This 'Hou$e' has got Herndon talking

From left, Jule Nelson-Duac, Cristina Sanchez and Ixchel Hernandez star in NextStop Theatre's Dream Hou$e/by NextStop

Rather than a "dream house," this becomes a horror house (with some laughs thrown in). 

Dream Hou$e by Eliana Pipes is presented by NextStop Theatre, all about two Latina sisters, Patricia and Julia (Cristina Sanchez and Ixchel Hernandez) who grapple with how to sell their deceased mother's house.

Should they? Will they?

They argue, they embrace, adjust to new family dynamics, and show growing respect and love for each another. 

Into the house steps the glamourous and smiling-between clinched teeth, Tessa (Jule Nelson-Duac), a stereotypical real estate television personality who enthusiastically tells the ladies that she can sell their house for ... are you ready?

Much more than they ever dreamed about!

Millions more than they could ever imagine!

The sisters gasp! They hug! Can this be true?

And Tessa shows them how, in this deepening strange and weird tale.

In the room the silent female movers go (Leela Aviles Dawson, Carianmax Benitez, and Sadie Koopman)  wasting no time "staging" the house for Tessa's television show, while the TV host morphs into a scary, sci-fi character who deliciously coaxes the sisters into...

My! What big teeth she has! The better to gobble you up!

Rather than focusing on the sisters, the script has Tessa increasingly taking center stage and she has no trouble meeting demands nor do the homeowners who, under the direction of Helen Hayes Award winner, Dylan Arredondo, all deliver solid, creditable performances.

Grisele Gonzalez has designed a full set of a home's living area, a warm environment which gradually loses its character and becomes a sterile room, as the movers go about their duties. Rather like Tessa transitions to a monster.

NextStop's values include "encouraging the exploration of new ideas, creative risks, and pushing boundaries to keep theater vibrant and relevant."

And to that, amen, sister: Dream Hou$e achieves its goals and more. 

The creative team includes Ilyana Rose-Davila, costumes; Alberto Segarra, lighting; Jason Dearing, props; Madeline “Mo” Oslejsek, sound; Zavier Taylor, multimedia design.

Also, Katie Ciszek, dramaturg; Sam Rollin, stage manager; Andres Jovel, assistant stage manager.

What:  Dream Hou$e

When: Thursday - Saturday, 8 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday matinees, 2 p.m. Through Oct. 5, 2025

Where: NextStop Theatre Company, 269 Sunset Park Drive, Herndon, VA 20170 in the back right corner of Sunset Business Park, near the intersection of Spring Street/Sunset Hills Road. Right off the Fairfax County Parkway. 

Parking: Park for free in the business park at NextStop's location.

Metro Station: Walk 15 minutes from the Herndon Metro Stop.

Tickets:  $48 (with fee included)

For more information:  703-481-5930 x1; info@nextstoptheatre.org

Duration: 90 mins., no intermission

Ages:  Adult themes and some adult language

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Shakespeare's 'Merry Wives' will show you a good time

From left, Shakespeare Theatre Company's Merry Wives are Mrs. Ford (Felicia Curry, left,) and Mrs. Page (Oneika Phillips) separated by the conniving Falstaff (Jacob Ming-Trent)/by Teresa Castracane

It's a comedy tonight!

And the wildest, funniest contemporary Shakespeare version I have seen, and the crowd roared with me. 

Shakespeare Theatre Company presents the adaptation, Merry Wives by Jocelyn Bioh which she wrote for NYC's 2021 Shakespeare in the Park, all about West African immigrants and cultures in present-day Harlem.

And a boisterous, rowdy lot they are, indeed! 

 

Mr. and Mrs. Ford (Nick Rashad Burroughs and Felicia Curry) own a laundromat while their friends, the Pages (JaBen Early and Oneika Phillips) have a hair salon.

Amidst an elegant setting of a three-story building at a subway stop, the haughty and laughable Falstaff (Jacob Ming-Trent) is hungry for all kinds of treasures and sets his sights on two wealthy women whose possessions he is in need. 

Like many lovers who screw up when more than one is involved, Falstaff is a prime contender. 

"Setting the attractions of my good parts aside, I have no other charms," he says, most assuredly with high confidence he'll succeed in his quests.

Alas, if you can imagine a mixup in Shakespeare: Falstaff sends both of his targets the same love letter!

But, being the savvy sisters they are, Ms. Page and Ms. Ford soon grasp what Falstaff is all about and they plan revenge. Saith Madam Page:  "Wives may be merry, and yet honest too."

Time and again, the wives play tricks on the slobbery, wobbly Falstaff from the laundry room to the hair salon to the woods amidst spectacular sets by Lawrence E. Moten III.

The ladies lean, they twist their bodies and a few words.

Their husbands soon join the party, Mr. Page who says: "I do despise a liar as I do despise one that is false, or as I despise one that is not true" while the jealous Mr. Ford (Mrs. Ford will learn 'em!) claims it is "better three hours too soon than a minute too late." 

Meanwhile, several suitors chase the Pages' daughter, Anne (Peyton Rowe), none more entertaining than the good Dr. Caius (Jordan Barbour) whose exaggerated antics made me laugh often. 

Others in pursuit of the young lass are Fenton and Slender (Latoya Edwards in both roles).

Anne has her favorite, and so did I who could have watched Shaka Zu, an ensemble member, dance the night away. 

Taylor Reynolds directs. Other cast members are Bru Aju, Kelli Blackwell, Rebecca Celeste, Sekou Laidlaw, Craig Wallace, and Tyrone Stanley. 

The artistic team included Ivania Stack, costumes; Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew, lighting; Mikaal Sulaiman, sound; Nikiya Mathis, wigs and hair; Ashleigh King, choreographer; Nadia Guevara, associate director; Laura Smith, production stage manager; 
Jazzy Davis and Stephen Bubniak, assistant stage managers.

Scholars say Shakespeare wrote the Merry Wives of Windsor to answer Queen Elizabeth's request for more of Falstaff, this time in love.  Ms. Bioh's rendition keeps almost all of the original script first published 400 years ago. (Classics last!)

STC will have a special evening on Friday, Sept. 26 at 7:30 pm for guests to "mix, mingle, and be merry" at Harman Hall for Akwaaba Night with the show, cast and cultures.

What: Merry Wives

When:  Through Oct. 5, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. with weekend matinees at 2 p.m.

Where: Harman Hall, Shakespeare Theatre Company, 610 F Street NW. Washington, DC 20004

Tickets: Start at $35

Audience: For adults and mature children 

For more information: Call the Box Office at 202-547-1122, seven days a week, 12 – 6pm. The Box Office windows remain open until curtain time.

Duration:  Almost two hours without intermission 

Metro Stations: Gallery Place, Archives, Metro Center

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GALA's 'Spider Woman' spins a knockout

From left, Rodrigo Pedreira is Valentin and Martin Ruiz is Molina in GALA's Kiss of the Spider Woman/by Daniel Martinez

Spiders can entrap, they can protect, they are patient, and they wait to entrap their snares.

That GALA Hispanic Theatre has brought back its 1994 Kiss of the Spider Woman when its co-founder, Hugh Medrano (1943-2023) earned a Helen Hayes Award for Lead Actor, the first for a Spanish performance in D.C., is no surprise for success realized then certainly means success today.

And outstanding acting by Rodrigo Pedreira and Martin Ruiz, two prisoners who share an Argentine cell in the 1970s, prove it with the 1976 novel by Manuel Puig of the  same title brought to life.

With haunting original music and sound (by Koki Lortkipanidze), Valentin has been imprisoned for revolutionary practices and protests against Argentine’s political regime while Molina is in jail for child abuse.

Their togetherness in the solitary cell creates recognition of common goals and fears while their warming embrace of differences broadens their perspectives and outlooks.

Adding more stress to his dilemma is Molina's desire for Valentin and the undercover spy operation conducted by the government, effectively presented by phone calls and eerie directions echoing in the chamber to Molina, unheard by Valentin.

The setting (by Tony Cisek) is naturally stark and gray - it's a concrete cell, after all -  the environment intensified by Hailey LaRoe's lighting.

At GALA, theatregoers can see this version of Kiss of the Spider Woman in person, in advance of next month's movie premiere with Jennifer Lopez and Diego Luna.

On two screens at either end of the stage GALA presents its version in Spanish with English surtitles.

Jose Luis Arellano directs with assistance from Luz Nicolas. 

Other production team members are Cidney Forkpah, costumes; Tessa Grippaudo, properties; Anson Stevie, technicals; Ilyana Rose-Davila, production manager; Andre Hopfer, makeup and hair; David Peralto, vocals; and Brian Martinez, stage manager.

On September 21, join a talk-back session with Jesse Garcia, public relations manager at Amazon, and Jose Gutierrez, psychologist, both active in human rights and LGBTQ associations.

Through September 26, enjoy Friday night socials in the lobby at Afters at GALA with Latina musicians and karaoke.

What: Kiss of the Spider Woman

When: Thursday through Saturday nights at 8 p.m.; Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Now through Sept. 28, 2025.

Where: GALA Theatre, 3333 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20010.

Tickets: Start at $25 with discounts available.

Duration: About two hours with a ten-minute intermission.

Ages: For 14 and up, adult themes.

Handicapped accessibility: GALA has four wheelchair accessible spaces and an elevator from the entrance to the lobby and the house.

Metro stations: Columbia Heights is one block from GALA on the Green and Yellow lines. Or, get off Metro at McPherson Square, take a bus up 14th, or, walk two miles from McPherson Square and save money and expend calories! Many places to eat along the way.

Parking: Discounted parking for $4 at Giant's garage around the corner on Park Road with ticket validation in GALA's lobby, and more parking on the street and at the Target's garage also on Park Road NW, between 14th and 16th streets NW.

For more information: Call (202) 234-7174 and/or email info@galatheatre.org

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Book review: Blake Gopnik exposes Albert Barnes

In The Maverick's Museum: Albert Barnes and His American Dream, art critic Blake Gopnik tells us, in his well-documented tome, all about Philadelphia's modern art collector and philanthropist (1872-1951) who established the Barnes Foundation, who grew up in an impoverished childhood, leaving him keenly aware, sensitive to and devoted to those less well-off than he became.

From the lower socio-economic classes like he had known, he hired many who worked for him for years. He appointed them to various positions on his board, providing mortgages, higher education, medical bills, scholarships.

Years ahead of race-consciousness and sensitivity to people of different color, Barnes was a keen and sincere (for the most part) practitioner of equal opportunity.

His goal was to have art enthusiasts look at art the way that he did and improve society (?).  No free thinking allowed, s'il vous plait!

It was not to be, but for some, it endured...for a while.

That Barnes carried a chip on his shoulder seems obvious, and a possible inferiority complex, too, like his one-time friend, philosopher Bertrand Russell, claimed. 

When Russell was “down and out,” Barnes hired him to teach at his foundation, but later grew disgruntled after Barnes deemed Russell’s wife too haughty. By lawyering, Barnes found a way to sue Russell for breach of contract, but Russell countersued and won more than Barnes owed him.

It was an outstanding example of the typical adverse relationship Barnes seemed to enjoy, many fights he had with notables and others he encountered, who he thought denigrated him in some way (the Philadelphia Museum of Art was one institution), insulting them with horrible words (a la Trump but with a much broader vocabulary).

Barnes made his money early in life by the invention of the drug, Argyrol, he developed with a German scientist, Hermann Hille, which was used to treat infant eye infections. 

For a while, he searched for ways to spend his accumulating wealth and voila! With the help of schoolmate and artist, William Glackens, Barnes found it in art.

His collection grew to include more Renoirs than found anywhere else in the world (181; Barnes particularly enjoyed the artist's female flesh works), 69 Cezannes (more than found in France), 59 Matisses, plus works by Manet, Degas, Seurat, Prendergast, Titian, Picasso and Van Gogh.  (Alas, Barnes turned down Van Gogh's Starry Night, now hanging at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.)

There was a Mrs. Barnes, but she occupies a small portion of the book, notably towards the end, a horticulturalist who received awards for her interest. Her general absence from the book leaves the impression that she was merely another piece of art hanging on the wall, but one of less value.

The couple had no children.

The book is slow to begin but picks up speed after a few pages and is an excellent read for art lovers, for Philly residents, for visitors to the Barnes, and others who follow eccentric personalities which I guess most of us are. 

You can't visit the Barnes Collection the same way again, and I can’t wait to get back, equipped with this background.  

Note: For the second edition, may I suggest an inversion of the title: The Museum's Maverick.

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Celebrate! Ukraine's Independence Day!

They unfurled the Ukrainian flag on Ukraine's Independence Day in Lafayette Park, Washington, D.C., August 24, 2025/By Patricia Leslie

Ukraine's Independence Day celebration, Lafayette Park, Washington, D.C., August 24, 2025/By Patricia Leslie

Ukraine's Independence Day celebration, Lafayette Park, Washington, D.C., August 24, 2025, across the fences from the White House/By Patricia Leslie

The moderator in red and white with a speaker at Ukraine's Independence Day celebration, Lafayette Park, Washington, D.C., August 24, 2025. Another speaker urged those present to contact congressional representatives often to let them know of support for Ukraine. One speaker said a congressman from Michigan (?; unsure) changed his support for Ukraine because he had received 800 phone calls opposing support so if the 40,000 Ukrainians in Michigan called their congressman urging him to change his mind, maybe he would/By Patricia Leslie

This injured Ukrainian soldier, blind and a double amputee who was helped to the podium, spoke at Ukraine's Independence Day celebration, Lafayette Park, Washington, D.C., August 24, 2025/By Patricia Leslie

Some injured Ukrainian troops are treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. These Ukrainian troops attended Ukraine's Independence Day celebration at Lafayette Park in Washington, D.C., August 24, 2025. The cardboard sign reads: "Please Send Patriot Missiles."/By Patricia Leslie

Ukraine's Independence Day celebration, Lafayette Park, Washington, D.C., August 24, 2025/By Patricia Leslie

At Ukraine's Independence Day celebration, this woman draped in a Ukrainian flag, like many, said she was born in Lithuania. She addressed the crowd at Lafayette Park, Washington, D.C., August 24, 2025 /By Patricia Leslie

Entertainers at Ukraine's Independence Day celebration, Lafayette Park, Washington, D.C., August 24, 2025. See the police behind them in front of the White House, but no National Guard members were observed/By Patricia Leslie

This speaker said he was 85 years old and a U.S. Army veteran who supports Ukraine's independence and U.S. support for the nation. At the Ukraine Independence Day celebration, Lafayette Park, Washington, D.C., August 24, 2025/By Patricia Leslie

A speaker at Ukraine's Independence Day celebration, Lafayette Park, Washington, D.C., August 24, 2025, with the moderator in red and white/By Patricia Leslie

Ukraine's Independence Day celebration, Lafayette Park, Washington, D.C., August 24, 2025/By Patricia Leslie

U.S. veterans who support Ukraine at Ukraine's Independence Day celebration, Lafayette Park, Washington, D.C., August 24, 2025/By Patricia Leslie

At Ukraine's Independence Day celebration, Lafayette Park, Washington, D.C., August 24, 2025, this man later spoke. The rally was set to continue with a 30 minute walk to the statue of Ukrainian hero and poet, Taras Shevchenko (1814-1861) on 22nd St., NW, followed by a concert/By Patricia Leslie

Meanwhile, over on nearby 17th Street, N.W. at Farragut Square, another rally was underway to honor Muhammad's grandson (?). This group made their way to Lafayette Park, Washington, D.C., August 24, 2025 to compete with Ukraine's speakers/By Patricia Leslie
At Farragut Square, Washington, D.C., August 24, 2025/By Patricia Leslie

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Book review: Mary was a 'Captive Queen'

Jade Scott, is a specialist on Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587), and the secretary of the Scottish History Society and an associate fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Dr. Scott's dissertation increased her interest in Mary, imprisoned for almost half her life (19 years) by her first cousin once removed, Queen Elizabeth I of England (1533-1603).

These cousins never met. 

Although she signed the papers for Mary's execution, Elizabeth was supposedly unaware the death sentence would be carried out and became angry with her ministers when she learned of it. The irony, of course, is that Mary's son, James (1566-1625) became King of England after Elizabeth died and had his mother's body exhumed from Peterborough Cathedral and re-interred in 1612 near Elizabeth in Westminster Abbey.

James was less than one year old the last time he saw his mother and 13 months old when he was crowned King of Scotland. Mary wrote to her son often.

According to an interview with Dr. Scott, Mary wrote and received thousands of letters. Dr. Scott's book, 

Captive Queen The Decrypted History of Mary, Queen of Scots sheds light on 57 newly encrypted letters which describe Mary's many attempts to escape but never presents proof that she intended to participate in the murder of the Queen, a plot which was Mary's downfall.

Some of the letters were exchanged with the Spanish and French ambassadors. If you are familiar with the Babington Plot, Dr. Scott's book has more for you to read.

The most interesting chapter was Mary's everyday life in prison, luxurious by commoners' standards, with meals served on silver plate and in crystal glassware, prepared by her French chef who offered her a choice of 32 different dishes, wine and beer (up to 20 gallons daily for herself and her servants).

The English are different from you and me; and so are the Scots! Did you know they had their own language? Nor did I, but the author mentioned that a few times. 

So many names! Jumping hither and yon, it’s hard to keep track of all the characters, even with the dramatis personae at the beginning and how is that arranged, please?

Alphabetically, non.

Chronologically, non.

Type of person? Conspirators, courtiers, women, to name a few differentiated "types," but even within those segments, their arrangement is ...? I never could figure it out.

The end of the book has an excellent, extensive chronology of Mary’s life.

Captive Queen is not so much a great book for the lay, but it is more appealing to academicians and her "deep scholars." Still (being of the "lay" persuasion), I can’t seem to get her out of my mind.

For more on Mary and photos of her life, go here.

Former burial place of Mary, Queen of Scots, Peterborough Cathedral/Wikipedia and Derek Voller

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Still another book on Tsar Nicholas II, but this one ...

Tsuyoshi Hasegawa professor emeritus in history at the University of California at Santa Barbara has written many books on Russian history, his latest, The Last Tsar: The Abdication of Nicholas II and the Fall of the Romanovs, an academic book for scholars and Romanov addicts, always interested in Russian history (like me).

As the revolution ignited, a practically hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute detail of the last days of Tsar Nicholas II's reign before, during, and after his abdication unfolds.

The breathless accounting of the anxious hours and moments in 1917 of the tsar’s train ride from the headquarters of the Russian Imperial Army at Mogilev to St. Petersburg, hundreds of miles away and where the tsar's family awaited him, is as tense as any Stephen King fiction.

However, being surrounded by “yes” men as he was, Nicholas was not privy to lurking dangers as the imperial train inched toward Tsarskoye Selo, knowledge which also escaped some of his commanders. The train was forced to detour around the revolutionaries and disloyal troops, growing in number by the hour.

Because of blockades, the train's route added more than 200 kilometers (approximately 125 miles) and ran on five different lines rather than one.

The Imperial Train seen through trees during the years of occupation/from "The fate of Nicholas II’s Imperial Train" by Paul  Gilbert  

Well documented, of course, The Last Tsar has a through description of Russia's entry in World War I, its military campaign, how ill prepared the country was: short on ammunition, officer training, and leadership, believing the war would not last long. (I must admit I skimmed most of this section, being not of the military strategist persuasion.)

Dr. Hasegawa quotes extensively from  Nicholas's diaries which affirm the tsar's detachment and uninterest in matters of the day, acting as though immune to outside forces, if he knew what they were.

For a laywoman like me, all the names were difficult to differentiate and became rather "weedy."

An excellent genealogy of the Romanovs spreads over two pages, but nowhere is it listed at the front, in the back, in the index that I could find, but it is possible that I overlooked its listing to which I constantly made reference. It includes the many family members killed by the Bolsheviks.

Nor could I find anywhere in the book, listings for the helpful maps (p. 202 and 230)showing the train's route to St. Petersburg and the detours.

The goal was not to overthrow the monarchy but the tsar; both were achieved. The book ends before the Romanovs were transferred to Siberia in 1917.


Although I chuckled and welcomed the reference Dr. Hasegawa made comparing Trump's MAGA cult to Rasputin's, Jim Jones's, and Charles Manson's cults (p. 33), all the reviewers I found who mentioned this reference thought it cheapened and damaged the book's credibility. 

Go here and here to see the first two of the Romanovs' burial sites. They were last buried in 1998 in the Cathedral of Peter and Paul in St. Petersburg.

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