Period Piece: On Theatre J's The How and the Why

Valerie Leonard and Katie deBuys are evolutionary biologists in Sarah Treem's play. (Theater J)

Here's a little preview I wrote for Theater J's imminent production of The How and the Why, a play about dueling evolutionary theories regarding menstruation from The Affair showrunner Sarah Treem.  It's in today's Washington City Paper.

The Feminine Critique: Rapture, Blister, Burn, reviewed.

Maggie Erwin & Michelle Six represent two different generations (Danisha Crosby/Round House).

When I saw Round House Theatre's production of Becky Shaw two years ago, I found in Gina Gionfriddo a playwright whose humor and unpredictability made me want to read everything she'd written. I got the scripts for After Ashley and U.S. Drag, and I read them both during the same flight. My review of Round House's new production of her latest – 2012's Rapture, Blister, Burn – is in today's Washington City Paper.

The Scarlet A(s): Inventing Van Gogh and The Argument, reviewed.

Lawrence Remond & Ryan Tumulty in Inventing Van Gogh. (C. Stanley Photography)

In today's Washington City Paper, I review two shows I mostly liked: Washington Stage Guild's Inventing Van Gogh and Theater J's The Argument.

You are alerted.

College Try: Theater J's The Hampton Years, reviewed

Crashonda Edwards & Julian Michael Martinez play real-life artists Samella Lewis & John Biggers.

This week's City Paper theater column was supposed to include reviews of Theater J's new The Hampton Years and American Century Theater's revived Biography. The Sunday matinee of Biography I attended was cancelled due to a power failure 30 minutes into the show, and there wasn't another performance scheduled before my Monday-evening deadline, regrettably.

So I ended up with a few more hundred words of real estate in which to unpack what I consider be the very earnest and honorable Hampton Years' very earnest and honorable shortcomings. And also the rather less honorable shortcoming of my published review, wherein I reported that the artist Elizabeth Catlett, a character in The Hampton Years, is still alive. In fact, Ms. Catlett died last year. I apologize for my stupid, sloppy error.