Reviews: Last News

the 1954 big-screen classic starring Humphrey Bogart as Lieutenant Commander Philip Queeg, he of the nervously-twirled metal balls and questionable sanity.The movie premieres Oct. 6 on Paramount+ with Showtime (paramountplus.qflm.net/9WG5D0) — and Oct. 8 on Showtime (9 p.m.) — and features an all-star cast, including Kiefer Sutherland as Queeg and the late Lance Reddick, all of whom deliver bravura performances.

King of the Yees (★★★☆☆), making its D.C. premiere with Jennifer Chang’s lively production at Signature.By, about, and chock full of Yees, real and fictional, and set partly inside a Chinatown social club dedicated to bringing Yees together, King of the Yees digs deep at one family’s roots to harvest a universal tale of daughter-father love and admiration.

ad nauseam. And vampires take center stage: the most famous being Count Dracula, a creation by Victorian novelist Bram Stoker.Horror and comedy fans finally have an entertaining, though not terribly loyal, treatment of the classic novel in Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen’s zippy and zany Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors (★★★☆☆).But really, who wants a loyal adaptation when parody can be so much fun? After all, we’ve seen what happens when earnest writers try to adhere to the integrity of the original text.Long-time theater-goers may recall 2002’s Dance of the Vampires, the short-lived (six weeks) Broadway flop starring Michael Crawford with music by the king of melodramatic pop, Jim Steinman. Based on Roman Polanski’s The Fearless Vampire Hunters, the incredibly costly dud was never quite certain if it was straight-out melodrama or over-the-top camp.

Evita (★★★☆☆), Shereen Pimentel, in the title role, declaims not from a balcony of the Presidential Palace, but surrounded by risers of flowers stacked to the rafters.A luminous rose among a field of lesser blooms, Eva “Evita” Péron, addresses her nation to the triumphant strains of “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina.” Indeed it’s a triumphant moment for the Shakespeare Theatre’s production, directed by Sammi Cannold, building on her staged concert presentation of Evita for New York City Center Encores! in 2019, and a subsequent American Repertory Theatre production in Cambridge, Massachusetts this past summer.Finessing the First Lady’s appeal to her people, Pimentel’s voice is at its loveliest on “Don’t Cry,” while Jason Sherwood’s scenic design provides a gorgeous visual representation of Evita’s lofty status amongst the Argentinian masses.The stirring number reinforces the tune’s status as the crown jewel of one of Webber’s best-known scores, with a polished, patient rendition that belies the effort to deliver all an audience might hope for or want from a hit. Other gems in the score don’t gleam with the same care and intention, although the performers, backed by music director Mona Seyed-Bolorforosh’s 16-piece orchestra, have their moments.The warm baritone of Caesar Samayoa, as Presidente Juan Péron, booms confidently through the droll game of musical chairs depicting the military colonel’s rise to power.

Bathing in Moonlight (★★★☆☆), takes the road of least controversy to depict a relatively tame love that dare not speak its name between a devout pianist and her priest.Under Cruz’s bold direction of GALA Hispanic Theatre’s Spanish-language D.C. premiere, Hannia Guillén, as dutiful daughter and mom Marcela, and Raúl Méndez, as passionate Padre Monroe, still generate the heat of two bodies burning to be together but fighting their urges.The padre even delivers a sermon about laying down barriers to love, before embarking on his perilous path of questioning why those barriers exist in the first place.Cruz fuses elements of poetry, history, theology, and surreal dream imagery to serve the well-acted romantic melodrama, which often turns on a mere glance or lingering touch.

Titanic? Those of a certain age will recall the hype and hysteria of James Cameron’s 1997 film starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. Lines formed at movie theaters around the world, many being turned away by sold-out notices.

Rotting in the Sun (★★★★☆). Cinema itself might soon go missing, Silva fears, portraying himself in this twisting tale of his own disappearance.

Atlantic City’s Etess Arena, Jon Stewart got in a good line about the evening’s lineup.“We’ve got the three stages of show business here tonight. Rehab, recovery and hospice.”The crowd laughed and the former “Daily Show’ host launched into 45 minutes of fresh, punchy material.However, like all good jokes, there was a kernel of truth to Stewart’s throwaway bit about his brief five-show tour with Pete Davidson and John Mulaney.Each act represented a different stage of adulthood and that evolution made for a fascinating three-course comedic feast for fans of the trio.To clue you in to what went down at the Sunday 7 p.m.

East Rutherford, NJ’s MetLife Stadium, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bruce Springsteen alluded to one of the few unfortunate breaks in his illustrious career.The music quieted and The Boss told the humorous story of how he was kicked out of his first band, The Rogues, way back in 1965.He laughed it off with “Sopranos” cast member and longtime E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt but clearly this chip on his shoulder had a lasting impact.58 years later, no one in music works harder to put on a truly great show and this unparalleled effort does not go unnoticed.Starting at 7:55 p.m. as fans straggled into the massive New Jersey stadium with their $50 “Born In The U.S.A.” souvenir t-shirts, Springsteen and the E Street Band kicked the evening off with the rockin’, larger-than-life “Lonesome Day” and entertained the packed venue.Then, for nearly 2.5 hours, there was nary a break for the long-running ensemble.

the Pixies I was 12 and crowded around a desktop computer. A friend played a fan-made “Debaser” music video intercut with Luis Buñuel’s iconic surrealist short film “Un Chien Andalou,” referenced in the song. If you aren’t familiar: the quick flick is most famous for exactly the image that Black Francis seizes on.

Jonas Brothers say their new tour includes five albums in one night, they’re not kidding.Over the course of almost exactly three hours on Saturday, Aug. 12, at Yankee Stadium, Joe, Nick, and Kevin played at least a chorus, but often more, of 66 (!) songs.The setlist included every single track from albums “Jonas Brothers,” “A Little Bit Longer,” “Lines, Vines, and Trying Times,” “Happiness Begins,” and their latest “The Album,” plus recent non-album singles and, of course, “Year 3000.” They even made room for Nick to play “Jealous” off his self-titled solo album, and “Cake by the Ocean,” by DNCE, a Joe-fronted band.

Metallica hasn’t lost a step.The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group stopped by East Rutherford, NJ’s MetLife Stadium for a pair of concerts on Friday, Aug. 4 and Sunday, Aug.

Osheaga Music and Arts Festival on Aug. 4-6 to join the masses for three days of non-stop music with over 50 artists performing over the long weekend.Here are just a few of our biggest takeaways from the multi-day extravaganza.Our favorite moment was easily Billie Eilish’s Saturday night headlining set that came with quite the surprise.Mid-show, the 21-year-old pop star paused to ask fans if they knew of a certain song…one that went something like, “Glock tucked, big t-shirt, Billie Eilish?”Enter Armani White.The rapper behind the mega single, “Billie Eilish,” joined Billie on stage to sing the iconic song together.Fans began screaming once White appeared out of seemingly thin air.

“It Was All A Blur” for the sake of a pun, but the night I spent at Madison Square Garden watching Drake live was truly unforgettable.On Wednesday, July 26, I had the honor of spending my first MSG concert in a VIP suite, with the best, unobstructed views of the “Certified Lover Boy” plus comfortable seating, food, drinks and a swift security check in. This made a huge difference for me, as it was my first time enjoying live music where I didn’t need to shuffle shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers — although, this crowd brought the energy and no-doubt the floor would have been a hype experience to say the least — and struggle to see over the taller patrons that always seem to get ahead of me.

The Bear‘s second season places us in a frigid Chicago winter, where our beloved, stressed chef Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) and his crew are hard at work turning their now-shuttered sandwich joint “The Beef” into “The Bear,” an upscale dining destination.The second season of Hulu’s surprise hit from Christopher Storer (Eighth Grade, Ramy) proves that without change, even the most timeless meals can go off.

Once Upon A One More Time (★★★☆☆), the latest entry into a long list of jukebox musicals that aim to revise and reconstruct the fairy tale narrative. That’s right, folks. The highest level of American Theater now includes an entire score of Britney Spears’ earworms.Washingtonians had the chance to see the show first when it premiered at The Shakespeare Theater in November, 2021.

Dead and Company have just eight concerts left on their massive 2023 Farewell Tour with John Mayer before hanging it up for good.And if you missed Bobby Weir, Mickey Hart and the boys at Citi Field on June 21-22, we’re here to fill you in with a full account of the show courtesy of the New York Post’s resident Deadhead, Ryan Murphy.Murphy attended night two at Citi Field on June 22 and said the Mets stadium was “crazy packed.”He had floor seats and a “great side view.”At his show, there were no guest artists — besides Mayer of course — and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band played two sets which included covers of Traffic’s “De›ar Mr. Fantasy” and The Beatles’ “Hey Jude” along with Ryan’s favorite, the 1978 classic “Fire On The Mountain” from their “Shakedown Street” album wailed by bassist Oteil Burbridge.He added that Weir’s best that evening was “Mama Tried” and Mayer peaked with “Alabama Getaway.”“That’s just my opinion though,” he was quick to note.Over the course of the nearly four-hour set (!), the band kept their banter to a minimum; according to Ryan “they kept it all about the music and their farewell.”Murphy, 31, was also excited to see fans of all ages including “older people jamming out” and “people in the 25-35 age range.”If you’re planning on attending one of the final gigs at Boulder, CO’s Folsom Field Stadium, George, WA’s Gorge Amphitheater or San Francisco, CA’s Oracle Park (where they got their start), Murphy has a few tips.“Definitely arrive early,” he said.

The Last Match (★★★☆☆), it might not matter who wins or loses the titular duel between American champion Tim Porter (Drew Kopas) and Russian upstart Sergei Sergeyev (Ethan Miller). In Alex Levy’s cleverly staged production at 1st Stage, however, the charmingly boastful Sergei clearly emerges as the more fully realized and engaging of the characters.Brilliantly embodying the young challenger’s drive, hunger, and athleticism, Miller also adeptly delivers Sergei’s trash-talking sense of humor, as the play unwinds its tale of the foes’ hard-fought match on-court, amid side glances to pivotal moments in their off-court lives.Yet, Miller rises above the script’s tendency to lean on Sergei as comic relief, and invests the guy with personality beyond his bad-boy insults, aggressive style of play, and mane of wild curls.

Sparks that hasn’t already been expounded upon in great detail in Edgar Wright’s excellent Netflix documentary “The Sparks Brothers.”Yet, you haven’t really experienced Sparks until you’e caught them live.The Mael brothers — Russell is the buoyant 74-year-old frontman and Ron, the 77-year-old, deadpan keyboardist with an acidic sense of humor — rocked New York City’s Beacon Theatre with their no-frills, no-fat power pop for approximately 90 minutes on Tuesday, June 27.Their show, comprised of catchy hits “The Number One Song In Heaven” and “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us,” as well as goofy crowd pleasers like “Balls” and “Beaver O’Lindy” and select tracks from their 2023 album “The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte” was exquisitely arranged; no moment felt extraneous.Of course, the six-piece band “started” with their hook-y piano confection “So May We Start” which set the tone; this would be a cheeky, self-referential evening.They maintained that ironic yet inspired high-wire act for the remainder of the gig (the song “Nothing Is as Good as They Say It Is” told from the perspective of a 22-hour-old baby that’s “seen it all” is an ace example), certainly an impressive feat for a group that’s been performing in some capacity since 1968.Plus, Ron’s stoic, mustachioed face behind the keys, only breaking when absolutely necessary, is one of music’s greatest running gags.More than anything though, Russell’s soaring Freddie Mercury-like pipes — why isn’t he fronting Queen instead of Adam Lambert for the group’s 2023 ‘Rhapsody Tour?’ — was reminiscent of the glam rock of the ’70s.At 74, he hasn’t lost a step and sounds just as powerful, unhinged and controlled as he does on Sparks’ 26 (!) studio records.That being said,

One Jewish Boy (★★☆☆☆), making its U.S. premiere at Theater J.Jogging back through years of their romance to where it began, the play posits Jesse (Danny Gavigan), a nice, Jewish professor from upper-crust North London, and Alex (Alanna Saunders), a biracial, fervently progressive free-spirit from more modest means, as both a fated love match and a combustible clash of not-quite opposites.Scene after scene, the pair struggles to find their balance, and, though their sexual attraction might spark a fire at any given moment, more often than not, they simply don’t see eye to eye on things that matter to either or both of them.“There’s nothing to discuss,” Jesse declares, dismissing Alex’s objections to holding a bris for their baby boy Finn.

One in Two (★★★★☆) — i.e., the audience at each performance will choose which of the cast’s three actors plays the role of Number One, leaving the roles of Two and Three up to chance — it might behoove a critic to see the show more than one or two times to experience multiple permutations of the production at Mosaic Theater.However, there wasn’t time for that before this review, and, more crucially, I’d say audiences can rest assured director Raymond O. Caldwell’s talented trio will deliver — regardless of who plays which part.