I’m reviewing— the situation! Or as the case may be— the production! Of Oliver! at Tidewater Players this spring. And it is not your grandma’s Oliver! which is arguably one of the best things that can be said for a production of this show, as so many people write it off as either a children’s show or Annie with boys. This production is neither of those things and I’ll raise all the flagons of ale in the tavern in a grateful cheer to that!
The grass is green and dense! On the right side of the fence! And it’s a fine life! A fine life— to be doing Oliver! at Tidewater Players this spring. You’re always going to get the raw and nitty gritty of a dark show when it comes to one directed by Bambi Johnson and that’s what we’re here for! Sitting down with Ryan Geiger and Emily Jewett, playing Bill Sikes and Nancy, respectively,
Out there! There’s a world outside of Carney! Way out there beyond this suburb, Barnaby! There’s a theatre, Barnaby! Out there! Full of shine and full of sparkle! The Suburban Players of Saint Demetrios’ are glistenin’, Barnaby! Listen, Barnaby! Put on your Sunday clothes— or your Saturday clothes or your Friday clothes— and get yourself down to Hello, Dolly now appearing at The Suburban Players of St. Demetrios’ Greek Orthodox Church before that parade passes you by!
If you reach for the stars, all you get are the stars, but The Suburban Players of St. Demetrios have found a whole new spin! They have reached for the heavens— and they got the stars thrown in! Their current production of Mary Poppins is heartwarming, impressive, loaded with love and with talent, and above all it’s— Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! That fantastical nonsense word which means great joy, fantabulosity, and all things wonderfully excellent! Produced by Smaro Cook &
Illusions may shatter, but memories stay… important lessons learned are all along the way! No strangers to Poppins, they’re giving their thanks! It’s Jim Gross and Suzi Eldridge— playing Mr. and Mrs. Banks! In a tale of what almost was once upon a time, these two area actors finally get to play opposite one another— this time for St. Demetrios’ Suburban Players— as the matriarch and patriarch of the Banks’ family in Mary Poppins.
Brimstone and treacle and cod liver oil! Those are the tricks of her trade! A far cry from the syrupy, sweet, spoonful-of-sugar-style nanny, Miss Andrew is on the scene! Continuing on in our practically perfect interview series with the Suburban Players’ cast of Mary Poppins, we’ll have a chat with Tammy Oppel about playing the nasty and nefarious Miss Andrew, foil to Mary Poppins herself and villain extraordinaire in the musical.
So excited to get to chat with you,
S-u-p-e-r…
c-a-l-i-f…
r-a-g-i-l…
i-s-t-i-c-e-x-p-i-a-l-i-d— o-d-i-o-u-s!!!
Everybody now! Okay, well, not everybody— but a fantastic group of four ensemble members— for sisters, to be exact. It isn’t very often that one is fortunate enough to get to a show with one family, let alone get to be in the same show with all four siblings! How very— Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is that!? We took some time, continuing on after speaking with the young actors who play Jane &
“When music
is playing and couples are swaying Say! I’ve got to be there! I’ve got to be
there!”
Indeed you do.
Attendance is quite simply mandatory for Cockpit in Court Summer Theater’s production of Nice Work If You Can Get It still open for two full weekends at the F. Scott Black Theatre.
Amanda N. Gunther | TheatreBloom The Company of Nice Work If You Can Get It at Cockpit in Court
Fans of
Golden Age music (and musicals) will be overjoyed to see this production,
“My, my… how can I resist ya!”—Dundalk Community Theatre ends their superb season with a
vibrant and visually stunning presentation of Mamma Mia! “the smash hit musical featuring the songs of ABBA!”
With Direction by John Desmone, Music Direction by Nathan Scavilla, and
Choreography by Gary Dieter, this show is sure to leave you singing &
dancing your way out of the theatre!
Amanda N. Gunther | TheatreBloom Rachel Weir (left) as Tanya,
Look at their set; isn’t it neat? Wouldn’t you think their set design is so sweet? Wouldn’t you think Michael Rasinski’s the guy— the guy who’s designed everything? Look at those lights— colors so bold! How many wonders can Lighting Designer Thomas Gardner behold? Looking around the stage you’d think— the creative team’s done everything! They’ve got James Hunnicutt designing the properties. They’ve got Brent Tomchik making splashes with sound. You want Choreography? That’s Karli Burnham.
They’ve got the spirit (you’ve got to hear it) under the sea! Disney’s The Little Mermaid, part of Phoenix Festival Theater’s 2017-2018 season, is a coming of age story that is bursting with talented performances throughout. Along with Music Director Chris Rose and Choreographer Amanda Poxon, Director Laurie Starkey has assembled a talented cast that truly breathes life into the Disney classic.
Upon entering the theater, the audience member is immediately transported to an underwater world due to thoughtful decorations,
Think lovely thoughts! Mermaids! Pirates! Candy! No, no, no, lovelier thoughts! Think lovely thoughts! Make-believe! Dancing! Candy! No, no, no, no, no! You must think LOVELY thoughts! The JCS Summer Community Theatre production of Peter Pan? YES! You can fly! You can fly! You can fly! (See, how lovely a thought that was?) Quick— now that you’re all sprinkled up with your pixie dust and your lovely thoughts of fantastically imaginative and wonderfully performed community theatre,
Story of my life! Another Shrekin’ show! Seen ‘em all before— but this one you should know— they’re brought the makin’ the story of their life, oh yeah! You should go out and see Shrek, yes sir! That’s— the story— of this— taaaaale. Shrek! If you’ve seen one then you’ve seen them all, you may have even seen this exact Shrek & Donkey combo before, but Dundalk Community Theatre already knew that and really stepped up their game to reimagine,
I hate parading my serenading as I’ll probably miss a bar, but if this ditty is not so pretty at least it’ll tell you how great they are— they being the Phoenix Festival Theater and their current production of Anything Goes! One of Cole Porter’s finest musicals— baby it’s the tops— is now setting sail under the Direction of James Hunnicutt and the Musical Direction of Julie Parrish. With Conductor Will Poxon leading the live on-stage orchestra,
If you trust in your soul, keep your eyes on the goal, then the prize you won’t fail— you’ll find your grail at Cockpit in Court this summer with their second mainstage production, Monty Python’s Spamalot. Directed by Laurie Sentman Starkey with Musical Direction by R. Christopher Rose, this instance of comedic musical theatre has a little something for everybody. Be you a Monty Python fan, a musical theatre fan, neither,
Everyone’s life is in danger inside Lord Dudley Rancour’s Estate that sits on a deserted island in the English Lake district. All of Director Eric Potter’s actors play a crucial role in the telling of this classically murderous tale. If one were to be familiar with Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, they might find the story of Something’s Afoot familiar. But stay until the end…and you will find that the writers of this musical piece have twisted the story even more.
Let your freak flag wave! Let your freak flag fly! And it’s waving high and proud over at the St. Demetrio’s Suburban Players as they celebrate their 40th season with a production of Shrek the musical! Directed by John Desmone, this fairytale masterpiece has a happy ending for everyone who comes to see it. A truly remarkable production, the Suburban Players are getting their happily ever after on and it’s a giddy delight.