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The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

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BeAdventureous!
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4 out of 5
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Spring Awakening Is Amazing!

  • July 6, 2009
  • Rated 5 of 5 by safan from Falls Church, Virginia
This a review of the national tour of Spring Awakening that will be at the Kennedy Center July 7-August 2.

As I was waiting in the lobby before the show, I was extremely excited. I had acquired a seat onstage, a unique trait of the musical Spring Awakening. I had already seen the show twice on Broadway, and loved it, but I was anxious to see the national touring cast. I had also never sat onstage before, so that only added to my excitement.

Now seems like as good a time as any to explain the show. Spring Awakening is a musical based on Frank Wedekind's 1890s German expressionist play about the lives of a group of rural teenagers as they enter a period of self-discovery and deal with the issues that plague their age group. The play was banned for a long time, and as such it is not extremely well-known. In the early 2000s, Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater came together to make the play into a musical. They kept most of the original plot and dialogue (though they did add and modify some plot elements) and inserted a contemporary rock score. Add in unique staging and choreography and you have a refreshing new musical that effortlessly juxtaposes old with new in a way that is relevant to every teenager.

But back to this cast. I was not disappointed at all. It seems to be a tenet of theater that everyone prefers the first cast they saw of any show, and that did hold true for me. However, I was very pleasantly surprised by Steffi D's performance as Ilse and some of the boys, like Ben Moss (Ernst), Matt Shingledecker (Georg), and Anthony Lee Medina (Otto). In addition, I was much more aware of the ensemble members because of my position on stage, and I must say that they really add to the show. They all are very talented, and I even got to see one of them, Lucas A. Wells, go on for Hanschen in one performance (his acting was superb). The rest of the cast was also outstanding, but I still preferred the cast I saw originally. The portrayal I liked the least was Blake Bashoff's Moritz. He was a good actor, but I am personally not a fan of his voice. I also have a very high opinion in my head of my first Moritz, Gerard Canonico.

There will be a few changes to the show that will be made in DC, and I am very excited to see them. Jake Epstein from Degrassi will officially be playing the lead role of Melchior starting at the Kennedy Center. Also, apparently, they are adding a countermelody to the song "Whispering" (Duncan Sheik & Steven Sater wrote it and it was used in the London production). I'm not sure how I feel about this yet, but I am eager to see how it's done.
Editor Pick

The Kennedy Center

  • June 24, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by zabelle from Portland, Connecticut
The Kennedy Center

The reason we came to Washington at this particular time was to attend a show at the Kennedy Center. In January we attend a performance of the Canterbury Tales in Stratford England. It was part one. We could not get tickets to part two. Imagine our excitement when we found out the entire production was going to be at the Kennedy center in April. I got tickets for part 2 as soon as they went on sale and then we planned our trip accordingly.

I have never been to the Kennedy center before. It is really an amazing experience. The hall of flags is dazzling. We took a cab to get there. Be aware that it is outside zone one so it is a two zone charge but the closest metro station I could see was Foggy Bottom and it was on a different line than where we were at the Renwick. The cab ride was $10.30 for the two of us, but there is a lot to be said for door to door service.

I had arranged for ticket pickup and it was fast and easy. We had a few minutes before our performance in the Eisenhower Theater, so we went to the Terrace level and looked for a quick meal. There is a Terrace restaurant which was closed for a private affair, but the KC Café was open and is a very nice place to grab a bite.

There is a small salad bar that offers very upscale choices, baby corn, marinated mushrooms, baby carrots, artichoke hearts, and fancy salami just to name a few. There are also sandwiches premade, on croissants, wraps, and grainy bread. If you have the urge for a sweet there is a coffee bar with great desserts, bread pudding, cheesecake, strawberry shortcake, and fruit tarts with chocolate shell.

You can also get burgers or pizzas and hot soup or pasta choices. When we went back for a post theater snack they were offering a prime rib dinner for $21. It looked delicious and was served quite rare.

Beyond the good food the attraction here is the view. It is glass all around and depending where you sit you will see planes taking off at Regan airport, the Lincoln memorial, and the Watergate apartments. After you finish take the time to walk around on the terrace outside. We enjoyed watching the scullers on the Potomac.

What surprised me was the size of the Eisenhower Theater. I expected it to be huge so I was a little concerned that we would loose the intimacy that had made the Stratford production so enjoyable. I needn’t have worried, this is not an overwhelmingly large venue. We were in row F center and it was the third row. Obviously I can’t speak for all productions but this one was amazing and the whole experience was wonderful

From journal DC, Endlessly Entertaining

The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

  • April 13, 2003
  • Rated 3 of 5 by LWagBeth from Montgomery City, Missouri
We honestly just stopped by to see the Kennedy Center but happened to catch an afternoon matinee performance of a children's production that was being held. It was an introduction to the symphony when a few performers in story form introduced a variety of instruments in the varying musical families. It was informative and funny and we enjoyed this impromptu event. The building itself is fabulous with the hall of flags and spacious performance areas.

From journal Lifetime Learning in D.C.

Editor Pick

The Kennedy Center

  • May 9, 2002
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Timone from Warwick, United Kingdom
There's lots to see at the Kennedy Center - take the Metro to Foggy Bottom and then take the free shuttle bus to the Center. It's trip to do even if you're not seeing a performance as there are guided tours of all the concert halls and the top floor restaurant offers great views of D.C.

I went to the opera, they were very good performances by the Washington Opera, whose musical director is Placido Domingo.

The Kennedy Center is also home to the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington, who ironically I saw just last weekend (04-05-02) in England, again a great performance with a top resident conductor, Leonard Slatkin. If classical music isn't your thing don't panic there are many contempory performances available in the Terrace Theater and Eisenhower Theater. Check the local free papers for details of free music at the center,

From journal A Year in Washington D.C

The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

  • July 23, 2001
  • Rated 4 of 5 by BeAdventureous! from Little Rock,, Arkansas
A bust of JFK dominates the lobby. Designed by Robert Berk, its textures and layers are multi-faceted. The six theaters located here present more musical and artistic performances than any other single institution in the nation. We enjoyed a play here, as well as a Sunday brunch, which I highly recommend! The brunch was served in the open kitchen and was a delightful experience, especially with the awesome views!! Be sure and go outside on the veranda to see the city in all her glory. We saw the play SHEAR MADNESS which is unique that the audience chooses the ending, which means every performance, it could be different! Lots of Fun, Go!

From journal Let's Lobby Washington

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