Well they’ve got dreams and you know they matter— they’re doing their own show and climbing that ladder— that show is finally here it’s on their stage. Two years in the makin’ with the Tidewater Players, it’s a Dolly Parton show and it’s got layers, the spring finale is here and it’s all the rage! Yes it’s 9 to 5; it’s all dancing and all singing— makes you feel alive— with toes tapping and joy ringing— through the audience— get your tickets or you’ll regret it!
Arcadians swear their beat is divine! And they want you to get up and go! Go get tickets, that is, to the St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s production of Head Over Heels the musical, featuring the song-catalogue of The Go-Go’s. Based on The Arcadia by Sir Philip Sidney, conceived & original book by Jeff Whitty, with he aforementioned pop-rock band music providing the songs, this production is Directed by Matt J.
The wonder.
The mystery.
The Mousetrap.
While the ending may be the world’s best-kept secret, there’s no wonder or mystery that it is London’s longest-running performance in The West End. This Agatha Christie stage play is loaded with intrigue, deception, suspense, and— of course— mystery. And it’s now appearing on The Audrey Herman Spotlighters Theatre stage, directed by Paul Saar. With edgy moments of suspense, thrilling moments of spine-tingling terror,
Welcome to the rock if you come from away! You’ll probably understand about half of what they say— if you’re coming out to DC— then let The National point the way— be sure to get your tickets to see Come From Away. The remarkable and outstanding musical with music, book, and lyrics by Irene Sankoff & David Hein, Come From Away is a stunning experience of the stories that were started when the world stopped on September 11,
“What does it mean to be a girl, Dominic Republican, a Beastgirl?”
Don’t be fooled. You may think you are entering Studio K at the Kennedy Center, but you are actually on the rooftop of the Amsterdam Ave. Apartments in New York City. From the moment you scan your ticket, you are transported to the rooftop of this humble apartment building in NYC; though you may not be sure at first why you are there.
Yo, Columbia! It’s Rocky and it’s here for you— live on stage at Toby’s Dinner Theatre. This is a knockout musical that will pull you to the edge of your seat by the end of the show. Directed by Toby Orenstein & Mark Minnick, with Musical Direction by Ross Scott Rawlings, and Fight Choreography by Justin Calhoun, Rocky is not just a musical with boxing, it’s a story— an honest to God story about how one man wants to make something of himself,
Welcome to High School! Get in, losers— we’re going to The Kennedy Center! Because their production of Mean Girls the musical, Directed and Choreographed by Casey Nicholaw is just so FETCH! And they are absolutely making FETCH happen!!! Based on the Paramount Pictures film from 2004 with book by Tina Fey, music by Jeff Richmond, and lyrics by Nell Benjamin, this high-octane, high-quality Broadway musical is a trip down memory lane for some and a totally relevant look at the uncivilized jungle that is American public high school.
There’s something “Odd” going on in Hampstead, Maryland…. Actually, “Odd” isn’t necessarily a bad thing for local community theatre; Small Town Stars who are currently producing The Odd Couple (Female Version). For those unfamiliar with the show, The Odd Couple written by Neil Simon had its original debut in 1965 on Broadway, and with its success, spurred a film in 1968, and then a TV series from 1970 – 1975.
Oklahoma! is now appearing on stage at The Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theatre. Directed by Daniel Fish, this ‘reimagined’ and ‘retooled’ production of the Rogers & Hammerstein classic is certainly unlike no production of Oklahoma! ever seen before. With questionable composition, extremely disjointed and half-finished concepts, mediocre talent across the vocal performance board, and an overall sloppy and unprofessional aesthetic, the production is one of the biggest disappointments since the return of live theatre to in-person viewing.
As I watched this long-awaited production of August Wilson’s Fences from the Bowie Community Theatre (it was set to open in March 2020 before life got so much more… interesting), I couldn’t help recalling lines from Philip Larkin’s “This Be the Verse”:
They f*ck you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
Tell me what’s your dream! I know you got one— if your dream is to see a magnificent Broadway show right in your back yard, well guess what, Baltimore? The Hippodrome is making that dream come true! Touring through for a one-week limited engagement, Pretty Woman, the musical based on the Touchstone Pictures motion picture from 1990, is a joyful, powerful, wondrous dream come true with all the hallmarks of a perfect screen-to-stage production.
Order or justice? Henry Kissinger made a quote about it. That quote gets referenced by one of the characters in Ayad Akhtar’s volatile and evocative drama, Disgraced, which is now on stage at the Vagabond Players in Fells Point. Directed by Matthew Sean Mitchell, this 90-minute intense drama takes place inside one apartment on New York’s Upper East Side during the summer and fall of 2011, one decade after the terrorist attack on September 11th.
Sometimes it’s the little things in life that teach us the greatest of lessons. Sometimes we see things and think that everyone sees the same thing. Sometimes we need our eyes opened, to understand our experiences may not be the same as others, even if we have just been part of the same event. Director Aladrian Wetzel makes those sometimes a reality in The Strand’s latest production, Black Super Hero Magic Mama,
Isn’t it amazing the things we don’t know? Like that when a woman says she wants a new car, she really means she wants a new life! And you’re in for one heck of a ride with Becky’s New Car at Endangered Species Theatre Project this spring, settling into New Spire Arts in the heart of downtown Frederick. Directed by Rain Pryor, this oddly heartwarming farce, written by Steven Dietz, is just what everyone needs to shake up their end-of-winter-welcoming-spring routine.
“…it is every bit as emotionally wringing as earlier versions, with vocals that shake the walls and echo with the audience long after.”
Many may have moved away from Vaudeville but not Happenstance Theatre! Fresh off their whirlwind-tour of New York City’s off-Broadway, they have returned to Charm City in true Happenstance fashion bringing with them a jubilant and bubbly new show— Pocket Moxie. As ever, the performance is collaboratively devised by the ensemble— Gwen Grastorf, Mark Jaster, Sabrina Mandell, Sarah Olmsted Thomas, Alex Vernon— and it brings the delights of a bygone era to vivacious and zany life for everyone at Baltimore Theatre Project to enjoy.
In his hyper-modern world what we have is logic and what we seem to have lost is faith. We lack a primitive sense of wonder and demand explanations for everything; miracles are dead. It’s no small miracle, however, that community theatres pulled through nearly two years of dark stages, surviving this pandemic where theatre artists were shuttered out of their existence. And bringing modern relevance to what could easily be considered a ‘dated’ piece is a theatrical miracle all its own.
“What makes me a Christian to you, makes you a Jew to me.” So says the title character in Nathan the Wise, directed by Adam Immerwahr. Originally written in the 18th century as a morality play by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Michael Bloom has written this adaptation making its world premiere. A morality play can have a tough line to walk, especially to a modern audience – to be empathetic and entertaining without being moralizing and pat –
The flowers of Columbia are like the women in the theatres of Columbia. Every stage of their growth has its own beauty, but the last phase is always the most glorious. And after two-years of growing this phenomenal theatrical flower, Silhouette Stages is finally ready for their production of Calendar Girls to bloom upon the stage in all of its radiant glory. Directed by Conni Trump Ross, this heartwarming, evocative play by Tim Firth is the perfect way for Silhouette Stages to welcome back audiences to live,
The 25th Anniversary tour of Riverdance (which began touring in 2020) is at The Kennedy Center for a very short run, March 15-27, 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 rhythms, and absurdly talented performers.
Dear Baltimore City,
Today is going to be a good day and here’s why:
#YouWillBeFound
The Tony Award-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen has arrived in Charm City and not a moment too soon. This limited-run engagement is the perfect beacon of hope in a long-standing darkness that has been sweeping through the world for quite some time now. While live theatre has returned in-person, and everyone is adjusting to ‘new normal’ Dear Evan Hansen brings with it much needed hope,
Nunsense is habit forming— and it’s a habit you should all take up again! Well, the habit of going to see live theatre, in person, as a real audience, in an actual auditorium! And Players On Air is serving up a bucket, barrel, and big old vat of laughs (be grateful they aren’t serving Sister Julia’s— Child of God— vichyssoise soup!) and it is exactly the kind of feel-good, laugh-out-loud humor that the world needs right now.
Will you like the show you see? Will you know that there’s a world of love, uplifted spirits, and joyous frivolity— waiting just inside those painted walls, waiting for everyone to see? You’ll know— if the show— you’re seeing is— She Loves Me. Signature Theatre, in its most extensive and momentous live-staged undertaking (after 600 days of being dark) is bringing a heartwarming musical classic to its Max Theatre stage and it just the dose of giddy and glee that the world needs right now.
Puffs is certainly written for serious fans of a certain young wizard. You pretty much have to be well versed in the wizardly world of J. K. Rowling (all seven years and then some) to have every joke land. However, Director Alanna Kiewe and her Spotlighters’ cast deliver an evening of entertainment whether you are a Potter novice or you bleed butter beer. I mean come on; these are Puffs we are talking about.
Do it for the sardines! Maybe also for the doors and the boxes! But mostly for the sardines! Sardines— sardines!!! They’re everywhere! And they’re all over the set of Noises Off! at Other Voices Theatre in Frederick. Directed by Matthew Bannister, this high-end, high-octane, full-comedy farce is just the laugh the doctor ordered! Pandemic blues got you down? Get out of the house and get tickets to this show— you’ll laugh out loud,
Arsenic Silliness of Baltimore, no wait, that’s not right. A Summer of Brewsters, no that doesn’t sound right either. Oh, I remember, it’s Arsenic & Old Lace at Artistic Synergy of Baltimore! Three years of no theatre has my brain a little foggy, but Sarah O’Hara’s directorial debut makes it clear that she and ASoB are back! Not only are they back, they are back with a bang, or in this case a sip.
People do a lot of things they don’t ever speak of. And for a lot of different reasons. If you look at all the different little things people do, the threads of their lives, really— don’t they all come together like a fancy garment? Perhaps a little like a secretive glance into their private life? A little bit like a peak at their Intimate Apparel? Returning to live, in-person theatre, Dundalk Community Theatre brings Lynn Nottage’s Intimate Apparel to the stage under the direction of Tom Colonna,
In the summer of 1984, a little movie with a big soundtrack took the world by storm and launched a young up-and-coming leading man for whom at the time you’d be pressed to find movie connections of two degrees into the stratosphere as the ubiquitous megastar Kevin Bacon. Filling out the cast with veteran actors John Lithgow and Dianne Wiest along with breakout performances from young actors like Lori Singer, Christopher Penn, and Sarah Jessica Parker,
There are a lot of things that are true, even if they never happened. If you’re ready to spend an evening with the self-proclaimed ‘psycho-ceramics; the crackpots of humanity’ then you should head out to Showcase on Main in Elkton, MD for a harrowing and evocative production of Dale Wasserman’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Directed by Lee Lewis, the production is tragically relevant to the way mental health issues in our country are handled today.
It’s a strange time that we’re currently traversing. The Pandemic may never truly be over; it is transitioning to something that is endemic and for some life is returning to normal or new-normal, however you’d like to label it; this is the next step. The next step for Kristin Putchinski, perhaps more readily recognized by her performance moniker, ellen cherry, is to start Grad School and put a pause on performing. In a curious self-discovery piece that is just as strange and disjointed as the current lives we’re all leading as we figure out how to take these next steps back into the real world,