Local stages abound with holiday cheer
Feel like taking some time out from the holiday hustle and bustle for a few hours? There’s no better refuge than indulging yourself in the current offerings of Washington’s theater companies. You can immerse yourself in holiday spectacle and sentiment, maybe with kids in tow, or choose to experience something completely different.
What the Dickens?
Tradition, tradition. Christmas in D.C. means lots of Charles Dickens.
Leading the way, as always, is Ford’s Theatre, the annual holiday home of A Christmas Carol. A perennial favorite, the show is a spirited (you should pardon the pun) and faithful adaptation of Dickens’ classic tale exploring redemption and renewal.
Top DC actor Edward Gero leaves Shakespeare behind for his yearly portrayal of miserly, miserable Ebenezer Scrooge. With music enhancing the tale, Ford’s A Christmas Carol has become an enduring part of Christmas in Washington and is a good choice for a family outing.
It plays through Dec. 30 at Ford’s Theatre, 511 10th St., NW in DC. For information and tickets, visit www.FordsTheatre.org or call (202) 347-4833.
Another exploration of the Dickens tale is more subdued, but enchanting nevertheless. Acting fave Paul Morella stars in a one-man version of the story at Olney Theatre Center. Adapted from Dickens’ original novella and reading tour, Morella’s version focuses on the heart of the timeless morality tale.
A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas plays through Dec. 30 at Olney Theatre’s Mulitz-GudelskyTheatre Lab, 2001 Olney Sandy Spring Rd. in Olney, Md. The theatre says it’s recommended for ages 10 and up. For information and tickets, visit www.OlneyTheatre.org or call (301) 924-3400.
Across the river in north Alexandria, MetroStage gives us a yet another take on Dickens, with A Broadway Christmas Carol. And as it’s back for a third year at MetroStage, following seven years at Round House Theatre in Silver Spring, I guess we can safely say that it, too, is a D.C.-area tradition.
How is this different? Well, there’s more snark than sentiment, befitting a spoof of the Dickens story. It’s non-stop music featuring parodies of favorite Broadway show tunes and the cast goes all out for laughs.
There are moments of seasonal sentiment, to be sure, but this show has Broadway in the title, so you know it’s aiming for over the top, and gets there. For the cognoscenti among us, part of the fun is being one of the first to identify the tunes up for parody.
At MetroStage, 1201 N. Royal St., Alexandria, Va. through Dec. 23. For information and tickets, visit www.MetroStage.org or call (703) 548-9044.
A different take on Christmas
If A Broadway Christmas Carol makes you yearn for a balancing dollop of authentic Christmas spirit, you might consider James Joyce’s The Dead, staged by Quotidian Theatre Company in Bethesda.
I know, I know. “The Dead” part of the title doesn’t exactly scream holiday cheer. Of course, neither does the “James Joyce” part. But it’s actually a warming tale, taken from one of Joyce’s short stories and set in 1916 Dublin.
The story takes place at a Christmas party, and it has been garnished with authentic music as performed and enjoyed by the partygoers. The family-centered themes and natural, minimalist story telling combine with the music for an enthralling experience.
It will be performed by Quotidian Theatre Company through Dec. 16 at the Writer’s Center theater, 4508 Walsh St., Bethesda, Md. For information and tickets, visit www.QuotidianTheatre.org or call (301) 816-1023.
Christian-lite pop music is filling the 1st Stage theater in Tyson’s Corner as Altar Boyz plays through Dec. 30. It’s 90 minutes of musical comedy and tongue-in-cheek lyrics about a boy-band that tries to save the world in a concert.
The boys are named Matthew, Mark, Luke, Juan and Abraham. And it’s no spoiler to mention it, but they’re dead. Still, they can dance.
1st Stage is at 1524 Spring Hill Rd., Tysons Corner, Va. For information and tickets, which are $30, visit www.1stStageTysons.org or call (703) 854-1856.
More than holiday fare
It’s not all Yuletide spirit on D.C. stages this month, but there’s plenty of glitter to go around. My Fair Lady continues at Arena Stage’s Fichandler Stage through Jan. 6. With a classic score from Lerner and Loewe, it’s family entertainment (but rather long for younger kids at 2 hours and 45 minutes).
Arena is also staging its portion of a world premiere co-production (with Seattle Repertory Theatre) of Pullman Porter Blues. Set in 1937 on the Panama Limited train between Chicago to New Orleans, it’s a lively tale of three generations of porters and how the upcoming Joe Louis/James Braddock championship bout affects their lives, set to bluesy music.
It is scheduled to run through Jan. 6 in Arena’s Kreeger Theatre. Arena Stage is located at 1101 6th St. SW in D.C. For information and tickets on both shows, visit www.ArenaStage.org or call (202) 554-9066.
Olney Theatre Company has a kid-charming show with its production of Cinderella. The favorite fairy tale is set to music by Rodgers & Hammerstein, and features glass slippers, a fairy godmother, a handsome prince, nasty stepsisters and a pumpkin coach along with the poor girl who becomes a princess.
It’s running through Dec. 30 at Olney Theatre Center’s main stage, 2001 Olney Sandy Spring Rd. in Olney, Md. For information and tickets, visit www.OlneyTheatre.org or call (301) 924-3400.
If you’re enjoying all those old Motown versions of Christmas tunes on the radio, you may be ready for yet another return of Dreamgirls, the Tony Award-winning Broadway smash musical (and movie).
This time, Signature Theatre offers the thinly veiled look at the Supremes’ rise to the top of the pop charts in the 1960s, onstage through Jan. 6. A robust score enlivens the tale of a girl group from Chicago making it big while fighting for control of their careers, friendship and love.
Signature is located at 4200 Campbell Ave. in Arlington, Va. For information and tickets, visit www.Signature-Theatre.org or call (703) 820-9771.
Want to escape the holidays and glitz for a few hours? Try Studio Theatre’s production of The Aliens, which is running through at least Dec. 23. There are no dancing sugar plums in the dingy back alley of a sleepy Vermont coffeehouse where two affable slackers and an awkward teen experience a summer of “small triumphs and quiet, unforeseen devastations.”
From playwright Annie Baker, the critically acclaimed writer of Circle Mirror Transformation, this drama is described as “a subtle ode to the truth and compassion hidden in unexpected people and places.” Studio Theatre is at 1501 14th St. NW in D.C. For information and tickets, visit www.StudioTheatre.org or call (202) 332-3300.
And Round House Theatre in Bethesda has a world premiere production that might be good for holiday-addled kids. It’s Young Robin Hood, which brings back the legendary archer in a new story. But don’t worry, he’s still in Nottingham fighting the nasty Sheriff, with help from the Sheriff’s lovely daughter Marian.
The show runs through Dec. 30 at Round House’s main stage, located at 4545 East-West Highway in Bethesda. For information and tickets, visit www.RoundHouseTheatre.org or call (240) 644-1100.
Michael Toscano is the Beacon’s theater critic.