Scrappy Travels

One of the jewels of the DMV's theatre scene is Signature Theatre of Arlington. The shows produced at this gorgeous space, are always new and exciting. So much so, that the theatre itself won a regional Tony award in 2009. That's an amazing accomplishment in itself, but since then, they've continued to push the envelope with their productions. Currently running at the Signature is Assassins by Stephen Sondheim. While the show has always been edgy and maybe just a bit warped, what they've done with it, is (I've heard) revolutionary. Though I haven't managed to snag tickets yet, I did visit the theatre to attend another of Signature's - well, signature events. Every few weeks, in the Arc theatre, singers, dancers and actors alike perform in specially curated cabarets. The Arc is a black box theatre, with a small stage and about 30 tables. Ali's bar has specialty drinks on tap, and a few snacks to tide you over until dinner at one of the surrounding r...

On Friday, a reporter on Good Morning America chose to ridicule Prince George because he has taken a liking to ballet and dance. Now, I won't get into why a reporter is ridiculing a 6 year old in the first place. Without even taking gender politics into account, it is atrocious. But why is a little boy taking dance a big deal? And why in the world would a network reporter - who has a great deal of experience in reporting on sensitive topics - be so insensitive? Good Morning America films in the heart of New York's theatre district. Every musical currently running, is filled to the brim with men dancing 8 shows a week. I'm sure a lot of the men in straight plays, have experience in dance as well, they're just not currently showing off their moves. Dance is incredibly difficult, just talk to people who have zero talent in it (like myself.) It's not just a skill but an art form, and to see men and women do it well, is beyond thrilling. Can this reporter even guess wh...

I recently had an odd experience. And it's one that I've never had before. I left a Broadway show at intermission, and felt absolutely no guilt doing so. Why, you ask? Well, it's a little complicated, and also, really easy to explain. While I won't reveal the show itself, I will share that it was just bad. Terribly convoluted in every way, and for about 65 minutes, I had no real idea what was happening on the stage in front of me. That's what's so perplexing about the whole thing. By the time a show reaches a theatre in New York City, it's been through the gamut of reviews, tweaks and changes. So even if a show isn't groundbreaking, it's never truly terrible. That didn't happen here. This particular show played another city to pretty good reviews. So I'd assumed that meant here in Manhattan, it would garner the same type of press and response from the audience. I was very, very wrong. I attended before the show officially opened, so the...

Two big splashy musical comedies arrived on Broadway this season - Beetlejuice and Tootsie . Both are full of big names on stage and behind the scenes. Before seeing either show I posed that both would see success at the box office, but Beetlejuice would be the critical darling and Tootsie , (in a #MeToo) era, would fail to receive any praise from the papers. Let's see if that prediction panned out... Let me be clear, when both were announced, I wasn’t exactly sold on either idea. Both were based on movies written 30+ years ago. (Author’s Note: I’ve also never seen either movie) The audiences of today are very different. And both would have to take the changes in politics and political correctness into account. Maybe, we should be writing new and wonderful shows, instead of just reusing well-loved, but not well-aged ideas from the past. However, as a good theatregoer, I purchased tickets to both, and had two very different experiences. Beetlejuice L et me f...