Once upon a time, Signature Theatre would attract theatergoers by the hundreds this time of year with the lure of “summer hummer”-themed shows, in which top-notch entertainers get a little closer and more personal with patrons, packed into the organization’s intimate spaces in Shirlington.
Two years after the pandemic put a damper on all that, the company has announced a more diverse, as well as dispersed, summer season, kicking off with the free off-site “Signature Theatre Under the Stars” concert featuring powerhouse vocalist Kanysha Williams accompanied by Mark G. Meadows and his band The Movement.
Set to take place Friday, June 10, at 8 p.m., in Arlington’s Lubber Run Amphitheater (200 N. Columbus St.), the concert will include a mix of original tunes by Meadows as well as covers of upbeat iconic jams including “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” and “Superstition.”
Speaking of Meadows covering Stevie Wonder, this year’s summer cabaret series — officially marking the first cabarets at Signature since the pandemic — promises a focused riff on the impressive repertoire of the pop/R&B legend, centered around his 1980 platinum-selling album Hotter Than July, known for the hit “All I Do” and “Master Blaster (Jammin’).”
Meadows is the lead behind the cabarets, which will be directed by Signature’s Matthew Gardiner and presented in the ARK Theatre from July 5th to July 17th. Tickets are $38.
The summer 2022 schedule also includes Signature’s second annual “Broadway in the Park” outing at Wolf Trap featuring Signature stars and headlined by two Tony-winning leading ladies, Kelli O’Hara (The King and I) and Adrienne Warren (Tina: The Tina Turner Musical). The musical theater “under the stars” program takes place Friday, June 24, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30 to $180.
Meanwhile, summer will get to sizzling at Signature a week before the Stevie Wonder cabarets with a concert presentation of a timely new musical written by Harrison David Rivers with music and additional lyrics by Ted Shen.
Performed in the intimate ARK space Thursday, June 30, through Saturday, July 2, We Shall Someday, directed by Kelli Foster Warder, weaves together story and song to chronicle three generations of a Southern Black family tracing the effects of racism, activism, and legacy from the Civil Rights era to today. Tickets are $25.
Signature Theatre is at 4200 Campbell Ave., in Arlington, Va.
Every single day, for 20 years straight, bookstore assistant Kenneth has headed after work to Wally's Tiki Bar to get blitzed on Mai Tais with his best friend Bert. Wally's, as Kenneth informs the audience at the top of Eboni Booth's 2024 Pulitzer-winning drama Primary Trust, is his favorite place in Cranberry, New York, the sleepy Rochester suburb he's called home all 38 years of his life.
Standing center stage, Kenneth (Julius Thomas III) proudly points out Wally's among the buildings and homes of Cranberry, modeled in relief around the walls of Signature's ARK Theatre. He speaks of the place with childlike joy, admitting he might be prone to angry outbursts on occasion, but all's well as long as he's got Wally's and Mai Tais after work with Bert.
Broadway has never had a shortage of leading ladies, but the fall season offers a surplus of divas who will no doubt be leaving indelible impressions long after the curtain falls.
Other recognizable A-listers from stage and screen will grace New York's Broadway and Off-Broadway houses as well in shows ranging from sturdy American classics to contemporary subjects of Artificial Intelligence.
Whether you're a local, a frequent visitor, or a tourist, these upcoming productions promise to be worth your time, money, and in some cases, all the gay gasps you can muster. Will they make good on such claims? Metro Weekly will be on the aisle to offer adulation, admonishment, or a combination of both.
Edior's Note: Gavin Creel passed away at age 48 after a short battle with a rare and aggressive form of cancer. This lovely and insightful interview he gave to the magazine was published in Feb. 2023, when Creel was appearing at the Kennedy Center in Into the Woods. We are reviving it briefly on our homepage to pay tribute to his memory. He was beloved by the theater community and all those who crossed his path.
"I've been lucky enough to be in eight Broadway shows, all of which have been pretty varied. I've done four shows on London's West End. I've had a really amazing career that, if it stopped..."
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