A Theatre-Goer's Thoughts

  Manuel Oliver in Guac . When introducing his family, wife Patricia is first. Photo courtesy of Public Theatre NYC. (Note: The t-shirt worn on opening night had a different slogan, as described below.) I wish there was no reason for me to know these places: Columbine. San dy Hook. Uvalde. Parkland. And too many more. But I do know those places – and others like them. Every month, it seems, there is another to add to the list. This month, it’s Antioch High School in Nashville. Another school shooting. Each one, a call to action. And in each case, some people claim that it’s inappropriate to politicize what happened. But we know, deep down, that things don’t have to be this way. It’s an American phenomenon, where politicians are under the thumb of the National Rifle Association and the gun lobby. As a result, the concerns over the ability to own automatic weapons overrides concerns about any children who are denied life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness because of gun viole...

  Kimberly Gilbert as Heidi in What the Constitution Means to Me at Round House Theatre, Bethesda, MD. Photo by Kent Kondo. At its most fundamental level, theatre is a form of storytelling in which the storyteller relates events and emotions he or she has experienced in a way that allows the listener to understand and benefit on some level. It may be merely the consideration of a different viewpoint or something of more consequence. What is currently unfolding on the stage at Bethesda’s Round House Theatre (continuing through February 16) is a matter of consequence. What the Constitution Means to Me , written and originally performed by Heidi Schreck, is an autobiographical recounting of Heidi, following her from the age of 15 to adulthood. As time progresses, so does young Heidi’s understanding of and relationship to the United States Constitution. The play received acclaim for productions at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, then off-Broadway, on Broadway, and on tour (including a s...

  Erin Weaver as Pseudolus and Mike Millan as Hysterium in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum . Photo credit: Christopher Mueller. If there is even a sliver of a doubt as to what you will see in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (could “funny” be in the title of something that didn’t at least try for comedy?), by the time the opening number (“Comedy Tonight”) is over, any semblance of doubt will be vanquished. With Funny Thing , what you are told to expect you can bank on – particularly when the musical comedy is in the extremely capable hands of director/choreographer Matthew Gardiner and many of the regulars at Arlington’s Signature Theatre. Signature has been lauded as one of the premier venues in the country for musicals and has made much of its reputation on producing the works of Stephen Sondheim. Funny Thing is vintage Sondheim, the first Broadway production for which he wrote both the lyrics and the music, after writing noteworthy lyrics for his f...