Reviews

Jesus Christ Superstar at The State Theater of Havre de Grace

Reviews April 11, 2025 Amanda N. Gunther Leave a comment

Blood and destruction— because of one man. If that isn’t ever an accurate summation of today’s society compliments of Andrew Lloyd Webber… but if you strip away the myth from the man…what are you left with? A striking, and damn near award-winning production of Jesus Christ Superstar at The State Theater of Havre de Grace, that’s what. Directed by Austin Barnes with Musical Direction by Jarrett Rettman, and Choreography by Veronica Lane, this brilliantly nuanced and extremely meticulously plotted production is a staging for the ages;

Pipeline at Vagabond Players

Reviews April 10, 2025 Amanda N. Gunther Leave a comment

People have expectations of you because of how they see you and if you get caught up in how you are seen you become what people expect, be it good, bad, or otherwise. Powerful stuff packed heavily into the words of Dominique Morisseau’s Pipeline appearing as the penultimate production at Vagabond Players in their 109th season. Directed by Lorraine Brooks, this thought-provoking play tackles some tough subject matters and really makes you stop and think about perception,

Jane Anger at Maryland Ensemble Theatre

Reviews April 8, 2025 Amanda N. Gunther Leave a comment

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Shakespeare, ammiright? WRONG. Like so many of those popular “of the times” lines attributed to the plagiarizing bastard, this one also doesn’t belong to Billy Shakes. (It’s actually a deeply distorted misquote from William Congreve’s The Mourning Bride, 1697 but that’s a tale for another time.) But the sentiment is definitely there. Famous. Timeless. Universal appeal. All percolating up and out of the Jacobean Era of England from that historically renowned master of page and pen,

Young Frankenstein at Third Wall Productions

Reviews April 5, 2025 Amanda N. Gunther Leave a comment

Forget about the foxtrot— throw away the waltz! Take away the two-step and all that other schmaltz! Are you ready for what’s been going on in Phoenix? It’s a doozy…makes ya’ woozy…it’s the new phenomenon— well…not that new…but the first production of Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein this side of Charm City since 2022 (SLCT in Rising Sun!) And it’s all the rave and roar right in this reviewer’s backyard— Third Wall Productions and their zany,

(L to R) Mira Lamson Klein, Madison Sims, Sandra Bulk, and Jane R. Frazier in 'The Most Massive Woman Wins' as a part of Manor Mill Playhouse Shorts 📷 Zoe Leonard

Manor Mill Playhouse Shorts: An Evening of One-Act Plays at Manor Mill Playhouse

Reviews April 4, 2025 Amanda N. Gunther Leave a comment

Everyone likes appetizers. Or hors d’oeuvres. Tapas? Small, delicious bites of flavorful morsels to tease the palette and titillate the senses. Well if that isn’t exactly what Manor Mill Playhouse has on their stage this weekend— earmarking their second-ever production— with Manor Mill Playhouse Shorts, three one-act plays with three different directors, three different sets of actors, and one deeply impressive evening of performances. Produced by Vanessa Eskridge, the evening’s spread has three unique stories on offer,

Alice By Heart at Street Lamp Community Theatre

Reviews April 3, 2025 Amanda N. Gunther Leave a comment

Words mean what we say they mean. But who— who— are— you? Are you who you say you are? Do you expect to believe that you are who you say you are? Are you— Alice? Do you know Alice By Heart? Book by Steven Sater (lyrics too) & Jessie Nelson? Music by Duncan Sheik? If you weren’t able to answer yes to any of those questions, then you should tumbled own the rabbit hole by way of Street Lamp Community Theatre to experience this rarely produced musical gem.

The Secret Garden at Scottfield Theatre Company

Reviews April 3, 2025 Anthony Case Leave a comment

author: Anthony Case

Come to Scottfield Theatre Company’s garden. Their Secret Garden, that is. Live at The Cultural Center at The Opera House in Havre de Grace, Director and Choreographer Becky Titelman and her company have put on yet another impressive showcase in their production of Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon’s intimidating and seldom-produced masterpiece: The Secret Garden. And with Musical Director LaShelle Bray and Stage Manager/Dialect Coach Sean Silence at her side (amongst others),

The Cast of The North American Tour of Shucked 📷 Matthew Murphy

Shucked at The Hippodrome

Reviews April 2, 2025 Amanda N. Gunther Leave a comment

Folks say that things happen for a reason. I say Shucked happened for a reason. The great deities of musical theatre knew we were about to be living in the dark ages and the great deities of musical theatre knew we would need something whole-kernel-wholesome with literally a laugh-a-minute to lift us up out of the darkness and bring us into the radiant bright— cornfield!? Who in tarnation knew that we so desperately needed a musical— about CORN!?

The Hunchback of Notre Dame at Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church

Reviews April 1, 2025 Amanda N. Gunther Leave a comment

The world is cruel. The world is ugly. But there are times and there are people when the world is not— and at its cruelest, it’s still the only world we’ve got. Sing the bells…bells…bells…bells…bells…bells— Bells of Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church!? I’m not sure those are the lyrics that Stephen Schwartz scribbled down initially, but you can hear the bells— of the phenomenal orchestra, the stellar choir, and the extraordinary cast— in their current resplendent production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Louis B. Murray (left) as Oscar and Paul Ballard as Felix (right) in Bowie Theatre Company's production of The Odd Couple 📷 Reed Sigmon

The Odd Couple at Bowie Community Theatre

Reviews April 1, 2025 Chris Pence Leave a comment

author: Chris Pence

Stuck in the Middle With You: The Odd Couple at Bowie Community Theatre

Some things never change, like the frustration and camaraderie of having roommates, especially those that drive us crazier than a worm in a bowl of spaghetti (IT’S LINGUINI!!!). Neil Simon’s classic buddy comedy, The Odd Couple, screams its way onto the Bowie Community Theatre stage with hilarious consequence.

Perhaps Simon’s most well-known play,

Tick, tick…BOOM! at Greenbelt Arts Center

Reviews March 28, 2025 Amanda N. Gunther Leave a comment

Why do we seek out ecstasy in all the wrong places? A potent question that Jonathan Larson askes in his ‘starter musical’ Tick…tick, BOOM! Unpopular opinion, as this show tends to be potent enough for the ‘theatrical catnip crowd’ but if Larson had lived? This show would still be sitting on a shelf, collecting dust somewhere. Or at the very least been heavily rewritten, reconfigured, and modernized to feel somewhat more relevant and less self-aggrandizing/narcissistic pity-party.

Eli EL, Gary DuBreuil, and Elgin Martin in Testosterone 📷 Teresa Castracane

Testosterone at ExPats Theatre

Reviews March 20, 2025 Steven Kirkpatrick & Charles Boyington Steven Kirkpatrick & Charles Boyington Leave a comment

author: Steven Kirkpatrick & Charles Boyington

The ExPats Theatre company (“a small theater that grapples with big ideas”) presents a “satirical tale on toxic masculinity”, Testosterone, at a time in which a political revival of masculinist ideals seems to be on the horizon.

Yet Testosterone is equally a satirical take on gated communities, smug elites bemoaning the violence they see on their televisions,

Romeo & Juliette at Laurel Mill Playhouse

Reviews March 20, 2025 Chris Pence Leave a comment

author: Chris Pence

A Rose By Any Other Name: Romeo & Juliette at Laurel Mill Playhouse

“Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene.”1 It’s the classic tale of love and loss, hate and betrayal, ancient grudges to new mutiny, “[w]here civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, a pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life.”1 Jacqueline Youm breathes new life into the tale as old as time itself with Romeo &

Rarefied Air at Strand Theater Company 📷Shealyn Jae Photography

Rarefied Air at The Strand

Reviews March 20, 2025 Erin Tarpley Leave a comment

author: Erin Tarpley

Definition of “Rarefied”: distant from the lives and concerns of ordinary people

It is sometimes hard to believe that this week marks the five-year anniversary of the start of the Covid-19 “lock-down.” That time in our all too recent history where we were told that for the benefit of public health and safety, all stores, businesses, and schools would close their doors and everyone (except “essential workers”) were expected to shelter in place and wait for this new novel virus to pass.

City of Angels at Landless Theatre Company

Reviews March 15, 2025 Amanda N. Gunther

Everybody’s got to be somewhere! Don’t vanish out of thin air— when you can be where it’s all happening. City of Angels, a rarely produced, quirky, diamond in the rough, style musical that nods to the meta notion of play-within-a-play as well as the golden, glimmering era of Hollywood in the 40’s, is now appearing at the New Spire Arts Stages for one weekend only with Landless Theatre Company. Known for their production of obscure works and putting their own unique spin on popular theatre,

Shrek at Phoenix Festival Theatre

Reviews March 14, 2025 Amanda N. Gunther

They’re gonna shake you! They’re gonna bake you! A donkey! Pot! Whoopsie. That’s the wrong iteration of that show…now let’s see here…I made the left onto Thomas Run Road…got turned around at Maleficent’s castle— oh! Oh there it is. Phoenix Festival Theatre! Hiding out at The Amoss Center with their production of Shrek the musical! (Which does not include “Donkey Pot Pie”, not even sure that song ever made it off Broadway!) Directed by Emily Jewett with Musical Direction by Mia Bray and Choreography by Samantha Jednorski,

Clybourne Park at Spotlighters Theatre

Reviews March 13, 2025 Cybele Pomeroy

author: Cybele Pomeroy

Clybourne Park, running at Spotlighters through March 30th, 2025, shows us two days, (two hours, really) separated by 50 years, in the life of one living room in a suburb undergoing change. It is a ‘good’ neighborhood, experiences decline and is now on the cusp of gentrification. It begins in the home just purchased by the Younger family of Raisin In The Sun, and Act I is the very same Moving Day in the home Lena Younger has just purchased,

The Wizard of Oz (Youth Edition) at Children’s Playhouse of Maryland

Reviews March 11, 2025 Amanda N. Gunther

Follow the yellow brick road. Follow the yellow brick road? Follow the yellow brick road! Tra-la-la-la-la— follow the yellow brick road! And you too can be off to see The Wizard of Oz (youth edition) at Children’s Playhouse of Maryland this merry month of March. Appearing as the penultimate production in their 2024/2025 season, The Wizard of Oz (youth edition) will take you on a familiar journey down that yellow brick road as Dorothy,

Kinky Boots at Silhouette Stages

Reviews March 10, 2025 Amanda N. Gunther

Shoes can protect a man’s journey but only his heart can choose the path. And your heart will take you on the path to Silhouette Stages and their impressive production of Kinky Boots! Directed by Jeremy Goldman with Musical Direction by Matthew Dohm and Choreography by Jeremy A. McShan, this much-needed story of accepting people for who they are is chock-a-block with talent, packed full of energy, enthusiasm, and will have you lit like a live wire by evening’s end.

Merrily We Roll Along at Damascus Theatre Company

Reviews March 10, 2025 Jake Schwartz

author: Jake Schwartz

A show that spans multiple decades… but in reverse? Damascus Theatre Company presents Merrily We Roll Along at the famous Gaithersburg Arts Barn. Directed by Keith Edward, Merrily tells the story of three “old friends”, Franklin, Charlie, and Mary, and their writing journey. Edward’s direction was clear, the staging was clever, and his concept was fascinating (pay attention to the changes to the set over time.)

Technically,

Working: A Musical at The Colonial Players of Annapolis

Reviews March 7, 2025 Amanda N. Gunther

Everybody should have something to point to, something to be proud of, something that says “I was there. I did that. I accomplished that.” And at the end of March 2025, ten actors, four musicians, and a whole crew of theatre tech & production crew will be able to point at a poster, archived in a frame on a wall somewhere and say, “I did that. I was there. I accomplished that.

Riverdance 30: The New Generation at The Kennedy Center

Reviews March 7, 2025 Steven Kirkpatrick

The 30th anniversary tour of Riverdance taps in at the Kennedy Center from March 4th – 16th, in the Opera House. In Riverdance, Bill Whelan, Moya Doherty and John McColgan have created a show that has revolutionized ethnic dance, rendering it wildly appealing to general audiences. The production is well worth a visit for anyone who loves energetic dance, visual spectacle, toe-tapping rhythm, and absurdly talented performers.

First mounted in 1995,

One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest at Other Voices Theatre

Reviews March 1, 2025 Amanda N. Gunther

Society is what decides who’s sane and who isn’t. Loaded statement? Seems oddly accurate, all things considered. But if you’re ready to forget about the insane society in which we’re all presently attempting to survive and spend a couple of hours tucked away in the nice, sterile, padded safety of Nurse Ratched’s ward for the acute and chronic, self-proclaimed psycho-ceramics-the-crackpots-of-humanity, then Other Voices Theatre has just the show for you. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,

Pippin at Artistic Synergy

Reviews February 28, 2025 Amanda N. Gunther

Sets. Costumes. Lights. Magic. They’ve actually got all of those things. Which is pretty dang impressive all things considered. Artistic Synergy of Baltimore is razzle-dazzling with their current production of Pippin, directed by Broadus Nesbitt with Musical Direction by Charlotte Evans and Choreography by Samantha Reynolds. Lending itself to the cobbled-together nature that church-basement-community theatre is often expected to present, this production of Pippin sets the bar high with its full and resonant ensemble,

Art at Vagabond Players

Reviews February 28, 2025 Amanda N. Gunther

If you’re going to call something sh*t, you have to have some standards to judge it by! A direct-ish quote from Yasmina Reza’s Art but one that I can relate to all too well; if you’re going to call something— anything (more often in my vein of critiquing, ‘brilliant, masterpiece, etc.’)— you have to have some standards to judge it by. Appearing for the second time in a decade of stage performance,

Jake Odmark (left) as Beau and Danielle Wade (right) as Maizy in Shucked 📷Matthew Murphy

Shucked at The National

Reviews February 27, 2025 Erin Tarpley

author: Erin Tarpley

“From Farm to Fable”

What did the corn say when it received a compliment?

“Aw, shucks!”

And there are so, so many compliments to shuck around this a-maize-ing show that one could say is outstanding in its field with its whirlwind of corny puns and jokes which is simply named: Shucked.

In case you have never heard of this show,

Quitting Time at Baltimore Theatre Project

Reviews February 26, 2025 Chris Pence

author: Chris Pence

Life on The Ice Floe: Quitting Time at The Baltimore Theatre Project

In today’s world, discrimination is an all-to-prevalent problem that plagues modern society. It has many faces, including by race, sex, religion, and political affiliation. One of the faces least addressed in today’s world is age discrimination. Agism is an issue that many people face daily, yet few people are ready to discuss its true impact.

No Laughing Matter at Greenbelt Arts Center

Reviews February 25, 2025 Leonard Taube

author: Leonard Taube

Feel like a laugh? Want to get away from it all for a bit? Got the urge to guffaw? If you answer yes to all those questions, consider taking a field trip to the Roosevelt Center in historic Greenbelt where The Greenbelt Arts Center is putting on an original play entitled No Laughing Matter by local playwright Jeff Dunne. But don’t let the title fool you. This show is all about laughter and believe me there are laughs aplenty from the opening scene till curtain call.

Steel Magnolias at Tidewater Players

Reviews February 22, 2025 Amanda N. Gunther

There’s only two rules in Truvy’s Beauty Shop. There’s no such thing as natural beauty and nobody cries alone. And if you’re coming all the way up to Havre de Grace Parish to catch that charming little production of Steel Magnolias, you won’t be alone when you’re crying through the tough moments of that screen-stage iconic story of the six female friends in small town Louisiana. Directed by Bobby Mahoney, this production will bring you Truvy’s favorite emotion— laughter through tears,

In The Heights at Signature Theatre

Reviews February 20, 2025 Amanda N. Gunther

With patience and faith we remain unafraid; Paciencia y fe! A more profound message could not be more true in our current climate where joy is in short supply, the future is questionable, and every day we wonder what terrifying headline will cross our news feeds. Lighting up the night sky with their emotionally illuminating production of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In The Heights, Signature Theatre is sending this love-letter from the Washington Heights Barrio out to the world of Northern Virgina,