Evita at Just Off Broadway
Just listen to that! The voice of Argentina! They are loved and adored! Just Off Broadway throwing their hats into the ring for this autumnal season’s offering of Evita. Directed by Jason Crawford, with Musical Direction by Patty DeLisle, and Choreography by Katie Noppinger, this Tim Rice & Andrew Lloyd Webber operatic musical (with no spoken dialogue) comes to Epiphany Lutheran Church via Just Off Broadway for two weekends only this November and it has its moments and it has its style.
The Art of Care at Mosaic Theatre Company
author: Steven Kirkpatrick & Charles Boyington
“Can we begin to imagine a world where we put care for one another at the center?”
Running from October 31 to November 24, Mosaic Theater Company is presenting the world premiere of The Art of Care, a theatrical event interweaving storytelling, music, movement and personal memoir to explore how we care for, and are cared for by, others. As part of Mosaic’s 10th anniversary season,
Sweeney Todd at Rockville Musical Theatre
author: Jake Schwartz
Anyone need a shave? Why not come on down to Fleet Street? Or even better – why not come down to Rockville Musical Theatre’s production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
We need to start by saying Director Karen Fleming does a PHENOMENAL job with this production. The show was a well-oiled machine, and while the run time was nearly 3 hours: it didn’t feel that way at all.
Once Upon a Mattress at Third Wall Productions
Fill the moat to overflowing and raise the goblet high! Third Wall Productions is giving a ball— wait…no…no that’s not right. They’re building a wall— around the swamp? No…wait a minute…which fairytale-ever-after is this one? (*double checks the program*) Aah! Yes! Once Upon a Mattress! The original swamp-princess and a silly good time with campy good characters, up-tempo music, and a living pea! Directed by Kristen Cooley, with Musical Direction by Will Zellhofer,
The Importance of Being Earnest at Greenbelt Arts Center
Girls never marry the men that they flirt with! Unless they’re flirting with a handbag! There’s something to be said for a tried and true chestnut of the stage. Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, in its originality, is tried and true and presently on the stage at Greenbelt Arts Center under the direction of Stephen Cox. Humorous, salty, and often silly— the three best things one could want for a period comedy of romance and frivolity— this production is charming and well-paced and will tickle your fancy whether you’re new to Wilde and his wondrous strange notions of romantic comedies or cherish his work with great fondness.
The Guy Who Absolutely Loved Musicals: Chatting with Sammy Jungwirth about CJ Productions’ The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals
Some make you happy! Some make you sad! Some are quite big! Some are quite small! Some are too long— some are just plays with song! And they’re— all— called— MUSICALS! And CJ Productions (a relatively new and upcoming small professional theatre company based in the Baltimore area) is producing The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals. Direct from Team StarKid, this 2018 viral sensation of a musical is making its Charm City debut under the Direction of Sammy Jungwirth (the J in CJ Productions) with area musical director Charlotte Evans at his side.
The Drowsy Chaperone at Scottfield Theatre Company
author: Anthony Case
Sometimes, you just really need to escape the world for a while, sit in a dark theater, and pray you’re about to see a great show. That was certainly the mood I was feeling sitting in the dark theater at the Opera House in Havre de Grace last night, waiting for Scottfield Theatre Company’s production of The Drowsy Chaperone to start. While not a huge fan of the wink-wink nudge-nudge nature of some similar musicals,
Always…Patsy Cline at Dundalk Community Theatre
author: Leonard Taube
Few singers can boast the title of one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century, as well as one of the first country music artists to cross over into pop music. Of course I’m talking about the legendary Patsy Cline, an American singer from the state of Virginia who had several major hits during her 8-year recording career including two number-one hits on the Billboard Hot Country and Western Sides chart.
The Crucible at Small Town Stars Theatre Company
I cannot blink what I saw. And the eerie sensations of how relevant ‘misinformation’ and its wildfire-level of spread still is in this day and age is unsettling, which makes Arthur Miller’s The Crucible a perfectly chilling tale for October. And Small Town Stars Theatre Company will do you one better. They’re presenting The Crucible outdoors. Directed by Cecelia Boynton, this dark drama is eerily relevant to the world today— as we are taught not to question the court,
Into The Woods at Vagabond Players
Every moment is a moment when you’re in the woods— again please.
It’s the Vagabond Players’ turn to try their hand at Sondheim’s most beastly bear…Into The Woods, under the co-direction of Audra M. Mullen and Kerry Simons, launches its five-weekend run as the first show of the company’s 109th season. With Musical Direction by Stephen M. Deininger, this challenging Sondheim musical has a few twists, turns, and pleasant surprises in store for audiences who are familiar with the work,
Pride & Prejudice at Baltimore Center Stage
How much can we ever know of anyone? We are all blind to ourselves, after all. But don’t be blind to Baltimore Center Stage. And know that they are currently producing a spectacular production of Pride & Prejudice (by Kate Hamill, adapted from Jane Austen’s novel.) It’s a wildly comedic reimagining of Regency life with colorful characters, twisted societal demands, and a bunch of other little quirky gems that will keep you snickering and enjoying yourself from start to finish.
Same Time, Next Year at Compass Rose Theatre
One beautiful weekend a year. No cares, no ties, no responsibilities. Sounds grand, doesn’t it? Just swell? It’s exactly the picture Bernard Slade was trying to paint when he penned Same Time, Next Year. Probably. Appearing now at Compass Rose Theatre (for the next several weekends, at any rate) this somewhat dated stage comedy still has its humors and in its own right is a quaint little evening’s worth of oddly colored ‘old school’ humor.
Rocky Horror Show at Stand Up For…Theatre
author: Jake Schwartz
Let’s do the time warp again! But this time, in the 60s! Stand Up for… Theatre returns with their third annual production of Rocky Horror, but this time with a groovy twist! Everything from references to Beach Boys, Scooby Doo gags, Laugh In, to the entire set being painted a yellow floral pattern, director Ed Higgins wanted a 60s feel and he sure got one!
The Odd Couple (Female Version) at The Salem Players
author: Leonard Taube
It’s odd how things sometimes just tend to work out in the world of theatre. Take Neil Simon’s play The Odd Couple for instance. Following the shenanigans of mismatched roommates Felix Ungar and Oscar Madison, Simon’s comedy not only premiered on Broadway in 1965, but went on spawn a film version in 1968 and a popular television series in the 1970’s. Since then, it’s spawned several revivals,
Evita at Silhouette Stages
What makes a city hum? Who gives it life? Evita! Evita! And Silhouette Stages’ current production of the Tim Rice & Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Evita will have the whole city of Columbia more than just humming. You’ll cheer. You’ll cry. You’ll be moved. Directed by Daniel Douek, with Musical Direction by Ginny Moses, and Choreography by Amie Bell, this tragically beautiful tale of Argentina’s first lady— the first ‘princess of the people’— is in gloriously capable hands under Daniel Douek’s direction and his production team’s innovative practices on stage.
Evil Dead: The Musical at Deer in the Spotlight
Don’t you wanna join the crew? You’ll be all dead and evil too! JOIN THEM!! JOIN THEM!!
It’s an annual tradition like Christmas Carol or Rocky Horror only so much more bad-ass and way more fun because of the…
BLOOD.
Yes. Blood. For their ninth year— Evil Dead: The Musical returns (Deer in the Spotlight is producing this in the creepy back-gym of Havre de Grace’s STAR Centre this year) to get you SOAKED…if you’re seated in the splash zone.
Our Town at Manor Mill Playhouse
Do any live people ever realize life every minute while they live it? Saints and poets…and theatergoers… maybe… It’s time to take a step back, take a breath, and come celebrate the simplistic joys in life. The sunrising… the birds in the trees…the seasons changing… a new theatre company opening its doors for the very first time… Okay, that last one isn’t quite so simple, but Angelo Otterbein (owner and operator and art enthusiast of Manor Mill) and Vanessa Eskridge (director and producer of Manor Mill Playhouse’s inaugural production of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town) make it look simple,
Mean Girls at The National Theater
Hear about a party— here’s the procedure:
Text all your friends— tell ‘em where to meet you!
At The National Theater in DC to welcome (back) the tour of Mean Girls! That’s so FETCH. NETworks is touring the cautionary tale this time around, bringing the iconic film-come-musical full-circle as it launched it’s pre-Broadway debut at The National in 2017. Directed (on tour) by Casey Hushion with musical supervision by Mary-Mitchell Campbell and touring choreography by John MacInnis,
The Woman in Black at The Keegan Theatre
When the crypt door creaks and the tombstones quake… and all those other thrillifying haunted things that trickle down through the mist to send shivers up the spine this time of year…it can only mean one thing. Spooky season is upon us! And delving into the vein of stage thriller, The Keegan Theatre presents The Woman in Black, by Stephen Mallatratt (based on the novel by Susan Hill) now through November 17th 2024.
Crazy For You at Laurel Mill Playhouse
author: LEONARD TAUBE
Call me crazy, but in today’s world sometimes it feels good to do something out of one’s ordinary routine. Skydiving anyone? Maybe mountain climbing. Too extreme? Well, here’s a crazy idea that I think suits the bill. Go see Laurel Mill Playhouse’s production of the Gershwin musical Crazy For You. Not only will it take your mind off things (for a couple of hours at least),
Jekyll & Hyde at The Havre de Grace Opera House
Mesmerizing. Haunting. Lingering. Distill the theatrical experience into a singularity of words and those are the three that flash immediately to mind. Look further still behind the façade for evocative sensationalism, hypnotic chaos, captivating moments of song, movement, and storytelling…and you just might find yourself seated in The Opera House of Havre de Grace for Jekyll & Hyde. Adapted for the stage by Steven Cuden and Frank Wildhorn, this musical thriller appears on the Opera House stage just in the throng of the calendar’s most haunted month.
Monster (or #MeToo, Brute)
Reputation is everything. You either have enough wealth to buy reputation or you have enough reputation to be wealthy. That’s the vicious cycle of existing. Or at least existing on the internet. In a world-premiere of Marshall Logan Gibbs’ new work, Monster (or #MeToo, Brute) the ‘safe space’ of the internet is deeply examined through an all-too relatable lens. Directed by Maxwell Wolf, this current production appears as one of two brand new works being produced by The Maryland Theatre Collective this 2024/2025 season and is deeply poignant,
Sister Act at 2nd Star Productions
If you want the world to listen— stand up tall and proud— let them know what they been missing— and turn that volume up loud! 2nd Star Productions is raising their voice— ringing through the rafters with their production of Sister Act, which has a couple of matinee performances already sold out! Directed by Kevin Sockwell, with Musical Direction by Michelle Bruno, and Choreography by Kristin Rigsby, this cinema-classic-come-stage-musical is a bit of joyful noise that will give you a case of Sunday morning fever.
Big Fish at Other Voices Theatre
Secrets are the backbone of society. Everybody ought to have a few. And Frederick has got at least one— Other Voices Theatre, tucked away up off Jefferson Street in the Performance Factory. And that little secret is currently producing Big Fish: Small Cast Edition as their 2024/2025 season opener. Directed by Andrew Lloyd Baughman, with Musical Direction by Lisa Dodson, and Choreography by Donna Grim, this modern-day fantasy exploration musical is oddly charming and heartwarming.
Marlene at ExPats Theatre
author: Erin Tarpley
Marlene Dietrich was a legend of the Silver Screen, but she was by no means a monolith.
Before the curtain rises, the audience is presented with a loop of a 1930 screen-test the notorious star filmed for The Blue Angel: the film that would eventually launch her into international acclaim. While shown without sound, this three-minute loop gives the audience an accurate preview of the many faces of Marlene Dietrich.
Oh Happy Day! at Baltimore Center Stage
Sometimes you gotta look crazy to find your happy. Choose to be happy today because you never know what day will be your last day on earth. Celebrate life while you have it; choose your happy. It’s a good day to be happy. And it’ll be a better day to be happy if you have tickets to the world premiere production of Jordan E. Cooper’s Oh Happy Day! Following the popular trend of being “a new play with music”,
A Raisin in the Sun at Spotlighters Theatre
author: Lilou Von Kokoro
I honestly haven’t ventured into the city in many years. But on the last day of summer, I spent the evening at Spotlighters Theatre, located in Baltimore City on St. Paul Street, seeing A Raisin In The Sun, written by Lorainne Hansberry, as directed by Rain Pryor.
Spotlighters definitely has an intimate feeling especially with its theater in the round staging. The crowd that night was small but you could feel the anticipation.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street at Rogue Swan Theatre Company
The more he bleeds the more he lives…he never forgets and he never forgives…not Sweeney… not Sweeney Todd…and you do not wish to be on his hit list, I assure you. Rogue Swan Theatre Company, celebrating their ten-year anniversary, has gone all out— not just the spacious stage and auditorium of Havre de Grace’s STAR Centre— but they’re producing Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street on said STAR Centre’s mainstage and this beast of a Sondheim musical is waiting with glistening razor edge and an unusually unique Rogue Swan hallmark stamped across its existence.
& Juliet at The Hippodrome Theatre Baltimore
Baltimore is throwing glitter and making it rain! Launching their National Tour from right here in Charm City, & Juliet is the refreshing and sensational ‘Elizabethan meets Millennials Mashup’ the world didn’t know it needed! Evocative, full of heart, and one hell of a good time, & Juliet is the upbeat, feel-good, coming of age tale that the great William Shakespeare was never able to truly give us; audiences are falling in love with it if their show-stopping ovations and unending applause are any indication.
Sense & Sensibility at The Maryland Ensemble Theatre
Tis your ambition to be happy? Then come to Maryland Ensemble Theatre as they open up their 2024/2025 main stage season with Kate Hamill’s sprightly adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense & Sensibility. Indeed, the season of MET’s happiness kicks off swimmingly with this exuberantly energetic movement-based comedy, Directed by Gené Fouché, this most agreeable and enjoyable afternoon of quirky comedy meets winsome romance is a delightfully balanced romp of pathos and silliness,