Reviews

Tigga Smaller (left) as Crystal, Kalea Bray (center) as Ronette, and Isabel Bray (right) as Chiffon in Little Shop of Horrors. Photo: Matthew Peterson.

Little Shop of Horrors at Tidewater Players

If you’re looking for something to see in Havre de Grace’s theatre district one day— Shoop da-doo!

You might pass by this place on Union Street— downtown-da-doo!

And sometimes in that there opera house building— arts-da-doo!

You’ll find some crazy amazing theatre stuff happening inside— Tidewater Players-da-doo!

But don’t take my word for it— take the urchins’! Or take Seymour’s! They’ll tell you that Tidewater Players is putting on a pretty crazy,

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Aaron LaVigne and the company of the North American Tour of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR. Photo by Matthew Murphy, Evan Zimmerman - MurphyMade

Jesus Christ Superstar at The Kennedy Center

Fresh off a hit run in London, the 50th Anniversary production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s groundbreaking musical Jesus Christ Superstar is electrifying audiences at the Kennedy Center through March 13th.

Featuring the well-known hits “Superstar” and “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera retelling of how Jesus Christ spent the last week of his life as seen through the eyes of Judas,

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God of Carnage at Vagabond Players

Nothing says ‘welcome back to live theatre’ like watching four-grown adults devolve over the course of 90-minutes into childish selfishness and chaotic dark humors. Finally reopening its doors after an almost two-year darkness, The Vagabond Players usher in their 106th season with Yasmina Reza’s God of Carnage. Directed by Stephen Deininger, this curious and enigmatic story showcases the simplistic nature of humanity— childhood never truly ends and all your problems can be solved by shouting,

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(L to R) Charis Gullage as “Disco Donna”, Brittny Smith as “Diva Donna”, and Amahri Edwards-Jones as “Duckling Donna” in SUMMER. Photo: N ick Gould.

Summer: The Donna Summer Musical at The Hippodrome

She’s your friend. She’s your lover. She’s your sister. She’s the Queen of Disco! She is Donna Summer. And though it’s still cold and snowy and unpleasant outside in Charm City— Summer has come to town! Summer: The Donna Summer Musical has landed at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre through February 20, 2022 and will have you tapping your toes, clapping along to the beat, and singing & dancing in the aisles by the end of the show.

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The cast of Spamalot at Toby's Dinner Theatre. Photo: Jerri Tidwell

Spamalot at Toby’s Dinner Theatre

When you’re feeling in the dumps— don’t be silly chumps! Just purse your lips and whistle— for a ride to Columbia where you can see the phenomenally funny Monty Python’s Spamalot at Toby’s Dinner Theatre. Directed and Choreographed by Mark Minnick with Musical Direction by Ross Scott Rawlings, this beaming burst of sunshine is enough to brighten anyone’s day with its comedic antics, feel-good foolishness, vibrant singing, and energetic dancing.

Not a Monty Python fan?

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National Tour of The Prom. Photo: Deen van Meer

The Prom at The Hippodrome Theatre

“Send in the Liberal Democrats from Broadway!”

Ah yes, the prom: a hallowed American tradition promised to every Highschool Senior filled with music, dancing, streamers, and sequins.  Unless that is, you live in the middle of Edgewater, Indiana, and you just happen to be a lesbian who wants to bring her girlfriend to the big event.  But not to worry!  That’s why the heroes of Broadway are on their way to save the day,

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(L to R) Elijah Ahmad Lewis, Marcus Paul James, Jalen Harris, Harrell Holmes Jr., James T. Lane from the National Touring Company of Ain’t Too Proud. Credit: © 2021 Emilio Madrid.

Ain’t Too Proud at The Kennedy Center

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts”

I hope you have comfortable shoes!  You’ll need them when you go to see the toe-tapping good time that is Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations.  Now playing at the Kennedy Center through January 16th, 2022, Ain’t Too Proud takes its audience on a multi-decade journey to see the creation, rise, and progression of one of the greatest (if not the greatest!

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Oy Vey In A Manger at Theater J

If you want your entertainment both naughty and nice for the holidays, then the Kinsey Sicks in Oy Vey in A Manger, currently playing at Theater J through December 25, might very well be your holiday treat.

For those who not know, the Kinsey Sicks are a group of acapella singers and drag divas (or as they call themselves, “dragapella” performers) who have been around (with differing cast members) since 1993.

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The National Tour of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Photo: Joan Marcus.

Beautiful at The Kennedy Center

“I still believe that everyone is beautiful in some way and by seeing the beauty in others we make ourselves more beautiful…”

Long before she was Carole King, chart-topping music legend, she was Carol Klein, a shy Brooklyn girl with both talent and inner chutzpah. She fought her way into the record business as a teenager and, by the time she reached her twenties, had the husband of her dreams and a flourishing career writing hits for the biggest acts in rock ‘n’

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A Christmas Carol at Spotlighters Theatre

There have been songs, dances, parodies, and even Muppets. But in all my travels— these 35 and a half years upon this earth— making merry and keeping the spirit and tradition of Christmas alive in my heart not only during the season but all the year, I have never heard of a visit to a lighthouse during the travels of The Ghost of Christmas Present with Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

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No, Virginia- A Grown-Up Holiday Farce at Maryland Ensemble Theatre

Up on the housetop, reindeer paws— out jumps good ol’ Santa Claus. And Sandy Claws! And Odin!? Why, yes, Virginia! There is— someone on your roof— or something— heck— it could even be— THUNDERSNOW! Put on your believing hat and your holiday hat and wind your way on over to the Maryland Ensemble Theatre this December season for a MET original— No, Virginia— A Grown-Up Holiday Farce. Written by company member J.D.

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Evan Zimmerman

Tootsie at The National Theatre

The touring production of Tootsie, a musical spin on the classic 1982 film comedy, plays at the National Theatre from Dec 7 through 12th, delivering old-fashioned, crowd-pleasing antics.

The plot concerns Michael Dorsey (Drew Becker), an NYC actor desperate to be cast in anything, who eventually auditions for a play disguised as a woman he names Dorothy Michaels. Not only is he cast but becoming “Dorothy” allows him to “access his inner female” in a way that creates both emotional growth and increasingly comic complications.  

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A Christmas Carol at Pasadena Theatre Company

“God bless us, every one!”

One of the most difficult things to do, especially around the holidays, is sally forth and soldier on when you’ve lost one of the great showmen in your company. Pasadena Theatre Company, taking to heart the time-honored tradition of ‘the show must go on’ is doing exactly that this holiday season and I can think of no better way to commemorate the radiant and outstanding memory of the late Chuck Dick than be bringing his adaptation for the stage of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol to life this year.

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L to R: Jean Rosolino as Mom, Evan Crump as Gary, Kathleen Barth as Wendy, Abigail Weinel as Karen, and Mickey Trimarchi as Dad in On The Farce Day of Christmas. Photo: Elizabeth Kemmerer.

On The Farce Day of Christmas at Best Medicine Rep

“Any holiday that forces families to get together is evil.” The latest of quotable nonsense from acclaimed entertainment-writer Ken Levine. This time its from his new work, On The Farce Day of Christmas, now appearing live on stage (with streaming options!) at Best Medicine Rep Theatre in Gaithersburg. Directed by Ken Levine, this holiday hilarity is quite the cute little comedy and will tickle your funny bone just in time for the never-ending December holiday season,

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Tootsie at The Hippodrome

Look out world! This show’s on a roll! It’s unstoppable! Tootsie the musical is crashing its way into Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre in the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center this holiday season, just in time to give everyone a little something different this December. Based on the 80’s film of the same name (from Columbia Pictures, staring Dustin Hoffman), this Tootsie is something strange and something new; it’s a fast-paced, high-octane story of the real-life struggles of actors,

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The 2016 Touring Company of Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical! Photo: Andy Martin Jr

Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas at The National Theatre

Fahoo fores dahoo dores! Welcome Christmas bring your cheer!

Fahoo fores dahoo dores! It’s holiday time— and guess what’s here?

Oh goodness, oh gracious, Christmas in DC, how to celebrate in a pinch?

Consider bringing the family to The National Theatre to see that mean, nasty, green old Grinch!

Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical has arrived for just two weeks on stage!

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Tuesdays With Morrie at Theater J

“Learn how to live and you’ll know how to die; learn how to die, and you’ll know how to live.”–Morrie Schwartz

In Tuesdays with Morrie, which opened last night with Theater J at the Edlavitch DC Jewish Community Center, the two greatest mysteries and challenges humans deal with —how to live and how to die— are explored as the central themes. Based on the best-selling memoir by Mitch Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie is the powerful and moving story of Mitch Albom,

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Radio Plays at The Salem Players

Don’t touch that dial! You’re in for a treat as the Salem Players proudly presents Radio Plays, Directed by Anita Spicer-Lane. Want an old-fashioned evening of nostalgia? Back to a simpler time when all the drama was heard gathered around the fireplace in the parlor whistling out of the radio? Salem Players has you covered. Featuring a selection of three vintage radio dramas— The Lone Ranger– “The Tell-Tale Bullet” from September 30,

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The cast of White Christmas at Toby's Dinner Theatre. Photo: Jeri Tidwell Photography

White Christmas at Toby’s Dinner Theatre

When I’m worried and I can’t sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep— blessings like the return of live, in-person theatre. Blessings like Christmas time together with family and friends again. Blessings like Toby’s Dinner Theatre bringing Irving Berlin’s White Christmas back to their stage after a decade of waiting for all that snow, Snow, SNOW!! The perfect way to kick off the holiday season, whatever joyous holiday you happen to celebrate this November and December,

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Rent at Signature Theatre. Photo: Christopher Mueller

Rent at Signature Theatre

In daylights. In sunsets. In midnights. In cups of coffee. In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife. 525,600 minutes— how do you measure— a year in life? For Signature Theatre and the rest of the world, for whom its been longer than 525,600 minutes since live theatre has occurred with in-person audiences on their stages, you celebrate with a production of Jonathan Larson’s incomparable musical, Rent. Directed by Matthew Gardiner, with Musical Direction by Mark.

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Jisel Soleil Ayon (center) as Jenna in Waitress. Photo: Jeremy Daniel

Waitress at The Hippodrome

What’s inside? Everyone wants to know! It’s musical theatre at its finest; simple things like sugar, butter, flour now on stage in the form of the critically-acclaimed, award-winning production of Waitress. With book by Jessie Nelson (based upon the motion picture written by Adrienne Shelly) and music & lyrics by Sara Bareilles, this ‘slice of life’ musical chronicles the story of Jenna, a small-town diner waitress in a miserable marriage with an unexpected surprise on the way.

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Blythe Spirit at St. Gabriel Miracle Players

It’s discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit! Don’t be deceived— though theatre has been far from us these many, many months— St. Gabriel’s Miracle Players are back! And they’re live, on-stage, in-person, with real, live audience members in the house! This fall, the Miracle Players, gratefully housed in the auditorium of the Watershed Public Charter School (same building, new school ownership), are bringing to you a delightfully charming,

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The Addams Family at Children’s Theatre of Annapolis

Ba-da-da-dum. *snapsnap*

Ba-da-da-dum. *snapsnap*

Ba-da-da-dum. Ba-da-da-dum. Ba-da-da-dum. *snapsnap*

Spooky season my be over according to the calendar, but it’s just beginning over at Children’s Theatre of Annapolis as they bring to life their long-awaited and highly anticipated production of The Addams Family. *snapsnap* Directed by Atticus Boidy with Musical Direction by Emily L. Sergo and Choreography by Kristin Rigsby, you’re in for a creepy and kooky,

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Cymbeline at The Rude Mechanicals

Hello.

My name is Amanda Gunther.

You killed all 37.

Prepare to be reviewed.

Going out with a rather impressive bang— though by no means are they finished producing or existing— The Rude Mechanicals, now in full-time residence at The Greenbelt Arts Center, have attained one of their coveted company goals: Produce all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays. Cymbeline, Directed by Erin Nealer, completes the quest of all 37.

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(L to R) Alex Vernon, Gwen Grastorf, Mark Jaster, Sabrina Mandell, and Sarah Olmsted Thomas in BrouHaHa.

BrouHaHa at Happenstance Theater

Is this the end? A deep and troublesome question that a great many found themselves asking for many, many unending months as a global pandemic forced all signs of life as we know it to cease. In a thrilling and curiously strange, wondrously curious, and uniquely— well, Happenstance— piece of theatre, which pre-dates the global Covid-19 pandemic, BrouHaHa comes to the stage foreshadowing an existential apocalypse of sorts. A Happenstance Theater collaborative production,

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Little Shop of Horrors at Small Town Stars Theatre Company

Shing-a-ling, what a creepy thing to be happening! Shang-a-lang, feel the sturm and drang in the air! Sha-la-la stop right where you are— don’t you move a thing— until you get your tickets to Small Town Stars Theatre’s production of Little Shop of Horrors! Just in time for spooky season— literally in the nick of time as the production has just four performances over Halloween weekend, including a midnight performance going into the spooktacular day itself— Small Town Stars Theatre is bringing the cult-classic Little Shop of Horrors to the Panthers Performing Arts Center on October 29,

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Scharf’s Shorts at Spotlighters Theatre

Friday night, October 22, 2021, was a very big night for a small but important theatre, one of a select few that are the very soul of Baltimore theatre history. After nineteen months of darkness thrust upon them due to Covid-19 lockdowns and mandates, The Audrey Herman Spotlighters Theatre, that diminutive little workhorse in the step down basement on St. Paul Street, opened again with a light fanfare and a comfortable crowd of faithful patrons to kick off their 59th Season.

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Hadestown at The Kennedy Center

“Myth is an attempt to narrate a whole human experience, of which the purpose is too deep, going too deep in the blood and soul, for mental explanation or description.” – D.H. Lawrence

We need myth, as we need food and water, and this particular myth is deeply resonant at this time. This myth is a tale of love and mistrust; music and dance; and light and dark. It’s a tale of power and exploitation.

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The cast of Noises Off at Players On Air. Photo: Mort Shuman

Noises Off at Players On Air

Doors and sardines! On and off! That’s farce. That’s theatre. That’s life! And it’s farcical live theatre at Players On Air this October with their production of Noises Off directed by Michael Livingston. It’s a madcap comical farce of actors acting, drama being highly over-dramatized, and bloody sardines pulling a spectacular Houdini act! It’s a barrel of laughs, a bucket of fun, and a show you won’t want to miss.

Anyone familiar with Michael Frayn’s iconic play Noises Off will immediately recognize the set as a chaotic character and law onto itself.

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Lisa Burl (left) as Olympe de Gouge and Rachel Manu (right) as Marianne Angelle in The Revolutionists. Photo: Madeline Reinhold,

The Revolutionists at The Maryland Ensemble Theatre

Air and ink and make-believe. Isn’t that all theatre is when it comes down to it? But theatre isn’t flourish; it’s fundamental! Or so says the text of Lauren Gunderson’s The Revolutionists now on the main stage of the Maryland Ensemble Theatre. Directed by Gené Fouché, this meta-play within a meta-play of a play is a fundamental exploration of liberté, egalité, and sororité! Deep layers of freedom, equality, and sisterhood enveloped in the flavor of The French Revolution is what’s coming to the stage and it gets a little confusing,

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