Chez Robert Giron

There are two plays currently in the DC area that I recommend highly.

1. Really Really

First of all, in Arlington at Signature Theatre there is Really Really by playwright Paul Downs Colaizzo which is stunning and masterfully acted by a well-chosen cast.

I don't believe in giving the details away but just know that you will leave thinking about this play for quite some time because the content is disturbing on various levels. The most troubling is perhaps general ethics and the saying "what goes around comes around" just doesn't make things better. This close knit group of 20 something are played by Evan Casey, Lauren Culpepper, Danny Gavigan, Paul James, Bethany Anne Lind, Jake Odmark, and Kim Rosen.

The direction by Matthew Gardiner and set design by Misha Kachman are so carefully done that they seem natural and the very first night of preview was so on target that one would never know it was the first night for the play.

Yes, it's nice to be entertained by song and dance but sometimes one simply needs a good shot of drama and trust me this will fulfill that need of yours. Children need not attend and for adults who are shocked, well, get a life and look around you and see life for what is really out there. Some of it ain't pretty.

Go out and see Really Really because it's really, really good!

Click here for the theatre's homepage:
Signature Theatre


2. Red



I have many loves in life but I simply can't live without art, so if you have the same reaction or inclination, then go to Arena Stage and see Red by John Logan.

The play is based on Mark Rothko's life and once again the actors are superb. Edward Gero plays Rothko and Patrick Andrews plays his assistant Ken.

In this short play directed by Robert Falls, without an intermission and rightly so because it would simply break the continuity, you will be given a tablet of intellectually stimulating conversation and equally intriguing you will leave thinking about the concepts and interpersonal relationships and perhaps ask: Why are people they way they are?

I suppose if we knew that and had that under control we wouldn't need psychologists or the like and we would all be happy and go lucky--a paradise like Hawaii but reality tells us that the human nature tendency is one towards boredom so at least change and drama keep us on our toes and less bored but, boy, at what cost?

Anyway, I also suggest that you get to the Phillips Collection to see the famous Rothko Room and experience his art after having seen this provocative play.

Phillips Collection

Click here for the theatre's homepage:

Arena Stage