Theatre In DC Top Rated Plays List - The Highest Rated Shows In The DC Area
The "Theatre In DC Top Rated Play List" is a list of the top rated plays now running in the DC area based on what the current reviews are saying. To see all of the play reviews go to Review Round-Up.
Winner of 19 major accolades, including multiple Tony, Olivier and Drama Desk Awards, Stephen Daldry's production of J.B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls continues to astound audiences more than 25 years later with its eerie prescience. Staged by Daldry (Billy Elliot, The Crown) in 1992 at the National Theatre, this reinterpretation of Priestley's expressionistic thriller has been hailed as one of "the defining productions" of modern British theatre, "a work of great directorial daring, breathtaking visual invention and passionate moral urgency" by London's Daily Telegraph. A festive evening at the home of the Birlings, a well-heeled British family, is suddenly interrupted by a mysterious visitor: a grim inspector investigating the death of a young woman. As the inspector continues to ask one penetrating question after the next, this close-knit family begins to unravel -- and long-buried secrets surrounding the girl's death are slowly unearthed. Existing simultaneously in 1912, post-war society and modern day, Daldry's spectacular production is both a plea for a more just society and a warning of what's to come if we fail to attain it. Don't miss this edge-of-your-seat thriller, courtesy of the Shakespeare Theatre Company, at Sidney Harman Hall in Washington, D.C.
Washington Post-
Highly Recommended
BroadwayWorld-
Highly Recommended
Talkin Broadway-
Highly Recommended
DCTheatreScene-
Highly Recommended
DC Metro Theater Arts-
Highly Recommended
1904. Many former slaves and descendants venturing north find themselves at Aunt Ester's door in Pittsburgh's Hill District. A renowned cleanser of souls claiming to be 285 years old, Ester provides solace, advice and healing. Citizen Barlow, racked with guilt over letting another man take the rap for one of his crimes, desperately wants to be pure again. And Aunt Ester may be his only hope. From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Fences comes Gem of the Ocean - a mystical story of freedom, justice and redemption
Washington Post-
Highly Recommended
BroadwayWorld-
Highly Recommended
DCTheatreScene-
Highly Recommended
DC Metro Theater Arts-
Highly Recommended
Long before Carole King became a chart-topping music legend, she was Carol Klein, a girl from Brooklyn. Beloved for penning such classics as "You've Got a Friend" and "I Feel the Earth Move," she fought her way into the record business as a teenager and ultimately flourished, writing hits for some of the biggest acts in rock 'n' roll. But it wasn't until her personal life began to crack that she finally found her true voice, writing and performing the soundtrack to a generation. Beautiful is the inspiring true story of King's remarkable rise to stardom, from part of a hit songwriting team with her husband Gerry Goffin, to her relationship with fellow writers and best friends Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, to becoming one of the most successful solo acts in popular music history. It's no surprise that Beautiful - The Carole King Musical won a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album of 2015. A resounding success on Broadway, this unforgettable show now comes to Washington, D.C.'s National Theatre.
BroadwayWorld-
Highly Recommended
DCTheatreScene-
Recommended
DC Metro Theater Arts-
Highly Recommended
MD Theatre Guide-
Highly Recommended
Theatre Bloom-
Highly Recommended
Dubbed "musical comedy joy" by The New York Times, this rollicking maritime rom-com follows the adventures of Billy, a young Wall Street broker who falls head over heels for a wealthy heiress, and stows away on the ship carrying her to London. All kinds of on-board antics ensue as Billy tries to find, woo and win back his true love, with the help of showgirls, sailors and even a gangster or two.
Metro Weekly-
Highly Recommended
BroadwayWorld-
Highly Recommended
Talkin Broadway-
Highly Recommended
DCTheatreScene-
Recommended
DC Metro Theater Arts-
Highly Recommended
In 1923, the Broadway debut of Sholem Asch's Yiddish drama God of Vengeance set the stage for an explosive moment in its theatrical history. The evocative work of Jewish culture was praised and criticized for taboo themes of censorship, immigration and anti-Semitism. Inspired by these true events and the controversy, Pulitzer Prize award-winner Paula Vogel tells the behind-the-scenes story of the courageous artists who risked their careers and lives to perform a work deemed "indecent." "Brimming with good faith" (New York Times), this Tony award-winning intimate and enchanting play filled with music and dance is a testament to the transformative power of art that is timelier than ever before.
Washington Post-
Recommended
BroadwayWorld-
Highly Recommended
DCTheatreScene-
Highly Recommended
DC Metro Theater Arts-
Highly Recommended
ll 11-year-old Billy wants to do is dance. While the 1984 miners' strike squeezes his family and splits his town, Billy's passion for ballet first divides, then ultimately unites, the community-and changes his life in extraordinary ways. Based on the powerful and acclaimed film, Billy Elliot swept the Tony, Drama Desk, and Olivier awards for Best Musical, by combining a dynamic score by the legendary Elton John with sensational dance to create a heartwarming, inspirational and triumphant experience for the entire family.
Washington Post-
Recommended
Metro Weekly-
Highly Recommended
BroadwayWorld-
Highly Recommended
Talkin Broadway-
Recommended
DCTheatreScene-
Recommended
DC Metro Theater Arts-
Highly Recommended
MD Theatre Guide-
Highly Recommended
Christmas at the Old Bull and Bush transports you to London, circa 1912, where you'll be treated to a holiday-themed variety show in the classic style of the famed British music hall. Mistress of Ceremonies Florrie Forde brings the mirth and mayhem via a sleighful of Christmas carols, comedy sketches, sing-alongs and more. The show features Washington DC favorite Sherri Edelen and her troupe of eccentric British performers. Now this seasonal extravaganza returns to MetroStage in Alexandria, where you can raise a pint and feast on traditional sausage rolls while enjoying the on-stage antics of Mr. Bertie Ramsbottom, Mr. Charles Archibald Potts and company. BroadwayWorld.com praised the show, calling it "delightfully funny ... writer-director Catherine Flye is the visionary and voice behind this spectacular evening. Christmas at the Old Bull and Bush is a wonderful and nostalgic way to spend an evening having a wonderful time and escape from the hustle and bustle of the holidays."
BroadwayWorld-
Highly Recommended
Talkin Broadway-
Recommended
DCTheatreScene-
Recommended
DC Metro Theater Arts-
Highly Recommended
It's 1864 and Washington, D.C. is settling down to the coldest Christmas Eve in years. "History lessons and holiday warmth sit cozily alongside each other" (The New York Times) in this pageant of carols by Paula Vogel, the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer of Indecent. Stories of many intertwining lives- spanning from the battlegrounds of Northern Virginia to the halls of the White House- demonstrate that the gladness of one's heart is the best gift of all.
Washington Post-
Recommended
BroadwayWorld-
Highly Recommended
DCTheatreScene-
Recommended
DC Metro Theater Arts-
Recommended
Take a hilarious hit movie, add in some seriously impressive song-and-dance numbers, and tie a big Broadway bow around it, and you've got the sweet family treat known as Elf The Musical. Fasten your sleigh belts for a fun ride that follows the story of Buddy, who as a little boy mistakenly crawls into Santa's bag of gifts and is transported back to the North Pole, where he's raised as an elf. He grows up unaware that he's an actual human, but his enormous size and poor toy-making abilities eventually force him to face the truth. With Santa's permission, Buddy sets off on a journey to New York to find his birth father, discover his true identity and help the city remember the true meaning of Christmas -- and this sparkling holiday show, coming to the stage of the Olney Theatre Center - Mainstage, will no doubt do the same for you and yours.
Washington Post-
Somewhat Recommended
DCTheatreScene-
Recommended
DC Metro Theater Arts-
Highly Recommended
MD Theatre Guide-
Highly Recommended
Jessie is a corporate lawyer in a Manhattan firm - Lina is a community college dropout and born-and-bred Long Islander. They don't seem to have anything in common, but marooned at home with infants, they strike up a fast friendship. In the yard between their houses (as far as their baby monitors will reach), they bond over sleep deprivation, unreliable childcare and "having it all." A candid comedy about who gets to make which hard choices in the tinderbox of parenthood and class in the United States, Cry It Out can be enjoyed at the Studio Theatre in Washington, DC.
BroadwayWorld-
Recommended
Talkin Broadway-
Recommended
DCTheatreScene-
Recommended
DC Metro Theater Arts-
Recommended
