Edward Gero will play Ebenezer Scrooge in the Ford’s Theatre production of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, directed by Michael Baron. Photo by Scott Suchman

Now that I’m fresh off a show, I got theatre on the mind- so I thought I’d take a moment to see what’s going on in the DC Theatre scene this Holiday Season.

A Christmas Carol
Ford’s Theatre
November 23, 2009 – January 3, 2010

What doesn’t sum up the Holiday season more than the tale of Tiny Tim and Scrooge? Sure we know that Jim Carrey is starring the in Disney reboot of it in theatres but if you prefer live action rather than fancy CGI, The Ford’s Theatre is putting on a run of the classic show and is partnering with Bread for the City to not only provide an entertaining holiday show, but help out those less fortunate as well. Need another reason to consider checking out the show? Try cute kid actors on YouTube.

Annie
Toby’s Dinner Theatre
November 12, 2009 – January 24, 2010

Working on Rocky Horror this past fall I heard a lot about this dinner theatre in Columbia, MD. It maybe a trek for those in the Metro area but from what I’ve heard it’s a great destination when you wanna get out of the city; also it’s not only a show but dinner as well! For those that want to enjoy fine dining and fine entertainment can catch another classic as the story of a spunky Red-haired orphan and her dog comes to life and I’m very excited to see they casted a live dog to play Sandy (played by Belle the dog.) Toby’s also has a Baltimore location that is putting on Irving Berlin’s White Christmas.

Disney’s Mulan
Imagination Stage
November 25, 2009 – January 10, 2010

This ain’t Disney on Ice. The 1998 film is now available in musical theatre format over at the Imagination Stage in Bethesda, MD. The show is only playing weekends during it’s run but that also includes an after Christmas show on December 26th.

George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker
Kennedy Center
November 24, 2009 -  November 29, 2009

The Pennsylvania Ballet performs George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker.

The Pennsylvania Ballet puts on a new production of the Tchaikovsky classic. It’ll only be in the area for the week of Thanksgiving. If you happen to miss it’s short stay at the Kennedy Center, the upcoming production of Young Frankenstein looks promising as well.

It’s a Wonderful Life
Elden Street Players
December 11, 2009 – December 20, 2009

If you get sick of seeing James Stewart in black & white on TV, then head on out to Elden Street and catch their rendition of the Frank Carpa classic. Performances will be held Friday-Sunday with two shows on Saturdays and a Thursday show on December 17th.

Jersey Boys
National Theatre
Ends December 12, 2009

The Washington Post says that it’s a, “a smashing serenade of the muscular harmonies.” The Washingtonian calls it a, “sleek, seamless production.” The National Theatre is currently hosting the National Tour of Jersey Boys, the musical that depicts the story of  Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. The show will be in DC until December 12th where it moves on to Detroit.

Plaid Tidings
Little Theatre of Alexandria
December 3, 2009  – December 20, 2009

If the above show doesn’t satisfy your classic rock hunger perhaps this show will. According to LTA’s site, “the charming plaid-clad quartet from Forever Plaid – are transported back from the cosmos to stage a nostalgic holiday party for world-weary Earth mortals.” Sounds like crooners are in this holiday season.

Watch out, Rent is going to invade DC Theatres for 2010.

Rent
Keegan Theatre
December 17, 2009 – January 17, 2009

The Broadway classic may not be a holiday show, but since the performance rights has opened up to local productions you are quickly going to see a lot of theatres taking on the show in 2010. Keegan is lucky enough to be one of the first theatres to put on the Tony award winning rock musical.

The Solid Gold Cadillac
Studio Theatre
December 2, 2009 – January 10, 2010

Amongst Holiday tales and Musical Theatre, I wanted to make sure that a good ol’ Farce was included and Studio Theatre’s production of Solid Gold Cadillac fulfills that requirement. The tales revolves around Mrs. Laura Partridge, a minor stockholder in a major corporation who takes on the board in a fairy tale wrapped-up as a comedy. Come to the show on December 5th and tickets are “pay what you can.”

Striking 12
Arena Stage
December 2, 2009 – December 13, 2009

The Arena stage maybe counting down the days til their new SW Waterfront facility is online but at it’s temporary space in Crystal City the show still goes on.  Striking 12 is combination of musical theatre and live concert, with the group GrooveLily performing a “concert-with-a-story” where the band plays the actors. Watching the YouTube clips of the performance, the show is definitely something different that the regular theatre fare.

Come December, you'll see this confessional backdrop all over MTV

Remember this past summer when that crazy group of kids moved into Dupont Circle and caused chaos for DC and MTV? Well as most of us can get back with our lives now that they are gone, we can expect them back on our TV screens soon.

NBC 4 recently talked with Executive Producer Jim Johnston and says the show should premiere around December 30th- just in time to watch reruns while nursing that New Years hangover.

The Washignton Post’s Dan Zak also got the chance to visit the house and the castmates and saw it all from themed bedrooms to coached up message points given by the castmates:

They came. They saw. They got good at Jacuzzi sex. They had the time of their lives, they say, in the $5.7 million mansion at 2000 S St. NW. D.C. is sooo great, they say, so driven and electric. They use “driven” and “electric” often to describe themselves and Washingtonians. There is a faint, stale whiff of prepackaged buzzword, like they’ve been coached to brand the production before it airs Dec. 30.

Zak offers short takes on each of the cast members, reporting that castmate Mike Manning may return to DC, taking a liking to the city after his experience working with the Human Rights Campaign. Zak also notes that in a trite attempt to look “DC” the entire place is covered in eagles:

Bald eagles are everywhere. Eagle statues prop up a glass coffee table with their white, feathery crowns. Bronze and ceramic eagles swoop out from the wall, mid-attack. It’s Norman Bates, with a dash of John Ashcroft.

The related video reveals that cast felt like being on “The Real World” was really hard and difficult. I can imagine what months of drinks, drama, and parties can do to your life. No wonder most end up re-signing with the network for future shows (how long before they end up on The Ruins 2?)

Click the photo below to check out the Washington Post’s look inside The Real World DC House:

WP Video: D.C. cast members of 'The Real World' show off their house

I walked into the Thomas Jefferson Theatre last weekend and I felt like I walked into a Silver Diner with songs of the 50’s setting the tone for what was to come. The show makes a timely run in the DC area with a Broadway revival starring John Stamos slated to open in two weeks. The show revolves around songwriter and manager Albert Peterson (Chris Gillespie) and his client, Conrad Birdie (Michael Bigley.) When the pre-Jonas teen heart-throb is drafted in the Army, Peterson hatches up a publicity stunt to have Birdie go out with a bang.

Anne Marie Pinto plays Rosie Alvarez, Peterson’s secretary/love interest who is at odds with Albert’s mother, Mae (Kat Brais.) Kim MacAfee (Jordan Hougham) is the cute and adorable Conrad Birdie fan-club member that is to be kissed by Birdie on his last National television appearance.

The show’s strong points lie in the music. David Rohde leads what I have to admit is the best sounding Orchestra I’ve ever heard in a musical. Anne Marie Pinto and Jordan Hougham have absolutely beautiful voices and were real highlights to me in the show.

Besides great musical performances from the principals, the supporting cast gave entertaining efforts that almost stole every scene. I thought both Melissa Stamps and Kat Brais were very funny in playing the two mothers in the show: Kim’s effervescent mother Doris, or Albert’s thrifty and passive-aggressive mama Mae. My personal gold star goes to Cassandra Hodziewich, who’s ten minute cameo as Gloria Rasputin is absolutely unforgettable.

Amanda Acker designs another impressive set and also puts on the Producer hat for this production. Paired with the costume design of Lory Levitt and Irene Molnar, the resulting palette of colors in the show was pleasing from the first ensemble scene to the final outlines in the shadows.

Musical numbers like “The Telephone Hour” and “Put On A Happy Face” were cute and will be sure to take you back to a familiar time (funny I say that as a kid born in the 80’s.) In today’s world of Hannah Montana and The Jonas Brothers, Bye Bye Birdie tells a story of teenage teeny-boppers of an earlier time but should still resonate with all the trouble show biz brings to young stars today.

Bye Bye Birdie
Closing this weekend: October 2 —4
Thomas Jefferson Community Center
http://www.thearlingtonplayers.org/

However I found out that you can see the movie for FREE tonight at the DC Labor FilmFest. The fest, will show a preview screening and Michael Moore will be in attendance to speak before the film. The event starts at 8 PM at the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring. The event is free but you need to grab tickets in person which should be available now at the AFI Box Office.

So if you got nothing better to do on this Monday, head on down to Silver Spring and catch the DC Premiere of Capitalism: A Love Story.

The Providence Effect opens in select theatres today

As September comes to an end and children around that nation go back to school, DC’s education challenges still remain in the forefront. The efforts to improve DC’s school system still remains in the spotlight with Sunday’s Washington Post profile on DC Education Chancellor Michelle Rhee. With cities all over the country working to improve their public school systems, there is an interesting story in Chicago of a school that boasts a 100% college placement record. An amazing feat in a country where only a third of high school graduates go on to college. This school, Providence St. Mel, is the subject of The Providence Effect, a documentary opening in theatres around the DC area today.

The story of the school starts with founder Paul J. Adams III, an African-American man with activist roots in the 1960’s civil rights movement. After moving to Chicago’s troubled West Side he got a job at the Providence St. Mel as a guidance councilor. When the school was in danger of closing its doors, Adams raised the funds to purchase the school from the Sisters of Providence and set about a new goal: to turn Providence St. Mel into a first rank college prep school. However the story isn’t really about Paul Adams, but the education model he’s created to foster success from K-12.

The film opens with the graduation of the class of 2007 where students were not only called by name, but also by their college and major they would attend in the fall. The secret to their success is no secret in the film, Providence St. Mel believes in a strong sense of discipline and vision. In the morning every student recites the school mission statement and the teachers are held to the same high standard as the students. I was surprised to see Principal Jeanette DiBella work not behind a desk shuffling papers, but going from class to class observing teachers and students. In one scene a student is discovered not working on an assignment and both the student and teacher were called out. As DiBella says in the film she considers herself the instructional leader of the school. On the school’s website she is described as chief education officer.

However the model of Providence St. Mel appears to be paying off. The school’s success is currently trying to be replicated in the Chicago Public School system with a spin-off charter school that is also profiled in the film. Graduates go on to attend prestigious colleges and universities and has produced success for its alumni, which includes White House aide Gregory Canty.

The Providence Effect offers a look at a successful education model that left me wondering if something like that could be the answer for DC’s education crisis.

The Providence Effect opens in Washington, DC today at Landmark’s E Street Cinema, AMC Magic Johnson Theater in Largo, MD and AMC Shirlington Theater in Alexandria, VA.

Not because I’ve shilled my way to 200 on the post count, but because of the magic of social media which led to the coolest star interaction yet (sorry LeBron, you were cool but she’s been in more films.)

Of course I’m talking about my conversation yesterday with the lovely Melora Hardin (actress, singer, dancer, and most notably Jan from The Office), who is in Washington, DC to attend the DC Prism showcase and screen her new film, You. Our talk was arranged not through press requests sent to the Metblogs inbox (which you can find here if you do want to reach out to us) but through a Twitter conversation we had last month.

Now we all have probably sent a tweet do celebrity like Chad OchoCinco or Barack Obama, and if we are lucky we get a reply.I must have the best luck in the world to get more than a reply, but when talking to Melora on the topic she actually thinks social media is underused, and is fully embracing it for the release of her latest film You. “Grassroots is kinda the way we are releasing the film- so for us it’s really exciting to be interviewing with people that live [in DC],” Melora told me, “I would like more people to reach out when I’m coming to their city and say I’d really love to interview you for my paper or my website or whatever…I’m really approachable and available and interaction and it’s what I want to do for my movie.” Hardin is also taking a grassroots approach to the film’s distribution by releasing the film on iTunes and Amazon.

Going the extra publicity mile for the film, You, is only the start of Melora’s work on the project, which she also directed and produced. The film was written by her husband, Gildart Jackson, who wrote the screenplay while away on an acting job; Melora was so moved after reading it that she wanted to take her husband’s screenplay from paper to film and asked if she could direct. It was at that moment that the project became more than a film, but a family affair.

Hardin reached out to her family to work on the film, like her mother and father who also act. She asked friends like Brenda Strong, and Alex Mack to play parts and got her best friend Paula Cole to contribute to the soundtrack. It was clear that for Hardin and Jackson, this wasn’t an ordinary film, but an intimate and emotional expression, “It’s just a beautiful beautiful love story, an amazing love letter from me to my husband…I feel that my husband wrote a love letter to me with the film and I wrote a love letter back to him with the film that I made.”

The film revolves around a recent widower (Jackson) who raises his daughter on his own while dealing with the loss of his wife (Hardin.) The film is a coming-of-age film for both father and daughter and Melora told me that the film is more than a piece that deals with grief, but one that really celebrates love and the ones you love. “It cracks the heart wide open and says to appreciate the people in your life that you love and that love you and I think that’s an amazing message.”

Unlike Melora’s past big studio projects like The Office, Hannah Montana: The Movie, and 17 Again; You became a personal endeavor that was produced on a much smaller scale. Besides directing, acting, and producing; Melora took on even the most smallest of jobs such as craft service, all while financing the film out of their own pockets, “we made the film in 18 days with our own money and in our own home as well as many locations donated by friends and family. Though it was fast and furious, we were determined to make it a good experience for all and Gildart and I frequently scrambled eggs in the morning (while simultaneously getting hair and makeup) so that everyone would have a hot breakfast! Other friends brought their signature dishes for lunches and dinners.”

In the end though Melora told me she’s proud and exciting about the end product, she hopes that You reaches out to audiences and touches them the same way the project touched her family. “It’s my way to make a difference and inspire other to celebrate life- it’s a wonderful by-product of what I do for a living and what I do for a passion.”

You can check out the film,You, which is already on out on DVD or on-demand. You can also send Melora a tweet on Twitter, be sure to tell her I sent ya.

A brilliant photo of the Cavalia Tent by Flickr user Kevin H.

(Well okay, It was night when I saw it and Kevin here took a much better picture than I could have-but that’s basically what I saw.  You get the idea)

Towering over the hotels surrounding it appeared to be either a circus tent or the fairy-tale castle of any one of a variety of princes.  I checked myself-nope, not that drunk…dreaming maybe?  Did the girlfriend put on a Disney movie while I slept (again?) A trick of the lights?  Nope.  I was left with the incredibly odd question “Just what is that tent?”

We drove by the next day and, sure enough, it was still there.  Signs read “Cavalia” but didn’t really explain what it was.  Just that it was “Cavalia.” After a week of meaning to look that up and trying to spell “Cavalia” right from memory, posters appeared in my building advertising the coming of:

CAVALIA!

As such I was able to remember the name from the short walk from the elevator to my computer, and found the web site.  What is Cavalia? Per the web site, Cavalia is an equestrian show.  Specifically:

“Homage to the poignant history and fascinating bond between human beings and horses, Cavalia is a poem written in the language of sound, image and extraordinary performance.  Blending dramatic visual effects, live music, dance and acrobatics with the bold presence of over thirty magnificent horses-including, the incredible Lusitanian Stallions-Cavalia raises the bar for spectacular entertainment in the 21st century.

So it sounds to me like some sort of fairy tale with horses, real live horses, in a kinda/sorta Cirque Du Soliel show.  Or more bluntly, something my buddy will get dragged to by his girlfriend during football.

For what it is though, it seems pretty cool-Clearly there is some cohesive story that goes through out the event, so it isn’t as if it’s just some horse show.  The pictures and videos.  Perhaps I’ll check it out before the run is over.

Tickets are available now, and if any of you go it would be great to hear your thoughts.  It appears as if the show runs through September 27th, and while ticket prices are steep I will say that the poster in my building advertised discounted rates for their neighbors.  Apparently if you punch in a certain promo code (and I don’t know if would be fair to give it away here) they give their neighbors a break on the price.  So maybe, even if you are not, say that you are a NEIGHBOR(S). EDIT: Yeah-you’ll have to show proof of residence, so just saying you’re a neighbor won’t work.  Hmmm, I wonder if that is a horse pun?  Neiiggghhh-bor.

Als0-if you need a job and don’t mind running away and joining the circus, they are hiring.

Photo courtesy Play Date Austin

Speed dating, online dating, craigslist dating, when it comes to one of the biggest cities in America for singles we’ve tried it tall to find that special someone.

Well tonight there’s a new way to meet people in town. Play Date DC opens up shop with a different approach: bringing people together through “play dates” that feature all the games we loved as kids from Connect 4 to Twister. Already established in cities across the nation, Play Date organizes monthly game nights where anywhere from hundreds to thousands will come together to enjoy some drinks, food, and games. The site also boasts a social network called The Playground.

Clearly the company is working to create something to fill the void between getting dressed up for a night in a club, to sticking at home watching a movie in your PJs. I think it’s an interesting approach: the games are sure to be nostalgic and classic; the environment is perfect for singles, couples, or groups; and it makes sense when you think about how games from darts to shuffleboard make any bar that much better.

Play Date DC launches tonight at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City, Virginia from 8 p.m.-1 a.m. with an advance pre-sale ticket admission of $20. A portion of the proceeds from the event will be benefiting KaBOOM!

And for those that want another option for tonight, it happens to be the last night of the Strathmore Film Festival or catch tonight’s Nationals game for $1!

Lifestyles of the Real World (photo courtesy Metromix DC)

Things finally got rowdy for The Real DC cast. While they easily lived up to the partying expectations with daily trips to bars around DC and make-out sessions with anyone and everyone; there was finally a fight worthy enough to make the MTV cut. On Tuesday night, there was apparently a fight between the girls outside Nellie’s. Tears were shed, crowds formed, and the producers had to intervene (but not before a few photos got leaked.)

Before this The Real World Cast has been relatively drama-free to the eyes of the many stalkers and fans. In fact the Real World DC cast has managed to assimilate themselves into young DC culture as best they can. They are shopping at Urban Outfitters, eating at CalTor (and Subway too), even taking a break from the many nightclubs to visit a divvy haunt like The Big Hunt.

They all have internships and jobs with NPO’s and media outlets and I guess you can say they participate in the random mass gatherings that sprout out from time to time.

I think the crowning achievement is their participation in a DC Kickball league, I think I have to admit it- they are doing all the things that are typical of young Washingtonians.

However they do live in a much nicer place, get access to all sorts of events and parties, and become instant celebrities everywhere they go. But besides all that they have jumped the DC shark.

But what are they missing? What else do they need to do to convince us they are becoming “regular young professionals” like us?

Elizabethany's new home: The Real World DC House

A month ago she was just a newly minted West Virginia University graduate. A month ago she was just a waitress, living with her parents in Woodbridge, VA.

Now she’s the face of the Real World DC frenzy that has hit Washington, DC.

And she’s not even on the cast.

Beth Ploger (aka Elizabethany) has become one of the most notable of the stalkers and gawkers who’s fascination with the filming of the MTV reality series borders on clinical levels. Her escapades in following and meeting the The Real World DC cast has made local television, radio, and magazines. Her stalking adventures has even landed her a gig with Metromix DC.

However she’s not at all shy with her recent exposure, and will be the first to admit she enjoys being the center of attention. She is a regular at McFadden’s or Public Bar and it would not be a total surprise to see her dancing on top of the bar when the right song comes on.

An unlikely hobby: drag racing (photo courtesy Elizabethany)

Another place you can find her is on the race track where she races Volkswagens in Elimination-style Drag Racing. In regards to the surprising pastime, Elizabethany finds the hobby as a change of pace from her journalistic endeavors, “I love the feeling of being in control,” she tells me when describing what she loves most about the sport.

As a self-proclaimed Real World stalker, she says it’s her mission to simply, “get to know the cast better.” Elizabethany has become a sort of beat writer, taking her experiences with the cast and reporting them on her blog or on her new beat with Metromix. The journalistic side of her pursuits has been something long ingrained with  her childhood.

Her dreams of being in the media have been around since she was a child. At the age of 13 she proudly proclaimed to her mother, “I’m a really nosy person, I should just be a journalist!” She grew up producing fake radio shows, delivering DJ-like banter into a home karaoke machine onto cassette tapes. “I still kinda want to find those tapes,” she admits to me.

After graduating from Osbourn Park High in 2005, Elizabethany enrolled at WVU to study broadcast news. However her dreams were not to become the next Katie Couric, but to become the next Maria Menounos. For her, the entertainment beat was more interesting than hard news.

However she wanted to give it a try and took on simultaneous internships with Fox 5 and Hot 99.5. Her days would start at 3:30 AM where she would come into to do work for the Kane Morning Show. Unlike typical interns that were delegated to answering phones, Beth worked her way up, being put in charge of producing the show’s podcast material.

Elizabethany worked simultaneous internships with Fox 5 and Hot 99.5 (photo courtesy Elizabethany)

After her shift at the radio station it was off to WTTG-TV where she assisted reporters with their stories- and gained some valuable insights on TV News, and how she’s come to realize it’s not for her. The kind of interviewing she wants to do is going to be more casual and less investigative,  “I don’t wanna put anyone in a bad light- I just want to get to know them.” One of Beth’s biggest idols is Ellen DeGeneres, and aspires to one day have a talk show just like hers, “I think we have the same sense of humor.”

Last September she started her blog, Love, Elizabethany, where she covers entertainment stories in the form of personalized messages to celebrities in the news. Between work and job hunting, she spends 5-6 hours writing blog posts for the blog.

It was when she decided to spice the blog up with video that she came up with her “Finding the Real World Cast” episodes. “I heard that the show was coming to DC and I was thought, ‘I want in that freaking house!’” So she decided to document her attempts to find the Real World cast when they go out on the town.

Her weekly routine involves going out on Thursday nights with fellow RWDC stalker/blogger Martin Mongillo and a “companion” that she chooses every week. “My companion needs to be willing to do anything,” says Elizabethany when listing criteria for the job. Anything for what? Why get into The Real World house of course! It is unacceptable for a stalking companion to refuse to dance with a cast member because of a jealous girlfriend/boyfriend back home. Makes sense considering the cast members are probably willing to do anything as well despite any mates they left behind. Elizabethany has created six episodes of “Finding The Real World Cast” and more will be produced throughout the filming this summer.

You truly get a sense of her new found celebrity when you visit the house with her. Elizabethany and I took a walk down to 2000 S street earlier this month. We stood on the corner across from the house  for only a few minutes before we are approached by two guys.

“Oh my god you are Elizabethany aren’t you?”

They walked over to look at the house and instantly recognized her from her videos. A car slows down in front of us as the driver takes a long look at the house, then recognizes Elizabethany in the crowd.

She is a truly a queen among gawkers, a person made a little more famous by following people a that will barely become famous.

“I like to refer to myself as their BFF… but call me whatever you want, I know inside what I am. ”

Check out the video below to see what it’s like to stalk the Real World House with Elizabethany.