OnStage, Georgetown: November
By • October 23, 2024 0 312
By Mark Edelman
November welcomes rich fall colors: the ones that stage lighting, scenery and costumes bring to theaters in and around Washington. Don’t miss all of the vibrant theater illuminating local stages this month. With the holidays around the corner, it’s a great time to catch a show.
ROMEO & JULIET Folger Library Theatre Now through Nov. 10
The timeless story of star-crossed lovers is also a story of the politics of hatred and the violence that can consume society. Sound familiar? Tickets at www.folger.edu.
“Woman in Black” — photo by Cameron Whitman.
THE WOMAN IN BLACK Keegan Theatre Now through Nov. 17
The infamous West End melodrama returns to this Dupont Circle playhouse. A lawyer obsessed with a curse cast over his family by the eponymous “Woman in Black” tries to exorcise the fear that grips his soul. Not surprisingly, it doesn’t end well. Tickets at www.keegantheatre.com
THE OTHER AMERICANS Arena Stage Now through Nov. 24
Award-winning actor and playwright John Leguizamo introduces us to a Colombian-American laundromat owner grappling with a failing business and buried secrets. When son Nick returns after a traumatic incident, Nelson is forced to tackles racial and identity challenges to achieve his dream. Tickets at www.arenastage.org.
THE ART OF CARE Atlas Performing Arts Center Now through Nov. 24
Mosaic Theatre presents this world premier about the beauty of a loved one’s passing, births, boundary crossings, and the frustrations and resilience in the face of unexpected health crises. In a divisive election season, the play with music asks audiences to bear witness to the common humanity of one another and deep connections between art and medicine. Tickets at www.mosaictheater.org.
PRAYER FOR THE FRENCH REPUBLIC Theatre J Now through Nov. 30
A Parisian Jewish family is overwhelmed by an anti-Semitic attack on their son while Marine Le Pen’s right-wing views fuel a troubling anti-Muslim fire. The family faces choices mirroring a generation ago as past and present play out simultaneously in this Tony Award Best Play nominee. Tickets at www.edcjcc.org/theater-j.
DATA Arena Stage Now through Dec. 15
Arena’s intimate third stage—the Kogod Cradle—plays host to this suspenseful new play that takes you behind the locked doors of Silicon Valley. Maneesh is a brilliant entry-level programmer who’s content to work in a low-stress environment at a data mining firm. But things are not all they seem at Athena Data Analytics, tearing our hero from his unique American roots. Tickets at arenastage.org.
DISNEY’S FROZEN Olney Theatre Center Now through Jan. 4
What better anthem for the holidays than “Let It Go,” as in the credit card in your wallet. Take the young’uns up to Olney for one of the few regional theater productions to get the call from Disney to create their own take on this money spinner. This time, the adventures of Elsa, Anna, Kristoff and Olaf will be supervised by director Alan Muraoka, a “Sesame Street” alum. It’s the Maryland theater’s biggest musical yet, which is saying something. Tickets at www.olneytheatre.org.
“Dance Like There’s Black People Watching” — photo from Second City’s 2023 production by Nolis Anderson.
DANCE LIKE THERE’S BLACK PEOPLE WATCHING Woolly Mammoth Nov. 6 to Dec. 22
Those wacky improv comedians from Chicago’s famed Second City returns to Woolly Mammoth to deliver a dose of brilliant Black Joy. Created exclusively for Woolly Mammoth, this “Black Excellence Revue” features the troupe’s world-renowned ensemble of rising comedy stars, who promise a fresh look at the ridiculous things in life. Tickets at www.woollymammoth.com.
“Six”— photo by Joan Marcus.
SIX National Theatre Nov. 12 to Dec. 6
Those six hot wives of Henry VIII are back at the National, still divorced, beheaded, died or survived. From Tudor Queens to Pop Icons, these regal brides remix decades of historical heartbreak into a celebration of 21st Century girl power. And you pick the winner of this Middle Age Brits Got Talent spectacular. Tickets at www.broadwayatthenational.com.
SUMMER 1976 Studio Theatre Nov. 13 to Dec. 22
It’s midsummer in the mid-seventies and two very different women are thrown into one another’s orbit in college-town Ohio. Iconoclast artist Diana looks down on faculty wife Alice, but their young daughters and the transformative power of a friendship forces them together. Tickets at www.studiotheatre.org.
THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION Next Stop Theatre Nov. 13 to Dec. 22
Stephen King’s novella and the great Tim Robbins-Morgan Freeman film have spawned this
stage version of the tale of a wrongly-convicted murderer who uses his wits, determination and an unlikely friendship to keep hope alive and escape a notorious, corrupt prison. Tickets at www.nexstoptheatre.org
THE SOUND OF MUSIC Toby’s Dinner Theatre Nov. 15 to Jan. 12
The hills are alive over in Columbia, Maryland, when this family friendly chestnut takes the stage
for the holiday season. The real-life von Trapp family, under the steely command of Sister Maria, escape from the Nazis who have taken over Austria on their way to European domination—a cautionary tale for the world today, unfortunately. Tickets at www.tobysdinnertheatre.com.
A HANUKKAH CAROL or GELT! TRIP THE MUSICAL Round House Theatre Nov. 20 to Dec. 22
The OTHER holiday musical (see below), this family-friendly riff on a holiday classic aims to make the world a kinder place. Naturally—or otherwise—several ghosts visit our heroine Chava to help her reconnect with her Jewish identity. I assume that potato pancakes, jelly donuts and the Maccabees will show up sometime during this world premier—drive or take the Metro up to Bethesda and find out for yourself. Tickets at www.roundhousetheatre.org.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL Ford’s Theatre Nov. 21 to Dec. 31
The holidays here in Washington wouldn’t be the same without Ford’s timeless Yuletide classic, a music-infused production that captures the magic and joy of Dickens’s chestnut with familiar characters, ghosts and a cheerful children’s ensemble. Craig Wallace returns to play Ebenezer Scrooge. Tickets at www.fords.org.
DEATH ON THE NILE Arena Stage Nov. 22 to Dec. 29
Award-winning D.C. playwright Ken Ludwig adapts Agatha Christie’s suspense-filled whodunit for Arena’s Kreeger Stage. Undauntable Inspector Hercule Poirot becomes entangled in a web of deceit and desire aboard a cruise ship when a murder occurs among the passengers. It’s Hercule to the rescue—but can he unmask the killer before he strikes again? Tickets at www.arenastage.org.
Mark Edelman is a playwright who loves writing about theater. He is a lifetime member of the Broadway League and a Tony voter.
