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,
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,
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,
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,
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.
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?
“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,
“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!
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.
“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’
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.
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.
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.
“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.
“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,
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,
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!
“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,
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,
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,
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.
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.
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,
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,
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.
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,