Olney Theatre is bringing back a Disney classic
Autumn is on its way and bringing a whole new season of live entertainment along with cooler temps. Here’s the round-up of what you can catch on stages around the area, listed in order of opening date, with discounts noted where available. Happy Viewing!
Milo the Magnificent
Where: The Puppet Co. | Glen Echo, MD
When: Through September 30
Tickets: $15
See a highly engaging puppet show about an aspiring magician. This wordless comedy, inspired by turn of the century vaudeville entertainers, is as highly physical as it is charming. Using stunningly innovative puppetry, Milo presents a variety of magic tricks which don’t always go as planned. Run time approximately 60 minutes. Recommended for ages 4+.
Tiny Tots
Where: The Puppet Co. | Glen Echo, MD
When: Most Wednesdays & Saturdays at 10am
Tickets: $8
The series presents puppet shows designed for the youngest theater patrons (ages 0-4). Run times are shorter, the lights stay on, and the doors stay open. They have an arsenal of shows that they switch up every performance, so be sure to check the schedule to see what’s playing when you go.
Dear Evan Hansen
Where: Kennedy Center | Foggy Bottom, DC
When: Through September 25
Tickets: $79-199 (look for discount)
A letter that was never meant to be seen, a lie that was never meant to be told, a life he never dreamed he could have. Evan Hansen is about to get the one thing he’s always wanted: a chance to finally fit in. Dear Evan Hansen is the deeply personal and profoundly contemporary musical about life and the way we live it. Recommended for age 12+. (This is one of my favorite shows of all time! Read a KFDC review from when it debuted at Arena Stage several years ago.)
Hamilton
Where: Kennedy Center | Foggy Bottom, DC
When: Through October 9
Tickets: $59-379 (look for discount)
Seats are still available for the iconic show that began its run this summer. Hamilton is the story of America then, told by America now. Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B, and Broadway, Hamilton has taken the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and created a revolutionary moment in theatre—a musical that has had a profound impact on culture, politics, and education. Recommended for ages 10+.
Host & Guest
Where: Synetic Theater | Crystal City, VA
When: September 12 – October 2
Tickets: $20-60
Based on a Georgian epic poem, Host & Guest tells the ancient story of a family who takes in a lost stranger to discover he is from an enemy clan, and their valiant attempt to save him when their village wreaks vengeance. Performed around the world, Host & Guest is a timely and relevant tale of war, strife, the beliefs that tear us apart, and the humanity that brings us together.
To Sail Around the Sun
Where: Kennedy Center | Foggy Bottom, DC
When: September 17, 11am & 2pm
Tickets: $30
This National Dance Day, kids can take an enchanting trip across the globe to celebrate movement, music, and the planet we call home. To Sail Around the Sun caters to kids through dance, live music, and storytelling that takes audiences on one child’s journey to gather all four seasons before dinner time. The show travels beneath the springtime waves of the Australian shores, through the summertime rainforests of Argentina, among the autumn leaves of Japan, and in the wintry snows of Kazakhstan. Recommended for all ages, run time is one hour.
The Hero of Everything
Where: Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center | Silver Spring, MD
When: September 23 – October 2
Tickets: $13.50/12+, $10/age 4-11, free/under 3
This action-packed interactive play is performed by three actors on stage and a whole team of superheroes in the audience… Who needs a sidekick or a team when you can do everything yourself, and do it just the way it should be? Captain Everything loves saving the day and doesn’t need anyone’s help to do it. Sure, she has an Amazing Alliance of Superheroes, but no one minds if she just handles everything herself. Or do they? What happens when everyone else gets tired of being left out of everything and quits? And what happens when Captain Everything faces something she can’t do? Can she face her fears and cooperate with her team to save Citytown City? Or will it be too late? Recommended for ages 5 & up.
The Trip to Bountiful
Where: Ford’s Theatre | Downtown DC
When: September 23 – October 28
Tickets: $24-54 (look for discount)
Carrie Watts dreams of escape from the bustling city and of a return to simpler times in her beloved Bountiful, Texas. She sets out on a risky journey to her beloved hometown, with her family in hot pursuit. Along the way, she encounters kindness and compassion … and makes a remarkable discovery about the true meaning of home. One of the foremost interpreters of Horton Foote’s work, Michael Wilson directs Nancy Robinette as Carrie Watts with Joe Mallon as her son, Ludie, and Kimberly Gilbert as her daughter-in-law, Jessie Mae. This classic American drama is a touching portrait of family, what we hold onto and what we leave behind. Recommended for ages 13+.
Dance Nation
Where: Olney Theatre | Olney, MD
When: September 28 – October 30
Tickets: $49-79 (look for discount)
The explosive off-Broadway smash is kicking off Olney Theatre Center’s 2022-23 season! The pre-teen dance team from Liverpool, Ohio is primed for competition, but the stakes are much higher than just a first-place trophy. Lives are at stake, future happiness lays in the balance, emerging sexuality strikes with the power of a thousand lightning bolts, and every interaction in the tight-knit group is suffused with threat, risk, and the urgency of adolescence. Adult actors of all ages portray the adolescent girls (and one boy) amidst their tween confusion, as well as their future adult selves in a dream play with moments of true terror, complete with fangs, blood, and wild, stylized, dance. Olney gives this an R rating, but it sounds like one older could enjoy.
Once on this Island
Where: Source Theatre | 14th Street NW, DC
When: September 29 – November 6
Tickets: $15-55 (look for discount)
As this show by Constellation Theatre Company opens, a child is terrified by a tropical storm and the community comes together to comfort her with a story. On an island where people are separated by color and class, the four Gods (Earth, Water, Love and Death) place a bet. A young girl leaves her humble upbringing to pursue her true love, the Prince, only to be faced with an impossible choice. With Calypso-flavored music and fantastical storytelling, Once On This Island is a celebration of hope and kindness that will nourish your soul.
Witch Wartsmith’s Halloween Spooktacular
Where: The Puppet Co. | Glen Echo, MD
When: October 1-31
Tickets: $15
Witch Wartsmith (the sister of Witch Wartsmith from our Legacy and touring show Rapunzel), hosts the annual Halloween Spooktacular and you get to vote on the winner! Part contemporary competition show, part vintage telethon, and part punpalooza, this spooky variety show will tickle your funny bone. Some of our contestants will change year to year, so come back to see old and new friends alike! Run time approximately 45 minutes. Recommended for ages 4+.
Baba Bomani & The ABCs of Hip-Hop
Where: Publick Playhouse | Hyattsville, MD
When: October 2, 2pm
Tickets: $5
This workshop explains the reading, writing, and arithmetic of Hip-Hop performance. From learning to recognize vowels and syllables, to understanding the rhythm patterns that turn those syllables into raps over a beat, students will be engulfed in dance and song through this highly interactive presentation.
TINA – The Tina Turner Musical
Where: National Theatre | Downtown DC
When: October 4-23
Tickets: $60-130
This new musical reveals a comeback story like no other, of a woman who dared to defy the bounds of racism, sexism and ageism to become the global Queen of Rock n’ Roll. TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL is a celebration of resilience and an inspiration of triumph over adversity.
The Ballad of Emmet Till
Where: Atlas Performing Arts Center | H Street NE, DC
When: October 4 – November 19
Tickets: $29-50 (look for discount)
With music and magic, Ifa Bayeza’s Edgar Award-winning drama recounts the last two weeks of Emmett Till’s life on his journey from Chicago to Money, Mississippi in 1955. We meet a young man with boisterous energy and boundless charm whose fateful encounter with Caroline Bryant changes his life and our country forever. Recommended for teens and older.
Ichabod: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Where: Creative Cauldron | Falls Church, VA
When: October 6-30
Tickets: $20-45
Journey back in time to a quiet glen called Sleepy Hollow, where the denizens of the town are anxiously awaiting the arrival of their new school master, Ichabod Crane. An adaptation of Washington Irving’s Classic tale of lore, love and the legendary Headless Horseman, this World Premier Musical by the critically acclaimed creative team Conner and Smith arrives just in time for autumn leaves, pumpkins, and ghost tales around the campfire.
Disney on Ice: Frozen & Encanto
Where: EagleBank Arena | Fairfax, VA
When: October 6-10
Tickets: $20-110
Two shows in one! Join the race to find Elsa and stop the eternal winter, dream about summer with Olaf, and sing-along with Kristoff and Sven. Then, celebrate the love of family in the new show everyone will be talking about! Experience Disney’s Encanto brought to life like never before. Sing and dance with Mirabel, her sisters, Isabela and Luisa, and more!
Master Chef Junior Live!
Where: Warner Theatre | Downtown DC
When: October 7
Tickets: $30-75 (look for discount)
This high-energy, interactive, stage production brings the culinary hit TV show MasterChef Junior to fans and foodies alike… LIVE on stage! Watch Season 8’s winner, finalist, and fan favorites as they take to the stage in head-to-head cooking demonstrations and fun (sometimes messy!) challenges with an overall immersive audience experience fun for all ages.
Guys and Dolls
Where: Kennedy Center | Foggy Bottom, DC
When: October 7-16
Tickets: $59-299
Set in bustling 1950s Manhattan, Guys and Dolls follows a rowdy bunch of gamblers, gangsters, and sassy showgirls in a wild game of chance—then love sneaks in. The classic Broadway show is hailed by many as the perfect musical comedy. Recommended for ages 9+.
Holiday
Where: Arena Stage | Southwest DC
When: October 7 – November 6
Tickets: $56-95 (look for discount)
An up-and-coming Wall Street lawyer from a working-class family aspires to quit his job and enjoy life once he’s made enough money to do so. The prospect doesn’t thrill his wealthy, well-born fiancée, but excites her more unconventional sister. Can his dreams survive his soon-to-be bride’s narrow view of affluence? Opposing societal hierarchies and differing views of success confront each other in this classic romantic comedy set in the 1920s, which became a beloved 1938 film starring Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn, and which is still a timely commentary on how to pursue a life worth living. Recommended for teens and older.
Saturday Morning Live! At The National
Where: National Theatre | Downtown, DC
When: October 8 & November 12, 9:30am & 11:30am
Tickets: FREE
Fun takes center stage at the National Theatre for Saturday Morning Live! Join us Saturday mornings for wow-inspiring children’s entertainment of all sorts, from interactive performances, puppets, dance, and music – all designed to light up imaginations and celebrate a world of wonder. This season we’re back IN PERSON and better than ever. We’re all different in lots of wonderful ways, and our season lineup reflects that fact! It’s a season that’s all about the colors, words, and motion that make us unique. It’s free. It’s fun. It’s a great way to Saturday.
Wheaton Family Theater Series
Where: Highland Elementary School | Wheaton, MD
When: Throughout fall
Admission: Free
InterAct Story Theatre presents season eight of the Wheaton Family Theatre Series, a FREE public performing arts program for kids and families. For fall 2022, their touring version of The Hero of EVERYTHING will swoop in October 8-9, Grupo Rompe Cajón brings a fun weekend of song and Afro-Peruvian celebration and for November 12-13.
Masters of Illusion
Where: Warner Theatre | Downtown De
When: October 12
Tickets: $36-59 (look for discount)
See cutting-edge illusionists perform sleight-of-hand, perplexing interactive mind magic, hilarious comedy, dangerous escapes and large scale illusions. These modern masters display skills that have taken a lifetime to perfect. Audience members will be baffled by the astounding skills of these modern illusionists.
Dracula
Where: Synetic Theatre | Crystal City, VA
When: October 13 – November 6
Tickets: $20-60 (look for discount)
The sensuous and terrifying thriller arrives just in time for Halloween. With blood-sucking temptresses and creeping mists sure to send a chill up your spine, Stoker’s classic 1897 tale rises again. Dracula, the legend that inspired an entire genre of literature and film, explores the universal theme of good versus evil. As a bloodthirsty vampire terrorizes the countryside, an unlikely group fights to defend their home. Director Paata Tsikurishvili’s vision comes to life in this dark and menacing piece. Recommended for teens and older.
In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson
Where: Imagination Stage | Bethesda, MD
When: October 15-22
Tickets: $25-39
Adapted from the award-winning novel, this play tells the touching story of a young Chinese American girl and her family moving from China to the United States in 1947. Using humor and a rich multimedia staging, the play celebrates the bravery and sacrifice of those who bring new perspectives to our country. Recommended for ages 7+
NSO Family: Sleepover at the Museum
Where: Kennedy Center | Foggy Bottom, DC
When: October 15, 2pm & 5pm
Tickets: $18
Imagine spending your birthday at the museum! Join Mason and his friends for a musical and scientific scavenger hunt through the many exhibits that make any museum special in this National Symphony Orchestra concert with music and story by Karen LeFrak based on her book of the same name. Recommended for ages 5+.
Sanctuary City
Where: Arena Stage | Southwest DC
When: October 21 – November 27
Tickets: $76-95
Pulitzer Prize winner Martyna Majok brings us the powerful story of two young DREAMers who fight to establish a place for themselves in America, the only country they know as home. Poignant, timely and highly theatrical, Sanctuary City illuminates the triumphs and challenges these lifelong friends face, and how much they are willing to risk for each other when they have everything to lose. Recommended for teens and older.
Disney Junior Live on Tour: Costume Palooza
Where: Warner Theatre | Downtown De
When: October 22-23
Tickets: $36-59 (look for discount)
This show brings beloved Disney Junior characters and favorite Marvel Super Heroes live on stage for a jam-packed, concert-style show with singing, dancing, acrobatics, and more. It will feature favorite songs from hit Disney Junior series, as well as new original music. Mickey, Minnie, and their pals are getting ready to throw a huge costume party but mysterious green weather keeps interrupting the fun. Can Spidey and his Amazing Friends help save the Costume Palooza? Come join the party! Find ticket links here.
S.P.I.E.S. 2: Flight of the Hawk
Where: Imagination Stage | Bethesda, MD
When: October 29 – November 20
Tickets: $25
Join S.P.I.E.S. in person, where it is more interactive than ever! This follow-up to the online hit S.P.I.E.S. & the Lost Treasure of Atlantis combines live theatre and taped adventure scenes to create a collaborative and exciting experience where each audience gets to be the hero and solve the puzzles–and no two performances are alike. Recommended for ages 5-11.
Finding Rhythm: Go-Go Music
Where: Kennedy Center | Foggy Bottom, DC
When: October 29, 11am & 1:30pm
Tickets: $20
Take a journey through the musical brain with Mother Dance, Father Rhythm, and the Curious Scientist! D.C.’s own Go-go music and brain science come together for this lively show that’ll have kids singing and dancing to the beat. Learn the origins of human rhythm, how rhythm grows the brain, and where children find the source of their own power AND connection. Music neuroscientist and show creator Dr. Jessica Phillips-Silver draws together a team of master musicians and teaching artists to tell this powerful, unifying story. Recommended for ages 5+.
The Princess and the Goblin
Where: Creative Cauldron | Falls Church, VA
When: November 4-20
Tickets: $20/adult, $18/student, $65/Family 4-Pack (look for discount)
When the always curious Princess Irene discovers a secret stair to the top turret of the castle, it leads to a wonderful revelation that she has a fairy grandmother. At the same time, the miner’s son Curdie overhears a fiendish plot by the goblins who live below the mountain. It will take all their strength and courage, and the help of Irene’s magic ring, to foil the goblin’s schemes. Adapted for the stage with music, humor and wit that has become the signature of Creative Cauldron’s Learning Theater productions, this show has appeal for every age.
Air Play
Where: Kennedy Center | Foggy Bottom, DC
When: November 6
Tickets: $20-35 (look for discount)
Umbrellas fly, fabrics soar over the audience, balloons swallow people, and snow swirls, filling the stage. Air Play transforms ordinary objects into uncommon beauty through a wordless, magical adventure as two siblings journey through a surreal land of air. Created by circus performers in collaboration with a kinetic sculptor, this enchanting spectacle combines comedy, live sculpture, circus, and theater to fill both the young and young at heart with wonder. Recommended for all ages.
Diggin’ Puppets & Paleontology: A STEAM Event
Where: Publick Playhouse | Hyattsville, MD
When: November 6
Tickets: Free
The Dino Rock puppets are back at the Playhouse and bringing science with them. Join the dinosaurs and their friends as they sing and dance the scientific method and teach other fantastic fun facts for an entertaining afternoon of family fun.
Into the Woods
Where: Signature Theatre | Arlington, VA
When: November 8 – January 29
Tickets: $40-109
Escape into a fantastical fairytale adventure where dreams come true, but not free. A trove of storybook characters’ paths intertwine as they chase their deepest desires through an enchanted forest. However, once they receive their happily ever after, the unintended consequences of granted wishes unravel their worlds. Weaving a euphoric score with a darkly humorous book, Into the Woods is a sophisticated musical twist on beloved childhood fables. Running time is approximately 2 hours 45 minutes, including one intermission. Parents should use discretion about what is age appropriate for their children.
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast
Where: Olney Theatre | Olney, MD
When: November 9 – January 1
Tickets: $37-74
Last winter, Olney’s internationally acclaimed production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast won hearts and attracted the admiration of audiences from around the country. This year, be Olney’s guest along with several returning cast members and the rest of the gang in the Beast’s cursed castle for an escape to a world where beauty is more than skin deep and happily ever after is just a rose petal away.
Much Ado About Nothing
Where: Sydney Harman Hall | Penn Quarter, DC
When: November 10 – December 11
Tickets:
The course of true love never did run smooth, especially when the ON AIR sign is lit. Shakespeare’s cherished romantic comedy lands in a cable newsroom, where sparring co-anchors Benedick and Beatrice trade barbs behind the news desk. This version of Much Ado About Nothing is promised to be the perfect blend of sparkling screwball comedy and revelatory romance. Recommended for teens and older.
Chicago
Where: National Theatre | Downtown DC
When: November 14-27
Tickets: $25-125 (look for discount)
After 25 years, Chicago is still the one musical with everything that makes Broadway shimmy-shake: a universal tale of fame, fortune, and all that jazz, with one show stopping song after another and the most astonishing dancing you’ve ever seen.
Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Rock Experience
Where: Imagination Stage | Bethesda, MD
When: November 16 – January 6
Tickets:
When clothing suddenly falls from the sky, Wilbur J. Mole Rat stuns the colony with his decision to get dressed! In a community where baring is caring and skin is in, can Wilbur find the courage to rock to the rhythm of his own electric guitar? Mo Willem’s beloved picture book explores what can happen when we have the courage to be ourselves. Based on the book by Mo Willems, recommended for ages 4-10.
The Day You Begin
Where: Kennedy Center | Foggy Bottom, DC
When: November 19 – December 18
Tickets: $20
This world premiere commissioned musical is based on the popular picture book by Kennedy Center Education Artist-in-Residence Jacqueline Woodson. It’s not easy to take those first steps into a place where nobody really knows you yet…but somehow you do it. The Day You Begin is a poignant and heartening musical about finding courage to connect, even when you feel afraid. Recommended for ages 7+.
Bluey’s Big Play
Where: Kennedy Center | Foggy Bottom, DC
When: November 22-29
Tickets: $29-99 (look for discount)
When Dad feels like a little bit of Sunday afternoon time out, Bluey and Bingo have other plans! This brand-new theatrical adaptation of the Emmy Award-winning children’s television series features an original story by Bluey creator Joe Brumm and music by Bluey composer Joff Bush. This is Bluey as you’ve never seen it before—brought to real life! Recommended for all ages.
NSO Pops: Disney’s Frozen in Concert
Where: Kennedy Center | Foggy Bottom, DC
When: November 25-26
Tickets: $39+ (look for discount)
Travel to Arendelle and experience Frozen like never before! Watch in high-definition as Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf set off to break Elsa’s icy spell and save the kingdom. Of course, enjoy all of the favorites — “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?,” “Let It Go,” “First Time in Forever,” and more performed LIVE by the NSO as the incredible score comes to life!
