Arts & Entertainment
Nine lives of an actor
Title role in Seuss adaptation latest for versatile local thesp
Alex Vernon, left, as the fish, and Rich Hammerly as the Cat in ‘Dr. Seuss’s Cat in the Hat.’ (Photo by Bruce Douglas; courtesy Adventure Theatre MTC)
Rick Hammerly
Through September 2
‘Dr. Seuss’s Cat in the Hat’
Adventure Theatre MTC
7300 MacArthur Blvd (Glen Echo Park)
Glen Echo, MD 20812
$19
301.634.2270
Adventuretheatre-mtc.org
Rick Hammerly never considered himself a children’s theater type of guy.
“Small animals and kids have never been two of my favorite things,” he readily shares. So why is the longtime Washington actor donning a tall, striped hat and fur pants to play the title role in “Dr. Seuss’s Cat in the Hat” for crowds of fidgety youngsters at Adventure Theatre MTC seven shows a week?
“Well, Michael Bobbitt (Adventure Theatre’s producing artistic director) is wonderfully sneaky,” says Hammerly, who is gay. “A year ago last spring we were doing ‘1776’ at Ford’s Theater and Michael planted the seed, suggesting that I’d be right for ‘Cat in the Hat.’ During the following months, every now and then he subtly encouraged me that this was something I’d love to do. But I wasn’t entirely convinced.”
Finally last winter, at Bobbitt’s request, Hammerly went to Glen Echo Park to see Adventure Theatre’s “Winnie the Pooh.” “I was seated next to a family,” he says. “Watching how their youngest kid reacted so positively to what was happening on stage completely charmed me. To be a part of children’s formative theater experiences strikes me as a something really important.”
“And c’mon,” Hammerly says. “You don’t pass on playing this part. The cat’s an icon.”
Adapted from the classic book by British director Katie Mitchell, “Dr. Seuss’ Cat in the Hat” is entirely faithful to the original, beloved text. Word for word, it’s the same story of the mischievous cat that drops in on Sally and her brother (played by Jessica Shearer and Tyler Herman), convincing them that a rainy day at home need not be boring. In no time he’s balancing a gold fish on the end of an umbrella and they’re flying kites indoors.
“Looking back, I’d remembered ‘Cat in the Hat’ as more Pollyannaish. I was mistaken; in fact, the cat is kind of bitchy and lives for a good time. It’s very easy for me to go to that place,” Hammerly says. “If there’s any moral to the story, I’d say it’s to have a helluva good time as long as you clean up and don’t get caught.”
Prior to taking the part, Hammerly had been warned that young audiences are completely uncensored.
“Unlike some adult audiences that sit in icy, silent judgment, these kids let you know what they’re feeling. I was afraid that their calling out might be too distracting and break my concentration. But their talking and anticipation of dialog — many know the text by heart — have proven very energizing. It’s an exhilarating, interactive experience.”
After each performance (three on Saturday, three on Sunday and one Monday morning), Hammerly makes a beeline to the theater’s lobby where he mingles with the audience. “Look, I don’t want to take any of these kids home and raise them, but they’re truly adorable. Then again, it’s still early in the show’s run. Ask me in September and I might say something different.”
Hammerly received his bachelor’s degree in drama and anthropology from the University of Virginia. In 2006, he completed his master’s degree in film and video production at the American University and formed his own company, Idle Rich Productions. He is also founder/producing artistic director of Factory 449, a Helen Hayes Award-winning company dedicated to the collaborative process of creating “theater as event.”
He both acts and directs. In September, he is assistant-directing “The Laramie Project” at Ford’s Theatre. The seminal 1998 work by director/playwright Moisés Kaufman presents a community’s response to the brutal murder of gay martyr Matthew Shepard.
“At this point I’m so busy that ideally I need a business partner to help me with work and a boyfriend to take care of things at home and give me a kiss at the end of my long days that typically end at 1 a.m.”
“Very, very eclectic” is how Hammerly describes his performance history. The vast and varied list of parts he’s played includes the post-stroke Bette Davis in “Me and Jezebel” at MetroStage, “A Christmas Carol’s” cheery Mr. Fezziwig at Ford’s, and the hermaphroditic title character in Signature’s “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” for which he won a Helen Hayes Award.
“It’s sort of an oddball bunch,” he says happily.
And now he adds a kid-loving, impish cat to the list.
The 2026 Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather competition was held at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill on Sunday. Seven contestants vied for the title and Gage Ryder was named the winner.
(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Theater
Voiceless ‘Antony & Cleopatra’ a spectacle of operatic proportions
Synetic production pulls audience into grips of doomed lovers’ passion
‘Antony & Cleopatra’
Through Jan. 25
Synetic Theater at
Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Klein Theatre
450 7th St., N.W.
Synetictheater.org
A spectacle of operatic proportions, Synetic Theater’s “Antony & Cleopatra” is performed entirely voiceless. An adaptation of the Bard’s original (a play bursting with wordplay, metaphors, and poetic language), the celebrated company’s production doesn’t flinch before the challenge.
Staged by Paata Tsikurishvili and choreographed by Irina Tsikurishvili, this worthy remount is currently playing at Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Klein Theatre, the same venue where it premiered 10 years ago. Much is changed, including players, but the usual inimitable Synectic energy and ingenuity remain intact.
As audiences file into the Klein, they’re met with a monumental pyramid bathed in mist on a dimly lit stage. As the lights rise, the struggle kicks off: Cleopatra (Irina Kavsadze) and brother Ptolemy (Natan-Maël Gray) are each vying for the crown of Egypt. Alas, he wins and she’s banished from Alexandria along with her ethereal black-clad sidekick Mardian (Stella Bunch); but as history tells us, Cleopatra soon makes a triumphant return rolled in a carpet.
Meanwhile, in the increasingly dangerous Rome, Caesar (memorably played by Tony Amante) is assassinated by a group of senators. Here, his legendary Ides of March murder is rather elegantly achieved by silver masked politicians, leaving the epic storytelling to focus on the titular lovers.
The fabled couple is intense. As the Roman general Antony, Vato Tsikurishvili comes across as equal parts warrior, careerist, and beguiled lover. And despite a dose of earthiness, it’s clear that Kavsadze’s Cleopatra was born to be queen.
Phil Charlwood’s scenic design along with Colin K. Bills’ lighting cleverly morph the huge pyramidic structure into the throne of Egypt, the Roman Senate, and most astonishingly as a battle galley crashing across the seas with Tsikurishvili’s Antony ferociously at the helm.
There are some less subtle suggestions of location and empire building in the form of outsized cardboard puzzle pieces depicting the Mediterranean and a royal throne broken into jagged halves, and the back-and-forth of missives.
Of course, going wordless has its challenges. Kindly, Synectic provides a compact synopsis of the story. I’d recommend coming early and studying that page. With changing locations, lots of who’s who, shifting alliances, numerous war skirmishes, and lack of dialogue, it helps to get a jump on plot and characters.
Erik Teague’s terrific costume design is not only inspired but also helpful. Crimson red, silver, and white say Rome; while all things Egyptian have a more exotic look with lots of gold and diaphanous veils, etc.
When Synetic’s voicelessness works, it’s masterful. Many hands create the magic: There’s the direction, choreography, design, and the outrageously committed, sinewy built players who bring it to life through movement, some acrobatics, and the remarkable sword dancing using (actual sparking sabers) while twirling to original music composed by Konstantine Lortkipanidze.
Amid the tumultuous relationships and frequent battling (fight choreography compliments of Ben Cunis), moments of whimsy and humor aren’t unwelcome. Ptolemy has a few clownish bits as Cleopatra’s lesser sibling. And Antony’s powerful rival Octavian (ageless out actor Philip Fletcher) engages in peppy propaganda featuring a faux Cleopatra (played by Maryam Najafzada) as a less than virtuous queen enthusiastically engaged in an all-out sex romp.
When Antony and Cleopatra reach their respective ends with sword and adder, it comes almost as a relief. They’ve been through so much. And from start to finish, without uttering a word, Kavsadze and Tsikurishvili share a chemistry that pulls the audience into the grips of the doomed lovers’ palpable passion.
Out & About
Love board games and looking for love?
Quirk Events will host “Board Game Speed Dating for Gay Men” on Thursday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. at KBird DC.
Searching for a partner can be challenging. But board games are always fun. So what if you combined board games and finding a partner?
Picture this: You sit down for a night of games. A gaming concierge walks you through several games over the course of the night. You play classics you love and discover brand new games you’ve never heard of, playing each with a different group of fun singles. All while in a great establishment.
At the end of the night, you give your gaming concierge a list of the folks you met that you’d like to date and a list of those you met that you’d like to just hang out with as friends. If any two people put down the same name as each other in either column, then your gaming concierge will make sure you get each other’s e-mail address and you can coordinate a time to hang out.
Tickets cost $31.80 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.
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