Sometimes it can feel easier to be who we are “supposed” to be than who we actually are. Such is the case for Ricky Alleman. A gay high school teacher in 1990s small-town America, Ricky has carefully compartmentalized his personal and professional lives. But that delicate balance is upended when an outspoken, headstrong teen, Sam Bucknam, enlists his help to compete in a statewide theater competition — with a monologue choice that upsets the local church. Using theater and art as a bridge as much as a lifeboat, this DC premiere of All the World’s a Stage at Signature Theatre (directed by Matthew Gardiner, with book, music, and lyrics by Adam Gwon) is a musical exploration of the tensions between who you pretend to be and who you are.
Pulled every which way is Ricky Alleman, played by Kyle Sherman. The most conflicted of the production’s characters, Ricky most clearly shows the costs of choosing safety over freedom. Passionate about his job and supporting his students, despite not being accepted by the community, Sherman’s Ricky was one part restraint and another part excitement. As best on display in the songs “Someone Found the Words” and “Pieces, Together,” Sherman embodied each song’s lyrics, and his commanding tenor easily established him as a vocal force to be recognized.
Similarly formidable in conviction and presence, spunky teenage Sam Bucknam, played by Deema Turkomani, was a delightful conduit of energy, humor, and hope for something more. With a warm, magnetic persistence reminiscent of Suff’s Shaina Taub, but with a snark and zing entirely their own, Turkomani made it easy for the audience to take Sam’s cause, winning the monologue competition, as our own. Add in silky vocal agility during her core songs, “Other Lives” and “Mirrors,” and Turkomani’s Sam effortlessly drew your attention whenever they were on stage.
Magnetic in their own right was local bookstore owner and flirt extraordinaire Michael Hallett, played by Callum Francis (who also plays Principal Shaw). A dramatic, passionate foil to Ricky’s caution, Francis’s Michael lived unapologetically out in the open. With enough charisma to fill the whole theater, “Dinner” and “I’m Your Man” celebrated the joyful freedom of being who you are and going after what you want. His duet with Sam, “Mirrors,” was easily the standout of the entire show, with musical hat tips to Jason Robert Brown and Jonathan Larson.
Closing out the ensemble was Dede Rozenel, high school secretary, friend to Ricky, and sister to the local pastor, played by Erin Driscoll. A supportive, faithful follower, much of Driscoll’s Dede focused on peacemaking, compromise, and making sure everyone got along. Within the show’s one-act format, however, this role was the trickiest and, to me, fell flat. With little time to flesh out her character beyond surface details, much of Dede’s dimension and growth stayed offstage. This then left her in the difficult position of generically representing the harm that comes from close-minded fears. Driscoll certainly tried her best, but what resulted was a rendition of “I Don’t Ask” that felt heavy-handed and a closing line that felt forced.
ABOVE: Kyle Sherman (Ricky) and Callum Francis (Michael) in ‘All the World’s a Stage.’ Photo by Cameron Whitman.
Other standout elements of the production, though, were the show’s creative choices. Matthew Gardiner’s direction stretched the stage beautifully, letting the story flow throughout the theater, almost dance-like in its intentionality and grace. Lighting design by Max Doolittle kept pace with thoughtful use of shadow and spot. Sound design by Eric Norris and musical direction by Marika Countouris (as well as the entire onstage band) further broke the fourth-wall rigidity of traditional theater, as their position on stage placed them both within and outside of the narrative. Costume design by Shahrzad Mazaheri also added a nostalgic, lived-in reality to the events unfolding. (I shudder at my own memories of some of those 1990s lace collars.)
But for me, the real star was scenic design by Paige Hathaway. Multifaceted, layered, shape-shifting, and quirky, it seamlessly transformed from stage to school to store to platform/soapbox as the characters wrestled with the struggles between safety and freedom, acceptance and self. Every detail, from a gym bag to a tissue box, a spinning column to a locker, made the production vibrate with creative possibility and discovery.
This DC premiere blends quiet, everyday brilliance with elements we’ve seen before. To me, it’s a reminder of how far we’ve come in 30 years in acceptance, love, and finding who you are — while also showing how many of the battles are still the same today. Instead of finding despair in those setbacks, though, All The World’s a Stage at Signature Theatre chooses joy — finding and celebrating the small, ordinary, incremental progress that makes things just a little bit better for the person who comes after us on this journey we call life. Be that art, faith, or each other, taking off the costume to connect with who we are is a constant, ever-changing, always-present journey. Now isn’t that something to celebrate?
Running Time: Approximately one hour and 40 minutes, with no intermission.
All the World’s a Stage plays through December 20, 2026, in the ARK Theatre at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave, Arlington, VA. Tickets (from $47) are available online, by calling the box office at 703-820-9771, or through TodayTix.
The digital program is here.
SEE ALSO:
Signature Theatre announces cast and creative team for ‘All the World’s a Stage’ (news story, September 30, 2026)
