All posts by Amanda N. Gunther

A full-time theatre reviewer in the Baltimore, Washington, and surrounding areas; Amanda holds a BFA in Acting from the University of Maryland Baltimore County as well as a minor in Creative Writing. Having spent two of her five years at college studying abroad at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, she has learned a great deal about improv, devised work theatre, and interpretive movement pieces. Striving to promote theatre of all types, she can often be found in a theatre of some type, even on her nights off.

Zipporah Brown Gladden (left) as Mattie Campbell and Miley Folley (right) as Jeremy Furlow in Joe Turner's Come and Gone at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company ???? Kiirstn Pagan Photography

Joe Turner’s Come and Gone at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company

Reviews September 23, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

If you forget your song or how to sing it, you forget who you are. There’s something powerful in that paraphrased saying from August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, which is appearing live on the main stage at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, as a part of the Baltimore City-wide “Baltimore August Wilson Celebration.” As the second production in this city-wide festival, committed to producing ten of August Wilson’s works in chronological order (of when they take place,

Director Eric Bray Jr. (subbing for Matthew Peterson) as The Fiddler in Fiddler on the Roof ???? Matthew Peterson

Fiddler on the Roof at Phoenix Festival Theater

Reviews September 20, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles! Phoenix Festival Theater is up in production for the fall! And they’re bringing a time-honored classic, some might call it a musical theatre tradition— Fiddler on the Roof. Directed by Eric Bray Jr., whose main stage directorial debut could not have been more successful, with Musical Direction by Rebecca Rossello, and Choreography by Karlie Surgeon, this insightfully nuanced and emotionally driven production is truly an extraordinary feat,

Church & State at Silver Spring Stage

Reviews September 19, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

How is our prayer going to stop the next senseless shooting?

How. Is our prayer. Going to stop the next senseless shooting?

It’s not a typo or a mistake that the question has been repeated. I ask it again because it is an unanswered question that continues to haunt millions of Americans each and every day. And while using a stage, a play, a performance, or a theatrical experience as a profound echo chamber for the real message that needs to be heard may not amount to much,

Sweeney Todd rehearsal shots ???? James Craig

There’s No Place Like Rogue Swan: An In-Depth Look at Sweeney Todd with Rogue Swan Theatre Company

Interviews September 18, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

The history of the world my sweet— is who gets eaten and who gets to eat!! Feast…your eyes…on this round-robin cast-conversational with Rogue Swan. Sitting down with quite a few of the Rogue Swan core troupe members, we’re discussing bloody bloody Stephen Sondheim, though much more specifically Sweeney Todd and their upcoming production, which just so happens to be the kickoff for spooky season and a part of their tenth anniversary season! It’s pretty wild all things considered.

Intimate Apparel at Compass Rose Theater

Reviews September 14, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

“Don’t you let no man have no part of your heart without getting a piece of his.” Profound words and life lessons to live by from Lynn Nottage’s Intimate Apparel, which is now appearing on stage at Compass Rose Theater at the top of the 2024/2025 season. Directed by Lottie E. Porch, this vibrant period drama, set in Lower Manhattan in 1905, is a heartfelt tale of Esther, a colored woman who stitches intimate apparel to make her living and all of the subsequent trials and tribulations that accompany that lifestyle at that time.

This Is The Moment: An Interview with Constantine Maroulis on Jekyll & Hyde in Havre de Grace

Interviews September 12, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

All human beings, as we meet them, are comingled out of good and evil. And no better a way to meet good and evil in the peak of spooky season than at The Opera House in Havre de Grace as they present Jekyll & Hyde as directed by Constantine Maroulis. In a TheatreBloom exclusive sit down, we’ve had the distinguished pleasure of sitting down with this two-time Tony-nominated performer to discuss his directorial debut here and what the project has meant to him.

Spotlight on Street Lamp Productions: 10th Season Announcement

News September 7, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

Nice work, if you can get it and if you’ve got, flaunt it and all that jazz? Musical theatre— it’s that labor of love, that essence of existence for so many— and at the end of the day, it’s no small feat to have a small, grassroots theatre organization make it to its tenth anniversary season! Street Lamp Productions— the main operating umbrella for Street Lamp Community Theatre, Street Lamp Performing Arts Academy, and Street Lamp Arts Academy Teen Pre Professional Group— has a whole bunch of exciting and thrilling news to announce for their tenth anniversary season!

The Producers at The State Theatre of Havre de Grace

Reviews September 6, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

Reviews come out a lot faster when the critics leave at intermission! But take it from this critic— if you leave at the intermission, you’re only getting half the hilarity, half the good times, and half the damn show! I could never! And you should never! But you SHOULD definitely get your butt to a seat at The State Theater of Havre de Grace for what is a surprisingly heartfelt but equally off-the-rails funny production of Mel Brooks’ The Producers.

Daniel Michele (left) with Rachel Bagley (center) and Brian Ruff (right) rehearsing for The Producers with The State Theatre of Havre de Grace

When You Got- Flaunt It: A Three-Way Round Robin with Max Bialystock, Leo Bloom, and Ulla Inga Hansen Benson Yansen Tallen Hallen Svaden Swanson from The Producers at The State Theatre of Havre de Grace

Interviews September 2, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

Thank you all so much for sitting with me! Let’s start with a quick introduction of who you are and who you’re playing!

Brian Ruff: I’m Brain Ruff and I’m playing Max. Bialystock.

Daniel Michel: I’m Daniel Michel and I’m playing Leo Bloom.

Rachel Bagley: Rachel Bagley. Ulla. And please don’t make me say her last name.

I won’t…because then that means I have to figure out how to spell it!

Mamma Mia! at Beth Tfiloh Community Theatre

Reviews August 19, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

People everywhere! A sense of expectation hanging in the air! Giving out a spark! This theatre’s glowing and they’re shining in the dark— it’s Mamma Mia! and it has landed at Beth Tfiloh Community Theatre for three performances only this summer! Directed by Diane M. Smith, with Musical Direction by Charlotte Evans, and Choreography by Rachel Miller, this ABBA-sensation splashy Broadway hit is not your grandmother’s Mamma Mia! With a more realistic,

Ellie Paquin (center) as Summer Hathaway and the kids of School of Rock ????Images Production Co.

School of Rock at Scottfield Theatre Company

Reviews August 17, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

Rock the house and make a scene and crank the amps to 17! There’s no way you can stop— Scottfield Theatre Company’s School of Rock!!! Directed and Choreographed by Becky Titelman with Musical Direction by LaShelle Bray, this unconventional Andrew Lloyd Webber musical is a little extra— it’s bringing you some very talented youngsters and they’re playing their rock-n-roll instruments LIVE on stage all night long! Filled with energy and enthusiasm these kids (and their supportive,

Benjamin Hopkins as Hamlet ???? Shealyn Jae Photography

Hamlet at The Bard’s Wagon Players

Reviews August 16, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

To go or not to go? That is the question! Technically it’s ‘be’ or ‘not be’ but with Shakespeare being hundreds of years of dead, I’m sure he’ll grant us this liberal creative license…especially considering what the world at large is doing to his canon from a musical standpoint! I won’t extoll and wax poetic like Polonius, earning me an eyeroll from Laertes and Ophelia, no I shall to the point as brevity is the soul of wit.

Christine Sherrill (center) as Donna Sheridan and the company of Mamma Mia 25th Anniversary Tour ???? Joan Marcus

Mamma Mia! at The Kennedy Center

Reviews August 16, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

And here they go again, they know the start, they know the end! Masters of the scene! They’re really glad you came, you know the stars, you know the game! You know what they mean! It’s— Mamma Mia! and now it’s here again! The 25th Anniversary tour, making the rounds across the country and landing for a brief spell in Washington DC at The Kennedy Center on the Opera House stage. You know the ABBA songs,

Big Fish at Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre

Reviews August 15, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

What if I told you— you could change the world with just one thought? I think the thought you might think would be “please let me somehow get my hands on some tickets to see Big Fish at Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre.” And it’s going to take a miracle to get your hands on those because the run is sold out. And rightfully so, the show itself is stupendous, thoroughly engaging, emotionally invested,

Rachel Miller (left) with Diane Smith (center) and Charlotte Evans (right) on the set of Beth Tfiloh Community Theatre's Mamma Mia

Super Troopers: The Titan Talent Behind Mamma Mia’s Creative Team at Beth Tfiloh Community Theatre

Interviews August 14, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

Just one look and I can hear a bell ring!

One more look and I forget everything!

Whoa—ooh! Mamma Mia! Here I go again— except I won’t be forgetting that summer where Beth Tfiloh Community Theatre produced Mamma Mia (it was now— right now— this summer, summer of 2024 and you still have a chance to see it!) And I definitely won’t forget that I got to sit down with the three Titans of Theatre— Diane Smith,

Be In The Band: Chatting with Cameryn Deibler, Brayden Katzenberger, Colton Roberts, and Mara Weeks About School of Rock

Interviews August 13, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

If the first nine awesome kids didn’t give enough reasons to come and see Scottfield Theatre Company’s School of Rock, we’re giving you a “BAND EXCLUSIVE!” That’s right— we sat down with the four* ‘kids of the band’ who are playing their instruments live on stage in the band and heard all about this rockin’ experience!

So excited to be sitting down with you guys for this! Thanks so much for letting me ‘crash the band’ at rehearsal and talk to you!

Stick It To The Man: Kids of School of Rock at Scottfield Theatre Company

Interviews August 12, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

Are you ready to— ROCK!? How about getting down with nine of the ensemble kids from Scottfield Theatre Company’s School of Rock which opens this weekend? Oh yeaaaaaah! ROOOOOOCK! The rarely produced School of Rock musical (coming to you by way of the Jack Black film of the same title and the incomparable Andrew Lloyd Webber) has some surprises in store for you at Scottfield Theatre Company, not the least of which is these talented youngsters talking the stage!

Anastasia at September Song Musical Theatre

Reviews August 9, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

Be very careful of these rumors that prevail. Be very careful what you say. I am the girl who knows the truth behind the tale…don’t let this one get away! The Neva flows! September Song shows— and now it’s finally here… They’re on the stage, they’ll turn your page… with their Anastasia this year. In case you somehow haven’t heard, (the rumors in Carroll County-berg) September Song Musical Theatre is celebrating their 50th Anniversary season with Anastasia,

Nine at The Kennedy Center

Reviews August 5, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

The answer that you’re after is the music lights and laughter— and they’ve got it— all you have to do is… be Italian! Well, not even that, just get your tickets to Nine now appearing in the Eisenhower Theatre of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as a part of the Broadway Center Stage series. Directed and choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler with Musical Direction by Lily Ling, this visceral and evocative musical exploration of one man’s existence and his perceived madness of the women that create,

Anastasia at Glyndon Area Players

Reviews August 4, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

(Sacred) Heart don’t fail them now! Courage won’t desert them! Step right up— now that you’re there! People always say— theatre’s full of good times— things to make you clap and cheer! See their stage and their cast— let them take you— on this journey…to the past! Now, if you sang that intro to this review against the tune in your head, we know you’re a true fan of Anastasia! The Grand Duchess Anastasia?

Newsies at Other Voices Theatre

Reviews August 2, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

Victory! Guts and glory! They’re a front-page story— they’re the kings of— Frederick! You heard it here first, folks, and the papes don’t lie! Newsies at Other Voices Theatre is a real smash sensation! OVT is on a mission, kill the competition! And they’re doing it right! Directed by Ashely Gerhardt with Musical Direction by Tyrus Mataban-Ward, and Choreography by Kiersten Gasemy, this exuberantly energetic production is carrying the banner of excellence and engaging the audience with their enthusiasm and heart from start to finish.

Erica Hansbrough (left) as Belle and David Kaiser (right) as Beast in Beauty & The Beast at Small Town Stars Theatre Company ???? Mort Shuman

Disney’s Beauty & The Beast at Small Town Stars Theatre Company

Reviews July 27, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

It takes a village— a village of 50 Frenchmen even— to assemble a production as massive as Disney’s Beauty & The Beast. And the little town— yes, that quiet village— with Belle, Gaston, all the enchanted objects? It’s set its sights on Small Town Stars Theatre Company and there it is! Disney’s Beauty & The Beast like you’ve never imagined it before, complete with flying shoes* and dancing peppermints all for young audiences,

Have You Heard? There’s a Theatre in Westminster(burg!): A Retrospective Look at 50 Years of September Song Musical Theatre

Interviews July 26, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

Have you heard? There’s a rumor in Westminster-berg! Have you heard what they’re saying on the street?

50 seasons going strong! 50 years still going on!

September Song Musical Theatre!

And yes, do, please repeat!

In a retrospective look back at their 50 seasons of existence and their current production of Anastasia, we’ve sat down with some of September Song’s finest theatre-makers to chat shop and discuss the past,

Natalie Giovan as Carrie in Carrie The Musical at Street Lamp Community Theatre ???? Matthew Peterson

Carrie at Street Lamp Community Theatre

Reviews July 26, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

Street Lamp Community Theatre. They’re here to tell you how this whole damn freak show works. And once you’ve seen…you can’t unsee. Known for their edgy, unusual choices in musicals that are rarely produced, SLCT is bringing you a dark and bloody thriller for the ages! Directed by Matthew Peterson with Musical Direction by Mia Bray and Choreography by Stephanie Peterson, Carrie is here to thrill you with a few shivers up the spine from the powerhouse company belt-blasting their way through this haunting score.

Cats at Cockpit in Court

Reviews July 20, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

Turn your face toward Cockpit in Court…let your memory lead you…open up enter in (to the F. Scott Black Theatre inside the Robert & Eleanor Romadka College Center) you will find there…the meaning of what happiness is… and a new show…will begin. If it was mystical the first time, magical the second, it will certainly be memorable, magnificent— truly Jellicle— the third as Bambi Johnson (who has become synonymous with Andrew Lloyd Webber and T.S.

RETURN TO THE JELLICLE BALL: MEETING THE NEWEST 2024 ADDITIONS TO THE CLOWDER OF COCKPIT IN COURT’S CATS: Grizabella

Interviews July 19, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

Glamourous. Or fallen from Grace? Memory…

With only one cat remaining, I think it’s pretty clear who you’re playing, but just in case people haven’t been following along, tell us who you are and who you are playing!

Lisa Pastella: I am Lisa Pastella and I play Grizabella.

Tell us all about Grizabella.

Lisa: I feel like I am Grizabella, where coming back into theatre after five years…after Covid…after Covid and of course having the baby…I am surrounded by lots of younger people that are incredibly talented.

RETURN TO THE JELLICLE BALL: MEETING THE NEWEST 2024 ADDITIONS TO THE CLOWDER OF COCKPIT IN COURT’S CATS: Victoria

Interviews July 18, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

All hail the queen? We’ve got royalty cats in this show? Sure! Why not? Jellicle Cats are a great many things…not the least of which are kings and queens!

Thank you so much for giving us some of your time. Why don’t you tell us who you are and who you play in this production of Cats.

Ryann Reich: My name is Ryann Reich and I play Victoria.

RETURN TO THE JELLICLE BALL: MEETING THE NEWEST 2024 ADDITIONS TO THE CLOWDER OF COCKPIT IN COURT’S CATS: Asparagus

Interviews July 17, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

A Jellicle Cat is a theatre cat! And a theatre cat in more ways than one!

Thank you for joining us again, Sam. Pleasure to have you back! Why don’t you remind the readers out there who you are and tell us who you’re playing this time with Cats?

Sam Ranocchia: I’m still Sam Ranocchia but this time I’m playing Gus, the Theatre Cat!

And remind me— and everybody else— who you played last time at Tidewater.

RETURN TO THE JELLICLE BALL: MEETING THE NEWEST 2024 ADDITIONS TO THE CLOWDER OF COCKPIT IN COURT’S CATS: Jennyanydots

Interviews July 17, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

Winding down with just a few more cats to go, one might almost say that the ‘hustle and bustle’ of the Jellicle Ball is done…but not before this cat has her say!

Thanks for joining us! Tell us who you are and who you play in this production of Cats!

Laura May: I’m Laura May and I play Jennyanydots.

Tell me all about Jennyanydots!

Laura: Well I haven’t quite found her all the way yet.

RETURN TO THE JELLICLE BALL: MEETING THE NEWEST 2024 ADDITIONS TO THE CLOWDER OF COCKPIT IN COURT’S CATS: Old Deuteronomy

Interviews July 16, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

Father of the clowder, leader of the tribe, revered and exalted, he now hath arrived! Make for…

Thank you for joining us today, tell us who you are and I think given the lead-in to this interview we all know who you play, but please do tell us anyhow.

Ryan Garbee: I’m Ryan Garbee and I am in fact playing Old Deuteronomy.

Tell us all about Old Deuteronomy.

Ryan: He is the leader of the clowder.