A Theatre-Goer's Thoughts

  Julia Masli in ha ha ha ha ha ha ha at Woolly Mammoth Theatre. Photo credit: Cameron Whitman Photography. The current offering at Woolly Mammoth, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha (which I will refer to as ha 7 ) created, written, co-directed, and performed by Estonian clown Julia Masli, fits neatly with the five Woolly Mammoth shows (one co-produced with Folger Theatre) I have seen in the past year. While they are wildly divergent in subject matter, what ties them all together is this: they would not (and most likely could not) be produced by any other professional theatre in the DC area. Woolly Mammoth’s work gives us a glimpse into a variety of cultural experiences that would not otherwise be accessible to DC audiences. They expand our horizons and challenge our preconceptions about our society and the world around us. The program introduces Julia Masli as “an award-winning clown from Estonia,” but her appearance and performance run counter to mental images of clowns that I brought to t...

  The cast of The Drowsy Chaperone at Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre. (Photo credit: C King Media and SSMTVA.) My first trip to see a show at the Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre (SSMT) in Winchester, Virginia, will not be my last. The Drowsy Chaperone , their current offering (through July 14), was the perfect antidote to the sweltering heat of a July afternoon. It is a rare gem among musicals, totally original, not based on a book, play, movie, or the “greatest hits” of some musician. SSMT gives it just the kind of “lighter than air” production it deserves. We meet “the Man in the Chair,” who addresses us, at first, from the dark. He’s agoraphobic, feeling a little “blue,” in his New York apartment. He seeks some relief by playing the recording of one of his favorite musicals from the 1920s, The Drowsy Chaperone . He recounts the well-worn plot of that show, which is brought to life by the actors who made it famous, and we are treated to the delicious parody that ensues. We are a...