Music, love and dancing in Alexandria!

From left, Rachael Fine, Alicia Braxton, and Lori

Bonnette in Little Theatre 

of Alexandria's She Loves Me/By Matt Liptak

 

And you thought your Christmases were hectic!  Guurrrll….you hadn’t seen nuthin’ yet ‘til you see the dancers and singers whizzing through the 12 days of Christmas at light speed like they do in She Loves Me, a delightful musical comedy now on stage at Little Theatre of Alexandria. 

It’s one of the funniest scenes in the show with a big cast of 17, and all of them, royal entertainers. 

At Maraczek's Parfumerie, the clerks are constantly on the prowl for needy customers who fill the store before Santa arrives, with the pace accelerating as the reindeer draw closer and it's a frenetic chase to find the finest gifts.

The whole play is lots of fun and entertainment. It's a predictable script:  boy meets girl; they grimace, they hiss; they howl...whoa!  They are meeting whom for dinner?  

From left, Stephen Yednock and Evan Arellano star in Little Theatre of Alexandria's She Loves Me/By Matt Liptak

Which takes place in my second favorite scene, at the restaurant with black sexy tablecloths and red curtains where the waiter (Evan Arellano) goes down on the floor for the count, while the headwaiter (Stephen Yednock) sings the humorous A Romantic Atmosphere, delighting the ears of the audience, his voice, one of the best and strongest in the show.

Shelby Young is the jilted Amalia waiting at a table meant for two since her “blind” date never shows (to the best of her knowledge). (Young performs at LTA via the Sydney Opera House and Carnegie Hall, no less. You'll hear why.)

 

The setting is a 1934 shop in Budapest, that city chosen because She Loves Me is based on a 1937 play by Hungarian playwright, Miklós László  which was adapted for the 1949 musical In the Good Old Summertime and later, the 1998 movie You’ve Got Mail. (Rupert Holmes's early 1980s tune, Escape! The Pina Colada Song may have found its roots in Hungary, too.)

Phil Krzywicki is the realistic Mr. Maraczek, the owner of the Parfumerie and the typical retail boss trying to squeeze every last dollar from his customers who come in single file to shop. 

The story centers on George (Anthony Galace), a natural in his role as the assistant store manager and later, a paper starstruck lover, who doesn't particularly cotton to Amalia as her career in the shop launches.

It's through a lonely-hearts club that their true matches turn up.

Mr. Maraczek and Georg have disagreements but none as bad as the false rumor flying that a clerk, Steven Kodaly (Brandon Schenk), is sleeping with the boss's wife!  Hold on for an (almost) tragedy.

Handsome Steven is also a not-so-good boyfriend of the cutest, peppiest clerk there could ever be, Ilona (Maura Lacy) whom Steven strings along, but Ilona has good luck at the library and delivers one of the greatest hits of the night with the strange and you’ve got-to-be-kidding title, A Trip to the Library. (Folks, it really is good.)

  

Meanwhile, everybody should have a helpmate like Michael McGovern who as Ladislav (emphasis on the last syllable) helps Georg sort through conflicts and make everyone feel good, like the frisky Arpad (Mylo Cluff) who pops up often to make things right.

The ensemble includes Dale Dwyer, Lori Bonnette, Alicia Braxton, Rachael Fine (dance captain), Gavin Hubbard, Jordan Lohmeyer, Jennifer Thomas, and Brett Womack.

Mitchell Aiello directed and choreographed the show with music direction by Isabel Hernandez-Cata. Eleanore Tapscott produced, assisted by Cassie Cope.

   

Julie Fischer has designed two stunning levels of colorful parfumeries and cosmetics. (Where did Brooke Angel Markley and Jennifer Rubio find all those bottles?)  Ari McSherry's shadow lighting accentuates the presentation.

Fashionistas will admire the many stylish period costumes by Juliana Cofrancesco and Farrel Hartigan and those hats!  Love 'em!  

And for seasons changing?  A clever dropping of leaves and snow will suffice, if you please.

Matthew Brown plays the piano and conducts the hidden orchestra of 11 members who bring welcome live music to the theatre. 

Monique Mormon and Alais Reiter are stage managers. Alan Wray, sound director; Diana Almeida, hair and makeup

The preview of Christmas coming will ease minds that ours are not exactly like theirs...or are they?

Harold Prince directed the original Broadway show She Loves Me in 1963, and 1993 and 2016 revivals all together produced a total of 22 Tony Award nominations! 

What:  She Loves Me by Joe Masteroff, Jerry Bock, and Sheldon Harnick

When:  Now through Nov. 7, 2026 on Thursday - Saturday at 8 p.m. Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.

Where:  Little Theatre of Alexandria, 600 Wolfe St., Alexandria, VA 22314

How much:  $36 + $4 service fee.

Parking:  On the street and at the nearby Capital One Bank.

Audience:  Themes are best suited for younger teens on up. 

Language:  Rated "G."

For more information:  Box Office: 703-683-0496; Main Office, 703-683-5778 or boxoffice@thelittletheatre.com.

patricialesli@gmail.com

A 'Family Murder' in Vienna

Starring in Vienna Theatre Company's An Old Fashioned Family Murder are, from left, Ansley Sherwin as Clarice, Taveion Mickens as Jasper, Michelle Kritzler as Mrs. Peck, and Eddie Perez as THE Junior Detective /Photo by Kevin Lukacs  

Vienna Theatre Company's An Old Fashioned Family Murder will leave you smiling and happy, just like a mysterious comedy should, even if it involves a family murder.

Yeeks!

Director Katie Boone has fleshed out superb acting by all  six players, but no one can do it better than the arrogant and conceited Mr. Arthur Whittington (Charles Boone) spewing condescending remarks whenever he can find  opportunities to build his bullying personality.

And find opportunities a'plenty, he does.

Who cares if he's a famous author? 

Is there a body under there?  Junior Detective Peck (Eddie Perez) wants to know in Vienna Theatre Company's An Old Fashioned Family Murder/Photo by  Kevin Lukacs 

Mr. Whittington arrives at the family mansion of Colonel Claythorne on a "dark and stormy night" as thunder crashes and lightening flashes outside the windows of the fancy parlor. (Realistic crashes and lighting by Myer Kim, Ari McSherry, and Julia O'Beirne.)  

The colonel, age 93, is never seen in person but he dominates the conversation and the stage from his large portrait perched above the fireplace.

The menacing Whittington brings upsetting news for the colonel's two daughters: One of them has been cut out of their father's will!

The will!  

Oh, my! 

Which daughter?

Are you kidding?  

Whatever shall happen to me, me, me?

Glory be!  Charles Boone as Arthur Whittington in Vienna Theatre Company's An Old Fashioned Family Murder celebrates the passage of writer's block/Photo by Kevin Lukacs 

That "me, me, me" is the hilarious and wildly animated "pool boy," Jasper (Taveion Mickens) badly in need of a dictionary and he's also the fiancé of Clarice (Ansley Sherwin), the prissy and aloof daughter dressed in glamourous evening wear, accompanied always by a dangling cigarette.  (Costuming by Juliana Confrancesco and Farrell Hartigan.)

Priggish sister Dottie (Samantha Mitchell) is a bookworm who wears all black neck to knees and who kissed Mr. Whittington on his cheek (?) and what did that mean?  (Mitchell's hesitancy and speech pauses endear her to the audience.) 

Enter the kindly, maybe doddering Mrs. Peck (Michelle Kritzler) who knows a thing or two about murders (her dead husband was a chief detective) and she's got some learnin' to do for this crowd, including that for her son, junior detective Peck (Eddie Perez) whom she summons to help solve the murder of ...?

The mother and son duo make quite the chitchat, but wait...Mrs. Peck is stuffing a piece of paper inside her dress?  Huh?

And, what's this? Sigmund Freud? Mrs. Peck aims to take him down a peg or two.

It’s always fun to pick out whodunnit and this one is not easy.  You should try it and see.  I never get them right.

Unseen cast members are Kim Paul, the radio announcer, and Shelby Kaplan who sings.

Charles Boone not only acts but he designed the set, an elegant, red-velveted walled parlor, just as you'd expect for Joe DiPietro's 1940s show, DiPietro, a two-time Tony Award winner.  

Helping stage the Murder are Kevin Lukacs, producer; Anna Mae Murphy and Suellen Evans, stage managers; Michelle Lukacs, lead set painter, and more of Katie Boone as properties designer and helper for her husband with set dressing.

What: An Old Fashioned Family Murder

When: 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m., Sunday through Nov. 1.

Where: Vienna Theatre Company at the Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St. SE, Vienna, VA 22180

How much: Tickets are $18. Order online at Vienna, VA – WebTrac Ticket Search (myvscloud.com), or buy, if available, at the community center box office.

Duration: About 90 minutes plus an intermission.

Audience:  Recommended for ages 10 and up.

For more information: vtcshows@yahoo.com.

patricialesli@gmail.com 

'Fridamania' arrives at Shakespeare

Vanessa Severo as Frida Kahlo communicates with Diego Rivera in Severo's Frida...A Self Portrait now at Shakespeare Theatre Company/Photo by Michael Brosilow

For Frida lovers, this is a must to see.

She comes in a "self portrait," conceived and written by Vanessa Severo, a woman fascinated by Frida Kahlo after a friend told Severo that she reminded him of the icon.

That observation has led Severo on a never-ending quest to learn as much about the artist as possible, and herewith, her production, Frida...A Self Portrait, presented many times across the globe since 2014 and now in Washington at the Shakespeare Theatre Company

In the one-act play, Severo describes the many traumas of Kahlo's short life (1907-1954), Severo's research  constantly turning up new details and digital information she incorporates in her Frida story.

Frida's polio at age 6 and a devastating bus accident in Mexico City when she was 18 changed her life trajectory from budding medical student to artist.

The wreck broke her spine, ribs, pelvis, foot, leg, and collarbone and led to 30-plus surgeries and constant lifelong pain. 

Her on-again, off-again relationship and marriages to Diego Rivera, two abortions and the discovery of her sister having an affair with her husband increased Kahlo's heartache and anguish, all Severo sketches in her  biography. 

Throughout the show, Severo is energetic and emotional, seemingly breathless at times, while she darts from one side of the stage to the other, often shrieking in pain when still. 

The many costumes she wears in an outstanding and clever design by Jacqueline Penrod hang on clotheslines which crisscross the stage, one of them becoming a rope Frida grasps as she might have held while riding the bus.

Rivera is easy to recognize in an outfit of large coat and pants which surround Frida when she inserts her arm in the coat's armhole and hugs herself.  

One of her last "costumes" was the tight body brace she wore for support.

In an interview printed in the program Severo says Kahlo taught her how to endure pain and to embrace her (their) differences.  

Rachael Cady's extraordinary lighting and Thomas Dixon's sound designs and original musical composition combined with Severo's presentation produce a memorable interpretation of Kahlo's life. 

Other key members of the artistic crew are Severo's friend and collaborator, Joanie Schultz, who directs; Katherine Davis, costume designer, and Janine Vanderhoff, stage manager.

What: Frida...A Self Portrait

When: Now through Nov. 8, 2026

Where: Klein Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, 450 7th Street, N.W.

Tickets: Start at $39

Box office: 202-547- 1122

Duration: About 75 minutes without intermission

patricialesli@gmail.com

 

'Man of La Mancha' is a dream in Manassas

From left, Emilie Marshall Peace is Aldonza, Nate Mikami is Don Quixote, George Fulda is Sancho Panza, and (above) Adam Cook is the Innkeeper in Prince William Little Theatre's Man of La Mancha/Photo by Heather Reagan

For those who may need a picker-upper, take my advice and go online right now and get tickets for Prince William Little Theatre's marvelous musical, Man of La Mancha.

It’s a wonderful cure for whatever might ail you, certain to provide healing and a mental uplift since it’s likely a few bars of The Impossible Dream may strum in your head for a few days after you see it, and maybe thrust you into ... whatever.

And why not?

Nate Mikami is the man who commands the show with a passionate, convincing portrayal (let alone singing voice) of Don Quixote, the fictional character created by Miguel de Cervantes in the early 17th century, in a story Wikipedia calls the first modern novel, one of the most translated in the world.

Bob Rosenberg is the Captain of the Inquisition in Prince William Little Theatre's Man of La Mancha/Photo by Heather Reagan

Cervantes writes fictionally of himself, thrown into a dungeon in the late 16th century during the Spanish Inquisition with his manservant (who later becomes Sancho [George Fulda]). 

The show is a play within a play but don't let that confuse you because it doesn't.

To convince fellow prisoners in the dungeon to save his belongings (his manuscript), Cervantes pleads with them to let him tell his tale and they can be part of it! 

 A good deal, no? 

 And away they go on a trail of adventures with the newly names Don Quixote as the leader of the pack, a man who can turn windmills into giants and make castles out of taverns.

From left, Kaitlin Craig, John Totten as the Padre, Caroline Kinney as Antonia sing I'm Only Thinking of Him in Prince William Little Theatre's Man of La Mancha/Photo by Heather Reagan

"I hope to add a measure of grace to the world," Don Quixote says, following his quest to see things that others don't (and maybe, not see what others see!).

The energetic and humorous Sancho who likes Don Quixote a lot (!), hop scotches all over the stage while they "travel" and soon encounter a lovely lady, a sassy harlot (Emilie Marshal Peace) besotted by a bad reputation. Don Quixote makes a quest to rescue her from her poor self-image, shepherding the lass into becoming the remarkable woman of confidence and strength she is.

He changes her name from Aldonza to Dulcinea. She, not so willing for a name change.

Please! Be wary of scoundrels along the travel route, like "moors" who can bewitch adventurers with song and dance and steal their prized possessions (like a manuscript) while subjects are under their spell. (Tammy West in a red skirt with the long dangly silver belt danced circles around the victims in more ways than one. [The audience groaned and tried to warn the blissfully ignorant of impending theft!])

Throughout the show, the actors’ conviviality is evident and their delight transfers to the audience.

The music of the 14 (!) member orchestra under the direction of Chuck Schmidt was a critical piece of the show's enjoyment, impossible to dream this show without them.

Ken and Patti Crowley’s always effective lighting with changing colors and intensity give certain scenes a special glow to complement the story. Their spotlight is especially prominent when the captain of the Inquisition (Bob Rosenberg) in silver armor opens the iron gate at the top of the dungeon to deliver a haunting message in a shimmering combination. (Riley Leonhardt, designer of period costumes.)

It's been years since I've seen this Man, and how I’ve missed him and his message of perseverance and hope that never grows old.

The show is one of the first historically fictionalized musicals to be presented on stage, winning five Tony Awards in 1966, including Best Musical and Best Original Score for Dale Wasserman, Mitch Leigh, and Joe Carion.

Other cast members are: Chris Anderson, John Totten, Caroline Kinney, Kaitlin Craig, Adam Cook, Luis Vasquez, Brad Blythe, David Maeng, Dave Reph, Sally Ann Flores, and Amy Treat.

Suzy Moorstein directs with stage management by Samantha and Elliot Fulda.

Other production creators are Will Taft, sound direction; Vince Worthington, set design; Laura Mills, properties; and Kim Leone, intimacy coordinator and fight choreographer.

What: Man of La Mancha

When: Friday and Saturday, Oct. 16-17 at 8 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively, and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Oct. 17-18

Where: Hylton Performing Art Center, 10960 George Mason Circle, Manassas, VA 20110

Cost (with fees): Adults, $35; Seniors, $29; Students, Military, Groups, $25

For more information: Ticket office: 703-993-7759, Tuesday - Saturday, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. or email: Hylton@gmu.edu, ph. 703-993-7550

Alert: Before the curtain goes up, an announcement is made that the show contains matters of mental health and sexual assault.

Don Quixote and Sancho Pancho. Engraving by Gustave Doré/Wikipedia, 1863

Don Quixote goes mad from his reading of books of chivalry.  Engraving by Gustave Doré/Wikipedia. Originally published 1863; this edition 1906.

patricialesli@gmail.com

Only in DC! Bach and Frederick the Great

Adolph von Menzel, 1815-1905, Frederick the Great Playing the Flute at Sanssouci, 1852 with Carl Philip Emanuel Bach on  harpsichord, Carl Graun (standing, between two ladies on the left), Johann Quantz (far right) and Franz Benda (second from right), all portrayed in Theatre Royal Bath's The Source at Shakespeare Theatre Company/Wikipedia, Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin.

To see British theatre on stage in Washington, one may go immediately to the Shakespeare Theatre Company's website and purchase tickets for the outstanding production by Theatre Royal Bath which has crossed the pond, bringing with it the troupe and a royal star who deliver one of the great performances of the season in Washington, D.C., its only U.S. venue. 

Sir Trevor Nunn (you do remember his Cats and Les Misérables?) directs.

The star is global winner Brian Cox and the show, The Score  by Oliver Cotton, based on a true encounter between Johann Sebastian Bach (Cox) and Frederick II, King of Prussia (Stephen Hagan) in 1747 when the two met in  Potsdam.

Real-life husband and wife, Brian Cox and Nicole Ansari-Cox are Anna Bach and Johann Sebastian Bach in Theatre Royal Bath's The Source at Shakespeare Theatre Company/By Theresa Castracane

Certainly, set designer Robert Jones and lighting designer Johanna Town must be students of Vermeer and his window works since they duplicate the painter’s haunting shadows and lighting in the opening scene with Bach and his wife, Anna (Cox's real-life wife, Nicole Ansari-Cox) seated inside their home in Leipzig, complaining about the outside clamor they hear emanating from the king's soldiers whose commotions upset residents. (Sophie Cotton is sound designer.) 

Bach is like a fuse waiting to be lit.  He’s unhappy, gruff and mad at the world.  His daughter (never seen) is ill, yet he must leave her and go visit the king who has summoned him to Potsdam. 

Anna pushes her husband out the door.

Like many artists who'd rather be doing most anything else, Bach resists visiting “your highness,” but, alas! The king wants to meet the musical genius.

In conversation, it's not long before Bach (1685 –1750) , the moralist and strict Lutheran, challenges the atheist king (1712-1786) to atone for his soldiers' rape of a blind 14-year-old girl in Leipzig, and the king responds, so what? "These things happen."

Bach is the good; the king, the bad.  Bach, morality; the king, unscrupulous, but, maybe, towards the end, scrupulsome? 

His father, Frederick William I, the "soldier king," had brought his son up "to be a man," treating him brutally, shunning his son’s interests in the arts and prohibiting Frederick II's pursuit of culture, even beheading II's rumored homosexual lover in front of his son.

Nevertheless, Frederick II became a great musician, a composer and a flutist in his own right.

Hagan's performance was absolutely captivating as king, to see him move around the stage like a stag, the very best of any king I’ve seen, a stunning portrayal of Frederick II, and coming close to riding roughshed over the star.

He is strong, he is arrogant, he is confident as he flings himself upon a chair and extends both arms, his legs, splayed. And when he stands, his arclike posture  commands all the personalities around him. But he is the king.

Jamie Wilkes is Bach's subservient son, Carl Philip Emanuel Bach, a convincing rendering of an offspring who competes with other court composers  (the king’s sycophants, Christopher Staines, Matthew Romain, Toby Webster) utilizing the history of Bach I and the king, to participate in an outrageous bet about his father’s talents.

From left, King Frederick II of Prussia  (Stephen Hagan) with court composers (Christopher Staines, Toby Webster, and Matthew Romain) in Theatre Royal Bath's The Source at Shakespeare Theatre Company/By Theresa Castracane

From left, Voltaire (Peter De Jersey) and Johann Sebastian Bach (Brian Cox) backed by court composers (Christopher Staines, Toby Webster, and Matthew Romain) in Theatre Royal Bath's The Source at Shakespeare Theatre Company/By Theresa Castracane

Voltaire (Peter De Jersey) who lived for a while with Frederick II, declaring him to be "a philosopher-king," and exchanging many letters with him,  pops up every now and then in a lusty, comedic presentation to add doses of humor and lighten the score. (The play has lots more humor than anticipated.) 

Jones's exceptional sets and costumes match the luxury of von Menzel's painting.

The similarities to today’s American society and leadership leap to mind several times during the play, watching opposites contrast between the main characters, good and evil, and the conflicts between the people and a ruler who cares little about them and their wellbeing.

Other cast members are Juliet Garricks, Will Kerr, Jordan Kilshaw, Claire Morrissey, Max Pink, and Geoffrey Towers.

I can’t recall ever listing a casting director but kudos to Ginny Schiller! 

Other artistic team members are Cordelia Monsey, associate director; Theatre Royal Bath Productions, Len Blavatnik, Danny Cohen, producers; Laura Smith, Felix Dunning and Lorna Earl, stage managers.

 

What: The Source

 

When:  Now through Oct. 25 (extended), 7:30 p.m., Tuesday – Sunday; 2 p.m. every Saturday and some Thursdays and Sundays

 

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

 

How much:  Tickets start at $39

Duration:  About 2.5 hours with one intermission

 

For more information:  Ph. 202.547.1122,  7 days a week, 12–6pm

'Blithe Spirits' land in Alexandria

From left are Cameron McBride (Dr. George Bradman), Eric Kennedy (Charles Condomine), Eleanore Tapscott (Madame Arcati), Sarah Cusenza (Ruth Condomine), and Raeanna Nicole Larson (Mrs. Violet Bradman) in Little Theatre of Alexandria's Blithe Spirit/Photo by Matt Liptak

The Little Theatre of Alexandria stages another welcome classic with Sir Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit, a comedy that’s been around longer than most (b.1941) and there's a reason for its continual return to the world's stage: It's a treat and a (sky) lark (?)! A great escape!

Percy Bysshe Shelley in 1819: "Hail to thee, blithe Spirit!"

It was England and World War II when the bombs were dropping a'plenty, but its citizens needed a respite every now and then, like we all do (like now).

To the manor house, they go, some, from the “other side.”

Ruth (Sarah Cusenza) and Charles Condomine (Eric Kennedy) are hosting a dinner party in their elegant home with friends (who are real life husband and wife, Cameron McBride and Raeanna Nicole Larson) and a “medium” (Eleanore Tapscott).

Charles is a famous novelist and plans to milk medium Madame Arcati for any tips she can give him for a story he’s writing.

Things do not go as planned. Madame Arcati is anything but "medium."

Post dinner, she becomes a big scarlet macaw (whose colors Madame matches), sweeping around the room, landing momentarily at one spot or another before flying to her next perch with a wingspan of almost four feet, while the other adults in the room sit in amazement, mouths ajar.

Katie Weigl is Elvira in Little Theatre of Alexandria's Blithe Spirit/Photo by Matt Liptak

Madame conducts a séance and unwittingly summons the ghost of Charles’s first wife, Elvira (Katie Weigl), who died young, after only five years of marriage.

And here she comes, through windswept doors, the sassy Elvira, dressed all in grey, a long flowing gown with cape and face color to match.

Like all ghosts, she flits around the stage, rushing left to right and back again, throwing her hands in the air and seeking to disrupt Charles and Ruth’s marriage.

Charles is the only one who, initially, can see and hear Elvira, her teasing which begins to create havoc in the Condomines’ household.

Ruth can hear Charles speaking to Elvira and thinks his words are meant for her.

Charles to Elvira: "I could drink you under the table."

Ruth: "There's no need to be aggressive, Charles. I'm doing my best to help you."

A few minutes later, Charles tells Elvira to "shut up!"

Ruth: "How dare you speak to me like that!"

(Ms. Cusenza’s Ruth is splendid, talking to a wall or sofa or portrait on the wall, the piano, wherever she thinks Elvira sits or stands, not an easy task to perform with someone who is not there but is there. [Huh? You have to be there.])

Soon, there’s a murder and now there are two ghosts, each in ghostly grey apparel and caked in heavy grey makeup (which made me wince to think about removing it. Maureen Roult designed the hair and makeup).

Just what a man needs: Two wives screaming at him simultaneously after a brief interlude in a menage a trois ahead of chaos. (May I suggest to a producer that he or she exchange principal roles so the wife endures two ghostly husbands?)

The setting is absolutely divine, darling (by Julie Fischer), the parlor of a 1930s luxurious home where the servant, Edith (Caroline J. Berger) runs hither and yon or slows (per Ruth) to serve tea and refreshments to gents and ladies whom costumers Jean Schlichting and Kit Sibley have dressed to the nines: the women in floor length silken gowns with gloves and fancy jewelry, the men in equal getup.

Which ghost “wins”? Come, blithe spirits, see and laugh at them.

The biggest “star” of the night was the superb acting by all the characters, no disappointments by nary a one. Hats off to director Ward Kay, assisted by Liz Isbell.

Other crew members are David Correia, sound; Ken and Patti Crowley, lighting; Maureen Dawson and Jennifer Rhorer, stage managers; Olivia Hinebaugh and Misty White, combat and intimacy directors; Meredith J. Ludwig, producer; Monique Morman, technical director; and Emilie Pade, properties.

I’ll have one of those cucumber sandwiches, if you please and thank you.

What: Blithe Spirit

When: Now thru Sept.19, 2026, Thursday – Saturdays, 8 p.m., Sunday matinees, 2 p.m.

Where: Little Theatre of Alexandria, 600 Wolfe St., Alexandria, VA 22314  

Admission: $30 (fee, included)

Duration: Almost three hours with one intermission

Audience: Mature teens on up

Language: A few “adult” words sprinkled here and there 

Parking: Park for free on the streets or at the nearby Capital One Bank. 

For more information: Box Office, 703-683-0496; boxoffice@thelittletheatre.com

patricialesli@gmail.com 

'Head over Heels' in love at Prince William Little Theatre

 

From left: Pamela (Brittany Washington), King Basilius (Chris Anderson), Queen Gynecia (Jolene Vettese), Dametus (Andrew Morin), Mopsa (Meredith Kilmartin), and Philoclea (Grace Miller) in Prince William Little Theatre's Head Over Heels, on stage through Sunday night/Heather Regen Photography

It’s quite a combo to mix 500-year-old characters with today's hipsters, but that what the Prince William Little Theatre has done with its latest show, Head Over Heels, an adult comedy on stage through Sunday night at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas.

It's all about the royal family of Arcadia on a musical journey to save its "beat" as the Oracle Pythio has warned the nobility to act now or forever forget their kingdom.

What's love got to do with it? 

Why it makes the world go 'round, of course, especially when the King and Queen of Arcadia (Chris Anderson and Jolene Vettese) have two daughters they're just itching to get hitched.

In a gentle but authentic performance, Grace Miller is Princess Philoclea, the younger daughter, who is smitten by Musidorus (Nathan Peck), a mere shepherd boy and not good enough for his offspring, thinks the king.

The older daughter, Pamela (Brittany Washington), is the more beautiful child (she says so herself), with so many suitors, what's a poor girl to do? 

(She eventually wakes up to love in the most conspicuous of places. Thank you, handmaid Mopsa [Meredith Kilmartin].)

The Royal Couple isn't the happiest of married couples, it soon becomes obvious. To be kind: They tolerate each other but they got the beat and shout out "This Old Feeling" when the king's eyes shut so tightly I thought they were permanently glued. 

It was a stunning delivery (the king also doubles as music director) like the queen's exasperations and wifely responses known to too many wives throughout Arcadia. (Make that, the world.)

Pythio (Clayton Alex Jones) comes on scene (an absolute killer whenever they make an appearance with sweeping gestures and exaggerated slow talk), surrounded by aides wearing head dresses of rhinestoned snakes.  

The non-binary oracle adds to their allure that that "heaven is a place on earth" if we become more tolerant and generous to those around us. 

 

Clayton Alex Jones is the Oracle in Prince William Little Theatre's Head Over Heels on stage through Sunday night/Heather Regen Photography

Although language in the show is rated "g," it's got the best simulated sex scene I've seen, moving to the audience's whoops and whistles.  (Wowsers! "Love with a Stranger" is not sung.)

Also in the cast is Andrew Morin as Dametas, the king's courtier and Mopsa's father.

This show has lots of action and great duets, particularly when Princess Pamela and Mopsa sing duets and harmonize.  

A big painting in the middle of the stage announces scene changes to show exactly where on their trip the Royal Family is. (Joey Olson, set designer.) 

It's no surprise to learn the costumes (by Susy Moorstein and Riley Leonhardt) are a mix of yesterday and today.

The welcome six-member band, under the baton of Matthew Scarborough, is mostly unseen on an elevated platform. 

Members of the creative team include Melanie McGuin, director and choreographer; Laura Mills and Melissa Jo York-Tilley, producers; Cristina Casais, assistant choreographer; Kasey Moore and Esther Wells, stage managers; Leonhardt and York-Tilley, hair and makeup; Draconia Craig and Melanie McCleerey, properties.

Also, Ken and Patti Crowley, lighting; Tim McCleerey, sound; and Lanny Warkentien, lion tamer.

With adaptation by James Magruder, Jeff Whitty wrote this "jukebox musical" of mostly popular tunes from the past, like those by the "Go-Gos" featured at the show. 

With fees included, tickets are $35 for adults; $29, seniors and students; $24, military and children The Hylton Performing Arts Center, 10960 George Mason Circle, Manassas, VA 20110. Ticket office, ph. 703-993-7759.

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