch is your coffin; and social media the funeral parlor”

Are current events getting you down?  Starting to feel the weight of it all?  Well The Second City’s The Revolution Will Be Improvised, now playing at the Kennedy Center through July 31st, may be what you need to laugh a little while you cry (or rage).

Performed by an amazingly talented ensemble cast, The Second City’s The Revolution Will Be Improvised does a lovely job of pulling topics from the headlines and poking fun at them while also not forgetting to address the real-world effect these events have on people in the present,

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To Kill a Mockingbird 📸Julieta Cervantes

To Kill A Mockingbird at The Kennedy Center

If we needed a fresh take on this American classic, then playwright Aaron Sorkin has delivered it. Don’t get us wrong, this is still the Harper Lee story that most of us know and love, but it has been adapted in a 21st century manner, with some characterizations that are a bit more nuanced and, arguably, real. To summarize up front, this is a production we think everyone should see. Unfortunately, like so much entertainment with a powerful message,

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Jersey Boys at The Kennedy Center

They’ve been working their way back to you, DC— and oh what a night do they have in store for you! That’s right— those four fellas standing under a street lamp singing together, making sounds like you never heard before? Jersey Boys is back, baby! For a two-week engagement, passing through The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the second-national tour of Jersey Boys is here, ready to refresh your memory on the heartfelt tale of Mr.

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A Monster Calls at The Kennedy Center

“Your mind will believe comforting lies while also knowing the painful truths that make those lies necessary. And your mind will punish you for believing both.”
― Patrick Ness, A Monster Calls

It is hard to describe the experience that is A Monster Calls now playing at The Kennedy Center in the Eisenhower Theater. Is it theater for Children? Is it dance? Is it a play for adults?

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Freestyle Love Supreme Tour

Freestyle Love Supreme at The Kennedy Center

In name and beyond, FREESTYLE LOVE SUPREME pays homage to John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme,” with a nod to musical roots in jazz, soul, blues, and hip hop.

Improvisation games are a standard part of theatre and music. Not all theater has improvisation nor do all forms of music but they can be great training tools and occasionally create something that is performance worthy. The key to creating really good improvised performances is a set of rules and a set routine,

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Beastgirl at The Kennedy Center

“What does it mean to be a girl, Dominic Republican, a Beastgirl?”

Don’t be fooled.  You may think you are entering Studio K at the Kennedy Center, but you are actually on the rooftop of the Amsterdam Ave. Apartments in New York City.  From the moment you scan your ticket, you are transported to the rooftop of this humble apartment building in NYC; though you may not be sure at first why you are there. 

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(L to R) Danielle Wade as Cady Heron, Megan Masako Haley as Gretchen Wieners, Nadina Hassan as Regina George, and Jonalyn Saxer as Karen Smith in Mean Girls. 📸 Jenny Anderson

Mean Girls at The Kennedy Center

Welcome to High School! Get in, losers— we’re going to The Kennedy Center! Because their production of Mean Girls the musical, Directed and Choreographed by Casey Nicholaw is just so FETCH! And they are absolutely making FETCH happen!!! Based on the Paramount Pictures film from 2004 with book by Tina Fey, music by Jeff Richmond, and lyrics by Nell Benjamin, this high-octane, high-quality Broadway musical is a trip down memory lane for some and a totally relevant look at the uncivilized jungle that is American public high school.

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Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show at The Kennedy Center

The 25th Anniversary tour of Riverdance (which began touring in 2020) is at The Kennedy Center for a very short run, March 15-27, in the Opera House. In Riverdance, Bill Whelan, Moya Doherty and John McColgan have created a show that has revolutionized ethnic dance, rendering it wildly appealing to general audiences. The production is well worth a visit for anyone who loves energetic dance, visual spectacle, toe-tapping rhythms, and absurdly talented performers.

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Aaron LaVigne and the company of the North American Tour of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR. Photo by Matthew Murphy, Evan Zimmerman - MurphyMade

Jesus Christ Superstar at The Kennedy Center

Fresh off a hit run in London, the 50th Anniversary production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s groundbreaking musical Jesus Christ Superstar is electrifying audiences at the Kennedy Center through March 13th.

Featuring the well-known hits “Superstar” and “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera retelling of how Jesus Christ spent the last week of his life as seen through the eyes of Judas,

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Hadestown at The Kennedy Center

“Myth is an attempt to narrate a whole human experience, of which the purpose is too deep, going too deep in the blood and soul, for mental explanation or description.” – D.H. Lawrence

We need myth, as we need food and water, and this particular myth is deeply resonant at this time. This myth is a tale of love and mistrust; music and dance; and light and dark. It’s a tale of power and exploitation.

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Next To Normal at The Kennedy Center

The
Kennedy Center’s Broadway Center Stage series drastically shifts gears but
continues to strike gold with their current production of Tom Kitt and Brian
Yorkey’s Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning musical Next to Normal. They have enjoyed great success for the last three
seasons mining a pleasing blend of golden age musicals like How to Succeed in Business Without Really
Trying
and The Music Man and
modern age classics like In the Heights and The Who’s Tommy,

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