You Gotta Move: Synetic's A Trip to the Moon and A Commedia Christmas Carol, reviewed

A Trip to the Moon, 1902

I was a big admirer of writer/director/illustrator Natsu Onoda Power's Astro Boy and the God of Comics at Studio Theatre earlier this year, and also of Martin Scorcese's 2011 film Hugo, which was in part about pioneering filmmaker Georges Méliès. So I was excited to see Power's new stage adaptation of Méliès’ most famous film, A Trip to the Moon -- which I found promising but underdeveloped.

I review it in today's Washington City Paper, along with a Faction of Fools' A Commedia Christmas Carol.

Psilocybin Tea and Sympathy: Studio Theatre's The Aliens, reviewed.

Scot McKenzie and Brian Miskell in The Aliens. Photo: Scott Suchman.

Wherein I gradually fall under the under the slow-burning spell of Annie Baker's The Aliens, the pausiest third of her Vermont Trilogy. I reviewed its other two-thirds already: Theater J's production of Baker's Body Awareness back in September, and Studio's production of her Circle Mirror Transformation two years ago.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.

This Band Is Your Band: Woody Sez, reviewed.

His life was short and sad, but his songs will live forever.

I reviewed the bio-musical Woody Sez: The Life and Music of Woody Guthrie, which is at Theater J this month.

Digging in the Dirt

​Holly Twyford and Natalia Payne

In today's City Paper, I review the second entry in the Studio Theatre's Lab Series for new plays, Bryony Lavery's Dirt. She wrote the masterfully chilling unsettling kiddie-killer drama Frozen, which played at Studio in 2006. She also wrote Beautiful Burnout, a boxing play that I'm eager to see because I like stories that involve boxing for the same reason I love to box: metaphors for the bruising, thrilling experience of life itself don't come any clearer.

I was a big admirer of Studio's production of the first Studio Lab show, Duncan Macmillian's Lungs, which was at Studio at this time last year. Dirt has some thematic congruity with that play, but it isn't quite as surefooted, at least not yet. There's some wastage. But the good stuff is very good. Holly Twyford elevates everything she's in and DC newcomer Natalia Payne is an actor I hope we'll start seeing all over the place. She's phenom-mana.

The War on Droogs: Scena Theater's A Clockwork Orange, reviewed.

Malcolm MacDowell in Stanley Kubrick's inescapable 1971 film version.

Scena Theatre's production of A Clockwork Orange, using Anthony Burgess' adaptation of his own 1962 novella, did not make me want to throw up. Reviewed in today's Washington City Paper.

Thanks to my editor, Jon Fischer, for what he called the "inevitable" hed. I have to admit, it's better than The Milk-Plus of Human Cruelty.

Too Past for Love: Signature's Dying City and Spooky Action's Reckless, reviewed

​Rachel Zampelli & Thomas Keegan in Signature's Dying City (Scott Suchman)

My reviews of new productions of Christopher Shinn's somber 2006 drama Dying City and Craig Lucas's surreal 1983 comedy Reckless are in today's Washington City Paper.

Russian Lark: STC's The Government Inspector, reviewed.

​Overdressed & overqualified. (SCOTT SUCHMAN/Shakespeare Theatre Co.)

A seminal Russian comedy, updated with jokes about teacher's unions. It didn't do much for me, but there's a lot of talent on that stage.

Reviewed in today's Washington City Paper, available wherever finer alt-weeklies are given away for free.