Articles Tagged With: Toby’s Dinner Theatre

Little Sisters of Toby’s Dinner Theatre: Inside the Cloister of Sister Act with MaryKate Brouillet, Erica Clare, and Rachel Kemp

Interviews October 12, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

When you’ve got a song worth hearin’ there’s just one thing to do— and these sisters of Toby’s Dinner Theatre most definitely have a song worth hearing! In the second installment of The Little Sisters of Toby’s Dinner Theatre series, we’re sitting down with nunsemble members MaryKate Brouillet, Erica Clare, and Rachel Kemp, to find out what it’s like to be a nun in Sister Act.

Thank you ladies for sitting with us!

Little Sisters of Toby’s Dinner Theatre: Inside the Cloister of Sister Act with Jane C. Boyle and Lynne Sigler

Interviews October 12, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Everybody knows that the first rule of singing is to get those rafters ringing! And nobody seems to know that better than the sisters of Sister Act now appearing at Toby’s Dinner Theatre! In a TheatreBloom exclusive series, we go behind the walls of the cloisters and talk chapel with the nuns of the show! First up? Sister Mary Lazarus and Sister Mary Martin of Tours.

Thank you ladies for giving us a moment of your time— if you would just remind the readers who you are,

Review: Sister Act at Toby’s Dinner Theatre

Reviews September 17, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Spread the news! It’s time to rock the pews! Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia has caught Sunday morning fever! And it’s burning wild with happiness as Sister Act, the five-time Tony Award-Nominated musical, flocks with glory into the intimate theatre-in-the-round space under the Direction of Lawrence B. Munsey. With Musical Direction by Ross Scott Rawlings and spectacular Choreography by Helen Hayes Award-Winner Mark Minnick, this soulful feel-good musical will lift your spirits straight up to heaven and create an excitingly memorable theatrical experience for everyone in attendance.

You Can’t Stop the Beat at Toby’s Dinner Theatre: Meet the Nicest Kids in Town- Justin Calhoun and Christie Graham

Interviews August 24, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

You can’t stop the motion of the ocean or the rain from above— you can try to stop the paradise they’re dreaming of— but you cannot stop the rhythm of two hearts in love to stay! You can’t stop the final installment of the You Can’t Stop the Beat interview series, featuring Christie Graham and Justin Calhoun as Tracy Turnblad and Link Larkin! Read on, readers! Because they’re going to shake and shimmy it and have some fun today!

You Can’t Stop the Beat at Toby’s Dinner Theatre: Meet the Nicest Kids in Town- David James and Larry Munsey

Interviews August 12, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Some folks can’t stand it— say time is a bandit— but not these two, because they’re timeless to everyone! Heading into the home stretch of the TheatreBloom “You Can’t Stop the Beat” interview series, we sit down with Toby’s veterans David James and Lawrence B. Munsey who are no strangers to theatre in the round nor to the roles which they’re currently reprising in Hairspray.

Thank you both so much for giving me a quick nugget of your time!

You Can’t Stop the Beat at Toby’s Dinner Theatre: Meet the Nicest Kids in Town- Andre Hinds and Sophie Schulman

Interviews August 12, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

They say the blacker the berry the sweeter the juice, and Seaweed J. Stubs is here to run and tell that alongside Miss Penny Lou Pingleton, who has found her blue-eyed soul after meeting Seaweed! Continuing on the You Can’t Stop the Beat interview series, TheatreBloom sits down with Andre Hinds and Sophie Schulman to talk about Seaweed and Penny.

Thank you both for taking a moment and sitting with us! If you could give us a brief introduction of who you are,

You Can’t Stop the Beat at Toby’s Dinner Theatre: Meet the Nicest Kids in Town- Heather Marie Beck and Gabriella DeLuca

Interviews July 25, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Come on, you Von Tussle’s, go and shake your fanny muscles! Yes they can, yes they can! And they can’t stop the beat as Part 3 of the TheatreBloom interview series “You Can’t Stop the Beat” rolls along to meet Heather Marie Beck and Gabriella DeLuca, playing Velma and Amber Von Tussle.

Thank you, ladies, for having a sit with us! If you’ll give us a quick introduction and background, we’ll get going!

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!

Under the Sea with CCP: Meet B. Thomas Rinaldi playing Chef Louis

Interviews June 14, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

I’ll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue, and it’s hey— to the starboard, heave-ho! Look out, lad, a mermaid be waiting for you in mysterious fathoms below! Come delve the depths of the fathoms below as TheatreBloom goes on an exclusive interview journey not quite 20,000 leagues under the sea, but rather goes “Under the Sea with CCP.” Exploring the principal cast of Charm City Player’s current production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid,

You Can’t Stop the Beat at Toby’s Dinner Theatre: Meet the Nicest Kids in Town- Samantha McEwen Deininger and Renata Hammond

Interviews June 14, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

You can try to stop the seasons, hon, but you know you never will! As the season of summer gets hot underway in Baltimore, Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia sets to open their production of Hairspray. Entering the second part of the “You Can’t Stop the Beat” interview series, TheatreBloom sits down with two of the show’s Dynamites, Samantha McEwen Deininger and Renata Hammond, for a chitchat about the production and just what it’s been like to be a part of the show.

You Can’t Stop the Beat at Toby’s Dinner Theatre: Meet the Nicest Kids in Town- Coby Kay Callahan & Darren McDonnell

Interviews June 6, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

You can’t stop an avalanche as it races down a hill! And this summer, Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia is racing down the hill of amazing theatrical experiences as they bring the heart of Baltimore to their stage with Hairspray. In the TheatreBloom exclusive interview series, “You Can’t Stop the Beat: Meet the Nicest Kids in Town” we’ll be chatting over the course of the production’s run with everyone from the character man and woman right up to Miss Hairspray herself,

The 32nd Annual Helen Hayes Awards 2016

News May 25, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

“The theatre community here <Washington DC> is something other cities can only dream of.” An earnest and rewarding quote pulled directly from the lips of David Ives, this year’s recipient of “Outstanding Original Play or Musical Adaptation” at the 32nd Annual Helen Hayes Awards Ceremony. Just one of 236 nominees being celebrated over the course of the evening, Ives’ statement captured the tone of the evening early on with the aforementioned quote given during his award acceptance speech.

Helen Hayes Nominee David James Speaks on His Fifth Nomination

Interviews May 18, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

The 32nd Annual Helen Hayes Awards is just around the corner celebrating live professional theatre of all shapes and sizes in the nation’s capital city of Washington DC. This year’s ceremony will be presented at the historic Lincoln Theatre on Monday evening May 23, where 236 nominees are being honored, representing 202 eligible productions produced in 2015. In a TheatreBloom exclusive interview, we’ve taken a few quick moments with nominee David James (nominated in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical— Helen Production,

Open Your Chest, Show Us Your Heart: An Interview with David Jennings and Justin Calhoun about Epic! Productions and Gutenberg! The Musical

Interviews May 10, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

In a world where we see four productions of Shrek within four months and four miles of each other, it takes a great big leap of faith to venture down the path less traveled, particularly in the genre of musical theatre and especially when it comes to the journey of opening a new theatre company. As Epic! Productions heads into its second season— preparing to mount it’s second musical production, Gutenberg! The Musical,

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.

Gutenberg! The Musical! Coming to Epic Productions Inc. May 2016

News April 3, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Musical theatre these days, boy I tells ya! Might as well go to hell for what’s passing on the boards as good entertainment! But you’re in luck! Has Epic Productions Inc. got the show for you! It’s gutsy! It’s spoofy! It’s a two-handler— finally a side-splittingly funny musical about Gutenberg! It’s just what the Baltimore theatre scene needs and it’s just what Epic Productions Inc. is serving up and dishing out with their upcoming production of— you guessed it— Gutenberg!

Review: South Pacific at Toby’s Dinner Theatre

Reviews January 29, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Dites-moi pourquoi la vie est belle. Dites-moi pourquoi la vie est gai. Life is beautiful and life is gay because the Rogers and Hammerstein classic South Pacific has set a course for Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia and finally landed this 2016. Directed and Choreographed by Mark Minnick, with Musical Direction by Reenie Codelka, this heartwarming, feel-good musical is just the remedy to chase away the winter blues. With stunning talent, beautiful aesthetics,

It’s a Wonderful Interview: Getting Wings with David James

Interviews December 8, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

If you’re gonna fly then you just gotta have wings! And the only way for Clarence Odbody, Angel Second Class, to earn his wings is by helping George Bailey hang onto God’s greatest gift! Acting veteran David James, well-known for his three decades of stage work in and around the Washington and Baltimore area, has returned to Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia once more, a performance venue he’s proud to call home for the holidays,

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 Company of Into the Woods at Toby's Dinner Theatre

Review: Into the Woods at Toby’s Dinner Theatre

Reviews July 18, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

Opportunity is not a lengthy visitor and the opportunity to catch one of Stephen Sondheim’s most popular musicals is equally brief at Toby’s the Dinner Theatre of Columbia this summer. With magic that defies description, Into the Woods tumbles fairytale classics onto their ear in this thrilling and adventurous family-friendly musical. Co-Directed by Toby Orenstein and Mark Minnick, with Musical Direction by Ross Scott Rawlings, this heartfelt Sondheim classic grants wishes and proves that right and wrong don’t matter in the woods.

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

Vote Yes: Inside Independence Hall with Jeffrey Shankle

Interviews July 4, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

He’s obnoxious and disliked, haven’t you heard? This Boston radical! This ag-i-ta-tor! This demagogue! This madman! John Adams, the poster child for revolution inside Independence Hall. As the series Vote Yes: Inside Independence Hall draws to its conclusion in this ninth and final installment, TheatreBloom sits down with Toby’s seasoned veteran Jeffrey Shankle and discusses the forgotten founding father at length.

Welcome back, Jeffrey. It’s only been a few months since we saw you last,

Vote Yes: Inside Independence Hall with John Stevenson

Interviews June 30, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

“Franklin did this and Franklin did that and Franklin did some other damn thing. Franklin smote the ground and out sprang George Washington, fully grown and on his horse. Franklin then electrified him with his miraculous lightning rod and the three of them— Franklin, Washington, and the horse— conducted the entire revolution by themselves.” John Adams, 1776. While Ben Franklin may stand around quoting himself and John Adams complains about it, TheatreBloom continues on in the Vote Yes: Inside Independence Hall series with an exceptionally talented actor who has returned after retiring from the stage 29 years ago.

Vote Yes: Inside Independence Hall with Brendan McMahon

Interviews June 19, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

A patriot? Or a lover? The question isn’t so easily answered when writing a yet-to-be nation’s founding declaration against the prospect of seeing a doting and loving wife of six month’s absence are the choices. But as the play and history would dictate, Thomas Jefferson at the forcible hand of John Adams became a patriot and penned the brilliant declaration and the rest as they say is history. Continuing on as the seventh installment in the Vote Yes: Inside Independence Hall series,

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.

Vote Yes: Inside Independence Hall with Dan Felton

Interviews May 17, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

Does one play the villain when one simply exposes the truth for what it is? The pungent aroma of hy-pocrisy wafting down from the north as John Adams campaigns for Independence in Philadelphia exposed by the surly tongue of Edward Rutledge in what is marked as one of the darkest musical numbers in 1776. Continuing on as the fourth installment of Vote Yes: Inside Independence Hall, TheatreBloom sits down with Dan Felton to discuss his antagonistic role inside the second continental congress.

Vote Yes: Inside Independence Hall with Russell Silber

Interviews May 14, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

The secretary of the second continental congress will now take the attendance. Actor Russell Silber, playing the congressional secretary, present with TheatreBloom as the third installment of Inside Independence Hall gets underway, and the labored debate for the vote on independence continues at Toby’s Dinner Theatre in their production of 1776.

If you could give us an introduction to yourself, tell us a little about where we might have seen you in the area on stage over the last year,

The cast of Bachelorette at Dominion Stage

Dishing the Dirt: An interview with Maura Hogan on Dominion Stage’s Bachelorette

Interviews May 11, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

When your friends are really your enemies you get the modern-coined phrase “freinemies.” And when Bridesmaids meets Mean Girls you get Bachelorette now playing at Dominion Stage for a limited engagement. TheatreBloom takes a minute to get inside one of these zany character’s brains by sitting down with actress Maura Hogan to get her perspective on the show.

If you could introduce yourself to our readers, we’ll get started!

Vote Yes: Inside Independence Hall with David James and Matthew Hirsh

Interviews May 6, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

Hey, hey! Momma, look sharp. For you might just find two of Toby’s cast members of their current production of 1776 sitting down with TheatreBloom to talk about Independence Hall from the inside out. In Part Two of Inside Independence Hall, we sit down with Matthew Hirsh and David James to discuss the importance of the battlefield briefs being delivered to congress as they debate on the most important decision of our country’s history.

Review: 1776 at Toby’s Dinner Theatre

Reviews May 2, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

Vote yes! Vote yes! Vote for independency! For God’s sake, theatergoers, sit down! And make sure you do it over at Toby’s Dinner Theatre where history comes to life in one of her most striking productions to date. 1776, a revolutionary tale of how the great nation of America got its start is well underway as spring gets started close to the nation’s capitol. Directed by Jeremy Scott Blaustein and Shawn Kettering,

Vote Yes: Inside Independence Hall with Co-Director Jeremy Scott Blaustein

Interviews April 29, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

Somebody opened up a window over at Toby’s Dinner Theatre and all of the thrilling behind-the-scenes details of their current production of 1776 have come freely flowing out into the open. In a TheatreBloom exclusive interview series entitled Vote Yes: Inside Independence Hall we sit down with the cast and creative team of the production to find out just what it’s like to mount this iconic historical event as a musical this season.