Ukrainian War Drama Returns to Dupont Underground
Alliance for New Music-Theatre revives Inna Goncharova’s play for 13 performances at Dupont Underground from November 4 to 22. The production places audiences in a bunker during the 2022 Russian siege of Mariupol, using intense sound design and Michael Kevin Darnall’s central performance as a musician trying to make art amid war. János Szász directs.
The Alliance for New Music-Theatre brings Inna Goncharova’s work back to Dupont Underground for 13 shows between November 4 and 22, following audience demand after an earlier run reviewed in January 2026. János Szász directs a staging that seats spectators as if inside a bunker during the 2022 Russian assault on Mariupol.
Michael Kevin Darnall leads as a trumpeter-composer determined to create a wartime symphony. Kevin McKee performs trumpet passages, Lise Bruneau plays the abrasive Kolya and a remembered Lyuba, and four soldiers sing Ukrainian choral interludes amid simulated blasts, sirens, and missile sounds.
For Washington audiences and the local theater community, the revival may deepen engagement with contemporary Ukrainian drama and immersive staging. Its depiction of artists under siege could prompt reflection on cultural resilience and civilian experience in war. The intense sound environment may affect viewers differently, so producers’ warnings and venue context could shape how accessible and meaningful the experience feels.