Theater
‘Women’s’ wily ways
Current Constellation production breathes goth life into centuries-old work

‘Women Beware Women’
Through Nov. 14
Constellation Theatre Company
Source Theatre, 1835 14thΒ Street, N.W.
$25-$30
1-800-494-8497

Caley Milliken, left, and gay actor Ashley Ivey in Constellation's current production 'Women Beware Women,' which plays through Nov. 14. (Photo by Daniel Schwartz; courtesy of Constellation)
Constellation Theatreβs lively production of Thomas Middletonβs Jacobean tragedy βWomen Beware Womenβ is a hardcore lesson in the ways of the world.
βWant is the way to whoredom,β says Livia, a well-heeled cougar, to her much younger and poorer quarry Leantio. The icy noblewomanβs money for love approach is straightforward and β more importantly in this world of vice and power β successful.
Livia is the same woman who facilitates an incestuous relationship between her brother and their niece, and arranges for the Duke of Florence to snatch away a young, sequestered bride. Itβs all in a dayβs work for this busy lady.
Written in 1621, Middletonβs wickedly enjoyable tale of bad behavior and revenge is based on an even older Italian story about a Venetian heiress who elopes with a lower class boy to cosmopolitan Florence where the young newlyweds are sucked into a maelstrom of lust and sin.
For this production, the companyβs artistic director Allison Arkell Stockman has moved the action to a more indeterminate time and place. The look of the show β inspired by movie director Tim Burton β is like a dark fairy tale. The slightly sinister set (designed and evocatively lit by A.J. Guban) is a blue-walled funhouse. Kendra Raiβs costumes are goth-meets-“Moulin Rouge.” Fun and fanciful, they add to the general demented storybook effect. (Iβd like to see the scheming Livia styled as a Chanel-clad, chignon-sporting social X-ray rather than a white- haired, senior can can dancer, but thatβs for another production.)
Constellation, a consistently ambitious company, takes on Jesse Burgerβs 2003 streamlined adaptation of Middletonβs almost four-centuries-old, over-the-top tragedy in verse with relish and enthusiasm, proving that classic theater can be very much alive and full of surprises. The eveningβs highlights include intimate two-character exchanges dealing with seduction, betrayal and jealousy β here Stockmanβs staging is at its best. In one particularly effective scene, a newly suited and booted Leantio (an appropriately callow Thomas Keegan) slips into the posh new digs of his estranged young wife Bianca (the excellent Caley Milliken) where under the cover of shadowy darkness, they engage in passionate embraces before getting down to more serious matters like discussing her affair with the Duke and Leantioβs showing Bianca an effusive love letter from his recently acquired sugar mama.
The ensemble cast is solid. Standouts include Sheila Hennessey as the calculating Livia and Katy Carkuff as Liviaβs gullible, sexually charged niece, Isabella. Lisa Lias plays Liantoβs feisty mother who resembles a better-dressed Granny Clampett. Audiences last saw Brian Hemmingsen as an intimidating Lady Bracknell in SCENAβs production of βThe Importance of Being Earnest.β Here he plays the macho and manipulative Duke of Florence. Gay actor Ashley Ivey dons robes and skullcap to play the Dukeβs equally power-conscious brother, Lord Cardinal. Keith Irby makes the most of his part as the meddling guardian to a rich young heir.
With the notable exception of the highly entertaining masque (the playβs finale in which almost all the players marvelously meet their fates), some of the showβs group scenes seem a little awkward and the playβs comedic instances can feel a tad forced. Fortunately, at the odd moment when things sag or lag, gay composer Jesse Terrillβs terrific original music β alternately pleasantly melodic and eerie β infuses the Constellationβs production with energy and helps to move things along while nicely adding to the showβs overall fractured fairytale atmosphere.
Theater
βSixβ an empowering musical remix of English history
Wives of Henry VIII tell their own stories

βSixβ
Through Sept. 4
National Theatre
1321 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
$65-$150
BroadwayAtTheNational.com
Typically, the wives of Henry VIII are cast aside as headless footnotes. But in βSix,β an empowering and fun musical remix of English history (now playing at National Theatre), they tell their own stories.
Conceived by Brits Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, the Broadway hit is a fast-paced 85-minute pop rock musical presented as a contest in which Henryβs wives compete for diva status by proving whoβs been treated the worst by the monarch, and considering Henryβs vile track record, the competition is unsurprisingly stiff.
History and music unfold chronologically as the royal consorts, backed by βThe Ladies in Waiting,β (four musicians led by Jo Ann Daugherty), briefly but trenchantly share their experiences in a madly entertaining way.
After collectively introducing themselves and their respective fates with βEx-Wivesβ (βDivorced, beheaded, died! Divorced, beheaded, survived!β), Henryβs first queen, Catherine of Aragon (Khaila Wilcoxon), a devout Catholic and a true Spanish princess who despite many tries was unable to provide her philandering husband with a surviving male heir, steps out of the line and states her case with a power-pop song titled βNo Way.β
Then one-by-one the remaining five β fabulously costumed in glittery short-skirted concert gear with Tudor flourishes by Gabriella Slade β get their turn in the spotlight. Storm Lever, as Anne Boleyn, Henryβs beguiling six-fingered second bride, wittily reminds the other women that she suffered far more than simply divorce and humiliation in βDonβt Lose Ur Head.β
The eveningβs liveliest number βGet Down,β replete with a saucy costume reveal, belongs to Anna of Cleves played Olivia Donalson. Thrown over by Henry because her looks didnβt live up to a Holbein portrait sent in advance (a still all-too-common problem), the German princess managed to keep her head and her money, proving you can be Henryβs ex and still have a good time. Her situation was unpleasant, yes, but certainly not the worst.
In a clever move, the composers have sought βqueenspirationβ from contemporary artists. For instance, Jane Seymour (Jasmine Forsberg), best remembered as βthe only one he ever lovedβ is drawn from Adele and Sia. Forsberg conveys the storyβs sadness with the sorrowful ballad βHeart of Stone.β
Henryβs victimized teenage wife Katherine Howard (Didi Romero) who was beheaded on Tower Green is drawn from Ariana Grande and Britney Spears; for Catherine Parr (Gabriela Carrillo), an independent thinker and the wife who survived Henry, inspiration comes from Alicia Keyes and Emili SandΓ©.
Sounds like big stilettos to fill? Donβt worry, the cast is more than up for it β its six talented young women possess pipes, timing, and presence to spare.
Staged by Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage with choreography by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, the production is intriguing. At first look, itβs everything some theatergoers might not like: really loud and very Vegas residency, but as the show opens up it proves delightfully smart, substantive, impeccably researched, and succeeds at cleverly melding the past and present.
The show has a strong following β the kind that feel itβs OK to sing along with the actors onstage. But itβs also appealing to history buffs and old-fashioned musical theater fans alike. βSixβ is a crowd pleaser and deservedly so.
Back to the queen contest. The obvious choice for Henryβs most consequential spouse is either Catherine of Aragon, the true queen, or maybe Anne Boleyn, the second wife for whom he parted with Rome and the mother Englandβs greatest monarch, Elizabeth I. But the show gives each woman her due, and they bare their souls. Whether they were dragged into Henryβs orbit because of beauty, ambitious family, or simple accidents of time and place, no one escaped unscathed. Who suffered the most? Thatβs something youβll have to decide for yourself.
Theater
βThe Playhouseβ a triumphant return to live performance
Tony Cisek helps make playwrightβs story shine

βA Midsummer Nightβs Dreamβ
Through Aug. 28
Folger Theatre at the National Building Museum
401 F St., N.W.
$20-$85
Events.folger.edu
Ordinarily set designer Tony Cisek is charged with making a playwrightβs story shine. His latest project was a little different.
As an integral player in Folger Theatreβs return to live performance, Cisek directed the creation of The Playhouse, the National Building Museumβs current Summer Block Party installation and the stage for performances of an abbreviated 90-minute intermission-less version of Shakespeareβs magical comedy βA Midsummer Nightβs Dream.β
The project comes from a moment of synergy where the University of South Carolinaβs idea for a pop-up theater met the Folgerβs need for a venue while the Folger Shakespeare Library undergoes major renovations, mostly involving public space and its closed, marble exterior, he explains. And the National Building Museum, looking for vital summer programming, was happy to join the partnership.
After pandemic-related postponements and delays, Cisek took the helm, inheriting both a set designed by University of South Carolinaβs Jim Hunter, cleverly made to pack up on two tractor trailers and move from stop to stop with Washington as its first stop, and exhibitions including a life-sized immersive installation based on Joanna Robsonβs book βA Knavish Lad,β which is a part of the Folger Shakespeare Library collection.
βIβd never worked where the central aesthetic is not mine,β says the out designer. βThis has been more about pragmatics and logistics, and the art part really took a backseat. But thatβs OK. I go in wanting every show to succeed and you never at the beginning know what thatβs going to take but you do it.β
Confronted with an admittedly challenging and slightly unfamiliar project, the four-time Helen Hayes Award winner with almost 30 yearsβ experience in set design, soldiered forward. Building a theater in the museumβs soaring atrium with its forest of mindboggling immense Corinthian columns presented possibilities and problems. His immediate tasks were how to sit Hunterβs set in the space, how to surround it, how to seat the audience, and what the audienceβs journey would be from the moment they walk in the building.
Quickly, Cisek and team realized the work at hand was mostly about infrastructure. There was no infrastructure for hanging lights. In fact, there were no lights. They needed speakers and cables too. Everything had to be brought in and rented for 10-12 weeks at no small expense.
Fortunately, he has a long history working with lighting designers: βI like to put my nose in other designersβ business. What elements are going to make this moment shine? Iβm not interested in staying my little silo. Thatβs not a formula for a successful production. My reward is that the audience finds enjoyment, is moved and provoked. Otherwise, why bother?β
Originally from Queens, New York, Cisek first came to Washington to study pre-med at Georgetown University. But increasingly, he became interested in theater, and eventually went on to study scenic design at New York Universityβs Tisch School of the Arts. After receiving his masterβs in 1994, he planned to stay on in Manhattan but an onslaught of job offers brought him back to D.C. where heβs worked consistently ever since.
Creating a realistic set doesnβt particularly interest him unless itβs specifically called for by the playwright or director. He adds, βStrict naturalism is better achieved by film. On stage, it leaves little room for the audienceβs imagination. And when there are naturalistic elements in the design, I like to leave air for the audience to fill in. Stories can be helped by a naturalist environment, but I move away from naturalism and try to find something poetic, or evocative, or some way to address the larger arc of the story.β
Having lived and worked in the DMV for most of his life, itβs no surprise heβs picked up some tips from the locals. For his current project, heβs utilized the idea of a zone transition, which is how Zelda Fichlander, who founded Arena Stage, referred to the journey of her audience in the original Arena β 20 feet of dim, low-ceilinged space in which in theory you left your world behind and cleansed your mind for what you were about to see.
With The Playhouse, Cisek has created a sort of tunnel through which you progress before emerging to a staggering view of the stage and columns. See it if you can.
Theater
βHot Wing Kingβ celebrates love between Black men
Playwright pays tribute to her brotherβs romance

βThe Hot Wing Kingβ
Through July 31
Studio Theatre
1501 14th St., N.W.
$75-$100
Studiotheatre.org
Katori Hallβs Pulitzer Prize-winning dramedy βThe Hot Wing Kingβ now playing at Studio Theatre is inspired by her gay brotherβs life experience.
Studioβs program explains, Hall had mentioned to friend and colleague director Steve H. Broadnax III that her brother and his partner, two Black men in midlife, were starting a life together in Memphis and it wasnβt an easy process. Broadnax encouraged Hall to make them her next play.
Fast-forward to Broadnax staging the 2020 New York premiere. COVID closes the show. But now itβs in Washington with a new production and a different cast, again directed by Broadnax.
Like βThe Mountaintop,β Hallβs fictionalized last night of Martin Luther King, Jr.βs life, βThe Hot Wing Kingβ is also set in her hometown Memphis, Tenn., a city known for its history of racial strife and more happily for rhythm and blues, Elvis, BBQ and hot wings.
The action unfolds over an often fun but sometimes tense 24 hours that begins on the eve of the annual World Championship Hot Wing Contest and Festival.
Cordell (Brian Marable) a former college baller turned foodie, has recently left his wife and two college-aged sons in St. Louis to be with his boyfriend Dwayne (Blake Morris) in Memphis. Living in Dwayneβs house, looking for work, and newly out, Cordell feels uneasy, so when met with the opportunity to again immerse himself in the annual Hot Wing Festival and possibly win a much-needed $5,000 cash prize, heβs more than eager to compete.
After transforming the tidy homeβs kitchen into a wing factory, Cordell gathers a dubiously competent team of helpers nicknamed the New Wing Order including Dwayne and queer friends Big Charles (Bjorn DuPaty), a level headed barber who initially brought Dwayne and Cordell together, and Big Charlesβ sometimes love interest Isom (Michael Kevin Darnall), a witty dedicated player and New Orleans transplant. Together they attempt to transform 280 pounds of raw chicken and a multitude of spices into the best bites in town. Well, thatβs the intention, anyway.Β
In the kitchen, laughs and ribbing ensue. Itβs after the frivolity culminates with a βBoys in the Band-esqueβ dance line that the play really comes to life. As the group breaks off into pairs in other rooms and on the driveway basketball court, vulnerabilities and tensions come to the fore. The playwright and director give each man his moment, and the talented cast runs with it.
As Cordell, Marable gives an especially affecting performance, suggesting uncertainties beneath a strong presence. And weβve all met Morrisβs Dwayne, a successful hotel manager who keeps his emotions in check behind an upbeat, always busy faΓ§ade.
The pieceβs two straight characters complicate matters believeably. Dwayneβs nephew EJ (Derrick Sanders III) is a good kid struggling to succeed against the odds. Dwayne would like the son of his tragically killed sister to live with him, but EJβs father, TJ (JaBen Early), a fundamentally decent guy who earns a precarious living outside of the law, isnβt down with the plan. Though he respects Dwayne and his designer lounge wear, heβs concerned that living with gay men will make 16-year-old EJ soft.
Set designer Michael Carnahanβs realist three-room cutaway (kitchen, living room, and a guestroom with a Diana Ross poster above the bed) creates a comfortable refuge for pals, relations, and lovers. Itβs ideal since ultimately, βThe Hot Wing Kingβ β the playwrightβs fine tribute to her brotherβs romance β celebrates loud laughter, chosen family, and love shared between Black men.
The production inaugurates the newly designed Victor Shargai Theatre, an intimate versatile black box named for the much-missed, out champion of Washington area theater.
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