All posts by Leonard Taube

Schmigadoon! at The Kennedy Center

Reviews February 5, 2025 Leonard Taube Leave a comment

author: Leonard Taube

What do you get when you take an old classic musical from a bygone era, pepper it with a cast of Broadway stars, toss it in a sauce of catchy song and dance numbers and top it off with shavings of parody? What else but Schmigadoon!, a new musical which is holding its world premiere at The Kennedy Center in our nation’s capital. Loosely based on the 1947 Broadway musical Brigadoon (later to become a film version in 1954 starring Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse) about a fictitious village in the highlands of Scotland that only appears once a century,

Company at Players On Air

News January 30, 2025 Leonard Taube Leave a comment

author: Leonard Taube

Somebody hold me too close. Somebody hurt me too deep. Somebody sit in my chair and ruin my sleep and make me aware of being alive. That’s the plea of protagonist Bobby in Stephen Sondheim’s musical Company (book by George Furth) which is being produced by community theatre group Players On Air and gracing the stage of the Coppermine Pantherplex in Hampstead, MD. Originally produced in 1970 Company was nominated for 14 Tony Awards and won six.

Always…Patsy Cline at Dundalk Community Theatre

Reviews October 28, 2024 Leonard Taube

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 Odd Couple (Female Edition) at The Salem Players 📷 Tim Toscano

The Odd Couple (Female Version) at The Salem Players

Reviews October 19, 2024 Leonard Taube

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,

Crazy For You at Laurel Mill Playhouse

Reviews October 14, 2024 Leonard Taube

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),

Grand Horizons at Cockpit in Court

Reviews July 22, 2024 Leonard Taube

author: Leonard Taube

“I want a divorce”. So begins the play Grand Horizons which Cockpit in Court Summer Theatre is putting on in their upstairs In-The-Round space which opened tonight to rousing applause and enthusiastic reception. A relatively recent play written by American playwright, screenwriter, and actress Bess Wohl, Grand Horizons began previews on Broadway on December 23,2019 and opened on January 23, 2020. This play marked Wohl’s Broadway debut and was nominated for the 2020 Tony Award for Best Play.

The North American tour of Company ???? Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade

Company at The Kennedy Center

Reviews March 16, 2024 Leonard Taube

Somebody hold me too close. Somebody hurt me too deep. Somebody sit in my chair and ruin my sleep and make me aware of being alive. Being alive. That’s the plea of protagonist Bobby in Stephen Sondheim’s musical Company (book by George Furth) which is currently gracing the stage in the elegant Opera House at The John F. Kennedy Center for The Performing Arts in our nation’s capital. Originally produced in 1970 Company was nominated for 14 Tony Awards and won six.

Forbidden Broadway’s Greatest Hits at Dundalk Community Theatre

Reviews March 4, 2024 Leonard Taube

There are few things in the theatrical world that are “forbidden”. Those of a certain age might remember the Sci-Fi cult classic film Forbidden Planet, or the TV show Forbidden Island. But there’s one Broadway phenomenon that has stood the test of time and, while not “forbidden” in the technical sense of the word, has sparked legions of loyal followers over the years, and that is Forbidden Broadway.

Rent at Iron Crow Theatre

Reviews January 25, 2024 Leonard Taube

By now most of us have heard of the musical RENT and may have even seen a production (or more), and/or possibly even caught the movie version of Jonathan Larson’s brilliant masterpiece which chronicles the lives of several struggling young artists/activists/musicians in New York set against the backdrop of the AIDS epidemic. With roots loosely in the 1896 opera La Boheme, Larson’s tale is set in the then-thriving Alphabet City in Lower Manhattan’s East Village in New York.

Elf at Third Wall Productions

Reviews December 4, 2023 Leonard Taube

In 2003 actor/comedian Will Ferrell oozed his way into the hearts and minds of people worldwide as Buddy the Elf in the Christmas smash motion picture Elf. So popular was the film that, worldwide, it grossed $223.9 million…quite a feat for a film with a production budget of $33 million! A few years later it was turned into a musical with a score by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin, and book by Bob Martin and Thomas Meehan.

The Importance of Being Earnest at Artistic Synergy of Baltimore

Reviews October 21, 2023 Leonard Taube

In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet the kindly old Polonius sends his son, Laertes, into the world with some wise, fatherly advice. “Neither a borrower nor a lender be.” “Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice.” And, my personal favorite, “to thine own self be true.” However, I would have given my son one more piece of advice. I would have told him that, above all, it is important to be earnest. And no such lesson could have been better taught than Oscar Wilde’s play The Importance of Being Earnest showing for one weekend only at Artistic Synergy of Baltimore (Rosedale,

Agnes of God at The Maryland Theatre Collective

Reviews July 29, 2023 Leonard Taube

Forget Sister Act (no nuns belting out rousing choir songs). Move over Nunsense (even though it is “habit forming”). No comedy tonight. Take a seat, open your mind, and get ready for one of the most powerful, well-acted and thought-provoking pieces of theatre you will see this year. Maryland Theatre Collective’s (Brooklyn Park, MD) production of Agnes of God will leave you speechless with contemplation and full of emotion by curtain call.

Sondheim On Sondheim at Silhouette Stages

Reviews June 5, 2023 Leonard Taube

A documentary, cloaked in a musical, peppered with vignettes and duets, sprinkled with group song and dance numbers, and topped off with a dazzling set and live on-stage pit. That is as close as I can come to describing one of the most moving and glorious productions that I have seen recently. Silhouette Stage’s (Columbia, MD) production of Sondheim on Sondheim opened Friday June 2nd to a well-deserved standing ovation. This is a show that needs to be seen.

Aida at Artistic Synergy of Baltimore

Reviews April 29, 2023 Leonard Taube

Every story is a love story. That’s the message being preached by Artistic Synergy of Baltimore’s (established 2012) production of AIDA which opened on a rainy night in Rosedale, MD. Based on the Italian language opera of the same name, Disney purchased the book rights in 1994 to turn it into an animated feature film. However, it was instead reborn as a Broadway musical with music by Sir Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice.

Freaky Friday at The Maryland Theatre Collective

Reviews March 28, 2023 Leonard Taube

Hey guys! Sup?! I had the most awesome, freakiest experience last night. Actually, it was a good kind of freaky and I think you should get your freak on too! What am I talking about? Glad you asked! I think you all should come and, well, you know, like chill with the cast and crew of Freaky Friday presented by The Maryland Theatre Collective at The Chesapeake Arts Center in Brooklyn Park. I guarantee you will laugh,

Scott Alan Small, Kathryne Daniels and Shaquille Stewart in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged).???? Kiirstn Pagan Photography

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised] [AGAIN] at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company

Reviews February 13, 2023 Leonard Taube

What do you get when you mix three actors clad in colored and patterned tights, a giant prop box filled with an assortment of goodies, and a script full of comic gold? Hilarity, that’s what. Baltimore’s Chesapeake Shakespeare Company’s (CSC) production of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised] [Again] opened to a boisterous house, complete with a swanky after-party in their upstairs lounge.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) was conceived and written by Adam Long,

Hurricane Diane at Iron Crow Theatre

Reviews January 22, 2023 Leonard Taube

OK, listen up folks. Do you believe climate change is real? Do you have a penchant for HGTV? Do you secretly binge watch “Real Housewives of New Jersey”? If the answer is yes, have I got a show for you! Even if the answer is no to all or at least one of those questions, Iron Crow Theatre’s production of Hurricane Diane is one that promises to please nonetheless. And make you laugh.

Head Over Heels at Iron Crow Theatre

Reviews December 10, 2022 Leonard Taube

Listen up folks! Have you got “the beat”? No? Well then you better get your tickets and pay a visit to The Baltimore Theatre Project in Baltimore where resident company Iron Crow Theatre is putting on Head Over Heels, a jukebox musical comedy based on the songs of the 1980’s female rock bad The Go-Go’s. But before we talk about the show, we must talk about both the company and the venue,

Chicago at The National Theater DC

Reviews November 16, 2022 Leonard Taube

In today’s crazy world, it’s no wonder that sometimes you just feel like you need to get away. No, not to someplace where everybody knows your name but, let’s face it, couldn’t we all use an excuse to rouge up our knees and roll our stockings down? Well, if that sounds appealing, I know a place where the gin is cold and the piano is hot. The Kander/Ebb/Fosse musical Chicago roars into DC this week at The National Theater in the heart of our nation’s capital.