Don't be misled by the humble surroundings of this theater. Inside this small space something…read morewonderful invariably happens. I have seen numerous performances here, and they are all consistently at a high level. I have been to NYC. You don't need to spend $250 to be up close to great theater. The talent that comes to Metro Stage have Broadway in their resumes. The current performance of Black Pearl Sings set in the post depression 1930's, takes 2 women from different worlds and shows how they can bond through music. Their story stands on its own, and is not just a backdrop to launch into song. The show takes the viewer through a full range of emotions. The outcome is bittersweet. If you live in the DC. metro area, don't overlook what is in your own backyard. After all, it is a "Metro Stage."

I saw The Letters here this weekend. It was $50/ticket for 2 people to sit on (padded) folding…read morechairs and see a short, 2-person play. We did enjoy ourselves, and the quality of the acting was quite good, but as an actress myself, I thought it was sort of pricey. As a patron, I thought it was pretty uncomfortable. In good news, the view seemed quite good from all angles which is good, considering that seating is unassigned. I'd go again, but I'd go more frequently if it were either a little less, or if there were a discount offered for more than one ticket or more than one play.

I came to see Pippin at this theater and cannot begin to express how impressed I was with the…read moretalent here. From singing to costuming to choreography, each performer gave everything to the audience. Since this is a theater in the round in a very intimate setting, I had my concerns that I would be in a section in which the performers had their backs to me. Quickly I realized that the seasoned cast is skilled at playing to each side and the staging wouldn't inhibit anyone's view. I purchased tickets with a partial view ( Row 4), and felt that my view from there was better than many Broadway shows I've attended. I did not find them to inhibit the show in any way, and the leg room was spacious. I really enjoy watching the support cast (chorus) and in this show particularly their roles were important to every element and integrated into the foreground. This is something you often don't see in traditional shows where the leads are foreground and the chorus is just left to be background noise. Great job by all. The theater is located near some eateries and an ice cream shop, but take advantage of this before the show. I felt every single person headed right to the ice cream shop after the show, and some of the eateries closed just as we exited at 9:00pm on a Sunday.

Now that the Signature Theatre is on my radar screen, I am happy to report that my 2nd visit - to…read moresee Pippin - reflects a live theater experience that is fantastic. I have already rated the theater facility/building as great so I won't go into much more detail about that. Although here goes - the building's entry is grand, the lobby is welcoming and exciting and the ushers/staff are friendly and first rate. The performance of Pippin that I saw was likewise first rate. Signature Theatre has taken a show I have seen multiple times in the past, and freshened it up. A lot! Presented in the round - which I normally do not like - it presents like live-action happening right in front of your eyes for the 1st time. And the theater is small enough that I felt immersed in the action! Indeed, several times, players would come right up into the seats and interact with me and other audience members. It really made the show seem like a story being presented for first time, spontaneously, right in front of me. And, the performances were so fresh, so intense that I felt that each and every emotion/action was directed only to me. Very nicely staged! The quality of talent in this show is also noticeable. Particular kudos to the man who portrayed Pippin. The ensemble too was Broadway caliber. The dancing in particular was exhilarating! I felt every kick and twist. Fosse lives in this production! This show is old, however, having been first conceived in the early 1970's. But there was very little that was tired or old or vintage. It was fresh and cutting edge. The Signature production was unlike any of the other presentations of Pippin I have seen. The actors' entrances came in from the audience entrances - all 4 corners of the theater - and it was enthralling. The close proximity made every actor seem like they were talking/singing just to me. It was the kind of show that you really need to see more than once because there is so much going on all at once. Bravo to the Signature Theatre once again!

I saw a play called In The Next Room here today. The play itself was pretty great! There were a…read morefew flubbed lines and missteps, but the recovery was spectacular in all cases. The venue left a little to be desired. This is a very small Playhouse in an old church that desperately needs renovation. I would say that it seats probably 40 or so, which made for a rather intimate experience. Still, despite the chill in the air and the boarded up windows, I was transported. I was very impressed by the production that was put on using what must've been bare-bones and shoestring type budget. I cannot recommend this place enough! The more support that this troupe receives, the better it is going to get. The set designer did a terrific job and I appreciated the transitions between acts. By all means, drop several hundred dollars to go see a show at the Kennedy Center. I know that I do. I also like to drop $20 or so to spend a few hours enjoying local artists honing their craft. I can't wait to see what comes from this small playhouse next! I hope that you'll take the time to check it out.

My friend and I went last night and saw "Shining City". We could not have been more impressed…read more From beginning to end this thought provoking performance was a believable slice of everyday challenges. The play was perfectly selected for the delightfully intimate venue. The small cast was totally engaging and quite professional. We are definitely looking forward to their next production. A special shout out to the actor that played "John"......Tom Flatt ~ He really delivered. Limited parking but ample street parking. Water/soft drinks and snacks for sale.

A true treasure. Their "The Immigrant" is so unbelievably timely. My family have been following…read morethem for years.

Just saw "Antony & Cleopatra." Fantastic! No dialog, only music and movement, but the stories are…read moreclear (we've also seen "Romeo & Juliet," years ago - also great!).

A historic building with an ostentatious name which has somehow eluded my attention until now. It…read morehouses a free (!) art gallery, which is just a big room with a little add-on at street level. The basement is open and is also visibly historic, but doesn't have much in the way of art. It does have cool air and a restroom. The scope of the art gallery clearly isn't large (bearing in mind that a free art gallery the size of a mansion is ho-hum by DC standards), but I enjoyed what they had and it was a perfect use of the time I had to spend on it. Surprisingly enough, they seem to allow people to bring their dogs inside.

All of the Athenaeum staff was excellent to work with. During the initial planning stages, Veronica…read moreand Richard were my main points of contact, both of whom were very helpful answering questions. They were happy to entertain our questions both via email and during the various trips to check out the space. The contract process was fairly straight forward and fortunately renting out the space includes both the art gallery and the outside garden (it rained on our wedding day and the ceremony was initially going to take place in the garden). A few days before the wedding, we were informed that Amanda would be the staffer on hand on the actual wedding day. I sent Amanda my proposed timeline and we reviewed it over the phone. She was willing to assist with flow of show and confirming chair and floral deliveries/set up. She advised us of some renovations that were taking place in the alley behind the garden, which is where the ceremony was originally going to take place. While the staff had not previously informed us of the planned renovation, it all worked out in the end. Amanda emailed me photos of the renovations, offered alternate solutions to ensure the scaffolding wouldn't be as visible, emailed the contractor to ensure they would be done with the renovations for the day prior to our scheduled photo time and ceremony start time, and offered to be at the venue early to ensure that everything was clean. When I realized it was likely going to rain on the wedding day, I emailed Amanda asking for a quick discussion on a rain plan. She contacted me right away to confirm a time and we spoke the morning of the wedding to come up with a rain plan. She handled the new set up with both the chair rental company and the florist. The set up came out beautifully. Also, one of the photographers left a water behind and Amanda emailed me about the item so I was able to retrieve it the next day. I would definitely rent this space again!

The theater is housed at The Lab, a multiuse facility housing classes, artist studios, performing…read morearts rehearsal space, theater productions (such as Brave Spirits Theatre), poetry readings, and open mic nights. The idea is fantastic and affordable for organizations that have limited amount of money to rent space for their events. My friend and I saw a performance of William Shakespeare's "Coriolanus" put on by Brave New Spirits Theatre troupe. When you have little or no budget for theater space, props, seating, stage, set, and decor, imagination is needed. The production made excellent use of space---in fact, the show spilled into the lobby area and began there. I've seen one other show in the past that did this, catching the audience by surprise and forcing an immediate immersion experience. Depending on where the audience members are standing, this yields a slightly different enactment every time, and different audiences enjoy different perspectives, which is smart. The theater is essentially a large open room with a carpeted floor and metal chairs arranged in a rectangular shape, with the four chairs on the edges turned the other direction so that the actors could sit when it wasn't their scene. There are multiple exits that make it convenient for actors to enter and depart the stage area. The props were just wooden pole. The actors put on a talented show; did not crash into each other's lines, have any awkward delays, or missed cue; and made excellent use of space and sound to deliver an engaging and meaningful performance. The actors sometimes sat right next to you and acted from the seats; others came close behind or in front of you. This is truly an intimate setting, and it would be very easy for a person in a wheelchair to find a spot to enjoy the show. There were some (likely newspaper) reviewers who were also at the show. I wonder how they perceived it; they were taking notes.

From the owner: Brave Spirits Theatre stages visceral and intimate productions of Shakespeare and his…read morecontemporaries with a focus on female artists and feminist perspectives.

great fun show. they have some cool tricks and lors of laughs. We went for date night and had a…read moregreat time.

Amazing experience! Both magicians were entertaining and perfectly merged comedy with magic tricks…read more They were very interactive with the audience and frequently picked members of the audience to participate in different acts. It was fantastic overall; we look forward to returning to Pinstripes to see Mark Phillips and Meadow Perry again or to check out other shows at the venue!

Incredibly, I never ended up reviewing Arlington Drafthouse. I used to go there all the time when…read moreI lived in Arlington from 2014-2017. A lot of good memories here. Last time I was here was in March 2023. Representing February in this series, I went back to February 2016 without a Yelp review. I saw my old credit card bill had charges on Feb '16. When I lived in Arlington at this time, I paid for a year movie pass, & sometimes I would eat at Arlington Cinema & sometimes eat beforehand. Sadly, they were having financial problems in the later part of 2010's with 2nd run movie model as people were either watching movies new in the theater or waiting to stream. At some point, Drafthouse sent an email saying they weren't doing the movies anymore & just shows, special events, & the occasional themed movie night like a classic Christmas Story (at Christmastime) or whatever. I went for a couple of comedy shows & special events, but the vast majority of the times was for movies. Service was a bit of hit or miss. Sometimes the food took a while to get served, but the food was usually good. I got a variety of items over the years like the burger, sandwiches, wraps, wings, pizza, etc. Nothing was top notch, but nothing was bad either. It was on average pretty good. Servers were sometimes friendly, but not always. They are called Drafthouse because they serve Beer & alcohol, & I remember I put a few down back in the day! But in all honesty, I'm not sure I ever had more than one in a sitting; otherwise, I'd be drunk, broke, & even more broke needing to Uber home & Uber back to my car the next morning. So, I'd never do such a thing. There was one time when I lived on Columbia Pike in Arlington near the Fairfax County (Bailey's Crossroads) border, my car was in repair, & I was determined to see a movie that I want to say a Monday night & wanted to use my annual movie pass. So, I took the bus! The Columbia Pike line bus was very efficient, not much difference in timing as if I drove myself there. I continued with the 2nd run movies into 2017, but I moved from Arlington to MD in Fall 2017, so I generally stopped going here. However, I did continue to come on a few occasions for comedy shows. In 2019-2020, I was on INWEGO, which was an event based app, you paid $19 for one event in the month, $39 for 3, or $59 for 5. I generally did the $39 for 3, but sometimes did $19 depending on what they had for the month. It was cool things like concerts, plays, comedy shows, & sporting events. I took advantage of all of the above. My girlfriend at that time & her friend/other friend husband traveled from Wheaton, MD to Arlington on Friday, February 22, 2020 for a good comedy show. That was the only time I used INWEGO to go to Arlington Drafthouse. I joined INWEGO in mid-April 2019, & we know what happened in mid-March 2020. INWEGO sadly went defunct in September 2020 as they couldn't operate under the Covid environment. I joked the INWEGO era was the best 11 months of my life. I went on a couple of dates here over the years in the 2010's for movies. Prior to October 2014, I lived in Alexandria & sometimes went to Arlington Drafthouse. One time in January 2013, I had a first date at Lost Dog Cafe across the street & saw [deep breath] Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying & Love the Bomb. We kissed at the end. So, that was a good example of a date. A funny example of a date was shortly after from February 2013 (see my November 2013 Bangkok 54 Yelp review), where we went for dinner & then a free comedy show. Here's that experience: "My experience was on Saturday, February 9 (2013). It was a date with an awesome black chick I met a couple of weeks earlier. We had a nice time & walked next door to the Arlington Drafthouse Cinema for a free comedy show in the Green Room. Check it out if you are over at Bangkok 54 or other area restaurants on a Friday or Saturday. During the comedy show, I had my arm around her, & one of the comedians pointed out to me in the audience & said 'you are a lucky guy to be with her. I never have any luck with black chicks. This guy is doing something right. We need to talk after the show.'. This made me feel great since it was only a first date. This was confirmation that the date went extremely well. However, we could never schedule a 2nd date. She later told me that she didn't feel the chemistry...at least she was honest, but after all that, I thought for sure it was an excellent date." Also, went here on another date in June 2016 & saw Zootopia here. My dating life was bad in 2016, & she was no exception. In January 2023, I went to a comedy show with a friend I hadn't seen in a while. I was bold talking to one of the female comedians who was local to the DC area, got one of the comedians Instagram & asked her on a date; not surprisingly no reply. Last time I went was March 2023 for Oscar party. Won a DVD in contest. Not a bad time.

Okay this particular location is very old. AC doesn't work well, very old seating, and some parts…read moreof the building are just dilapidated and closed off. If you're fine with an atmosphere of ancient times, then you'll actually be fine here. The screen and sound quality is top tier, and the staff can make and bring pretty much any appetizer fresh to your seat. Staff is kind and works hard. Came for a Nova Book Babes showing of Twilight and it was so worth it. (But there isn't much I won't put up with for Edward Cullen.)