It may feel as though the theater season is winding down, but there are still plenty of great shows to come from all the major houses. Highlights include what is perhaps the funniest play Christopher Durang has ever written, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, at Arena Stage, Aaron Posner’s take on Tom Stoppard’s absurdist comedy, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead at the Folger, and a return of The Book of Mormon to the Kennedy Center. Speaking of musicals, The Shakespeare has a significant new mounting of Man of La Mancha, Signature welcomes everyone to the Cabaret, and Studio thoroughly lampoons Silence of the Lambs with the musical Silence! Chianti, anyone?

Compiled by Randy Shulman

ADVENTURE THEATRE MTC

7300 MacArthur Blvd.
Glen Echo, Md.
301-634-2270
adventuretheatre-mtc.org

• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz — A modern take on the L. Frank Baum classic, adapted by Jacqueline E. Lawton and starring Paige Hernandez(4/3-5/25)
• Garfield, the Musical with Catitude — The sarcastic, tubby cat is brought to life in a book by its creator, cartoonist Jim Davis, and Michael J. Bobbit (6/19-8/23)
• Oliver! — The bittersweet Lionel Bart musical, based on the Dickens novel, about the porridge-demanding orphan. Directed by Joseph Ritsch and starring Felicia Curry and Rick Hammerly. More, please? (7/24-8/16)

AMERICAN CENTURY THEATER

Gunston Theater II
2700 South Lang St.
Arlington, Va.
703-998-4555
americancentury.org

• Twelve Angry Men — In 1994, Reginald Rose’s jury drama was the very first TACT show. It will also serve as its very last (7/17-8/8)

ARENA STAGE

1101 6th St. SW
202-488-3300
arenastage.org

• The Originalist — Molly Smith directs this World Premiere drama by John Strand, starring Ed Gero as Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia (3/6-4/26, Kogod Cradle)
• Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike — The brilliantly funny, Tony Award-winning comedy by Christopher Durang turns Chekhov on his ear. Directed by Aaron Posner (4/3-5/3, Fichhandler)
• The Blood Quilt — Four disconnected sisters reunite to create a family quilt honoring their recently deceased mother in this World Premiere by Katori Hall (4/24-6/7, Kreeger)

ATLAS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

1333 H St. NE
202-399-7993
atlasarts.org

• Arden of Faversham — Brave Spirits Theatre presents this riff on Elizabethan plays, incorporating actual Shakespearean passages, as a housewife plots to murder her husband(4/2-4/18)
• Happiness (and other reasons to die) — A suicide pact is thrown into chaos when one of its members offs themselves ahead of schedule. Presented by The Welders (5/27-6/13)
• Sweeney Todd: Prog Metal Version — Landless Theatre revives its unusual take on the Sondheim classic (7/9-8/2)

CENTER STAGE

700 N. Calvert St.
Baltimore, Md.
410-332-0033
centerstage.org

• 4000 Miles — A grandmother and grandson bond in this Amy Herzog drama (4/1-5/24)
• Marley — A World Premiere Musical based on the life and music of Bob Marley (5/6-6/14)

CONSTELLATION THEATRE

1835 14th St. NW
202-204-7741
constellationtheatre.org

• The Fire and the Rain — A north American premiere (4/23-5/24)

FOLGER THEATRE

201 East Capitol St. SE
202-544-7077
folger.edu

• Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead — Tom Stoppard’s classic directed by Aaron Posner and starring Ian Merrill Peakes (5/12-6/21)

FORD’S THEATRE

511 10th St. NW
202-347-4833
fordstheatre.org

• Freedom’s Song: Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War — An epic, concert-style musical featuring the words of Abraham Lincoln and music inspired by those who lived through the Civil War. Directed Jeff Calhoun (3/13-5/16)

FORUM THEATRE

Round House Silver Spring
8641 Coleville Road
Silver Spring, Md.
240-644-1390
forumtd.org

• Passion Play (3/19-4/12)
• The Shipment (5/21-6/14)

GALA HISPANIC THEATRE

3333 14th St. NW
202-234-7174
galatheatre.org

• Mariela in the Desert — A examination of what happens to a family when creativity is forced to dry and wither away by Karen Zacarías. Directed by Abel Lopez (4/16-5/10)
• Las Polacas: The Polish Girls of Buenos Aires — The dreams, losses, and struggles of Polish-Jewish women who were lured into prostitution in Argentina by an international slave trading organization in the early 1900s. By Patricia Suárez Cohen, with music by Mariano Vales (6/4-6/28)

KEEGAN THEATRE

1742 Church Street, NW
202-265-3767
keegantheatre.com

• Cat on a Hot Tin Roof — To open its 18th season and christen the space it now calls its permanent home, Keegan Theatre revives the show that started it all for them (June)
• Dogfight — A musical based on the 1991 Warner Bros. film, featuring lyrics and music by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (August)

KENNEDY CENTER

202-467-4600
kennedy-center.org

• The Book of Mormon — The hit musical from the creators of South Park makes another pass, for a solid two-month run. (6/16-8/16, Opera House)
• Once — Winner of eight 2012 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Once features an ensemble of actor/musicians who play their own instruments onstage, and tells the enchanting tale of a Dublin street musician who’s about to give up when a beautiful young woman takes a sudden interest in his haunting love songs (7/7-8/16, Eisenhower)

METRO STAGE

1201 North Royal St.
Alexandria, Va.\
703-548-9044
metrostage.org

• The Island — Athol Fugard’s two character, South African drama, first produced at Metro Stage in 1991 (4/1-4/26)
• The Letters — John Vreeke directs this tense psychological game of cat and mouse, set in an office in the Soviet Union in the 1930s (5/6-6/7)

NATIONAL THEATRE

1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
202-628-6161
nationaltheatre.org

• Dame Edna: The Final Farewell Tour — So long as it’s fond (4/21-4/26)
• Disney’s Newsies — A band of underdogs who become unlikely heroes when they stand up to the most powerful men in New York. Score by Alan Menken and Jack Feldman, book by Harvey Fierstein (6/9-6/21)

OLNEY THEATRE CENTER

2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road
Olney, Md.
301-924-3400
olneytheatre.org

• Carousel — The Rodgers and Hammerstein classic about a carnival barker who attempts to set things right in his life (4/15-5/10, Mainstage)
• The Price — In this Arthur Miller classic, two estranged brothers reunite to dispose of their late father’s belongings (5/13-6/21, Theatre Lab)
• The Producers — The zany Mel Brooks musical, based on the zany Mel Brooks film (6/24-7/26, Mainstage)

REP STAGE

10901 Little Patuxent Parkway
Columbia, Md.
443-518-1500
repstage.org

• Sunset Baby — In Dominique Morriseau’s drama, a former black revolutionary and political prisoner decides to reunite with his daughter and discovers that fatherhood is the most challenging revolution of all. Directed by Joseph Ritsch (4/29-5/17)

ROUND HOUSE THEATRE

4545 East-West Highway
Bethesda, Md.
240-644-1100
roundhousetheatre.org

• Uncle Vanya — A new version of Chekhov’s classic adapted by Annie Baker and directed by John Vreeke (4/8-5/3)
• NSFW — From noted playwright Lucy Kirkwood hails a trenchant, provocative comedy about how magazines objectify women (5/27-6/21)

SCENA THEATRE

202-399-7993
scenatheatre.org

• The Norwegians — C. Denby Swanson’s bitter comedy about women scorned in Minnesota who hire Norwegian hit men to kill their ex-boyfriends stars Brian Hemmingsen and Nanna Ingvarsson. Directed by Robert McNamara (Anacostia Playhouse, now-4/19)

SHAKESPEARE THEATRE COMPANY

Harman Center for the Arts
610 F St. NW
Lansburgh Theatre
450 7th St. NW
202-547-1122
shakespearetheatre.org

• Man of LaMancha — As Miguel de Cervantes presents his tale of knight errant Don Quixote, his journey comes alive in a play-within-the-play in this timeless musical, starring opera singer Anthony Warlow in the title role and directed by Alan Paul (3/17-4/26, Harman Hall)
• Tartuffe — Dominique Serrand directs Moliere’s classic (6/2-7/5, Harman Hall)

SIGNATURE THEATRE

4200 Campbell Ave.
Arlington, Va.
703-820-9771
signature-theatre.org

• Soon — Matthew Gardiner directs this World Premiere musical by Nick Blaemire (3/10-4/26, Ark)
• Simply Sondheim — An original tribute celebrating Stephen Sondheim and Signature Theatre’s special partnership over the last 25 years, directed by Eric Schaeffer (4/2-4/19)
• Cabaret — Matthew Gardiner directs one of Broadway’s most electrifying treasures, featuring Wesley Taylor as the Emcee (5/12-6/28, Max)

STUDIO THEATRE

1501 14th St. NW
202-332-3300
studiotheatre.org

• Laugh — A World Premiere of Beth Henley’s newest play, a slapstick comedy of mishaps and moxie (3/11-4/19)
• Jumpers for Goalposts — Set in a Yorkshire fishing city, Tom Wells’ play about romance, resilience, taking chances, and moving on makes its stateside debut (5/13-6/21)
• Mary-Kate Olsen is in Love — Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are Grace’s only friends, and she’s just market research for them in this comedy directed by Holly Twyford (6/3-6/21, 2ndstage)
• Silence! The Musical — A musical spoof based on the 1991 Oscar-winning thriller, The Silence of the Lambs (7-8/9, 2ndStage)

SYNETIC THEATER

Crystal City
Arlington, Va.
800-494-8497
synetictheater.org

• A Tale of Two Cities — The Everett Quinton revamp — emphasis on vamp — of the Dicken’s classic. Directed by Serge Seiden and starring Alex Mills (5/13-6/21)

THEATRE J

1529 16th St. NW
800-494-8497
theaterj.org

• G-d’s Honest Truth — Rene Calarco’s comedy asks how far we would go to believe a story that’s too good to be true (3/18-4/19)
• The Call — When Annie and Peter decide to adopt, they set their sights on a child from Africa in this drama directed by Jennifer Nelson (5/6-5/31, Atlas)
• The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife — Charles Busch’s raucous comedy (6/3-7/5)

WASHINGTON IMPROV THEATER

Source
1835 14th St. NW
202-204-7770
washingtonimprovtheater.com

• Harold Night — Each Tuesday is a demonstration and experimentation in the world-famous long form technique, Harold (every Tuesday night)

WOOLLY MAMMOTH

641 D St. NW
202-393-3939
woollymammoth.net

• Light Rises on Grace — Chad Beckim’s play is an examination of race, sexuality, and family as unconventional as the relationships it depicts (3/30-4/26)
• The Totalitarians — Howard Shalwitz directs Robert O’Hara’s warped sci-fi thriller about a zombie attack in 2063. Featuring the first openly gay President of the United States!(5/25-6/21)