The things some theatres come up with to while away the hours of summertime until full seasons begin. The Montgomery Playhouse has come up with a most clever and entertaining format of entertainment in their One Act Play Festival this 2014 summer. Eight shows running on alternating nights in groups of four, there’s a little something for everyone. And if there is a play that doesn’t particularly strike your fancy?
It’s time to get serious! Less of a classic, more of a pop hit! Serious! It’s a fun musical that they’re doing at Cockpit— in Court, that is. And it’s Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin’s Legally Blonde! Wowee! Sisters of Delta Nu unite! With book by Heather Hach, and under the Direction of Robert W. Oppel and Musical Direction of Michael Clark, and conducted by Jeff Baker, this is one upbeat summer show that will have you recalling fondly that movie that swept the nation by storm when it debuted nearly 15 years ago!
How beauteous mankind is! Particularly the beauty found in those willing to brave the natural tempest of Maryland’s summer weather at Olney Theatre Center this summer season. A fantastical stormy adventure, by way of the Bard, sets shore upon the Root Family Stage beneath the stars and The Tempest provides a brilliant evening of classic theatre for a warm summer’s night. Directed by Jason King Jones, this retelling of love,
Tis indeed summer and that to the world of the Bard means Much Ado About Nothing. And the Baltimore Shakespeare Factory is no exception to that rule as they mount their first in-the-round production this summer. Taking the well recognized comic back to its simplistic basics, the BSF strips away the scenery and all the other convolutions that can often clog-up Shakespeare’s wittiest comedy and present it in its original essence.
My Lords and Ladies of Baltimore:
You are most cordially invited by Director Coulmier, and his wife Lady Coulmier, to attend a fine performance presented at the Asylum of Charenton (The Baltimore Annex Theater’s previous life in 1808.) The play, taking place but 15 years ago in 1793 is written by Monsieur de Sade, a current resident of the asylum and is being performed willingly by the inmates as a part of the astoundingly progressive “Arts Therapy” program.
Marriage is a very good thing, though it is far from easy. Rounding out their fifth season in Annapolis, the Infinity Theatre Company presents a timeless musical classic with a bit of a revamped twist to prove exactly that. I Do! I Do! the musical wonder with music by Harvey Schmidt and books and lyrics by Tom Jones is gracing the stage of Infinity this summer to remind audiences everywhere that marriage is an uphill struggle but well worth the effort in the end.
It’s suppertime! And the Liberty Showcase Theatre is serving up a scrumptious dish of musical theatre this summer with their production of the original You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Directed by David Morey with Musical Direction by Peter Morey, the classic Peanuts gang is looking real sharp and sounding real good. While the revival version of the production may have catchier tunes and quirkier characters, this originating start is a great place to sit back and enjoy an adorable blockhead and his musically inclined friends.
Without tragedy we would all just be living in a play. The characters existing inside of Empress of the Moon: The Lives of Aphra Behn, a production being mounted by Forearmed Productions (based in Philadelphia, PA) gives us exactly that. Written by Chris Braak and directed by Company Founder Cara Blouin, the play is roughly an hour and a half filled with feminist themes with a curious approach to gender roles threaded throughout.
Fully Charged Productions is advertising Size Doesn’t Matter using an alluring, albeit risqué, image on their marketing materials. Audiences may think that the seven short plays within might be of a humorously sexual nature. This, however, is not so. Featuring playwrights Mario Baldessari, Renee Calarco, Zachary Fernebok, and John Morogiello these seven short “plays” have no unifying theme other than the fact that they are mostly comedic. Directed by Ray Ficca,
(Best of the Capital Fringe)
Classified as a contemporary comedy, this production of Ben & Lucille is hands down the absolute best 45 minutes you will spend at The Capital Fringe Festival in 2014. Playwright Elan Zafir has conjured up theatrical genius that is both modern and relevant and loaded with humorous moments amid a very real dramatic situation. His writing style is captivating; Zafir showcases his true knowledge of how to build layers of plateau steps into the script where escalations gently resolve themselves and just as things approach neutral another moment of conflict erupts between the characters.
Revenge. A dark, twisted and sinister emotion run afoul from the depths of scorn and tragedy; a human emotion vocalized when things go wrong. And despite springtime flooding costing them their theatrical space, The Mobtown Players are surging forward with the powder keg of revenge tragedies. The first of its genre, TMP proudly presents the Baltimore area premier of Thomas Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy. Adapted by Joshua and Kat McKerrow,
One show more! Another theatre another production of the epic musical Les Misérables. It is the summer of revolution and no theatre wishes to be left behind in this magnificent pursuit of the musical theatre dream show. The Montgomery College Summer Dinner Theatre is no exception to that dream as they mount their barricade in the month of July. Directed and Choreographed by Pauline S. Grossman with Musical Direction by N.
Thar she blows! Land-ho! Those singing, dancing, prancing pirates have cast their ship upon the great shores of Columbia and weighed anchor at Toby’s the Dinner Theatre of Columbia for the summer! This revamped version of a Gilbert and Sullivan classic will bring rolling waves of comedy to the audience with a refreshing and revitalized love story to boot! Directed and Choreographed by Mark Minnick with Musical Direction by Ross Scott Rawlings,
Behaving well gets you nowhere. Courtesy is a waste of time. In the end we’re all like children, bashing each other’s teeth in with sticks to settle our differences. Or that’s what Yasmina Reza would have us believe with her Tony Award-Winning dramadey God of Carnage, now appearing at the Audrey Herman Spotlighters Theatre as the final production of the 52nd season. Directed by Greg Bell, this engaging socio-civilized drama devolves at an alarming rate into comic outbursts that truly capture human nature at its finest: debased,
Agatha Christie. The name immediately draws to mind thrilling murder mysteries of the ‘who-dunnit’ era of the utmost suspenseful caliber. Thunderous Productions in the black box theatrical space at the Greenbelt Arts Center, mounts a lesser known Christie work that showcases the versatility of the famed mystery writer’s crafting ability. Verdict, a play wherein the suspenseful twists keep turning even though the killer is revealed immediately.
The question of ,‘Do you hear the people sing?’ is being heard all throughout the Baltimore and Washington area this summer as Les Misérables makes its way across the professional and community theatre circuit. Howard County Summer Theatre joins in the revolution with their production of the Broadway sensation and with a cast of over 100 individuals there is no question as to whether or not you can hear these people sing.
Silver Spring Stage closes their 46th season with a riveting production of David Lindsay-Abaire’s Good People. This captivating dramadey about life struggles from rock bottom is both humorous and heartwarming; the perfect combination of reality and optimism blended into a brilliantly acted evening of theatre. Directed by Michael Kharfen, it’s an emotionally engaging opportunity to view life from many angles, including the less fortunate.
Set Designer Mike Hovde creates two contrasting locations within the confines of the uniquely angled stage.
If the wind’s from the east, and the sun’s from the west, and the sand in the glass is right, then come on down, stop on by, hop a carpet and fly to Silver Spring Stage to see their sensational production of Mary Zimmerman’s The Arabian Nights. Directed by Jacy D’Aiutolo, this production lives up to the mission statement of The Stage— “Little Theater. Big Ideas.” With a cast of over a dozen on the intimate stage,
Let your freak flag wave! Let your freak flag fly! Never take it down, never take it down and raise it way up high! For everyone at the Toby’s Dinner Theatre production of Shrek the musical to come and see! That’s right, folks! We’re hitting the swamp and the city of Duloc to uncover the truth behind these fairytale creatures! In a brand new interview series entitled ‘Story of My Life: The Freak Flag Chronicles’ we’ll venture into the story of six of Shrek’s characters and find out what life is all about in the land of unusual fairytales!
Once upon a time there was a little place called Toby’s Dinner Theatre that was nestled in the wooded highlands of Columbia, Maryland. And during their 35th year they decided to mount a little musical called Shrek. It was a pretty impressive musical, with Music by Jeanine Tesori and Book and Lyrics by David Lindsay Abaire. Fairytales, well you’ve never heard or seen one quite like this, but there’s a freak flag to wave for everyone at this up-tempo,
There is danger in covering up the cracks. You can only hide behind a painted face for so long before the stuffing all comes flooding out and the truth is revealed. A hilarious and heartbreaking tale unfolds in just such a fashion as the Everyman Theatre continues into the back half of their 2013/2014 season with their production of The Dresser, by Ronald Harwood. Directed by Derek Goldman, this stunning emotional production keeps you fascinated as the story unfolds;
“If I speak in the tongue of men or angels but do not have love I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.” 1 Corinthians 13 or so the Bible says. What greater thing could there be to have in this world where logic is so inside out and laws are upside down than love? But even then is love enough? Forum Theatre partakes in the National New Play Network Rolling World Premier of Pluto,
If imagination is the beginning of creation, imagine a world where human beings could choose the length of their lives, creating for themselves an eternity of knowledge and power. Would you choose to live forever? Or would the notion of living forever, an immortal existence overwhelm the mind and force the imagination to create death? In George Bernard Shaw’s rarely done epic play, Back to Methuselah, Washington Stage Guild (WSG) explores these notions in a riveting and compelling stroke of drama.
You may not recognize it, even if you’ve talked about it, think you’ve seen it, or may even think you’ve written it. We’re talking about the great American play. And it’s happening at the Colonial Players of Annapolis as they present Tracy Letts’ Superior Donuts to continue on in their 65th season. Rich dynamic characters, every day struggles and strife, real situations with real meat behind the story; all of that comes from the creative mind of playwright Tracy Letts.
A weekend in the country is exactly what you’re in for if you head up to the Damascus Theatre Company’s production of A Little Night Music at the Gaithersburg Arts Barn this month. The Sondheim classic is being revised to have a more modern feel with D. Scott Richards and Musical Director Keith Tittermary at the helm. Will the romantic entanglements of the well-known period musical still shine through, well the only way to find out is to go and see it for yourself.
What would your vagina say if it could talk? Mine would say that you need to go see the Rude Mechanicals and their production of Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues at the Greenbelt Art Center. Co-Directed by Lauren Beward and Jaki Demarest, this particular production of the iconic feminist piece is defying the standards of which the original was formed with and setting the benchmark extremely high for all future productions.
If life seems jolly rotten then there’s something you’ve forgotten—Monty Python’s Spamalot is playing at Toby’s Dinner Theatre! There is no better way to tickle your funny bone this season than with a good old-fashioned laugh-a-minute musical comedy like Monty Python’s Spamalot that will have you roaring in hysterics right through the company bow.
Directed by Mark Minnick with Musical Direction by Ross Scott Rawlings, this uproarious show,
One cannot feel time in words alone, but it is there, ticking, moving, existing. Passing us by as time so often does, as we invest our lives in one thing or another. We as humans spend our lives making an existence, making decisions that make us who we are, but when we depart there is no trace of us left behind except for our absence. Provocative as ever – Single Carrot Theatre opens up their brand new theatre space at 2600 N.
People don’t go to the movies to be depressed that’s what they have the theatre for, or so says Centerstage’s production of Stones in His Pockets; a darkly humored Irish comedy that will tickle your funny bone and bring a tear to your eye in one whirlwind of sensational acting and side-splitting shenanigans. Two actors, a dozen or so characters, and one stage; it’s bound to be a night of utter hilarity even if there are emotions heavy as stones to fill the audience’s hearts.
The tale of star-crossed lovers, thwarted by fate before their stories even began; the Bard’s oldest and most tragic love tale. We’ve seen it all before, we’ve heard it all before, but The Audrey Herman Spotlighters Theatre is bringing us Romeo & Juliet with a new take on the Shakespearean classic drawing us into the story and making us love and cry all over again. Directed by Lance Bankerd, this production keeps the integrity of the text while transporting the setting to Ancient Greece;