By Jae O’Connor
Signature Theatre in Shirlington has always tried to take their audiences to new worlds with their premiere shows. They try to do things that have never been done before, especially when a play is edgy or niche in nature. So it is no surprise that the Signature Theatre is featuring not one, but two world premiere plays: “Cake-Off” and “Girlstar,” the latter of which is a musical for all ages, especially youths and teens who aspire for greatness.
“Girlstar” is the story of a record producer named Daniella who gives a magic potion to her niece, Tina, to transform her into the perfect pop star. Director Eric Schaeffer describes Daniella as “a mix between Miranda from ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ and Cruella de Vil from ‘101 Dalmatians’” and compares the original songs and score to Alan Menken. Schaeffer believes that Northern Virginia is the perfect place for “Girlstar” to start its journey and believes it will be huge, possibly making it all the way to Broadway. “Ten to 20 years ago, you couldn’t make a living [in theatre] in this area, but now there [are] so many opportunities that you can,” Schaeffer says. “There is a great talent pool here, which allows new and challenging things like ‘Girlstar.’”
“Girlstar”
Oct. 13-Nov. 15
Signature Theatre
4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington
703-820-9771
