Theater J

This afternoon my spouse and I saw Queens Girl of the World at the J. The dialogue was wonderfully written by Caleen S Jennings. The acting by Dawn Ursula was superb. As a one women show she skillfully transformed into each character seamlessly. Go see this performance, everything was very well done.
The seats are comfortable. I’m short but can see over the person in front of me. The sound is good even from rear of the room.

I made my way over to Theater J after snagging cheap tickets through Goldstar for Yellow Face, a semi-​autobiographical play by David Henry Hwang. The cast was phenomenal and the experience in the theater was exceptional.
It is clear that the DC Jewish Community Center works hard to bring great casts together to put on exceptional plays — and in this experience, they easily succeeded. There doesn’t seem to be a bad seat in the 200-​ish seat theater. The ushers were well-​versed and ready for the crowd. They provided refreshments at an expected cost, but nothing absurd. They had televisions in the lobby advertising a slew of interesting plays and events coming up at the community center.
I am eager to go back, if not solely because the programming is exceptional, then because the staff ensures that all goes smoothly.

So disappointed in production of RACE by David Mamet. Acting was mediocre. Set and costumes (were there costumes??) were like a poor high school play. Mostly disappointed in the choice of this play. It was filled with stereotypes and few true insights. If they wanted to explore race issues, which they should, they could have found a more nuanced show. The reviews of this play from NYC basically say the same thing. Did they just want the prestige of a Mamet play? I found «Good People» at the Arena a much better play — real characters with believable dialogue raising issues of class, race, ethnicity and more.

Great little theatre, the staff was friendly, and the play was great1

I’ve seen a couple shows at Theater J and they were both just ok. If something got really great reviews and it sounded like something I might like then I would try them again, but I don’t go their website and check out what they are doing.

saw New Jerusalem: The Interrogation of Baruch De Spinoza. the location is not far from the dupot metro, plus if you go early you can get something to eat on your way to the performance. the seating was thoughtfully planned so you won’t have a obscured view of any performance; because of this there probably isn’t a bad seat in the place. the staff is friendly & helpful.

After watching many of the Republican debates I decided to truly listen to the conservative message by attending «Electile Dysfunction: The Kinsey Sick for President» at Theater J.
The show provided the conservative platform from a Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet seeking to win the Republican nomination. I must say that Trampolina, Winnie, Trixie, and Rachel’s performance was quite entertaining compared to the debate attacks Newt G, Ron P, and Rick S gauge on Mit R.
The political satire was nicely performed a capella style with classic songs such as Van Morrison’s «Gloria».
The best part of the show was the audience participation. If your tickets are by the isle there’s a good chance you might be on stage (see my pictures).
Overall a great time was had by all at Theater J. Its a cosy and friendly place to watch show. There’s even a sit down restaurant downstairs with a full menu.

Good, small, community theatre. Comfy seats about 200 in the theater. Snacks served at intermission. Saw 3 productions here ranging in quality. The content was diverse and uncensored. Inexpensive shows. Don’t know about the rest of the community center but the people and the building were nice. Worth seeing whats playing.

Located in the DC Jewish Community Theatre, Theatre J is a hotbed of great theatre. I was last acquainted with this jewel when attempting to score rush tickets for Neil Simon’s «Lost in Yonkers» last year.
I cannot speak for the rest of the community center, because I have not had an opportunity to explore it yet.
The theatre itself is clean and modern. The acoustics were great for those of us occupying the «standing room only» area in the nosebleed section. (I know almost every word of this play so it wouldn’t have mattered if they were whispering.)
As a mentioned above, my rush ticket didn’t actually come with a seat. Wondering why? Because this place is hot.
Washington, D.C. may not be broadway, but Theatre J proves that D.C. has some power in it’s corner.
Be sure to check out their website for their their 2011 season.
Hot Tip:
Want rush tickets? Some of the recent plays are getting rave reviews and making these babies a hot commodity. In my experience, they have a first-​come first-​serve list for these tickets. So get to gettin’ and put the shoes to the pavement.

Studio J did a fabulous job with the classic The Odd Couple. It was funny, but not because it tried to be funny, but their examination of male friendships and reaction to divorce had poignant and funny moments, just like life. I loved it!

Theater J holds just a couple hundred seats, but has produced world premieres for Joyce Carol Oates, Richard Greenberg, Thomas Keneally, and Wendy Wasserstein. It hosted the first reading of Tony Kushner’s «Caroline, or Change.» The New York Times called it «The Premier Theater for Premieres»:

The other night we braved snowmageddon for a pay-​what-​you-​can performance of «The Four of Us.» I’m a sucker for clever storytelling, the kind that jumps around the timeline and exposes the frailty of memory (It’s partly why I loved Memento, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and 500 Days of Summer). «The Four of Us» is another nice example. The playwright, Itamar Moses, has been called «a young American Stoppard,» and though the dialogue isn’t that intellectual, the play is a perceptive, carefully structured bromance, with one scene near the end that makes you rethink everything you’ve just heard. Not to mention it’s pretty funny.
Theater J also hosts playwright and author discussions, community panels on topics raised in the plays, and intimate readings of new works (served with tea) in the library. It’s a superb and affordable venue.
Tip: Follow the @TheaterJ twitter feed to get word of pay-​what-​you-​can performances and $ 10 specials.

I have to say I love this place for what it is. It is an intimate room without a bad seat. They put on great productions. I have seen several shows, my favorites recently, Zero Hour and Lost in Yonkers. Both were done tremendously well with Superb acting and great sets (again for the space they have to work with)…Best of all, it’s extremely affordable. I can’t find anything wrong with Theater J and look forward to returning soon.

I’ve seen two shows at Theater J and it’s not that I was disappointed with them, it’s more that I was baffled. The theater itself is really nice. It’s a good size space, they sell snacks, the seats are cushy, and they run pretty much on time. I also appreciate that they offer half off tickets to anyone 35 and under. It’s hard to find affordable theater in DC.
Here’s the thing: I understand that Theater J is a part of the Jewish Community Center and therefore the plays will naturally be Jewishy, but they seem to overdo this. They make Jewish references where I didn’t even think it would be possible. I saw the «Rise and Fall of Annie Hall,» and while it was good, there was just one too many references to «nice Jewish boys» for my liking. It’s still worth going, just be wary that you will feel like you’re hanging out with a stereotypical Jewish grandmother.

My sister and I saw a reading of «Honey Brown Eyes,» by Stefanie Zadravec here today. This dark, frightening, and poignant play portrays rape, murder, mayhem, genocide and discovery of humanity in the Serb/​Muslim slaughter days, and studies the plight of two broken families’ wrenching escape to Sarajevo.
The reading of Honey Brown Eyes was one thing. Theater J itself is quite another. It’s housed inside the DC Jewish Community Center, which in itself deserves its own review. Here is a bit of how Theater J bills itself — I can’t describe it better then they do:
«Hailed by The New York Times as ‘The premier theater for premiers,’ Theater J has emerged as one of the most distinctive, progressive and respected Jewish theaters on the national and international scene…
Theater J produces thought-​provoking publicly engaged, personal, passionate and entertaining plays and musicals that celebrate the distinctive urban voice and social vision that are a part of the Jewish cultural legacy…»
Hmmm, «Honey Brown Eyes» was about Serbs and Muslims… it wasn’t thematically Jewish… ooops. of course it was. What am I saying?!
Theater J: a GEM.