BWW Blog: A Theatre Lover's Guide to DC/Capital Area Theatres – January, 2010 Offerings

As we celebrate Christmas and await the New Year, here's a new audio interpretation of "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry, written and recorded by local DC actors and designers who make up The Audible Group. It is Christmas Eve, 1935. In a small apartment in the H Street NE neighborhood of Washington, DC where James and Della Young, a young couple who, though rich in love, but down to their last pennies, still manage to give each other the perfect gift. It will fill you - from head to mistletoe - with the holiday spirit. Listen here.

As we eagerly await the dropping of that famous ball in Times Square to usher in 2010, DC area theatres are busily preparing to usher in a New Year of theatre with a diverse group of dramas, comedies, and musicals. There's something for everyone in your family to enjoy, so when you are visiting our Nation's Capital, come see some great productions in our 205 theatres venues. And besides, Washington, DC is so beautiful when the snow is glistening on our national monuments.

Happy New Year! May 2010 bring you and your family happiness, excellent health, and may it be filled with great theatre!

SPECIAL EVENTS

(1) Through January 10^th : The Screwtape Letters at Lansburgh Theatre, in Washington, DC.

It was a here smash hit last year, and now The Screwtape Letters returns for an encore visit at the Lansburgh Theatre for the holidays. The production is an adaption by Max McLean and Director Jeff Fiske, based on C.S. Lewis' brilliant novel, which explores "the theme of spiritual warfare from a demon's point of view. Set in an office in hell, the play follows a senior devil, Screwtape (played by McLean), and Toadpipe, his feisty but 'wordless' secretary (played by Kate Eleanor Wight), as they train their new apprentice - Wormwood  (who has just converted to Christianity) - on how to 'undermine faith and prevent the formation of virtues'. It will change the way you think about the influence of demons in your everyday life.

Read Tim Treanor's insightful interview with the two stars of The Screwtape Letters here:

(2) ) From January 11^th, through February 7^th, The Last Cargo Cult, at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, in Washington, DC.

Monologist Mike Daisey is a phenomenon. Though he rarely moves from behind his desk, his performance is as commanding as his well researched, provocative works.

Last year's controversial How Theater Failed America, sparked discussions among audiences and artistic directors about the state of theatre in Washington. Now, Mike returns with his new work - The Last Cargo Cult - where Islander worshippers of cargo left behind by American soldiers "build meticulous bamboo replicas of Western engineering, re-enact scenes from internet broadcasts, and summon American power through sympathetic magic. What does our economic crisis mean to them, and what can they teach us about wealth and wishful thinking?" Daisey can give your brain whiplash - so if you think you know what he'll say - you're wrong.

(3) January 18^th at 4 PM: A public reading of Dot Comet!, in the rehearsal room at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, in Washington, DC.

It's always exciting when you get a chance to sit in on a reading of a new musical, and on January 18^th, producer Charlie Fink's New Musical Development Foundation presents a reading of Dot Comet!, a new musical comedy by Craig Pospisil and Michael Ogborn, directed by Shirley Serotsky. The cast features Tracie Higgins (from Michael's musical Baby Case), and DC area actors Evan Casey, Matthew Anderson, Jason McCool, Gillian Shelly, Toni Rae Brotons , and Skip Bromley. What a great cast! You never know what you'll see when you attend a reading like this. Will you hear and see something new and original and wonderful, or will you suggest that the creators start working on something else?