Articles Tagged With: AJ Whittenberger

Tina Marie DeSimone (left) as Rosie, with Heather Marie Beck (center) as Donna and Coby Kay Callahan (right) as Tanya in Mamma Mia.

Mamma Mia! Here They Go Again: Reviving Mamma Mia at Toby’s Dinner Theatre

News August 21, 2019 Amanda N. Gunther

Mamma Mia! Here they go again! My, my, just how much you’ve missed them! Mamma Mia! What a show again— my, my, how could you resist them? Well don’t resist too much longer as they’re just at the midway point of their six-week revival engagement of the sold-out stage production of Mamma Mia! at Toby’s Dinner Theatre. After sensational success last season, with a 13-week engagement that made getting tickets for Hamilton look easy,

Grease at Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia

Reviews June 6, 2019 Amanda N. Gunther

I got chills! They’re multiplying! And I’m telling you to go—
‘cause the show that they’re supplying— it’s electrifying! Why, it’s more than electrifying,
it’s Grease lightning! You’re gonna
need to meditate in Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia’s direction for some real
summer lovin’ this 2019 summer season because Grease is the word and Toby’s production is the one that you want.
Directed and Choreographed by Mark Minnick with Musical Direction by Ross Scott
Rawlings,

Gypsy at Toby’s Dinner Theatre

Reviews February 2, 2019 Amanda N. Gunther

Amanda N. Gunther | TheatreBloom

Everything’s coming up Toby’s! Everything’s coming up— TOBY’S!
Let them entertain you with their stunning, thrilling, exciting, and magical
production of Gypsy. Directed by Mark
Minnick and Toby Orenstein with Musical Direction by Ross Scott Rawlings, the
truth of a brilliant story is told in earnest, with the heart of that gripping
tale at the forefront of the show creating honest theatrical magic for everyone
who comes to the table and lets the cast and crew of Gypsy entertain them.

The Little Mermaid at Toby’s Dinner Theatre

Reviews December 5, 2018 Amanda N. Gunther

Watch and you’ll see— you too can be— part of their world! If you book your tickets quickly, that is, you too can be a part of the irresistible holiday magic happening at Toby’s Dinner Theatre this Christmas. Presenting Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Directed and Choreographed by Mark Minnick with Musical Direction by Ross Scott Rawlings, this epic adventure will bring you under the sea and into the fully animated world of Disney’s cherished coming-of-age tale about a little mermaid and her dreams to be part of the human world.

Miracle on 34th Street at Toby’s Dinner Theatre

Reviews November 29, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

It’s that time of year when the world falls in love and every song you hear seems to say… buy this toy for Christmas! Purchase that thing for Christmas! Spend, spend, spend for holiday cheer! Armed to the teeth with the true spirit of Christmas and holiday bliss, Toby’s the Dinner Theatre of Columbia is fully prepared to combat Christmas commercialism and slay seasonal cynicism with their superb production of Meredith Willson’s Miracle on 34th Street.

Nicki Elledge (center left) as Belle and Jeremy Scott Blaustein (center right) as Lumiere in Beauty & The Beast

Beauty & The Beast at Toby’s Dinner Theatre

Reviews March 31, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

Ma chere Mademoiselles— and monsieurs— it is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that Toby’s the Dinner Theatre of Columbia welcomes you tonight. They invite you to relax, to pull up a chair as they proudly present Disney’s Beauty & The Beast. Be— their— guest! Be their guest! Put their service to the test! With exquisite food, a stunning show— here you’ll only get the best! They’ve got song! They’ve got dance!

Review: A Christmas Carol at Toby’s Dinner Theatre

Reviews December 2, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Ding! Dong! Ding! Dong! Christmas bells are ringing! Wishing you a Merry Christmas and the happiest of holiday seasons, Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia is proud to present their stellar production of the musical version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Directed by David James with Musical Direction by Pamela Wilt, this iconic classic brings the true meaning of Christmas to kids from ages one to 92 and beyond and everywhere in-between.

Review: Hairspray at Toby’s Dinner Theatre

Reviews July 1, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Styles keep a changing, the world’s rearranging, but Toby’s Dinner Theatre is timeless as can be! Welcoming in the 60’s with their superior production of Hairspray, the summer stage-blockbuster is marching in through the front door in Columbia and is ready to shimmy and shake-up all of the theatergoers in the area. Directed and Choreographed by Mark Minnick with Musical Direction by Ross Scott Rawlings, this sensational production is the must-see musical of Baltimore’s hot season!

Review: Peter Pan at Toby’s Dinner Theatre

Reviews April 15, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

There’s no happier thought than magic and wonder and enchantment, especially not when it comes to the theatre! A place beholden of wondrous talent, magical moments, and enchanted evenings, Toby’s the Dinner Theatre of Columbia is now proudly presenting a timeless family classic with their production of Peter Pan. Directed by Toby Orenstein and Mark Minnick, with Musical Direction by Brandon Fullenkamp, this lively time-honored treasure will spark fond memories of childhood for the young and young at heart.

Review: It’s a Wonderful Life at Toby’s Dinner Theatre

Reviews December 5, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

Teacher says every time a bell rings an angel gets its wings! Holiday bells are ringing at Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia as they welcome the holiday season with their very own original musical production of It’s a Wonderful Life. With Music and Lyrics by David Nehls with Book and Adaptation by Michael Tilford, this feel-good holiday classic is carefully crafted with love specifically for the intimate in-the-round staging at Toby’s Dinner Theatre and fits like a favorite holiday sweater.

The cast in its entirety of 1776 at Toby's Dinner Theatre

Vote Yes: Inside Independence Hall with MaryKate Brouillet and Santina Maiolatesi

Interviews June 6, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

Pins. Saltpeter. Does love and marriage have a place in pre-revolutionary America? One had better hope so otherwise Abigail Adams and Martha Jefferson will serve no purpose in Peter Stone and Sherman Edwards’ 1776. In the sixth installment of Vote Yes: Inside Independence Hall, TheatreBloom sits down with Santina Maiolatesi and MaryKate Brouillet, the only two female performers in 1776 to find out what it’s like to be a part of the independency revolution as a woman.

Move Toward the Darkness: Part 5 Meet Wednesday and Lucas

Interviews March 18, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

A secret in the house: a girl, a boy, a ring! Wednesday’s growing up— she’ll be Thursday before you know it! And she’s got herself a secret! His name Lucas Beineke and he comes from the “Normies.” Watch out, Addams family, there’s a whole lot of normal coming your way! In Part 5 of “Move Toward the Darkness” we sit down with MaryKate Brouillet and AJ Whittenberger to psychoanalyze the deep dark hole that is the love between Wednesday Addams and Lucas Beineke.

Move Toward the Darkness: Part 4 Meet the Beinekes

Interviews March 3, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

They’re normal people, not like you, not like me. Well, not exactly normal. One’s uptight and really boring, and the other one has rhyming poems that just sprout up through her whenever she feels stressed or blessed. But at least they’re not zombie butlers or dating the moon, right? In Part 4 of the Move Toward the Darkness interview series, we meet the Beineke Family— Mal and Alice— played by Darren McDonnell and Elizabeth Rayca respectively.

Review: The Addams Family at Toby’s Dinner Theatre

Reviews February 14, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

Full Disclosure: The Addams Family has risen up from the shadows and gloom and descended upon the stage of Toby’s Dinner Theatre. This wickedly entertaining new musical comedy is making its regional premier in the round; a tour de force of hilarious comedy, intoxicating dancing, and the creepiest of kooks all on one stage! Directed and Choreographed by Mark Minnick, with Musical Direction by Ross Scott Rawlings, this charming, feel-good family fun musical is a tremendous success with extraordinary talent to be enjoyed all evening long.

Frederick (L- Nick Lehan) and Mabel (R- Laura Whittenberger) in The Pirates of Penzance at Toby's Dinner Theatre. Photo Courtesy of Kirstine Christiansen.

Hoist the High Notes: An interview with Pirates of Penzance Star Laura Whittenberger

Interviews August 13, 2014 Amanda N. Gunther

Hoist your sails and raise your colors for adventure and intrigue as TheatreBloom undertakes its first official interview! A new voice is taking the soprano stage scene by storm, though Laura Whittenberger is no stranger to performing. Currently being featured as Mabel in The Pirate of Penzance at Toby’s the Dinner Theatre of Columbia; I’ve taken a moment to sit down with Laura and find out just what this seaworthy experience has been like for her.