Stage: Plays, Musicals and Live Theater: Spring Arts 2014

The theatre season may be half over, but that doesn't mean there isn't plenty left to see on D.C. stages, starting with the Kennedy Center, whose impressive World Stages: International Theater Festival kicked off this week (see page 44). If you desire some political high drama, head over to Arena for Camp David. Crave a bit of sexual rompery? No Rules is happily going Boeing Boeing. Fancy a little Falstaff? Shakespeare is presenting both Henrys in rep. What about a macabre musical? Look no further than Signature's Threepenny Opera. Are foul-mouthed puppets your thing? Olney takes us for a spin on Avenue Q. And for those who crave a silence with their Shakespeare, Synetic is reviving its acclaimed Hamlet. Prepare to be thespianized.

Beaches

(Photo by Margot Schulman)

ADVENTURE THEATRE MTC

7300 MacArthur Blvd. Glen Echo, Md. 301-634-2270 adventuretheatre-mtc.org

· The Jungle Book - Based on the story by Rudyard Kipling, follow the adventures of boy-cub Mowgli and his animal pals (4/4-5/25) · Pinkalicious - A girl with an affinity for pink cupcakes turns pink from head to toe and surprisingly does not launch a pop music career (6/20-8/31)

AMERICAN CENTURY THEATER

Gunston Theater II 2700 South Lang St. Arlington 703-998-4555 americancentury.org

· Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mama's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feeling So Sad -- An absurdist black comedy by Arthur Kopit (3/21-4/12) · Judgment at Nuremberg -- A stage version of the acclaimed live TV drama from the '50s (5/30-6/28) · The Great American Century Songbook - A cast of seven present an evening of American folk, popular and stage music from the first third of the 20th century (7/18-8/16)

ARENA STAGE Mead Center for American Theater

1101 6th St. SW 202-488-3300 arenastage.org

· Loveland -- Ann Randolph's one-woman comedy (3/18-4/13, Kogod) · Camp David -- Pulitzer Prize-winner Lawrence Wright pens this dramatization about the historical meeting between President Jimmy Carter, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. A world premiere directed by Molly Smith (3/21-5/4, Kreeger) · Smokey Joe's Cafe -- Randy Johnson stages this rock classic celebrating the songs of Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller, including "Jailhouse Rock," "Hound Dog," "Stand by Me" and "On Broadway" (4/25-6/8, Fichandler) · Healing Wars -- Bill Pullman stars in Liz Lerman's piece combining dance and narrative and exploring the healers who treat the physical and psychological wounds of battle (6/7-29, Kogod)

CENTER STAGE

700 N. Calvert St. Baltimore 410-986-4000 centerstage.org

· Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike -- A co-production with Kansas City Repertory Theatre of Christopher Durang's hilarious look at a very odd set of siblings (4/16-5/25) · Wild with Happy -- Colman Durango's wild comedy focuses on Gil, who's boyfriend has just left and mother has passed away. Enter boisterous Aunt Flo, who pulls him out of his funk (5/28-6/29)

CONSTELLATION THEATRE

1835 14th St. NW 202-204-7741 constellationtheatre.org

· The Love of the Nightingale -- Playwright Timberlake Wertenbaker adapts Ovid's myth about Philomele, Procne and Tereus, in which family loyalties, desire and violence merge and erupt (4/24-5/25)

FOLGER THEATRE

201 East Capitol St. SE 202-544-7077 folger.edu

· Fiasco Theater's The Two Gentlemen of Verona -- New York's inventive theater company brings its whimsical version of Shakespeare's light comedy (4/17-5/25)

FORD'S THEATRE

511 10th St. NW 202-347-4833 fordstheatre.org

· The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee -- William Finn's delightful crowd-pleasing musical is a natural, obvious fit for Ford's (3-5/17)

GALA HISPANIC THEATRE

3333 14th St. NW 202-234-7174 galatheatre.org

· Living Out -- A lawyer and her Salvadoran nanny, both mothers, struggle to make better lives for their children in this play by Lisa Loomer. Directed by Abel Lopez (4/24-5/18)

KEEGAN THEATRE

1742 Church St. NW 703-892-0202 keegantheatre.com

· Hair -- The classic rock musical lets the sun shine in at Church Street (3/15-4/12) · Things You Shouldn't Say Past Midnight -- A loud, boisterous screwball comedy by Peter Ackerman. Directed by Colin Smith (5/3-24) · A Midsummer Night's Riot -- A one-man tour-de-force from Irish playwright Rosemary Jenkinson (5/6-25)

KENNEDY CENTER

202-467-4600 kennedy-center.org

· World Stages: International Theater Festival -- Works from 20 countries, including staged readings and installations (Now to 3/30; see page 44) · Side Show -- Directed by Bill Condon, this is a Kennedy Center-produced revival of the hit musical about conjoined twins (6-7/13, Eisenhower) · Disney's The Lion King -- Julie Taymor's lavish, inventive adaptation of the popular animated film returns with a roar (6/17-8/17, Opera House)

METRO STAGE

1201 North Royal St. Alexandria 703-548-9044 metrostage.org

· Ella Fitzgerald: First Lady of Song -- Maurice Hines directs and choreographs this celebration of the legendary jazz singer (Now to 3/16) · The Thousandth Night -- An actor is arrested and avoids his fate by playing 38 characters from the Arabian Nights. Directed by John Vreeke (4/3-5/18) · Underneath the Lintel -- Glen Berger's play concerns a Dutch librarian, a returned library book 113 years overdue and the obsession to locate its owner (4/17-5/25)

NATIONAL THEATRE

1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW 202-628-6161 nationaltheatre.org

· Hal Holbrook in Mark Twain Tonight -- Yes, he's still doing it, and nope, there's no finer personification of Twain (4/4-5) · West Side Story -- One of the greatest musicals of all time in a new revival (6/3-8)

NO RULES THEATRE CO.

4200 Campbell Ave. Arlington 571-527-2159 norulestheatre.org

· Boeing Boeing -- A playboy juggles three fiancées, all of whom are flight attendants. Chaos ensues when there's a weather delay (6/4-29, Signature Theatre)

OLNEY THEATRE CENTER

2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road Olney, Md. 301-924-3400 olneytheatre.org

· I and You -- Two students unravel a Walt Whitman poem and find romance (2/26-3/23, Theatre Lab) · Once On This Island -- A jubilant musical set in the Caribbean (4/9-5/4, Mainstage) · The Piano Lesson -- The August Wilson classic (5/7-6/1, Theatre Lab) · Avenue Q -- Puppets say the most adult things (6/11-7/6, Mainstage)

POINTLESS THEATRE

Mead Theatre Lab 916 G St. NW 202-733-6321 pointlesstheatre.com

· Sleeping Beauty -- A puppet ballet (4/9-5/3)

REP STAGE

10901 Little Patuxent Parkway Columbia, Md. 443-518-1500 repstage.org

· The Fantasticks -- The Tom Jones-Harvey Schmidt musical still enchants after all these years. Features the classic song, "Try to Remember" (4/30-5/18)

ROUND HOUSE THEATRE

4545 East-West Highway Bethesda 240-644-1100 roundhousetheatre.org

· Two Trains Running -- August Wilson's portrait of African-American life in the '60s (4/2-27) · Ordinary Days -- Adam Gwon's musical is about "growing up and enjoying the view" (5/28-6/22)

SHAKESPEARE THEATRE COMPANY

Harman Center for the Arts 610 F St. NW Lansburgh Theatre 450 7th St. NW 202-547-1122 shakespearetheatre.org

· Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2 -- Michael Kahn directs the epic history plays, running in rep and starring Stacy Keach as Falstaff (3/25-6/8, Harman Hall) · Private Lives -- Maria Aitken directs Noel Coward's sublime comedy of manners (5/29-7/13, Lansburgh)

SIGNATURE THEATRE

4200 Campbell Ave. Arlington 703-820-9771 signature-theatre.org

· Beaches -- Eric Schaeffer directs this musical adaptation of the beloved book by Iris Rainer Dart (2/18-3/23, Max) · Tender Napalm -- Matthew Gardiner directs this edgy, new battle-of-the-sexes drama by Philip Ridley (3/18-5/11, Ark) · The Threepenny Opera -- Matthew Gardiner directs the audacious Bertolt Brecht-Kurt Weill musical (4/22-6/1, Max)

STUDIO THEATRE

1501 14th St. NW 202-332-3300 studiotheatre.org

· Water by the Spoonful -- In this 2012 Pulitzer Prize-winner, the lives of four addicts collide with an ex-Marine in North Philly (3/5-4/13) · Moth -- The friendship between an anime-obsessed teenage boy and an emo-Wiccan girl is forever changed by a huge event on the athletic field (4/9-5/4, 2ndstage) · Cock -- A gay man on break from his boyfriend meets the woman of his dreams in Mike Barlett's provocative work (5/14-6/22) · Beats -- Kieran Hurley performs his one-man show about a teen sneaking off to a rave. A hit at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (6/11-29) · classic about a playwright and his complicated relationship with his wife. Directed by David Muse (Opens 5/22/13) · Carrie: The Musical -- Keith Allen Baker directs this over-the-top musical (that failed spectacularly on Broadway when it first debuted) with a (hopeful) eye toward extreme camp (7/9-8/3, 2ndstage)

SYNETIC THEATER

1800 South Bell St. Crystal City Arlington 800-494-8497 synetictheater.org

· Hamlet -- A revival of the production that started it all for Synetic (3/14-4/6) · Three Men in a Boat -- Three men take a holiday from work and encounter all manner of misadventures. Directed by Derek Goldman (5/8-6/8)

THEATRE J

1529 16th St. NW 800-494-8497 theaterj.org

· The Admission -- An Israeli homage to All My Sons set in Haifa during the first Intifada. Directed by Sinai Peter (3/20-4/27) · Freud's Last Session -- Serge Seiden directs Mark St. Germain's play in which Freud engages with C.S. Lewis in an exchange about God, love, sex and life (5/14-6/29) · The Prostate Dialogues -- John Spellman performs his own work, commissioned by Theater J, in which he explores masculinity and mortality in the face of cancer. Directed by Jerry Whiddon (5/30-6/29)

WASHINGTON STAGE GUILD

Undercroft Theatre 900 Massachusetts Ave. NW stageguild.org

· Elling -- Oddly matched roommates must cope with the real world and each other (4/24-5/18)

WOOLLY MAMMOTH

641 D St. NW 202-393-3939 woollymammoth.net

· Arguendo -- The innovative company Elevator Repair Service applies its unique theatrical style to the Supreme Court, tackling the 1991 First Amendment case where a group of go-go dancers petitioned for their right to perform completely naked (3/31-4/20) · The Totalitarians -- The ambitious speechwriter for a rich housewife's vanity campaign for public office stumbles upon a perfectly patriotic slogan and it produces campaign gold. Directed by Robert O'Hara (6/2-29)

For more listings, visit MetroWeekly.com.