āEvery soul is a piece of the Creator so every soul has a whisper of the divine within.ā There were numerous quotes sprinkled liberally throughout last nightās production of Life Of Pi, that hit home, strike the heart, spark the mind, inspire the soul, and give theatergoers in Charm City a real chance to connect with a human story this holiday season. Making its national tour debut here at Baltimoreās Hippodrome Theatre,
author: Erin Tarpley
āLove is about knowing the other person and allowing them to be the person they areā
With the holiday season upon us, tis the season to be merry, jolly, and joyous.Ā And after a wonderful evening at The Strand watching their rendition of The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley, these are three adjectives that I found made even my Grinchy heart grow three sizes that very night!
Thereās so much time so little to do! Wait a minuteā¦ strike that! Reverse it! Make some time and find your way to Charlie and The Chocolate Factory at Childrenās Playhouse of Maryland this December! The reimagined Roald Dahl classic is now appearing in all its darkly delicious and devious glory on the CPM stage as their winter offering for the 2024/2025 season! Directed by Liz Boyer Hunnicutt with Musical Direction by Charlotte Evans (and live percussion musician Lisa Wood) and Choreography by James Hunnicutt,
Bonjour! Parlez-vous francais? No? Oui? Peut-ĆŖtre un peu? No matter! You will have a glorious good time at Alex and Olmstedās latest fabricationā Happy Birthday, Mon Ami playing now through December 8th 2024 at Baltimore Theatre Project. Charming, wholesome family fun put together by these majestic creators of puppets, this delightful experience, reminiscent of a proper Punch&Judy show on Brighton Beach with hints of panto and improv thrown right in the mix is a charming outing for the whole family this chilly weekend in December.
Into The Woods without delay! But careful not to lose the wayā¦ Into The Woods who knows what might be lurking on the journey. Into The Woods to get the thing that make it worth the journeyingā be it cow, wish, potion or festivalā¦Street Lamp Community Theatre makes it worth your journey all the way up to Rising Sun to see their impressive production of the Sondheim beast that is Into The Woods.
“…a sparking diamond of its time; it truly lives up to its namesake…”
The originator. The fabricator. The one and onlyā¦Charles Dickens. While heās no Gonzo, (because everybody loves a furry, blue Charles Dickens this time of year) Jimi Kinstle certainly makes quite the impression as the legendary author, out pitching his waresā and by wares we mean his stories, and by story we mean the popular story associated with Dickens at Christmas timeā¦
āMarley was dead to begin with.ā The second most-recognized line in the Dickensian classic,
āEmbracing happiness is f**king terrifying.ā ~Sarah Shulman A Very Jewish Christmas
We donāt usually censor words around here but tis the season and you never know which little ones might be reading alongside the adults in hopes that Santa Claus or Hanukkah Harry or whichever present-bringing seasonal deity will see them being a good little offspring, reading the theatre review of the Maryland Ensemble Theatreās latest new work to grace their mainstage.
You go to the theatre for a little relief, to be a community of people who laugh together. Or perhaps in this case, clutch their hands to their hearts and cry together. God of Vengeance, a real play by Sholem Asch, written in 1906, was surrounded by controversy, and on March 8th 1923, the Broadway production was cut short when the entire cast, producer, and one of the theatre owners were arrested and indicted (and later convicted) on charges of obscenityā¦of indecency.
When a cold wind blowsā it chills you! Chills you to the bone! But thereās nothing in nature that freezes your heart like years of being alone! It paints you with indifference like a lady paints with rouge. And the worst of the worst! The most hated and cursedā is the one that we call SCROOGE! Unkind as anyā with the wrath of manyā this is EBENEZER SCROOGE! (And yes, I did that from memory.
You shall be visited by three ghosts, Ebenezer! When the clock strikes oneā The Ghost of Christmas Past (Jude Mahoney.) When the clock strikes twoā The Ghost of Christmas Present (B. Thomas Rinaldi.) When they clock strikes threeā The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Be! (Ashley Merrill.) And we may be crazy trying to visit with all three of these ghosts all at once, but whatās Christmas without a little crazy?
Weāve got you gathered here and the clock hasnāt even struck one,
What a chilly evening! Havre de Grace is all aglow! Donāt it feel like it might snow? Such a merry season! Donātcha love it so? Merry Christmas, dearieā time to go! To Tidewater Playersā production of A Christmas Carol. Yes, itās mid-November, and yes Thanksgiving is still two weeks away, but gosh darn it in the infamous words of Auntie Mame (yes, yes, different show, I know) āā¦we need a little Christmas!
Oh the weather outside is frightfulā truly, we just finished having 80Āŗ days in mid-Novemberā but the fire is so delightfulā and it is, it looks so realistic you might think those are actual manuscripts going up in smokeā and theyāre finally open so you can cheer and clapsā go to Spots, go to see Deathtrap. The nature of live theatre being what it is, the grand opening of this Ira Levin stage thriller under the superb direction of Stephen Foreman,
Get your hands up, DC! Get this party buzzinā! You wanna Queen Bee? Well, hereās half a dozen! Everybody knows that they used to be six wivesā¦ and just for you tonight (and every night through December 1st 2024) theyāre live at Washington DCās National Theaterā count themā oneā¦twoā¦threeā¦fourā¦fiveā¦SIX. The high-octane, super-sassy musical sensation (by Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss) has landedā once again in the nationās capital and is here to wake you up,
Fondest Greetings, Good Monsieursā¦did you think that I had left you for good?
Weāve been waiting. Since Sunday April 16th 2023ā¦when Andrew Lloyd Webberās The Phantom of the Opera played its final performance at The Majestic Theatre on Broadway. After 35 years and 13,981 performances (marking it as the longest running musical in Broadwayā illustrious history), there was a darkness that overtook The Great White Way, though not without the promise of a returnā¦and that return has finally arrived.
Link by link by horrifying linkā¦though I think some prefer the duet from the Muppets. Either way, weāve got the oneā the onlyā Steve Flickinger as the one and only Jacob Marley for this yearās production of A Christmas Carol, and weāre here to hear him spill his Christmas-y guts all about the feel-good holiday.
Weāre thrilled to sit with you Steve. Thanks for joining us! Now this is not your first theatrical soiree.
God bless us, everyone! In case you hadnāt guessed, the next merry member of Tidewater Players A Christmas Carol is the youngest of the Cratchit childrenā¦little Tiny Tim!
Thanks for coming out and sitting here with me! Can you tell me your name?
Elliot Lookingland: Iām Elliot Lookingland.
And who are you playing in this show?
Elliot: Tiny Tim!
And this is your first theatre show ever?
Itās in the singing of a street corner choir! Itās going home and getting warm by the fire! Itās true, wherever you find loveā it feels like Christmas! And it isā the season of the spiritā the message if we hear itā is make it last all year! And since Tidewater Players is getting you into the season of the spirit a good six weeks ahead of time, we figured we could pick some of the featured playersā brains all about their upcoming production of A Christmas Carol.
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 seasonās 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.
Fill the moat to overflowing and raise the goblet high! Third Wall Productions is giving a ballā waitā¦noā¦no thatās not right. Theyāre building a wallā around the swamp? Noā¦wait a minuteā¦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,
Girls never marry the men that they flirt with! Unless theyāre flirting with a handbag! Thereās something to be said for a tried and true chestnut of the stage. Oscar Wildeās 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 sillyā the three best things one could want for a period comedy of romance and frivolityā this production is charming and well-paced and will tickle your fancy whether youāre new to Wilde and his wondrous strange notions of romantic comedies or cherish his work with great fondness.
Some make you happy! Some make you sad! Some are quite big! Some are quite small! Some are too longā some are just plays with song! And theyāreā allā calledā MUSICALS! And CJ Productions (a relatively new and upcoming small professional theatre company based in the Baltimore area) is producing The Guy Who Didnāt 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.
I cannot blink what I saw. And the eerie sensations of how relevant āmisinformationā and its wildfire-level of spread still is in this day and age is unsettling, which makes Arthur Millerās The Crucible a perfectly chilling tale for October. And Small Town Stars Theatre Company will do you one better. Theyāre presenting The Crucible outdoors. Directed by Cecelia Boynton, this dark drama is eerily relevant to the world todayā as we are taught not to question the court,
Every moment is a moment when youāre in the woodsā again please.
Itās the Vagabond Playersā turn to try their hand at Sondheimās most beastly bearā¦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 companyās 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,
How much can we ever know of anyone? We are all blind to ourselves, after all. But donāt 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 Austenās novel.) Itās 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.
One beautiful weekend a year. No cares, no ties, no responsibilities. Sounds grand, doesnāt it? Just swell? Itās 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 eveningās worth of oddly colored āold schoolā humor.
What makes a city hum? Who gives it life? Evita! Evita! And Silhouette Stagesā current production of the Tim Rice & Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Evita will have the whole city of Columbia more than just humming. Youāll cheer. Youāll cry. Youāll be moved. Directed by Daniel Douek, with Musical Direction by Ginny Moses, and Choreography by Amie Bell, this tragically beautiful tale of Argentinaās first ladyā the first āprincess of the peopleāā is in gloriously capable hands under Daniel Douekās direction and his production teamās innovative practices on stage.
Donāt you wanna join the crew? Youāll be all dead and evil too! JOIN THEM!! JOIN THEM!!
Itās an annual tradition like Christmas Carol or Rocky Horror only so much more bad-ass and way more fun because of theā¦
BLOOD.
Yes. Blood. For their ninth yearā Evil Dead: The Musical returns (Deer in the Spotlight is producing this in the creepy back-gym of Havre de Graceās STAR Centre this year) to get you SOAKEDā¦if youāre seated in the splash zone.
Do any live people ever realize life every minute while they live it? Saints and poetsā¦and theatergoersā¦ maybeā¦ Itās time to take a step back, take a breath, and come celebrate the simplistic joys in life. The sunrisingā¦ the birds in the treesā¦the seasons changingā¦ a new theatre company opening its doors for the very first timeā¦ Okay, that last one isnāt quite so simple, but Angelo Otterbein (owner and operator and art enthusiast of Manor Mill) and Vanessa Eskridge (director and producer of Manor Mill Playhouseās inaugural production of Thornton Wilderās Our Town) make it look simple,
Hear about a partyā hereās the procedure:
Text all your friendsā tell āem where to meet you!
At The National Theater in DC to welcome (back) the tour of Mean Girls! Thatās so FETCH. NETworks is touring the cautionary tale this time around, bringing the iconic film-come-musical full-circle as it launched itās 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,