Reviews

Winnie-The-Pooh Christmas Tail 📷 Mort Shuman

Winnie-The-Pooh Christmas Tail at Small Town Stars Theatre Company

Reviews December 14, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther Leave a comment

Oh, bother! There’s a rumbly in my tumbly and there’s something I’m supposed to do! Ooh— think, think, think, think! Hmm. Maybe if I have just a little something…aah, yes. Just a little something— some hunny, perhaps? Oh! Oh, that’s it. I’m supposed to tell you that you should venture out to the Hundred Acre Woods this weekend! Yes! Oh yes, yes, yes, that’s it! To the Hundred Acre Woods for a very lively, very charming Christmas show!

Life of Pi at The Hippodrome Theatre Baltimore 📷 Evan Zimmerman

Life of Pi at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre

Reviews December 11, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther Leave a comment

“Every soul is a piece of the Creator so every soul has a whisper of the divine within.” There were numerous quotes sprinkled liberally throughout last night’s 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 Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre,

The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberly at The Strand Theater

Reviews December 9, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther Leave a comment

author: Erin Tarpley

“Love is about knowing the other person and allowing them to be the person they are”

With the holiday season upon us, tis the season to be merry, jolly, and joyous. 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!

Charlie and The Chocolate Factory at Children’s Playhouse of Maryland

Reviews December 9, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther Leave a comment

There’s so much time so little to do! Wait a minute… strike that! Reverse it! Make some time and find your way to Charlie and The Chocolate Factory at Children’s 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,

Happy Birthday, Mon Ami! an Alex&Olmsted production 📸 Ryan Maxwell Photography

Happy Birthday, Mon Ami with Alex and Olmsted

Reviews December 7, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther Leave a comment

Bonjour! Parlez-vous francais? No? Oui? Peut-être un peu? No matter! You will have a glorious good time at Alex and Olmsted’s latest fabrication— 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 at Street Lamp Community Theatre

Reviews December 6, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther Leave a comment

Into The Woods without delay! But careful not to lose the way… Into The Woods who knows what might be lurking on the journey. Into The Woods to get the thing that make it worth the journeying— be it cow, wish, potion or festival…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 Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical 📷Jeremy Daniel

A Beautiful Noise at The National Theatre

Reviews December 5, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther Leave a comment

“…a sparking diamond of its time; it truly lives up to its namesake…”

A Very Jewish Christmas a Maryland Ensemble Theatre 📷 David S. Spence

A Very Jewish Christmas at Maryland Ensemble Theatre

Reviews December 4, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther Leave a comment

“Embracing happiness is f**king terrifying.” ~Sarah Shulman A Very Jewish Christmas

We don’t 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 Theatre’s latest new work to grace their mainstage.

Indecent at Endangered Species Theatre Project

Reviews November 23, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther Leave a comment

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 obscenity…of indecency.

A Few Good Men at Lumina Theatre Company

Reviews November 23, 2024 Erin Klarner Leave a comment

author: Erin Klarner

A Few Good Men – the 1989 play by Aaron Sorkin which he adapted into the famous screenplay – is visiting the Howard County Arts Center for a limited one-weekend run in their black box theater, directed by Meghan Hackett of the Lumina Theatre Company. And it is well worth making time in your weekend to see.

With many short scenes, it is important to keep scene transitions quick so that the pace doesn’t get bogged down and lose the audience’s interest.

A Christmas Carol at Tidewater Players

Reviews November 16, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

What a chilly evening! Havre de Grace is all aglow! Don’t it feel like it might snow? Such a merry season! Don’tcha love it so? Merry Christmas, dearie— time to go! To Tidewater Players’ production of A Christmas Carol. Yes, it’s 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) “…we need a little Christmas!

Deathtrap at Spotlighters Theatre

Reviews November 15, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

Oh the weather outside is frightful— truly, we just finished having 80º days in mid-November— but the fire is so delightful— and it is, it looks so realistic you might think those are actual manuscripts going up in smoke— and they’re finally open so you can cheer and claps— 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,

The North American Tour Boleyn Company of Six 📷 Joan Marcus

Six at The National Theater DC

Reviews November 15, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

Get your hands up, DC! Get this party buzzin’! You wanna Queen Bee? Well, here’s half a dozen! Everybody knows that they used to be six wives… and just for you tonight (and every night through December 1st 2024) they’re live at Washington DC’s National Theater— count them— one…two…three…four…five…SIX. The high-octane, super-sassy musical sensation (by Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss) has landed— once again in the nation’s capital and is here to wake you up,

The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals at CJ Productions

Reviews November 9, 2024 Anthony Case

author: Anthony Case

Halloween might be over, but that doesn’t mean we have to leave the thrills and chills of Spooky Season behind. CJ Productions might have just what you’re looking for with their production of The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals. The show, with Music and Lyrics by Jeff Blim and a book by Nick and Matt Lang, gained a lot of popularity online when a professional recording of the original cast was posted by the very popular Chicago based Starkid Productions.

Evita at Just Off Broadway

Reviews November 6, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

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.

Jabari Exum in Mosaic Theater’s production of The Art of Care 📷 Chris Banks

The Art of Care at Mosaic Theatre Company

Reviews November 4, 2024 Steven Kirkpatrick & Charles Boyington Steven Kirkpatrick & Charles Boyington

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

Reviews November 2, 2024 Jake Schwartz

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

Reviews November 2, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

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 📷 Rachel Zirkin Duda

The Importance of Being Earnest at Greenbelt Arts Center

Reviews October 31, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

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 Drowsy Chaperone at Scottfield Theatre Company

Reviews October 28, 2024 Anthony Case

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

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 Crucible at Small Town Stars Theatre Company

Reviews October 25, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

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 the Vagabond Players 📷 Shealyn Jae Photography

Into The Woods at Vagabond Players

Reviews October 22, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther 2 Comments

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

Reviews October 21, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

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

Reviews October 20, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

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

Reviews October 19, 2024 Jake Schwartz

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 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,

Evita at Silhouette Stages

Reviews October 19, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

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.

Michael Bliss as Ash in Evil Dead: The Musical 📷 Matthew Peterson

Evil Dead: The Musical at Deer in the Spotlight

Reviews October 18, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

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

Reviews October 17, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther

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,