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,
The Very Model of a Modern Major Musical: Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance at Artistic Synergy of Baltimore
 W.S. Gilbert & Arthur Sullivan’s classic comedic opera comes to life at Artistic Synergy of Baltimore! The Pirates of Penzance follows hopeful orphan Frederic in his mistaken apprenticeship with a wild band of singing, dancing pirates! Frederic’s story takes a drastic turn when he falls in love with Mabel,
Every story is a love story. That’s the message being preached by Artistic Synergy of Baltimore’s (established 2012) production of AIDA which opened on a rainy night in Rosedale, MD. Based on the Italian language opera of the same name, Disney purchased the book rights in 1994 to turn it into an animated feature film. However, it was instead reborn as a Broadway musical with music by Sir Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice.Â
Motherhood: sometimes a complete joy,
sometimes an utter pain… but either way, the ladies (and gentleman) at
Greenbelt Arts Center are taking us through ALL the motions; the good, the bad,
and the ugly of being a mom in Motherhood Out Loud by Leslie
Ayvazian, Brooke Berman, David Cale, Jessica Goldberg, Beth Henley, Lameece
Issaq, Claire LaZebnik, Lisa Loomer, Michele Lowe, Marco Pennette, Theresa Rebeck,
Luanne Rice, Annie Weisman and Cheryl L. West.
Director
Rikki Howie Lacewell guides this voyage of vignettes with a skillful hand and a
keen eye.
PUFFS! Spoiler alert— not everyone’s favorite house…but
when a hat speaks, you listen! Let’s be clear here, there will be much foolish
wand waving and silly incantations in Artistic Synergy of Baltimore’s production
of PUFFS or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic
and Magic. Fresh from Off-Broadway, and playing a limited four-show engagement,
PUFFS is the ridiculously absurd parody play that will banish all your
boggarts back into their closets with a healthy dose of laughter.
Hello, Possums! Welcome to The Kensington Arts Theatre— the drag capitol of the world! Because they have the most dragulous show all lined up for you over these next few weekends! That’s right, Possums! It’s— *GASP* Priscilla Queen of the Desert! Directed by John Nunemaker with Musical Direction by Valerie A. Higgs and Choreography by Rikki Howie Lacewell, this area community theatre premiere has lots of dragtastic potential and a heart-warming story about embracing yourself no matter who you are!
Once upon a time at a theatre just outside Baltimore a director had a wish, to bring to life a production featuring some of the most beloved fairytale characters of our childhoods. His tale is one full of magic, woe, and cows. Does he succeed or is this just a moment better left in the woods? Well you will just have to read on as I share with you my journey at The Heritage Player’s performance of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapines’ Into the Woods Directed by TJ Lukacsina.
Professor Plum in the ballroom with the knife! Or— wait, no, no, no. That’s not right. It was Mrs. White in the library with the wrench! Or perhaps it was Mr. Green in the study with the rope! No! It was Artistic Synergy of Baltimore in the basement of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church with Clue: The Musical! Making his directorial debut, Nickolas Epps spearheads the zany board-game turned stage musical in the right direction,
I dreamed that in the fields one day the corn gave me a sign. It was followed by seven fat cows crossing the Nile and painted on their flanks were more signs that said “go, go, go— to see— Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat— at Artistic Synergy! Andrew Lloyd Webber’s technicolor wonder is playing just six performances this holiday season and there are some truly bright shining stars in the production that you simply won’t want to miss!
Here’s a picture of a neighborhood, there’s the corner where they all stood. The neighborhood is Rosedale, in the basement of the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church to be exact, and the corner? That’s Artistic Synergy, a staple of a community theatre in that corner of Baltimore. Presenting Smokey Joe’s Café: The Songs of Leiber and Stoller as their spring musical, the company puts forth an enthusiastic effort that is well met with strong vocal talent to the less than cohesive musical revue.