Stage Reviews

Copenhagen At long last, a local production of Michael Frayn’s physically compact, intellectually vast script. The occasion is a mysterious meeting in Nazi-occupied Denmark in 1941. German physicist Werner Heisenberg, on the Nazi payroll, makes a difficult re-acquaintance with his former mentor Niels Bohr, who is part Jewish and who will escape to the West soon. Director Ken Kelleher and actors Julian López-Morillas, Jessica Powell and Alex Moggridge do a bit of magic with an enormously potent piece of writing.
B Street Theatre, 7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. Additional Wednesday matinee January 8, $16.50-$20.50. 2727 B Street, 443-5300. Through January 12.

Random Acts It’s the time of year for holiday cheer. Everywhere except at the Thistle Dew Theatre, that is. For some inexplicable reason, it’s delivering three dreary, depressing dramas in December. Under the umbrella title of Random Acts, the three one-act shorts examine dysfunctional families, depression, drinking, disease, suicide, sexual molestation, gay bashing, Army vet breakdowns and major weight issues. Merry Christmas! But what these three plays lack the most, besides good seasonal timing, are real emotional tugs. We see scenarios, some touching moments, but are left with no lasting residue.
Thistle Dew Dessert Theatre , 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, $14-$18. 1901 P Street, 444-8209. Through January 11.

Sexual Perversity in Chicago David Mamet’s comedic look at the 1970s dating and mating scene is about sex. It’s also about Chicago, with four characters in 33 short scenes throughout the city, and a bit of perversity. In the skits, we watch as desires and fears both help and hinder a blossoming relationship between two of them. The cast members manage to add pathos and vulnerability to their scenes while making us care about four singles awash in a sea of sexual misadventures and emotional near misses.
Geery Theatre , 8 p.m. Friday, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Saturday and 6 p.m. Sunday, $12.50-$14.50. 2130 L Street, 451-4152. Through January 12.