As I
watched The Last Night of Ballyhoo, written by Alfred Uhry and directed
by Ilene Chalmers, at the Bowie Community Theatre, I had a thought somewhere during
Act I, Scene 4: “This play really is about something.” This is
not to say that I disliked the production before that; even before coming to
that revelation I would have acknowledged the stellar set and the faultless
performances from the cast.
Absolutely Dead, by
Michael Walker, is a rather difficult play for me to review. Whereas Ken
Kienas, director of the production currently running at the Bowie Community
Theatre, writes in his director’s note that he was floored upon reviewing the
play’s ending, I can’t say that my response was at all comparable — and, given
the overwhelming importance of the reveal to one’s impression of a
murder mystery, that had quite a bit to do with my overall opinion of the
production.
“How do rumors get started, they’re started by the jealous people and….,” no wait, that was the Timex Social Club. We’re talking Neil Simon’s Rumors at The Colonial Players. The Maryland General Assembly may not be in session but Director Atticus Cooper Boidy has Annapolis all a buzz. Simply put, Mr. Boidy delivers perhaps the best production you’ll see in the state capitol this year. His understanding of comedic timing and how to navigate a farce is incredible.
You gotta have heart. All you really need is heart. Well, heart, a talented cast, dynamite dancing, and a few catchy tunes if you want to score like the folks at Pasadena Theatre Company. Their recent production of Damn Yankees, Directed by Chuck Dick, with Musical Direction by Robert White is, well, a hit.
The Humanities Recital Hall on the campus of Anne Arundel Community College is a nice venue for this production.