Washington, DC Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations

Review: & JULIET at The Kennedy Center
by Rachael F. Goldberg - December 23, 2024

With a clever script, beloved music, and strong teams both on and off the stage, '& Juliet' is an incredibly witty, thoughtful, and joyful show, and the National Tour’s run at the Kennedy Center is the perfect way to cap off the year....

Review: LIFE OF PI at The Kennedy Center
by Dara Homer - December 22, 2024

With breathtaking visuals and puppetry, the stage adaptation of Life of Pi stays true to the novel while putting spectacle in the spotlight. Through a heart-wrenching odyssey across the Pacific, this production will make you believe in the power of stories—beautifully told, with imagery that sticks—...

Review: THE SPIRIT OF KWANZAA at Atlas Performing Arts Center
by Emily Berger - December 22, 2024

This year's performance was poignant and joyful, featuring more than 40 dancers from the school....

Review: THE WASHINGTON BALLET'S 'THE NUTCRACKER' at Warner Theater
by Michela Dwyer - December 18, 2024

What did our critic think of THE WASHINGTON BALLET'S 'THE NUTCRACKER' at Warner Theater?...

Review: CELTIC WOMAN WITH THE NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA at Kennedy Center
by Elliot Lanes - December 17, 2024

The holiday season is in full swing and this past weekend the holidays got a touch of the Irish as the international singing sensations Celtic Woman graced the stage of Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall with YOUR National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) for an evening of traditional holiday tunes with a sprink...

Review: STEP AFRIKA! MAGICAL MUSICAL HOLIDAY STEP SHOW at Arena Stage
by Roger Catlin - December 29, 2024

What did our critic think of STEP AFRIKA! MAGICAL MUSICAL HOLIDAY STEP SHOW at Arena Stage?...

Review: JUNGLE BOOK at The Kennedy Center
by Itai Yasur - December 15, 2024

Washington National Opera takes on Jungle Book for its holiday opera. See what our critic had to say....

Review: THE HORSE AND CARRIAGE at Prologue Theatre
by Jackson Malmgren - December 13, 2024

Prologue Theatre’s world premiere of THE HORSE AND CARRIAGE gratifies our desire to eavesdrop and hear the whole story of the couple sitting next to us. In a casual scene, the performance gives us a 90-minute glimpse into the life, struggles, and hopes for the future of the chatty neighboring table....

Review: ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE: HOW SHAKEPSEARE INVENTED THE VILLIAN at Shakespeare Theatre Company
by David Friscic - December 11, 2024

Actor and creator Patrick Page held the audience in the palm of his hand and took the audience (at the Klein Theatre of the Shakespeare Theatre Company) through a veritable “rogues’ gallery” of villains and devious- minded characters from the Shakespearean canon-- including murderers, the revengeful...

Review: A CHRISTMAS CAROL: A GHOST STORY OF CHRISTMAS at Olney Theatre Center
by Tavish Young - December 10, 2024

Quiet, cozy, and a little spooky, A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas, is a longstanding tradition for many, and could be a new one for local theatergoers. It's timeless, satiating, and teaches a classic Christmas lesson. While always timeless, its themes of gratitude, thankfulness, and ki...

Review: A WINTER GATHERING WITH KATHY MATTEA at Kennedy Center
by Roger Catlin - December 10, 2024

Kathy Mattea remembers the time when she was moping around the house, worried about making “an album nobody would hear.” It was 1993 and she was making a Christmas album minus the usual holiday standards or well-known carols. Santa was nowhere to be found; jingle bells, as subject or sound effect, w...

Review: A HOLIDAY POPS! WITH JESSICA VOSK AND THE NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA at Kennedy Center
by Elliot Lanes - December 10, 2024

One of my favorite holiday traditions is attending the yearly A Holiday Pops! concert at Kennedy Center. Hearing YOUR National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) under the always superb direction of Maestro Steven Reineke play some familiar holiday favorites mixed in with some newer pieces is a great way to g...

Review: DEATH ON THE NILE at Arena Stage
by Mary Lincer - December 09, 2024

With Ken Ludwig's adaptation of Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile, Arena Stage's new Artistic Director, Hana S. Sharif, debuts as Director. The sumptuousness of the production may not quite balance with the slightness of the script, but as amusement during the holiday season, Death on the Nile off...

Review: LEOPOLDSTADT at Shakespeare Theatre Comany
by Pamela Roberts - December 08, 2024

Leopoldstadt, a weighty and ambitious work by award-winning author Tom Stoppard, is on stage now at the Shakespeare Theatre Company. The modern epic traces a Viennese Jewish family from the zest and promise at the eve of the 20th century, through the devastations of the Great War and the annexation ...

Review: BALLETX at Kennedy Center
by Michela Dwyer - December 07, 2024

What did our critic think of BALLETX at Kennedy Center?...

Review: AN IRISH CAROL at Keegan Theatre
by Roger Catlin - December 07, 2024

Of the too-many stage variations of Charles Dickens’ Scrooge story this time of year, the one that’s found its place in my cold, black heart is the Keegan Theatre’s “An Irish Carol.”...

Review: A BEAUTIFUL NOISE- THE NEIL DIAMOND MUSICAL at National Theatre
by David Friscic - December 06, 2024

The “beautiful noise” of music is what you hear --if you will only let the noise of the street hustle, people yelling and shouting, and personal traumas behind. Turning all of this ostensible cacophony into the therapeutic music of the soul and the heart and realizing your individual empowerment (th...

Review: FINN at Kennedy Center
by Elliot Lanes - December 03, 2024

With the holiday season now upon us, there are many theatrical viewing options. Many of them have a holiday theme, but for those of you that want something off the tinsel and caroling path, I am about to tell you about a world premiere commission musical that the Kennedy Center is running at this fe...

Review: IMPROVISED SHAKESPEARE COMPANY at Kennedy Center
by Rachael F. Goldberg - December 02, 2024

Improvised Shakespeare Company’s productions may not be faithful recreations of the Bard’s works, but their play off the familiar while indulging in the joy of bringing something new and unique makes for a wonderful theater experience....

Review: A HANUKKAH CAROL, OR GELT TRIP! THE MUSICAL at Round House Theatre
by Mary Lincer - December 01, 2024

What did our critic think of A HANUKKAH CAROL, OR GELT TRIP! THE MUSICAL at Round House Theatre?...

Review: GEORGE BALANCHINE’S THE NUTCRACKER® at Kennedy Center
by Emily Berger - December 01, 2024

What did our critic think of GEORGE BALANCHINE’S THE NUTCRACKER® at Kennedy Center?...

Review: SHAW'S SHORTS at Washington Stage Guild
by Roger Catlin - November 26, 2024

What did our critic think of SHAW'S SHORTS at Washington Stage Guild?...

Review: INTIMATE FRIENDS OF FLAMENCO at GALA Hispanic Theatre
by Emily Berger - November 23, 2024

The final show of the XX Fuego Flamenco Festival runs through November 23...

Review: CHAMPIONS OF MAGIC at The Kennedy Center
by Tavish Young - November 25, 2024

Whether you prefer to suspend all disbelief and allow yourself to be dazzled, or instead prefer to try and figure out how these tricks are being done, Champions of Magic has something for you....

Review: THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION at NextStop Theatre
by Hannah R. Wing - November 20, 2024

What makes NextStop Theatre’s The Shawshank Redemption stand out is the dedication that the cast has to bringing these characters to life on stage without miming the performances from the movie....