All posts by Steven Kirkpatrick

Sojourners at Round House Theatre

Reviews September 18, 2024 Steven Kirkpatrick

author: Steven Kirkpatrick

For an immigration story with a refreshing change of focus, you would do well to catch the Round House production of Mfoniso Udofia’s Sojourners, which kicks off their 2024-2025 season. It is also the first of a projected nine-part cycle about a family of Nigerians in the United States. Running through October 6th, “Sojourners” centers on a heroine who leaves a relatively privileged life in Nigeria in the late 1970s to study biology at Texas Southern University.

Katerina McCrimmon (left) as Fanny Brice and Stephen Mark Lukas (right) as Nick Arnstein ???? Matthew Murphy

Funny Girl at The Kennedy Center

Reviews June 28, 2024 Steven Kirkpatrick

author: Steven Kirkpatrick

“Don’t tell me not to fly, I simply got to
If someone takes a spill, it’s me and not you
Who told you you’re allowed to rain on my parade?”

This colorful, surprisingly fresh production of a vintage musical is decidedly worth a trip to The Kennedy Center, where Funny Girl lights up the Opera House, in grand old fashion, through July 14th 2024.

Ain’t Too Proud at The Kennedy Center

Reviews February 15, 2024 Steven Kirkpatrick

Now in its first national tour, Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations opened a six-day run at the Kennedy Center on Tuesday, Feb 13. Certainly, the 2019 Broadway musical has one of the richest R&B songbooks a musical could hope for. It was also directed by Des McAnuff, who struck gold in 2004 directing Jersey Boys — a similar biographical musical about a 1960-born men’s vocal harmony group.

Ragtime at Signature Theatre

Reviews November 5, 2023 Steven Kirkpatrick

Signature Theatre’s latest offering is a stellar production of Ragtime, a musicalization of E. L. Doctorow’s sprawling 1975 novel, in which a variety of real and fictional characters from the turn of the 20th century are woven into an epic American tapestry. Presenting a panoramic view of the dawning of the twentieth century, Ragtime addresses such issues as immigration, racism, socialism, women’s rights, industrialization, and the labor movement. Seeking to identify the forces that have shaped America over the past century,

The Play That Goes Wrong ???? Jeremy Daniel

The Play That Goes Wrong at The Kennedy Center

Reviews July 22, 2023 Steven Kirkpatrick

“When going to see The Murder at Haversham Manor at the Kennedy Center, presented by the Cornley University Drama Society (as made possible by the British-American Cultural Exchange Program), I was expecting an elevated evening of mystery with fine acting and a dazzling script. I confess that I loved what I saw, though what I saw was perhaps not what the playwright had intended. To say that there was a misfortunate moment or two in the production would be putting it mildly,

James Monroe Iglehart (center) as King Arthur and the cast of Spamalot ????Jeremy Daniel

Spamalot at The Kennedy Center

Reviews May 16, 2023 Steven Kirkpatrick

King Arthur: “Have you heard of this Broadway?”
Sir Robin: “Yes Sire, and we don’t stand a chance there.”

Actually, Spamalot, the musical version of the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail was a bona-fide smash, first lighting up the 2004-05 Broadway season, and now expertly mounted at the Kennedy Center through May 21st, as a part of their ‘Broadway Center Stage’ programming. Honestly, this production of Spamalot is dizzying,

"Master of the House" from Les Misérables. ????Evan ZImmerman for MurphyMade

Les Miserables at The Kennedy Center

Reviews April 14, 2023 Steven Kirkpatrick

Les Misérables is the second longest-running production in London and the sixth longest ever on Broadway. Indeed, the bar is high for the Tony-award-winning revival from acclaimed producer Cameron Mackintosh of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s Tony Award-winning musical phenomenon. In 1986, The Kennedy Center hosted the pre-Broadway run of “Les Miz” and the audience at the Kennedy Center tonight seemed beyond enthusiastic to see its return. The energy level was on the level of seeing a favorite rock star in concert!

The Company of the RENT 25th Anniversary Farewell Tour - RENT 25th Anniversary Farewell Tour. ???? Carol Rosegg

Rent at The National Theatre

Reviews March 26, 2022 Steven Kirkpatrick

“…it is every bit as emotionally wringing as earlier versions, with vocals that shake the walls and echo with the audience long after.”

Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show at The Kennedy Center

Reviews March 18, 2022 Steven Kirkpatrick

The 25th Anniversary tour of Riverdance (which began touring in 2020) is at The Kennedy Center for a very short run, March 15-27, in the Opera House. In Riverdance, Bill Whelan, Moya Doherty and John McColgan have created a show that has revolutionized ethnic dance, rendering it wildly appealing to general audiences. The production is well worth a visit for anyone who loves energetic dance, visual spectacle, toe-tapping rhythms, and absurdly talented performers.

Aaron LaVigne and the company of the North American Tour of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR. Photo by Matthew Murphy, Evan Zimmerman - MurphyMade

Jesus Christ Superstar at The Kennedy Center

Reviews February 25, 2022 Steven Kirkpatrick

Fresh off a hit run in London, the 50th Anniversary production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s groundbreaking musical Jesus Christ Superstar is electrifying audiences at the Kennedy Center through March 13th.

Featuring the well-known hits “Superstar” and “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera retelling of how Jesus Christ spent the last week of his life as seen through the eyes of Judas,

Hadestown at The Kennedy Center

Reviews October 17, 2021 Steven Kirkpatrick

“Myth is an attempt to narrate a whole human experience, of which the purpose is too deep, going too deep in the blood and soul, for mental explanation or description.” – D.H. Lawrence

We need myth, as we need food and water, and this particular myth is deeply resonant at this time. This myth is a tale of love and mistrust; music and dance; and light and dark. It’s a tale of power and exploitation.

The 39 Steps at Constellation Theatre Company

Reviews February 12, 2020 Steven Kirkpatrick

Constellation
Theatre does amazing work. However, The 39 Steps, while delivering
vibrant performances and a reasonable proportion of laughs, does not quite rise
to the level of theatre we expect from this company, largely due to an
inconsistent vision for this adaptation of a classic film to the stage.

Patrick
Barlow’s play — a long running success in both London and New York–adapts the
1935 Alfred Hitchcock adventure film, The 39 Steps,

Nell Gwynn at The Folger Theatre

Reviews February 9, 2019 Steven Kirkpatrick

Amanda N. Gunther | TheatreBloom

“Just think,” says our heroine to the
playwright John Dryden. “You can write about real women, real emotion, real
feminine feelings and they will all be played by a real woman!!” The men glance
at one another in quizzical, wide-eyed shock: who on earth would want to see
that?

Well, our Nellie knows. We all do. After all, wink, it’s the year
of the woman: 1665.