Faction of Fools puts a commedia dell’arte spin on one of William Shakespeare’s most satisfying romps.
“It’s refreshing to see a Much Ado About Nothing so smartly directed and imaginatively produced,” writes critic Melissa Lin Sturges.
“What starts out as a promising riff on the classic Western High Noon turns out to be a tiresomely ultraviolent, yuks-deficient take on Hot Fuzz.”
Chris Klimek reviews Normal, written by Bob Odenkirk and John Wick creator Derek Kolstad:
Ms. Guided talks to some friends who use AI for dating help. From auditing Hinge profiles to walking them through a breakup, the value they describe has little to do with the actual advice. It’s about the approval.
Read all about it:
In A Good Day to Me Not To You, an unnamed Palestinian Lebanese narrator recounts how she ended up living in a women’s rooming house run by strange nuns.
Constance Zaytoun steps into Lameece Issaq’s one-woman show with ease, but the script falls short of her vulnerable performance. The review:
Steven Soderbergh’s latest witty riff on a heist movie is his "richest, most satisfying film in decades,” writes critic Alan Zilberman.
Anchored by two meaty lead performances, The Christophers makes “sharp observations about the art world and our yearning for authenticity.” The review:
An 18-year-old walked free from a gun charge because an MPD officer missed a detention hearing.
Three days later, the teen allegedly killed a man over a PlayStation 5. Full story:
A series of departures and a yearlong vacancy have effectively shut down D.C.'s Board of Zoning Adjustment.
Meanwhile, one couple’s home sits half-built while they live in a temporary apartment, waiting for a hearing that could be delayed indefinitely. Contributor Suzie Amanuel has the story:
You, Me & Tuscany is, as advertised, “a low-stakes, serial comma-free getaway to a magical land of delicious food and racial harmony that dares to ask What if every last person in the world or at least on two continents were hot and nice and also hot?”
Chris Klimek’s review:
Arlington author Rebecca Morrison’s debut YA novel, The Blue Dress, follows an adolescent girl struggling with disordered eating and trying to decide who she wants to be.
The story is drawn from Morrison’s own lived experiences and shaped by themes she’s long explored in her viral essays.
The latest punch thrown in the race to become D.C.’s next congressional delegate:
Brooke Pinto released a 67-page opposition memo including Robert White’s past stances on local issues, his “overlaps with Donald Trump,” and personal information about his family members.
Young John Lewis: Prodigy of Protest gives the Civil Rights icon the Hamilton treatment, but struggles to “make rap feel natural to its storytelling” writes critic Nathan Pugh.
The result? "Young John Lewis often just feels absurd,” Pugh writes.
Sports Illustrated reporter Emma Baccellieri discusses co-writing Court Queens, a comprehensive history of women’s basketball and the athletes determined to play it.
“Some of these women had been carrying these stories forever without really getting a chance to fully share them,” she says.
Sasha Velour, S9 winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race, brings her world premiere stage production to D.C. through April 19.
In Travesty, she “displays a series of clever tableaux about drag and gender expression across time, creating a truly singular theatrical drag experience,” writes Stephanie Rudig.
A new Streetcar is pulling into Dupont Underground. In this stripped-back version of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, actor-director Nick Westrate is “letting the words speak for themselves.”
Read about The Streetcar Project, in the tunnel April 20 to May 4.
Columnist Bill Frost rounds up the smarter stoner comedies streaming now. Get ready for 4/20 with some green humor:
Today, 2204 14th St. NW is home to D.C.’s only Black-owned LGBTQIA nightclub, Thurst Lounge.
But the three-story brick building was once home to Club Madre, a nightclub owned by notorious lottery hustler, brothel owner, liquor slinger, and drug dealer, Odessa Madre.
Tanya Paperny for On Places:
Today is #LocalNewsDay — a national day of action to support and celebrate the trusted local journalism that strengthens communities.
Help power local reporting in D.C. by becoming a City Paper member today:
“Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Appropriate already feels like a modern classic,” writes critic Nathan Pugh.
It follows a family cleaning out their Arkansas plantation home and reckoning with their dark history. "Even while staging intense themes, Olney’s Appropriate is thrilling to watch."
“Fifty years after its release, All the President’s Men feels like a necessary wake-up call for both the American public and fellow journalists alike,” writes contributor Matt Minton.
Revisit the film’s legacy with Minton and this week at AFI Silver’s anniversary screening:
FEC data reveals Brooke Pinto’s donors have given more than $2.3M to Republicans, with at least $30K going to Trump’s campaigns.
“Brooke Pinto’s Q4 FEC report reads like a who’s who of Republican insiders.” —Roger Limoges, campaign spokesperson for CM Robert White.
Mitch Ryals has the story:
Adapted from Maggie O’Farrell’s bestselling novel, Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Hamnet is “polite” and “subtle to a fault,” writes critic Chris Klimek. His review:
MPD released body-cam footage of a shooting by a federal agent after the Council enacted a law requiring public disclosure, but it doesn’t provide a clear view of the shooting.
Footage of a second shooting by a fed on the same road will not be released after the target declined public disclosure.
Suzy Eddie Izzard’s one-woman Hamlet is an astonishing feat, writes Chris Klimek. “It punches through the play’s ambient cultural familiarity, forcing us to see it anew.”
Read his review of Eddie Izzard in The Tragedy of Hamlet at STC through April 11.
“D.C. may not have the clout of Manhattan … but it is a place where an actor can make a career,” writes contributor Jared Strange.
“Though as even the veterans will tell you, getting here and making it here are easier said than done.” Strange spoke with local actors about what it takes:
Mayor Bowser announced a bill on Thursday that would allow local breweries and distilleries to produce THC drinks for sale to registered medical patients.
But some worry the proposed partnership could pull revenue from an already struggling market. Contributor LJ Dawson has the story:
The Drama uses the trappings of a rom-com to push the possibility of forgiveness to its absolute limit.
“Without Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, the film’s charismatic leads, and a strong supporting cast, the tension would be unbearable,” writes critic Alan Zilberman.
Folger reimagines Shakespeare’s classic love story with a D.C. twist, complete with original go-go music, a majority BIPOC ensemble, and jokes about Metrocards.
The D.C.-specific As You Like It has plenty going for it, writes critic Daniella Ignacio, but does it all come together?
Phil Mendelson is accused of using government resources for campaign activities less than a week after he attended annual ethics training.
“Phil has been on the Council 27 years, 12 as chairman,” says his opponent, former Councilmember Jack Evans. “He knows it’s illegal.” Full story:
“This is no stodgy historical morality play,” writes critic Allison R. Shely.
“Long before Lin–Manuel Miranda made the Founding Fathers rap, Sherman Edwards made them sing. Ford’s Theatre, in its production of 1776, has made them shine.”
Liberation Weekend II announced new headliners after D.C. punk band Ekko Astral pulled out of the fundraiser music festival for the trans community. Toronto alternative pop artist Devi McCallion will replace Ekko as the Saturday headliner.
Contributor Taylor Ruckle has all the details.