Covering Annandale, Bailey's Crossroads, Lincolnia, and Seven Corners in Fairfax County, Virginia

Creative Cauldron’s Alice in Wonderland will delight children – and their parents

Izzy Smelkinson as the White Rabbit and Madeline Aldana as Alice. [Keith Waters, Kx Photography] By David Siegel Full of high-spirited playfulness, flights of adorable fancy, and some verbal gymnastics that children and adults can savor, Creative Cauldron’s Alice in Wonderland is family entertainment that will sweep one’s cares away into the joys of “curiouser … Continued

Providence Players present ‘August: Osage County’

Providence Players in rehearsal for “August: Osage County”: Beth Gilles Whitehead as Barbara Fordham and Clint Bagwell as Bill Fordham. [Chip Gertzog/Providence Players] By David Siegel “August: Osage County,” a play with plenty of wit and toughness and winner of the Pulitzer Prize and multiple Tony Awards, opens tomorrow at the James Lee Community Center … Continued

Intense play at Signature explores meaning of humanity

Felicia Curry, Yesenia Iglesias, and Holly Twyford in “Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity” at Signature Theatre. [C. Stanley Photography] By David Siegel Arresting and compelling are two words that come to mind to describe Signature Theatre’s fiery production about survival in a society racked by long-term natural disasters and deadly human-made … Continued

Fairfax Orchestra presents a very special concert

Alicia Curtis and Sidney Hampton of the Bowen McCauley Dance Company. [Jeff Malet] By David Siegel Something unique is in store for patrons of the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra. The FSO is presenting a a music and dance program “way off the beaten track,” says Christopher Zimmerman, the FSO’s conductor and music director. The performance, on … Continued

Brave Spirits Theatre presents a riveting performance of ‘The Dutchess of Malfi’

Katie Culligan as the Duchess. [Claire Kimball] By David Siegel  Words have lethal consequences in the clear-eyed, unflinching production of The Duchess of Malfi from Brave Spirits Theatre. Under the sure-handed direction of Casey Kaleba, this is a gripping performance full of verbal wrath, physical terror, and compelling characters. First published in 1623, John Webster’s … Continued

Dark passions emerge in ‘The Changeling’

Danielle Scott and Musa Gurnis in The Changeling. [Claire Kimball] By David Siegel Sex, sin, retribution, and vengeance are only starting points for Brave Spirit Theatre’s amped-up production The Changeling at the Lab Studio Theater in Alexandria. The Changeling is a passionate, 400-year-old Jacobean drama by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley. This dark tale gains … Continued