A wild night in Alexandria

 

From left: Siena Butler, Will MacLeod, Jermaine Mitchell, Luke Martin, and Suzy Alden in Little Theatre of Alexandria's The Play That Goes Wrong/By Bob Aronstam

Hold on to your seat at the Little Theatre of Alexandria for a raucous time in the old city for the theatre's latest show, The Play That Goes Wrong.

It's a play within a play, and play is what they do! Opening in this wrong play is The Murder at Haversham Manor and if you're confused now, just wait.

On a recent Saturday night the audience was almost as wild as the performers: Those who were still in their seats hooted, they hollered, they couldn't get enough of the antics and shenanigans on stage. 

There are a few.

The title says that something's awry in Alexandria and that's putting it mildly: Everything crashes, falls, slides, burns,  explodes; what else?

Would you like a fall outside a window?  

And a murder on a wedding eve? 

Coming right up!

Who dunnit? Is the bride (Suzy Alden) carrying on with her brother-in-law (Cameron McBride)?  They've got different kinds of ... motivation.

The imperturbable Inspector Carter (the skillful Adam R. Adkins), is summoned to find the murderer. The snooty British stereotype is, of course, dressed in a boring three-piece suit (by Jean Schlichting and Kit Sibley), ye alas!  

Before he can find the killer, there's another murder!  My gawd!  

A standout on the stage is the magnificent butler, "Perkins" (William Wheat) who darts hither and yon serving his masters' pleasures and attracting more than his share of laughs.

At the start of this madness (hold on to your hair strands), members of the audience are recruited to help figure it all out, and a "lost dog" poster is distributed in case anyone has seen "Winston."  What has Winston got to do with it?

Wait! 

Is that his portrait above the mantle?

Don't even think about consulting the program to figure out who's who for it takes a manor to sort them all.

The set (by Dan Deisz and Dan Remmers) is a luxurious 1920s mansion complete with Victorian draperies, Orientals, chair rail, a grandfather clock, a chandelier, you name it, the works. 

Jim Hutzler has constructed a second floor which, naturally, collapses and is miraculously lifted up, saving the actors from having to board an exploding elevator.  

It’s crazy! It's fun!  It’s slapstick! At the end the audience laughed out the doors, making it another good time in Alexandria and Haversham Manor.

Other cast members are Sydne Marie Chesson, Jermaine Mitchell, Andy Izquierdo, and Justin Beland. 

Production team members include Frank D. Shutts II, director; Zell Murphy and Russell M. Wyland, producers; Ken and Patti Crowley, lighting; Natalie Turkovich, makeup and hair; Ian Claar, fight director; Carol Strachan, dialects; Alan Wray, sound; Jennifer Rhorer and Christine Farrell, stage managers; Kira Hogan and Joanne Tompkins, properties.

The original production began in London in 2012 where it won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy, and still runs...as fast as it can to drive playgoers crazy. 

What: The Play That Goes Wrong by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields

When: Now through June 28, 2025, Thursday - Saturday nights, 8 p.m., and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Just added:  a Wednesday night show on June 25, 2025 at 8 p.m.

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

Tickets: $29, reserved seating

Recommended audience age:  8 and up (some adult language)

Duration: Less than 2 hours with one 15-minute intermission

Public transportation: Check the Metro and Dash bus websites. Dash is free to ride and has routes which are close to LTA.

Parking: Free on streets and at Capital One Bank at Wilkes and Washington streets, a block away, during non-banking hours. Paid parking is available at nearby garages.

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

patricialesli@gmail.com

A "Shooting Star" sparkles in Falls Church

 

 

Andra Whitt and Rob Gorman star in Providence Players' Shooting Star/By Chip Gertzog

In a word, Shooting Star is adorable!  

Another word:  charming!

I loved Providence Players' show which grabbed me and held me from beginning to end. It may have the same effect on you.

It's got drama, it's got romance, lots of humor, all the elements necessary for a good time at the theatre. 

Andra Whitt and Rob Gorman star in the two-person show by Steven Dietz about a long "lost" couple who meet coincidentally at an airport where a snowstorm has shut them in for hours which becomes overnight.  Hmmmm ....

Ms. Whitt as Elena is fantastic, expressive like her personality, while Rob Gorman as banker Reed (even with a "red" name...?) is a bit more restrained, at least until consumption takes over and he lets love flow.  

(Not to worry about politics here: Popular views of the political spectrum are represented.)

These middle-aged lovers relive moments from their past when they were together. When one moves off stage to get replenishment or a drink, the other speaks in a soliloquy for he or she's got some 'splaining to do.

Long held, dark secrets come out and thoughts of what they really think about the other.

A few seconds of old classics play in the background every so often, a playlist music director John Smith includes in the program. Holding Back the Years by Red, Riders in the Storm by the Doors, and, of course, Shooting Star by Bob Dylan are some of the tunes.

Director John Coscia and Jayne L. Victor have created a realistic airport waiting area with signs for gates, seats with arm dividers to prevent stretching out, and a list showing constantly evolving departures times for Boston, Austin and beyond.

And best of all, through the big glass window is a moving jet moored in the snow just like our twosome. 

The predictable ending is ... not.

For a good time, go to Shooting Star.  And for more fun, study the waiting area the next time you're at an airport. You may want to don sunglasses and scout the place for a familiar face. 

For if you blink, you may miss the shooting star falling into your life. How many times have we not acted? 

Like Coscia says in his program note: "Enjoy your life.  I hope it all works out." Now's your chance.

On the inside cover of the program, Providence Players of Fairfax devotes a full page and tribute to one of its former actors, Congressman Gerry Connolly (1950- 2025).

Other members of Shooting Star's production team are:

Janet Bartelmay, producer; Chip Gertzog, technicals, lighting, and sound; Robbie Snow, costumes, hair, and makeup; Tina Hodge Thronson, stage manager.

When: Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m. Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. through June 21, 2025

Where: James Lee Community Center Theater, 2855 Annandale Rd., Falls Church 22042 with plenty of free, lighted parking

Tickets start at $18. Buy online or at the box office.

Duration: 90 minutes plus a short intermission

Language: Some adult words

For more information:  703-425-6782 and news@providenceplayers.org

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The strife is not o'er in GALA’s 'Choke'

From left, Gerardo Ortiz Gonzalez, Maria del Mar Rodriguez and Giselle Gonzalez in GALA'S Choke/By Stan Weinstein

In Spanish the subtitle means “it happens even in the best of families” and if you’re a family member, you’ve experienced it, too: disagreements, conflict, exasperation, and love.

Compounded with intergenerational and environmental injustice in Charm City and there: "Attention, Baltimore! We've got problems."


In the world premiere of his powerful play Choke on stage now at GALA Hispanic Theatre, Emilio T. Infante has written about family matters involving Giselle Gonzalez as Casandra and Joi Kai, Zulema, a lesbian couple, who arrive for a visit at Casandra's parents' home.

Casandra's father, Gonzalo (Gerardo Ortiz Gonzalez) and mother, Esperanza (Maria del Mar Rodriguez) have no quarrel with their offspring's relationship with a person of the same sex. They welcome Zu into their household.

But it's their daughter who throws tantrums at her parents' home in industrial  Baltimore repeating family fights over health, financial, and personal problems, and this isn't the first time.

With no hint of empathy, Casandra has come home to roost and crow, and crow she does with increasing volume until she yells. And yells loudly and tells her parents just what she thinks.

She wants them to move, but her parents proclaim their desire to stay. They don't have the means to pay for repairs, but money is a touchy subject.

This kind couple could raise such a daughter?

Ouch!

I felt for Gonzalo and Esperanza, especially Gonzalo who has seeming few years left, and is the target of his daughter's persistently harsh epithets. 

He breathes through an oxygen tube he carries around (so realistic I wondered if GALA had hired a handicapped actor), and to protect his self-esteem, he refuses to ask Casandra for a loan.

For years she has pleaded with her parents to move away from the "refinery" and all its chemical and polluting ills plaguing the family.

Yet, the parents resist. Until the bridge is busted and the government offers a way out.

Throughout the ordeal, Esperanza (which means "hope" in English), remains cool, calm, and collected, as she tries to soothe word wounds inflicted on one by the other.

From left, Giselle Gonzalez and Joi Kai in GALA'S Choke/By Stan Weinstein

Zulema mostly stands on the sidelines, offering comfort to those afflicted, an observer who must be thankful that her partner has not shown such anger at her...yet.

A hole in the floor captures the whole bloomin' mess like Casandra's hardened heart which allows no compassion for anyone who disagrees with her. It's her way or the hole way.

But, it's not all screaming and yelling: Bits of humor flash every now and then. 

Like the actors, creative team members excel at GALA and their contributions for this show are no exception.

Sound designer Konstantine Lortkipanidze infuses the play with sirens of industrial emergencies, and, in calmer moments, music between-the-scenes, especially chilling single piano keys which slowly play at critical moments for fine dramatic effect.

Gustavo Ott, GALA's artistic director, directs.
Grisele Gonzalez created the full kitchen, dining and sitting room set, assisted by Sarah Bidini, with lighting designer, Hailey LaRoe, and costumer Rukiya Henry-Fields.

Other key creative team members are Tessa Grippaudo, properties; Andre Hopfer, hair and makeup; Ilyana Rose-Davila, production manager; Matty Griffiths, technicals; Grace Rodriguez, stage manager; Makayla Smith, assistant stage manager.

Choke is presented in Spanish with English surtitles on screens on both sides of the stage.

The production will keep you intrigued as you try to guess the ending and ponder how you would bring harmony to this divided family and let all be peaceful and calm, for a change.


WHAT: Choke

WHEN: Thursday through Saturday nights at 8 p.m.; Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Now through May 18, 2025

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

TICKETS: Get 2 for 1 regular tickets for May 1 and May 2 shows with the code: Chocking.

Special event May 3:  Longtime theater patrons Jose Alberto Ucles and husband Tom Noll with receive the Gary Maker Audience Award at 7:30 p.m. preceding the 8 p.m. performance. All attending are invited to a reception after the performance. 

DURATION: About two hours plus a ten-minute intermission.

AGES: For 14 and up; adult themes and some adult language.

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 bus #52 or #54 up 14th, or, walk the two miles from McPherson Square and save money and expend calories! Lots of 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. Additional parking is available on the street and at the Target 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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Olney's 'Soprano' is a scream!

Carolann M. Sanita and Tom Patterson in Lend Me A Soprano at Olney Theatre Center/Teresa Castracane 

It's that good, that charming, that delightful! 

As my friend Sheila says:  "I don't want 'preachy' at the theater; just give me fun."  This, Sheila, is fun. 

From left, Rachel Felstein and Carolann M. Sanita in Lend Me A Soprano at Olney Theatre Center/Teresa Castracane 

Upon my arrival at the Olney Theatre Center and from the moment I spied the luxurious set, I was happy to have a few moments to sit and swoon a bit with no action on the stage, enthralled by the opulence, the exaggeration, to admire and take it all in, and catch my breath. 

A set which was fit for royalty with the chair rail, the arched doorways, chandeliers, the French provincial look of gay Paree, the view outside the windows, and the vases (pronounced vaaa-sis, darhling) overflowing with flowers, a heavenly contrast for my eyes fixated on the gray drabness of winter on my way to the Olney, awaiting spring and here it was!

"The rich are different from you and me." 

Say it again, Scott, but enough about Andrew Cohen's set, already!

From left, Tina Stafford, Rachel Felstein, Dylan Arredondo, and Carolann M. Sanita in Lend Me A Soprano at Olney Theatre Center/Teresa Castracane 

I loved, loved, loved Lend Me A Soprano! Hilarious and with the acting, the costumes, the plot, combined, it's absolutely smashing. 

Hometown playwright Ken Ludwig has done it again, written another fantastic play, this farce based on his successful Lend Me A Tenor, which won two of nine or ten Tony Award nominations (depending upon which Wikipedia site you read), and opening in London in 1986 three years before it reached Broadway. 

Tenor has been translated into 16 languages and has run in 25 countries, and it's not necessary to know a Tenor to enjoy a Soprano.

Soprano is a delightful escape with Shakespeare thrown in (both playwright and director are Shakespeare scholars, but don't let that keep you away), mistaken identities, doors opening, closing, mismatched persons, and the list goes on.  (Shakespeare knowledge is not required for pure enjoyment.)

Lucille Wylie (Tina Stafford), is a strong, domineering woman who's also the Cleveland Grand Opera's manager and absolutely beside herself with worry that the diva hired to sing the title role in Carmen for a "one night stand" will not show up. 

The time is 1934.  

Suddenly, there's commotion and ... boom!  

Enter, please, the diva Elena (Carolyann M. Sanita) and her perfectly stereotypical husband, Pasquale (Dylan Arrendondo), a big, robust fellow with a voice to match. 

Like the fiery Italians they are with passions inflamed, their ardor knows no bounds, and they continue their argument upon landing, surprise!

Elena becomes "incapacitated," unable to perform, and who's this?

Jo (Rachel Felstein) is Mrs. Wylie's assistant, an "understudy" who comes to the rescue and away we go.

Not only are we treated to hysterics, but beautiful singing, including duets by Ms. Felstein and Ms. Sanita (and how I wished for more! Musical direction is by Christopher Youstra).

In and out of bed(s) and couches they roll and one of the most hilarious characters is "Leo" (Tom Patterson), who struts his talents (in several ways), gathering more likes with every appearance as his apparel takes off (?). 

He is Jo's boyfriend, but wait, that is Jerry (skillfully acted by understudy Ben Topa when I saw Soprano), so maybe Leo belongs to Elena when her husband is "away"?

Sweet "Julia" (Donna Migliaccio) is the opera guild president, who makes a late arrival on set to temper things, dressed in a beautiful gown with a crown on top, reminiscent of New York's Chrysler Building.

Meanwhile, the impish, mischievous bellhop (Natalya Lynette Rathnam) pops in every so often, producing more audience laughter whenever she's on stage.

Soprano debuted worldwide in Houston in 2022 with the same Olney director, Eleanor Holdridge, and aren't we lucky to have her experience? ("Practice makes perfect"! She's also "local," chair of the Catholic University's drama department.)

Chandelier lights (by Alberto Segarra) dim and glow, depending upon who is where.  And the costumes!  Oh, la, la!  Sarah Cubbage has made them more than adequate for a Met gala, gowns, resplendent in exquisite designs. Larry Peterson was wig designer. 

Other members of the creative team are Ashara Crutchfield, assistant director; Matt Rowe, sound designer, and Ben Walsh, stage manager.  

Also, Robb Hunter, fight choreographer; Helen Aberger, intimacy choreographer; Melissa Flaim, dialect consultant; and Tori Niemiec, assistant costume designer.

At the end, Mr. Topa received special recognition from the cast while the rest of us wildly applauded the entire cast and team for a  marvelous show.    

What: Lend Me A Soprano

When: Now through Mar.10, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday matinees at 1:30 p.m.

Where: Main Stage, Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, MD 20832.

Tickets: Start at $40 with discounts for seniors, students, military, and groups.

Ages: PG-13 

Refreshments available.

Parking: Free, lighted and plentiful on-site

Duration: About two hours with one 15-minute intermission

For more information: 301-924-3400 for the box office or 301-924-4485

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A play for all seasons: Folger's 'Winter's Tale'

Hermione (Antoinette Crowe-Legacy) and Polixenes (Drew Kopas) talk stayovers in Folger Theatre's The Winter Tale; Brittany Diliberto, photo

Shakespeare is alive and well at the newly renovated Folger Theatre, inaugurated by one of the master's so-called "problem plays," simply defined as a mixture of drama and comedy, a "tragicomedy," the latter scattered throughout The Winter's Tale.

Sex, murder, and (surprise!) a love triangle  take center stage as the jealous King Leontes (Hadi Tabbal) falsely accuses his wife, the pregnant Hermione (Antoinette Crowe-Legacy) of infidelity with his best friend, Polixenes (Drew Kopas), king of Bohemia.

King Leontes sends his wife to prison for her supposed infidelity where she dies after giving birth to Perdita. 

Grief stricken over the death of his mother causes Leontes and Hermione's beloved son, Mamillius (Richard Bradford and/or Clarence Michael Payne) to fall ill and die, one of the play's tragedies.

But back to the baby whom King Leontes proceeds to exile in what turns out to be, yep, Bohemia, where she is raised by shepherds for sixteen years and falls in love with the son of Leontes's friend, who is - surprise!- Polixenes.  

When Perdita (Kayleandra White) returns home, a statue of Hermione miraculously "comes to life," and everyone is reconciled for another of the master's happy endings. (Shakespeare has a way of tying all the loose ends together for what is a story with a happy ending in the middle? Not a good one!)

When Hermione's friend, Paulina (Kate Eastwood Norris) tries to persuade the king of his irrationality, one wishes that Pauline's words prevailed in today's political discourse: 

The silence often of pure innocence

Persuades when speaking fails.

his stay in Sicilia.
King Leontes (Hadi Tabbel) talks evil with Camillo (Cody Nickell) in Folger Theatre's The Winter Tale; Brittany Diliberto, photohis st

The powerful performance of Hadi Tabbal as King Leontes is dramatic with delivery and actions which easily command every scene he's in, as it should be. 

At the end when all the living players are united, and Hermione comes alive from her statuesque position to enchant her husband all over again, there is much rejoicing and good cheer. 

Shakespeare even tries to assuage Paulina's sorrow over the death of her husband, Antigonus (Stephen Patrick Martin), who has been killed by a bear while sleeping on the Bohemian beach to protect the infant, by marrying Camillo (Cody Nickell). (You have to be there.)

(One of the marvels of the show was Crowe-Legacy's ability to stand silently without movement for several minutes like the statue she was, and my proximity to the stage allowed me to view her closely.) 

The Winter's Tale is one for all seasons for it kept me going all night without my breaking into slumber which usually is my condition around the second act.

Raul Abrego, Jr.'s minimalist scenic design detracts none from the action and dialogue, often seized by the whimsy of Autolycus (Reza Salazar) who periodically shows off his shiny new bicycle with a radio to streak across the stage and into the background (with sound).

Costume designer Sarah Cubbage mixes up the old with the new which fits Autolycus's antics just fine.

All's well that ends well which it does here for we like happy endings, especially at this time of year! Thank you, Folger and Shakespeare.

Other cast members are Nicholas Gerwitz, Jonathan Del Palmer, and Sabrina Lynne Sawyer.

 

The creative team included Tamilla Woodard, director;  Chelsea Dean, properties; Max Doolittle, lighting; Matthew M. Nielson, sound and composer.

Also, Kaja Dunn, intimacy; Joya Powell, choreographer; LaShawn Melton, hair and wigs; Michele Osherow, dramaturg; Lisa Nathans, vocal coach; Leigh Robinette and Taylor Kiechlin, production stage managers; Kacie Pimentel, assistant stage manager; Shana Laski, assistant director; and Tara-Whitney Rison, assistant to the director.

Folger's Winter's Tale is one of 12 different Shakespeare productions in the District's  Shakespeare Everywhere Festival, some performed through the end of the year.

(It always benefits me to read a summary of the play before I see it, rather like reading up on a country's history and culture before I visit it.)  

What: The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare

When: Now through Dec.17, 2023

Where: Folger Theatre, 201 East Capitol Street, SE, Washington, D.C. 20003

Tickets: Buy online, by phone (202-544-7077), or at the box office.

Metro station: Capitol South or Union Station

For more information: 202-544-4600 or info@folger.edu

Duration:  2.5 hours with one 15-minute intermission

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Alexandria's queens duke it out

From left, Sally Cusenza, Paul Donahoe, Sarah Cusenza, and Maria Ciarrocchi in Little Theatre of Alexandria's Mary Stuart/Matt Liptak

The present drama on stage at the Little Theatre of Alexandria is a 2005 version by Peter Oswald of the 1800 play Mary Stuart, by German playwright Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805), a masterpiece production certain to attract historians and theatre lovers alike to learn more about the conflict between two queens, to gauge accuracy and see nobles vie for the throne of England before ostensible  orders by Elizabeth I ended Mary's life with beheading, like Elizabeth's mother, Anne Boleyn, had died upon direction by Elizabeth's father, Henry VIII, who was Mary's great uncle.

(Did you get all that?  If not, the play provides clarity and background for  better understanding.)

Mary Stuart of Scotland (AKA Mary, Queen of Scots, 1542-1587), a Catholic, and Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603), a Protestant, experienced different upbringings and lifestyles which no doubt contributed to their clash.

The two powerful women never met but Schiller brings them together for his play. 

A fierce verbal battle erupts on stage when Mary and Elizabeth compete amidst secrets and courtiers who have no allegiance except to themselves. 

But Mary's chilling words hurled at her cousin cannot be forgotten and seal her doom. 

In the production, both actors (Sarah Cusenza is Mary Stuart, and Maria Ciarrocchi is Elizabeth) are more than convincing in their styles and portrayals of the two queens, although Ciarrocchi's screams became taxing at times.

From left, Sarah Cusenza and Maria Ciarrocchi in Little Theatre of Alexandria's Mary Stuart/Matt Liptak

The Earl of Leicester (Thomas O'Neill) was a typical hypocrite who does a splendid job of loving both two queens, but neither is more important than his love of self. 

John Paul Odle is the Schiller-fictionalized and aptly named "Mortimer," Mary's confidant who commits suicide after Mary's enemies learn about his plan to rescue his queen from imprisonment.

Poor William Davison (Stuart Fischer), one of Queen Elizabeth's aides who is understandably confused by the death warrant for Mary which Elizabeth gives him.  

To kill or not to kill?

The surly and conceited Lord Burleigh (John Henderson) takes the warrant from Davison without hesitation, making headway to do the Queen's will...which was? 

Lord Burleigh will interpret it his own way, if you please. Off with her head!   To which Elizabeth claims error.  

"How dare you?" and to the tower and banishment they go. 

The show runs three hours, but its complexity, intrigues, and costumes (!) demand attention, and make it seem shorter.  

Elizabeth had Mary imprisoned for 19 years and the play begins and ends in 1587 at the Castle of Fotheringhay, the scene of Mary's last confinement and her trial. 

The set by Matt Liptak is a realistic depiction of high brick walls (and landscaping) found in pictures of English castles in the Middle Ages.

With a few quick turns, Mary's prison quickly converts to Queen Elizabeth's Westminster Palace.

If the script were absent, Juliana Cofrancesco and Abbie Mulberg's  lavish costumes and hair and makeup by Robin Maline and Lanae Sterrett, assisted by Karen Malin, are practically worth the cost of admission. 

Elizabeth's gowns sparkle with jewels, multiple "diamonds" lining her apparel. Standup collars, and the men's white stockings and their own luxurious wardrobe produce gladness and a singing heart that these styles are not in vogue today.  

Wardrobe coordinators, Mary Beth Smith-Toomey and Margaret Snow help fit Mary in a white gown for her execution, like the one she wore for her death by ax.  

To maintain historical accuracy as much as possible, bright red and auburn hair for the queens result in appearances similar to portraits of the women.  

Queen Elizabeth I, c. 1575/Wikimedia Commons

Mary, Queen of Scots/Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow Life Museums, unknown artist

Sound director Janice Rivera and her crew use drums to herald strife and stringed instruments, choruses, crowd and animal noises in the background at critical moments to complement the show.  

Even now, hundreds of years later, the interminable themes of man v. woman and who's in charge here? can be heard and seen today, echoing in courtrooms, state legislatures and found in daily (and hourly) news reports, including art reviews, like one recently in the Washington Post about the misognyist, Pablo Picasso.  

 Sam Beeson, John Barclay Burns, Paul Donahoe, Richard Fiske, Kirk Lambert, Sally Cusenza, and Lee Swanson are other cast members.

Production crew members also included Margaret Chapmen and Hilary Adams, producers and (Adams) dialect coach; Helen Bard-Sobola and Fred C. Lash, assistant producers; Kathleen Barth, director; Mia Amado and Jenna Dawkins, assistant directors.

Also, Dana Maksymova, stage manager; Lauren Markovich, assistant stage manager; Griffin Voltmann, dramaturg; Matt Liptak, set design; Julie Fischer, set construction; Luana Bossolo, set painting; Donna Reynolds, set decoration; Allison Gray-Mendes, properties; Matthew Cheney, lighting, Pam Leonowich, master electrician; Ian Claar, fight/intimacy choreographer; and Russell M. Wyland, rigging.

 When: Now through May 13, 2023, Wednesday - Saturday nights, 8 p.m.; Sunday matinees, 3 p.m.

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

Tickets:  $24 (Wed.- Fri.), $27 (Sat. and Sun.). Prices includes fees.

Masks are required in the auditorium and strongly encouraged but optional in other areas of the theatre.  

Audience:  For ages 13 and up. 

Duration:  About 3 hours with one 15 minute intermission

Public transportation: Check the Metro and Dash bus websites. Dash is free to ride and has routes which are close to LTA.

Parking: is free on the streets and at Capital One Bank at Wilkes and Washington streets, a block away.  Paid parking is available at nearby garages.

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

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Vienna's hilarious open and shut show

From left, Bob Cohen, Janice Zucker, Bruce Alan Rauscher and Dave Wright in Vienna Theatre Company's Unnecessary Farce at the Vienna Community Center/By Matthew Randall

It’s a bedroom romp-o-rama!

For a laugh-a-minute good time, head for the motel rooms, see the action, and watch the jamboree unfold in a dive of a place where the crazies jump and hide and keep you in suspended animation wondering who's gone where.

And, what's next?

It's delightful, it's delirious, and very funny by the name of Unnecessary Farce now onstage at Vienna Theatre Company where the cops, the lovers, an accountant and, of course! the politicians and a sneaky criminal chase one another from room to hall to room and back again, in and out of beds hoping to catch the criminal(s) in the act. (Which act?)

They run and hide behind eight doors, reminding me of a commercial break at a Capitals' hockey game to "find the puck." (Huh?)  It's easy to get lost in this swingathon.

From left, Liz Owerbach, Dave Wright, Bruce Alan Rauscher and Kate Bierly in Vienna Theatre Company's Unnecessary Farce at the Vienna Community Center/By Matthew Randall

Eddie Page makes his directorial debut at the Vienna theatre, drawing on these actors' strengths and passions (!) to flatten the possibility of any weak-willed characters in the adult comedy.  (There are none.) 

Take the Scotsman (Bob Cohen) who speaks gibberish. Was it just me who couldn't understand him?  

But, no, those on stage couldn't interpret his remarks either except for Vienna debut actor, Kate Bierly, as a policewoman who repeats in rapidfire order the Scotsman's words, winning applause in the middle of a scene for her incredible memory and performance. 

Theatre favorite Bruce Alan Rauscher is another cop, quite effective at stuttering and repeating words as he tries to find his pants.  (His pants?)

Liz Owerbach is the "hot, very hot" (!) animated accountant, Karen, who almost manages to snag a two-for-one deal, caught by video in suspicious circumstances with another officer (Dave Wright) who rolls in and out like the rest of 'em.

Not to overlook the mild and bumbling, appropriately named mayor of the unnamed town near D.C., Mayor Meekly (Steve Rosenthal) and his lovely wife (Janice Zucker), the mayor enjoying some of the benefits of the romps he observes and interrupts.

Producer Laura Fargotstein helps to ensure the show rocks all night long.  

At the end, you may think you are bouncing on a bed, but for sure, you'll be chuckling, happy you spent a good time in the old town tonight.

Other members of the production team are:

Larry Grey, stage manager; Susie Poole, assistant stage manager; Ari McSherry, lighting; Adam Parker, sound; Helen Bard-Sobola and Charles Dragonette, properties and Dragonette, set decoration; Michelle Harris, costumes; John Downing, set; Robin Maline, hair and makeup; Mark Adams, dialects; Michael Page, fight and intimacy choreographer; Art Snow, special effects; De Nicholson Lam and Beverly Benda; set painting.

What: Unnecessary Farce by Paul Slade Smith

When: Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. through May 6, 2023 with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m., April 30 and May 7, 2023. The May 7 show will be sign-interpreted with reserve seating in the front row. Email lily.widman@viennava.gov or call 703-255-5738 for reserved seats.

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

Tickets: Buy in advance at www.viennava.gov/webtrac, or in person at the Vienna Community Center or at the door, if available, $15.  

Language: "X" 

Audience: For mature teens and adults

Duration:  About two fast hours with one 15-minute intermission.   

For more information, please call: (703) 255-6360

patricialesli@gmail.com