And Then There Was One
Arlington resident last MCM “Groundpounder.”
“I’ve been very, very fortunate to never have a serious injury.” — Arlington’s Al Richmond on completing his 41st Marine Corps Marathon
Arlington: Marine Corps Marathon Celebrates 40 Years
The Few. The Proud.
It was a cold and stormy night in 2013 when Stan and Melinda Crais were told that their son Jonathan would not survive the hours following a car crash that nearly took his life.
Rosslyn Unveils Marine Corps Marathon Drive
Local “groundpounder” readies for 40th MCM.
It is known as “The People’s Marathon” and 40 years ago, Arlington resident Al Richmond was one of 2,655 people lining up to participate in the first Marine Corps Marathon.
Glory Days in Alexandria
ASC celebrates Old Oaken Bucket rivalry.
From George Washington High School’s opening in 1935 until 1968, Thanksgiving mornings were synonymous with the pinnacle matchup of Virginia high school football. Residents and visitors braved plummeting temperatures and postponed culinary preparations to attend the grand spectacle of talent and grit known as the Old Oaken Bucket rivalry between GW and Arlington’s Washington-Lee High School.
Arlington Strong
Wardian leads local runners in 39th Marine Corps Marathon.
It’s been a busy month for Michael Wardian. The 40-year-old Arlington resident took to the starting line of the 39th Marine Corps Marathon to run his third marathon in 21 days with a 50-mile race added to the mix.
License to Chill
March came in like a lion, with Mother Nature dumping several inches of snow on the region March 3 as city governments and local schools closed in the wake of yet another storm that brought life across Alexandria to a crawl. “I am not a fan of this weather but thought I would try and get some enjoyment out of this last storm,” said @Home Real Estate and Design Center Realtor Christine Sennott. “My boyfriend and I packed on our winter gear and went for a walk about town. The streets were desolate with random residents shoveling walk ways and an occasional barking dog the only sound to be heard.” With snow totals ranging from 2.5 to 8 inches, the latest round of winter weather brought icy conditions and subfreezing temperatures to Alexandria just days after sunshine bathed the city's annual St. Patrick's Day parade.
Obituary: Peter C. Williams
Peter Carrington Williams, a prominent attorney and director of community service projects for the Alexandria Rotary Club, died suddenly Feb. 13 while helping a neighbor clear snow from a driveway on Collingwood Road. He was 67.
Obituary: Caroline Stackhouse Weiner
Caroline Stackhouse Weiner, the school counselor at St. Bernadette School in Springfield, died unexpectedly on Feb. 4 at her home in Alexandria. She was 32 years old and wife to Justin Matthew Weiner and the mother of sons Brock, 5 and Cullen, 2; and 3-week-old daughter Caroline.
Wreathlaying Marks Reagan's Birthday
Passengers traveling through Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Feb. 6 joined in singing “Happy Birthday” to commemorate the 103rd birthday of President Ronald W. Reagan during a wreath presentation ceremony at the airport's statue of the former president.
Circle of Stars
USO honors top corporate donors.
The USO of Metropolitan Washington honored its top corporate sponsors Oct. 4 at the 10th Annual Stars and Stripes Night gala, naming 37 corporate donors to its 2013 Circle of the Stars.
Review: ‘Come Blow Your Horn’
The American Century Theater dazzles with Neil Simon classic.
It’s been more than half a century since Neil Simon’s “Come Blow Your Horn” made its Broadway debut, launching one of the most successful playwriting careers in the history of the American stage. Filled with what would become Simon’s trademark wisecracking repartee, the autobiographical portrait of a young man leaving home to experience the swinging single lifestyle of the ’60s is performed to perfection by The American Century Theater at Gunston Arts Center Theatre Two in Arlington.
TACT Celebrates Traditional and Same-Sex Marriage in 'I Do, I Do'
The times they are a-changin’. When "I Do! I Do!" first opened on Broadway in 1966, the musical by the “Fantasticks” duo Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt was a hit. Based on Jan de Hartog’s popular 1951 play "The Fourposter,” the show chronicles a half-century in the life of a successful marriage.
Signature revives classic Sondheim
For Bobby, the word marriage is actually a sentence — a jail sentence. A perpetual bachelor, he is turning 35 and surrounded by five married couples who all have an opinion about his lifestyle in the Stephen Sondheim musical “Company,” now playing at Signature Theatre.
‘All For One and One For All’
Synetic sizzles with “The Three Musketeers.”
The mantra “All for one and one for all” springs onto the stage as Synetic Theater brings to life the fiery, bombastic ensemble of lovers and fighters in the Alexandre Dumas classic “The Three Musketeers.”
And the Winner Is….
MetroStage Receives three Helen Hayes Awards for ‘Jacques Brel’ production.
It’s billed as the largest cast party in town and on Monday, April 8, no one was celebrating more than Carolyn Griffin and the cast, crew and supporters of Alexandria’s MetroStage Theatre, which won three Helen Hayes Awards for last year’s production of “Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris.”
‘The Last Five Years’
From first date to final goodbye, Jason Robert Brown chronicles the emotional highs and lows of a young couple’s failed marriage in the award winning musical “The Last Five Years,” now playing at Shirlington’s Signature Theatre.
‘Voodoo Macbeth’
American Century stages dark Orson Welles drama.
William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” considered by many to be one of his darkest tragedies, tells the story of a Scottish general named Macbeth who commits murder to become king and fulfill his ambition for power. In 1936, a young Orson Welles staged his own legendary adaptation of the play, “Voodoo Macbeth,” which is reimagined now by The American Century Theater.
First Night Donates to Schools
$3,000 given to music programs.
For the second straight year, First Night Alexandria has donated a total of $3,000 to the music programs at T.C. Williams High School and George Washington and Hammond Middle Schools. “First Night Alexandria believes in promoting the artistic talents in the city's public school system,” said FNA board president Kerry Donley as he presented the awards.
Silent Shakespeare
Synetic Theater makes a splash with “The Tempest.”
With more than 2,500 gallons of water and a lot of creativity, Arlington’s Synetic Theater transforms its Crystal City stage into Prospero’s magical island in “The Tempest,” the ninth production in the groundbreaking theater’s Silent Shakespeare series.
Uncommon Valor
Survivors reunite for 68th anniversary of Iwo Jima.
The morning of Feb. 19, 1945, dawned eerily quiet as Private First Class Carl Norton made his way toward the shores of the remote Japanese island of Iwo Jima. But in an instant, the 20-millimeter dual purpose guns buried in the side of Mount Suribachi exploded, erupting into one of the bloodiest battles in U.S. history.
‘Shakespeare’s R&J’
Tragic tale debuts at Signature Theatre.
At first glance, they are the model of Catholic school conformity, trained to recite in unison as they learn their catechism. But then an illicit copy of William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” is discovered, disrupting the lives of four prep school boys in “Shakespeare's R&J,” now playing at Signature Theatre.
The Final Countdown
Remembering the Space Shuttle Columbia.
He was just 16 minutes from home. As a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia, Arlington native David Brown was going through final landing preparations aboard STS-107 to conclude what for 16 days had been a routine mission. At 9 a.m. on Feb. 1, 2003, that changed.
A Lullaby to Birdland
MetroStage premieres “Ladies Swing the Blues.”
Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Billie Holiday, Peggy Lee. Their voices defined the history of jazz alongside the likes of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis. But it is the indomitable influence of Charlie “Bird” Parker that sets the stage for “Ladies Swing the Blues: A Jazz Fable,” now playing at MetroStage.
Bragging Big
American Century Theater shows off through Feb. 2.
The American Century Theater’s production of “The Show Off” is playing now through Feb. 2 at Gunston Theatre Two, 2700 S. Lang St., Arlington.
Bragging Big
American Century Theater shows off through Feb. 2.
Aubrey Piper is self-centered and self-deluded, a pathological liar and shameless publicity seeker determined to climb Philadelphia’s social ladder by any means necessary in George Kelly’s Pulitzer Prize nominated “The Show Off,” a production by The American Century Theater now playing at Gunston Theatre Two in Arlington.
Voices From the Past
‘Cantorial’ debuts at LTA.
“Cantorial” is playing now through Nov. 17 at The Little Theatre of Alexandria, 600 Wolfe St., Alexandria. For tickets or more information, call 703-683-0496 or visit www.thelittletheatre.com.
‘Dying City’
Signature debuts Pulitzer-nominated play.
A year after her husband’s death in Iraq, newly-widowed Kelly is confronted by his identical twin brother in “Dying City,” now playing at Signature Theatre in Arlington.
Armstrong Makes D.C. Debut
Local chef creates menu for National Gallery of Art.
Alexandria Chef Cathal Armstrong debuted his latest signature dishes at the National Gallery of Art's Garden Café Oct. 2 in celebration of the new Masterpieces of American Furniture Exhibit.
‘Jekyll and Hyde’
Mills mesmerizes in Synetic masterpiece.
If a picture paints a thousand words, then Alex Mills has crafted a masterpiece with his performance in “Jekyll and Hyde,” playing now at Synetic Theater in Crystal City.
‘Jekyll and Hyde’
Mills stars in Synetic’s wordless wonder.
“I was very anxious, excited and scared to first start working with Synetic,” said Mills, who stars in the title role in Synetic’s latest production of “Jekyll and Hyde.” “At the callbacks I attended I had no idea what to expect but I jumped in with both feet and never looked back.”
Fore!
Wiygul Automotive wins Chamber Golf Classic.
More than 120 golfers came together to participate in the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce Golf Classic, held Aug. 27 at the Belle Haven Country Club.
‘Best Little Whorehouse in Texas’ at Signature Theatre
It was known as The Chicken Ranch, a century-old “business” in La Grange, Texas, that earned its nickname for accepting chickens as payment for services rendered.
Going the Distance
American Century Theater tackles 'Marathon '33.'
Inducing people to endure discomfort, pain and humiliation for the promise of cash prizes sounds like a season of “Survivor” or “Fear Factor.”
Rappellers raise $60,000 for Special Olympics.
Rose Pleskow is not one to shy away from a challenge. The 23-year-old athlete competed in the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens, Greece, last summer, earned multiple medals in the 2012 Virginia Special Olympic Summer Games and recently competed in an 800-meter race in the waters around the Cayman Islands. But on June 22, she did something most people wouldn't dare: rappelling down the side of a 15-story building.
Strike Up the Band!
'Music Man' Dazzles at Arena Stage
Move over Robert Preston. There's a new band leader taking River City by storm in Meredith Willson's “The Music Man,” playing now at Arena Stage.
Rolling Thunder Marks 25th Anniversary
An estimated one million riders roared in procession from the Pentagon to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial May 27 in the 25th anniversary Rolling Thunder Ride for Freedom in remembrance of American POWs and service members still missing in action.
'Doing the Most Good'
Salvation Army celebrates William Booth Society.
Donors, representatives and friends of the Salvation Army National Capital Area Command celebrated the inaugural reception of the William Booth Society May 17 at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington.
'Doing the Most Good'
Salvation Army celebrates William Booth Society.
Donors, representatives and friends of the Salvation Army National Capital Area Command celebrated the inaugural reception of the William Booth Society May 17 at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington. “William Booth Society members help make certain that The Salvation Army remains financially strong and ready to meet the challenges of serving the needs of our community,” said National Capital Area Commander Major Steve Morris.
'Xanadu' Is Zany Spoof of the 1980s
Signature's production should not be missed.
Don't bother telling “Xanadu” that's it's based on one of the worst movies of all time. It's already in on the joke, reinventing itself as an outlandishly zany spoof of the 1980 movie about a muse descended on skates from Mount Olympus to inspire the creation of a roller disco in Venice, Calif.
Don't Miss 'Lonely Planet' at MetroStage
Poignant AIDS play never mentions the word.
Like the American city where Steven Dietz's “Lonely Planet” takes place, the disease paralyzing the gay community with fear remains unnamed in the powerful and moving production of the award-winning work now playing at MetroStage in Alexandria.
'Who Says I Can't?'
Face of America ride honors disabled veterans.
They came from across the country, gathering before dawn in the shadow of the Pentagon to begin a two-day journey to honor the sacrifices of America's wounded warriors and gain a better understanding of people with disabilities.
Signature Theatre Shines at Helen Hayes Awards
Signature Theatre was the big winner at the 2012 Helen Hayes Awards, taking home top honors in five categories in Washington's equivalent of Broadway's Tony Award celebration.
'Witness for the Prosecution' Opens at LTA
It's 1954 and Leonard Vole stands accused of the murder of a rich elderly woman whom he befriended. His wife's testimony could save him until she suddenly becomes a “Witness for the Prosecution” in the Agatha Christie thriller now playing at The Little Theatre of Alexandria.
'God of Carnage' at Signature Theatre
It begins innocently enough: Two New York couples oozing affected politeness meet to discuss a playground scuffle between their sons. Painstakingly attentive to social niceties, they hope to talk things over in a calm, mature and rational way.
And Then there Was One
'Someone Who'll Watch Over Me' opens at Port City Playhouse.
It's been more than a quarter of a century since Irishman Brian Keenan, Englishman John McCarthy and American Terry Anderson were taken hostage in Beirut and held in a series of desolate cells throughout the city. Keenan was released after more than four years in captivity and went on to pen “An Evil Cradling,” a chilling account of his experience.
“Be Careful! The Sharks Will Eat You”
A riveting saga of survival at MetroStage.
He was just 4 years old when his father hurriedly whisked him away one dark, moonless night into the unknown. For Jay Alvarez, the journey was profound and one he shares in a riveting performance of “Be Careful! The Sharks Will Eat You,” a one-man show written and performed by Alvarez chronicling his family's flight from Fidel Castro's Cuba in 1964.
'Brother Russia' Comes to Life at Signature Theater
Born in a remote Siberian village, he was raised impoverished and uneducated yet became powerful enough to infiltrate a Russian dynasty. Such was the journey of Grigori Rasputin, whose story is brought to life in the world premier musical of “Brother Russia,” now playing at Signature Theatre.
TAP Honored at WATCH Awards
“The Seagull,” “42nd Street” take home top prizes.
Standout productions of “The Seagull” and “42nd Street” earned The Arlington Players top honors from the Washington Area Theatre Community Honors awards, taking home five trophies during the WATCH Awards ceremony March 11 at the Birchmere Music Hall in Alexandria.
Nominees for 2012 Helen Hayes Awards
MetroStage, Signature, Synetic among nominees.
Nominees for the 2012 Helen Hayes Awards were announced Feb. 27 with Signature Theatre, Synetic Theatre and MetroStage among the 25 theatre companies nominated in 26 categories.
'Heaven Can Wait' at LTA
Joe Pendleton is in for the fight of his life — literally. A professional boxer and pilot, his soul is mistakenly “collected” from his body some 60 years too soon after a plane flight gone awry in the comedy “Heaven Can Wait,” now playing at The Little Theatre of Alexandria.