| Travel News from Washington, DC | May 2007 |
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Washington, DC Dazzles Summer Theatre-Goers with Festivals, Free Performances
Theatre-lovers will find a packed calendar of performances in Washington, DC this summer, as a variety of alluring shows and fun festivals share the spotlight. Here's a round-up of this summer's agenda.
The summer theatre season starts off with the Shakespeare Free For All, a series of free performances of the Bard's "Love's Labor's Lost " by The Shakespeare Theatre Company, presented under the stars at the Carter Barron Amphitheatre in Rock Creek Park. Originally directed by Michael Kahn, this clever rendition of the Shakespeare masterpiece is directed by Stephen Fried. Look for a twist to this tale of the search for enlightenment when a 1960s-era American rock band appears on the scene. Performances run nightly May 24 through June 3, except Monday, May 28. Tickets are required for entry; seating begins at approximately 7:10 pm and performances start promptly at 7:30 pm and last about three hours.
Innovative, contemporary performance art is the order of the day at the 2nd Annual Capital Fringe Festival, which takes place July 19-29. Experimental artists and thespians showcase venturesome and original talent with more than 400 hundred performances in 18 venues across the city. Expect a variety of unconventional theater, dance, music, poetry, puppetry and other art forms designed to challenge art audiences and attract new non-traditional audiences.
The Fringe Festival isn't the only edgy theatre in town this summer. Sarah Ruhl's "Dead Man's Cell Phone" makes its world premiere in DC, playing June 4-July 1 at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. This oddly fictional love story follows a lonely woman who answers a stranger's cell phone and inadvertently finds herself as guardian of his memory. The quirky comedy depicts a world where technology takes over human souls, grieving is more complicated than thought, and everyone is desperate to make a connection.
In another premiere, the devilishly good "Witches of Eastwick" flies into Signature Theatre for its first U.S. production June 5 - July 8. Set in the tiny New England town of Eastwick, R.I., three unhappy women innocently plot and conjure for their perfect man over a heady brew of brownies and weak martinis. When their longings are made flesh in the arrival of one Darryl Van Horne, all bets are off.
For fans of the classics, summer brings several appealing productions. One of the greatest plays ever written by the Bard, "Hamlet" will be presented by the Shakespeare Theatre Company at the Lansburgh Theatre June 5-July 29. For more than 400 years, Hamlet's exploration of life, love, duty and vengeance has captivated audiences. Directed by Michael Kahn, the production is the Shakespeare Theatre Company's grand finale to the citywide Shakespeare in Washington festival.
The musical theatre classic "The Phantom of the Opera" returns to The Kennedy Center June 20 - August 12. Andrew Lloyd Webber's longest-running Broadway production traces the tragic love story of a shadowy figure that haunts the Paris Opera and his muse, an enchanting opera singer.
Fans of musical theatre will also find a tempting selection of open-air performances at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts this summer. This season's theatre highlights include:
- "The Mikado," Gilbert & Sullivan's witty tale of love and duty, which plays June 1-2.
- One of music theater's original rock operas, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Jesus Christ Superstar," running June 8-10.
- The classic legend of King Arthur, Guinevere, and Sir Lancelot, brought to life in "Camelot" July 10-14.
- One of the greatest musicals and love stories, "West Side Story," which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, playing August 28- Sept. 2.
