author: Anthony Case
There is a lot to say about the play for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf by Nzotake Shange. The play, or choreopoem as she put it, was written in 1977 and has become a legendary text in black theater. Its exploration of the trials and joys and hardships of being both black and a woman in America has spoken strongly to black women,
Didja know that one of them actresses in that Itâs The Comedy of Errors, Hon! has a baby who shares the exact same birthday as mah nephew? Theyâre both now eight months old, hon! Thatâs Smalltimore for ya! And while I didnât invent that phrase, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company is reinventing the wheel with itâs fabulously uplifting, nonsensical production of Itâs The Comedy of Errors, Hon! Directed by company founder Ian Gallanar,
It moves us allâ through despair and hope, through faith and loveâ and Disneyâs The Lion King has found its place on the path unwindingâ right here in Charm City at Baltimoreâs very own Hippodrome Theatre! The mighty tale of the circle of life returns to Baltimore once more and is the joyful uplifting theatrical experience that everyone in the world needs right now. Directed by Julie Taymor with Choreography by Garth Fagan,
May ya be half an hour in heaven before the devil knows youâre dead. May ya be half an hour into this Martin McDonagh dark drama before you know what youâve gotten yourself into. Maryland Ensemble Theatre picks up its 2025/2026 season with the deliciously dark work of McDonagh, to whom they are no strangers, this time with The Beauty Queen of Leenane, directed by Elizabeth van den Berg. Perception is a tricky thing,
author: Chris Pence
Voices in My Head: Be More Chill at Rockville Musical Theatre
Itâs the classic high school drama: boy meets girl, boy fails to impress girl, boy takes pill containing supercomputer to become cooler, boy wins girl (at a cost.) Rockville Musical Theatreâs Be More Chill incorporates sci-fi, humor, and typical high school drama, to give audiences a new view on how technology and peer pressure mold students into the adults they learn to be during those endless teenage years.
author: Chris Pence
The More Things Change: âFires in the Mirrorâ at Laurel Mill Playhouse
What defines us, and what defines our views of the world? Is it our race? Gender? Religion? Culture? The community in which we live, or to which we belong? Laurel Mill Playhouse gives us a moment to reflect on these and many more questions in presenting Anna Deavere Smithâs Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights,
I canât see why people disagree each time I tell them what I know is trueâ and Iâm telling peopleâ the Suburban Players of Saint Demetriosâ production of Hairspray is where itâs at! Now run and tell that! Marking their 50th anniversary season, and the first of many area productions of Baltimoreâs iconic musical, the Suburban Players of Saint Demetrios are putting on an extraordinary showâ a true Bawlmer extravaganza, hon! And you wonât want to miss it!
Four venues and seven years agoâ they had trouble! Right there in Bawlmer County. And theyâre at it again! Further up here in Bawlmer CountyâŠwhich starts with a B and that rhymes with P and that stands for pool! Them rootinâ tootinâ gosh-darn Iowa-stubborn Third Wallers certainly know the territory! And theyâre bringing you a rollicking good musical theatre classicâ Meredith Wilsonâs The Music Man. With 76 trombones! (WellâŠone trombone, played by Harry B.
author: Leonard Taube
What do you get when you take an old classic musical from a bygone era, pepper it with a cast of Broadway stars, toss it in a sauce of catchy song and dance numbers and top it off with shavings of parody? What else but Schmigadoon!, a new musical which is holding its world premiere at The Kennedy Center in our nationâs capital. Loosely based on the 1947 Broadway musical Brigadoon (later to become a film version in 1954 starring Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse) about a fictitious village in the highlands of Scotland that only appears once a century,
As many a bleak day lay ahead, we have to remember whatâs good about this part of the world. Thereâs information and things work. The information: Silver Spring Stage is producing a new version of John Millington Syngeâs Playboy of the Western World (by Bisi Adigun & Roddy Doyle) and itâs now appearing on their stage as the first show of 2025. And it works. Directed by Seth Ghitelman, this quirky but dark comedy of incidental errors and tall tales puts a refreshing spin on the way we look at outsiders and how we value their stories.
Do you like the way dreams stick to the sky? Are you ready to run where you can ramble? Then youâre ready for Pippin with Small Town Starts Theatre Company. Come journey with them through their anecdotic revue of Stephen Schwartz (music & lyrics), Roger O. Hirson (book) and Bob Fosse (also book) because STSTC has magic to doâŠand itâs just for you! Directed by Joel Roberson with Musical Direction by Kelly Stoneberger and Choreography by Olivia Winter,
author: Anthony Case
New experiences can be a tad scary. Thatâs how I felt going into a theater I had only heard of in passing, in a school I had never heard of, for a show Iâve never heard of, in 10 degree weather. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see an utterly charming show in a very welcoming environment. Situated in what I assume is the gymnasium of the Watershed School, on the campus of St.
Everyone must write what they feel as best they know how. Chekhov said it. Maybe. Probably. Hard to tell whatâs direct source material versus creative licensing with this rather impressive new production of The Seagull being produced by The Rude Mechanicals at The Greenbelt Arts Center. Directed by Melissa Schick, this imaginative reinterpretation and musical adaptation of one of Chekhovâs more depressing works is surprisingly charming, well-parsed and paced, and delivers a refreshing new spin on an old war-horse-staple of the theatrical canon.
Welcome to the end of daysâŠtrapped willingly in Stillpointe Theatreâs mazeâŠ
Come one, come allâŠto Whitechapel: A New Musical, making its world premiere at The Club Car, Stillpointe Theatreâs resident home performance space, and youâre in for a salacious treat. Directed by Ryan Haase with Musical Direction by Stacey Antoine, and Choreography by Sarah Fremuth, this 80-minute sordid story drops you right into the heart of the ominous tale of Jack The Ripper.
Thereâs a screw loose in this theatre! (And damn skippy if it isnât ever in the doorknob! IYKYK!) And holy heck and go-ta-war, if the Vagabond Players arenât determined to find it with their current production of Room Service, directed by Steve Goldklang. Making its return to the Vagabondsâ stage (it appeared April and May of 2013 as a part of their 97th season!) with the same director but a brand new cast,
What do you do all day? Sound familiar? If youâve ever worked in a corporate office with a raging, RBF-boss whose attitude can be felt permeating walls from miles away, it might be a little too familiar. Add in the antics of a smelly, obnoxious co-worker, and the fantasy scenario we all daydream about but have no idea what to do with once it becomes a reality and youâve got the American premiere of Working For Crumbs,
Words have meaning. Precision of language is everything. When you wish to communicate an idea, you use your words. And Philadelphia-based playwright Erlina Ortiz has done exactly that with her play Honey Bee Baby, receiving its world premiere this January with Rapid Lemon Productions. Directed by Jalice Ortiz-Corral, this fascinating new work takes a futuristic deep dive into a plethora of timely, relevant topics that will leave you deeply pondering and questioning where you stand on the ethical side of the dividing line when it comes to things like natural resources,
Everythingâs humming now! Good times are coming now! Itââ Annie! ANNIE! And Annie has returned to Charm City once more (after running their tech week at Baltimoreâs illustrious Hippodrome Theatre back in November 2024 before heading out on their national touring circuit!) Annie marks the first Broadway Across America tour to grace the Hippodrome stage this 2025 calendar year andâ leapinâ lizards! Itâs genius! Charming and heartfelt and a perfect way to carry that holiday spirit well into the new year,
author: Erin Tarpley
âAre you a strong enough man to write a strong woman?â
Ah, Shakespeare. The Bard. The Playwright. The bane of every 9th grade English student. With as famous as his works are, it should come as no surprise that his most famous romantic tragedy of Romeo and Juliet would be turned into a musical at varying times throughout history. It is also not too surprising that someone would come along and attempt to rewrite The Bardâs work into something different,
Oh, bother! Thereâs a rumbly in my tumbly and thereâs something Iâm supposed to do! Oohâ think, think, think, think! Hmm. Maybe if I have just a little somethingâŠaah, yes. Just a little somethingâ some hunny, perhaps? Oh! Oh, thatâs it. Iâm supposed to tell you that you should venture out to the Hundred Acre Woods this weekend! Yes! Oh yes, yes, yes, thatâs it! To the Hundred Acre Woods for a very lively, very charming Christmas show!
âEvery soul is a piece of the Creator so every soul has a whisper of the divine within.â There were numerous quotes sprinkled liberally throughout last nightâs 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 Baltimoreâs Hippodrome Theatre,
author: Erin Tarpley
âLove is about knowing the other person and allowing them to be the person they areâ
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!
Thereâs 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 Childrenâs 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,
Bonjour! Parlez-vous francais? No? Oui? Peut-ĂȘtre un peu? No matter! You will have a glorious good time at Alex and Olmstedâs latest fabricationâ 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 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 journeyingâ be it cow, wish, potion or festivalâŠStreet 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.
ââŠa sparking diamond of its time; it truly lives up to its namesakeâŠâ
âEmbracing happiness is f**king terrifying.â ~Sarah Shulman A Very Jewish Christmas
We donât 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 Theatreâs latest new work to grace their mainstage.
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 obscenityâŠof indecency.
author: Erin Klarner
A Few Good Men â the 1989 play by Aaron Sorkin which he adapted into the famous screenplay â 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 doesnât get bogged down and lose the audienceâs interest.
What a chilly evening! Havre de Grace is all aglow! Donât it feel like it might snow? Such a merry season! Donâtcha love it so? Merry Christmas, dearieâ time to go! To Tidewater Playersâ production of A Christmas Carol. Yes, itâs 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) ââŠwe need a little Christmas!