All posts by Amanda N. Gunther

A full-time theatre reviewer in the Baltimore, Washington, and surrounding areas; Amanda holds a BFA in Acting from the University of Maryland Baltimore County as well as a minor in Creative Writing. Having spent two of her five years at college studying abroad at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, she has learned a great deal about improv, devised work theatre, and interpretive movement pieces. Striving to promote theatre of all types, she can often be found in a theatre of some type, even on her nights off.

Laughter on the 23rd Floor at Laurel Mill Playhouse

Reviews February 16, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

Funny is money and you can take it straight to the bank that Neil Simon’s Laughter on the 23rd Floor will have you rolling in riches before the night is through. Comically charged and full of political prescience that will knock your socks clean out the window, the latest production to hit The Laurel Mill Playhouse’s main stage is a hoot! Directed by John D’Amato, this charming comedy captures the epitome of the television screenwriter’s golden era of funny.

King Charles III at Shakespeare Theatre Company

Reviews February 14, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

The United Kingdom has survived for centuries; it has survived being Thatcherized— even Reaganized from afar in recent decades— but can the crowned country survive a reign under King Charles III? Mike Bartlett’s thought-provoking drama examines exactly such a premise, kicking things off at the funerary farewell to the woman who was arguably England’s greatest monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. Now appearing in the Sidney Harman Hall of Shakespeare Theatre Company, the American Conservatory Theater production of Mike Bartlett’s King Charles III as Directed by David Muse is taking Washington DC by storm.

Clint Black Ticket Giveaway! March 31 2017, AT HOLLYWOOD CASINO CHARLES TOWN RACES

News February 13, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

Greetings TheatreBloomers!

If you like free tickets to happening events- you’ll love this exclusive opportunity to snag a pair of tickets to see Clint Black live in performance on Friday March 31, 2017 at The Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races.

For a one-night only performance, Clint Black a country music star sensation with over 25 #1 hits will be playing at Hollywood Casino. You won’t want to miss this opportunity to win a pair of tickets to see this Grand Ole Opry inductee perform live.

Rock Of Ages at Milburn Stone Theatre

Reviews February 10, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

Come on, feel the noise! Milburn Stone Theatre Is taking you back to a sexier time where the hair was big, the chicks were hot, and the music was ROCK-AND-ROLL! They’re getting, wild, Wild, WILD with their current production of Rock Of Ages, an edgy jukebox musical that captures the essence of 80’s rock all in one electrifying evening of classic numbers, theatrical nonsense, and wailing guitars that will make your face melt!

Honk Jr. at Pumpkin Theatre

Reviews February 7, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

Are you ready to experience the magic of Pumpkin Theatre? It’s an experience, not just a place, and that’s for sure! Come on down to the farm where there’s birds a plenty in their waterfowl regalia just waiting to entertain you! Flying through the 49th season with flying colors, Pumpkin Theatre is proud to present their 16th for-kids-by-kids production: Honk Jr. Directed by Erin Confair with Musical Direction by Mandee Ferrier Roberts,

Baby Screams Miracle at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

Reviews February 7, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

The weather has been bad since the beginning of time; it was horrible at the beginning of time. But the weather can get a whole lot worse when a wicked storm tears the lives of a Christian faith-based family asunder without warning. Baby Screams Miracle, a new work by Clara Barron, arrives to the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company stage under the Direction of Artistic Director Howard Shalwitz and it crashes upon the boards much like the storm inside the play crashes into the five members of the family contained within its pages.

Larry The Cable Guy Ticket Giveaway! March 18, 2017 at Hollywood Casino Charles Town Races

News February 5, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

Hello TheatreBloomers!

Remember back in August when we gave away a pair of tickets to see the funny and smarter-than-a-fifth-grader Jeff Foxworthy?

We’re at it again! Coming to the Event Center at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races (in West Virginia!) is that iconic redneck stand-up comedian-

LARRY THE CABLE GUY!

Are you ready to: GIT ER DONE?

Larry The Cable Guy will be appearing on Saturday March 18th 2017 for TWO SHOWS that evening: 7:00pm and 10:00pm.

Caroline, Or Change at Round House Theatre

Reviews February 4, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

Change come fast and change come slow, but change come. And a change— Caroline, Or Change to be exact— is coming to Round House Theatre this season. Nothing happens below ground in Bethesda because all the fiery action of this sensational musical with Book & Lyrics by Tony Kushner and Music by Jeanine Tesori is happening on ground floor stage for everyone to see! Directed by Matthew Gardiner with Musical Direction by Jon Kalbfleisch,

Facing the Storm Together: An Interview with Cody Nickell and Kate Eastwood Norris

Interviews February 4, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

A storm is a great metaphor for all the chaos and turmoil in our lives. But what happens with the storm is not only a metaphor but a literal storm breaking down the door? Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company is now presenting Obie Award-Winning Clare Barron’s Baby Screams Miracle on the 2017 side of its current season. In a TheatreBloom exclusive sit-down interview, we’re speaking with yet another married couple housed within the company to explore the working dynamic of this mighty storm in this powerful work.

As You Like It at Folger Theatre

Reviews February 1, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

Love is merely a madness; there is a madness running rampant through the forest of Arden— strewing its favors hither and thither, mostly in the form of poetic verse all about the stage and the house of The Folger Theatre. As You Like It, the Bard’s great love story among the comedies, comes to the 2017-side of the season under the Direction of Gaye Taylor Upchurch and brings with it a thorough examination of love in many flavorful varieties.

Our Town at Annapolis Shakespeare Company

Reviews February 1, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

Everybody has a right to their own troubles; some people ain’t made for small town life. The quintessential all-American play about the daily doings of small town life, Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, marks the inaugural production of Annapolis Shakespeare Company’s new home at 1804 West Street. Directed by Sally Boyett, this theatrical chestnut settles into the turn of the 20th century in Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire with a whole mess of Gibbs’ and Webb’s and other small town folk whose stories are important to no one but themselves.

Plunge: An Experiential Storytelling Lab at Submersive Productions

Reviews February 1, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

We’re all stories in the end. Make it a good one, eh? Will your story be remembered? Do you want your story to be remembered? Take a chance; take a breath; submerge yourself into the story— into your own story— into their stories. Submersive Productions presents, for a limited engagement only, Plunge: An Experiential Storytelling Lab. Five wholly unique storytelling encounters, experienced in a unique and intimate one-on-one encounter, but which tales will cross your path?

Boeing Boeing at The Highwood Theatre

Reviews January 31, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

Variety is the spice of life. An American aperitif, an Italian main course, and a German dessert, who could choose? But what if one didn’t have to? What if the proverbial cake could be had and eaten too? And all thanks to the singular brilliance of the time tables, the airline timetables that is. Three fiancés, one hedonistic bachelor, his neurotic friend, and a fed-up French maid surely spells disaster. Don’t panic. It simply means Boeing Boeing is taking flight at The Highwood Theatre.

All The Folger’s Her Stage: An Interview with Director Gaye Taylor Upchurch on As You Like It

Interviews January 29, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. On the Folger Theatre stage, they have their entrances and their exits, all overseen, given form and structure, and creatively envisioned by Director Gaye Taylor Upchurch. In a TheatreBloom exclusive interview, we sit down with the show’s Director to get her take on what’s up with As You Like It.

Thank you for giving us some time,

Four Friends. Julia Knitel (“Carole King”), Erika Olson (“Cynthia Weil”), Ben Fankhauser (“Barry Mann”) and Liam Tobin (“Gerry Goffin”)

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at The Hippodrome

Reviews January 25, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

You gotta get up every morning with a smile on your face and show the world all the love in your heart. Because sometimes life goes the way you want it to and sometimes it doesn’t. But sometimes when it doesn’t, you find something beautiful. And Baltimore is finding that something beautiful right now in a world that’s turned upside down and doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Live theatre art is doing what it was always meant to do,

The Tin Woman at Prince George’s Little Theatre

Reviews January 24, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

Live your life. We never know when it will stop. A fatal disease, a catastrophic accident, none of us know when life will stop. What if you had resigned your fate to life ending? What if you had accepted the fact that you were terminal when suddenly an organ became available to save your life? Would you want to know where it came from? Would you want to know whose heart was beating inside your chest?

The Hippodrome 2017/2018 Season: A Quick Interview with Ron Legler

Interviews January 23, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

The most exciting time of year for theatergoers everywhere is when their favorite theatres start to announce the upcoming season. Charm City is no exception and The Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore has just announced major plans for its 2017/2018 season. The CareFirst Hippodrome Broadway Series is making a big splash with seven tremendous Broadway sensations sweeping through over the next year and TheatreBloom was so excited to share the news, we had to have a chat with Ron Legler,

Ed Higgins (left) as Arthur Przybyszewski and Isaiah Evans (right) as Franco Wicks

Superior Donuts at Third Wall Productions

Reviews January 23, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

Donuts are not your life. Donuts are nobody’s life. Your life is your life. A life with a theatre. A life with a theatre and a production of Tracy Letts’ Superior Donuts. Third Wall Productions has got something special on their hands, and it ain’t horse fat! Directed by Grant Myers, this evocative drama with uplifting heart is remarkably well executed by the company and showcases the heart of human compassion at its finest.

Show Boat at Toby’s Dinner Theatre

Reviews January 21, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

Look what they got! How can they fail? You’ve never seen a show like this before! They make the evening bright, and once you’re through tonight, they guarantee you’ll come back tomorrow for more! Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia is setting sail up and down the Mississippi River with a grand old production of Show Boat. A rarely produced theatrical treasure, this musical theatre gem of yesteryore is an iconic foothold and earnest classic in the history of musical theatre.

Samsara at Single Carrot Theatre

Reviews January 20, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

We’re born.

We live.

We die.

We come back as something else.

That is the cycle death and rebirth to which life in the material world is bound.

Samsara.

The Hindu and Buddhist belief of the above cycle, now readily incarnate in the thespian belief of performance by way of playwright Lauren Yee. Now appearing on the Single Carrot Theatre mainstage as a part of Season X: A Love Letter to Baltimore.

Three Penny Opera at Spotlighters Theatre

Reviews January 19, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

The line forms, on the right, babe— now that Macheath is back in town! The Audrey Herman Spotlighters Theatre is sending scarlet billowing all over the stage, kicking off 2017 with a flash of those pearly white sharks teeth as they bring the iconic Bertolt Brecht adaptation, The Three Penny Opera to the stage. Directed (with new editing, adapting, and translating) by Michael Blum with Musical Direction by Erica Rome, this poor man’s opera is certain to put the tingles up your spine.

Lizzie at Pinky-Swear Productions

Reviews January 18, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

Lizzie Borden took an ax, gave her mother 40 whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her mother 41. But there’s always more to the story, isn’t there? Pinky-Swear Productions is taking you back to an August in 1892 when all hell broke loose in the House of Borden…with the current production of Lizzie. Directed by Marie Byrd Sproul with Musical Direction by Piero Bonamico, this rarely produced,

Grey Gardens at Stillpointe Theatre

Reviews January 18, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

Everybody thinks and feels differently as the years go by, don’t they? What was once a well-suited lifestyle of grandeur couldn’t possibly still be such a palace of wonder and enchantment when it has all but crumbled around itself into a derelict and repulsive hovel of squalor and rotting pathos. Surely no one would choose to live in such conditions. But then again, who could ever bare to leave Grey Gardens? Kicking off 2017 with an evocative and harrowingly sensational musical drama,

[gay] Cymbeline at Theatre Prometheus

Reviews January 17, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

Make Shakespeare gay again! The perfectly timed hangtag for Theatre Prometheus’ latest production from the Bard’s canon, [gay] Cymbeline. The company as a whole, though only entering their fourth year, lives up to their motto— “we bring the fire.” For not only do they boldly and daringly swap around the genders in William Shakespeare’s Cymbeline to present a lesbian love story, but their judiciously rendered production actually makes the plot palatable and sensible!

Call of the Wild at Baltimore Theatre Project

Reviews January 16, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

“He was mastered by the sheer surging of life, the tidal wave of being, the perfect joy of each separate muscle, joint, and sinew in that it was everything that was not death, that it was aglow and rampant, expressing itself in movement, flying exultantly under the stars.” Though the words belong to Jack London, they are aptly suited for describing the jubilance that radiates from solo performer Charlie Bethel as he adapts the iconic American novel,

A Smile On Your Face, Love in Your Heart: An Interview with Ben Fankhauser of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical

Interviews January 16, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

You’ll feel the earth— move— under your feet as the sensational Broadway hit show, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, lands at The Hippodrome Theatre Baltimore as a part of the CareFirst Hippodrome Broadway Series. In a TheatreBloom exclusive interview, we take a moment to chat with Ben Fankhauser, currently playing songwriter Barry Mann in the show, to hear all about the Beautiful experience.

Thank you so much for giving us a moment of your time!

Murder in the Park at Do or Die Mysteries

Reviews January 16, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

All the world seems in tune, on a spring afternoon— when we’re poisoning pigeons in the park! Only, we’re not poisoning pigeons so much as boring humans to death. And not the yawn and snooze type of bore— but the bloody, gut-stabbing sort of bore, like you a might with a tree-borer. The sun is shining bright and everything seems all right as Do or Die Mysteries presents Murder in the Park,

Mamma Mia at The Hippodrome

Reviews January 14, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

Just one look and I can hear a bell ring! One more look and I forget everything— oh, oh! I didn’t forget to get my ticket to the Farewell Tour of Mamma Mia! as it pays a one-weekend only visit to Charm City in Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center as a part of the CareFirst Hippodrome Broadway Series. The Broadway sensational smash-hit musical is making the rounds one final time and it is a must-see performance with astonishing talent,

Exit Pluto at The Strand Theater Company

Reviews January 13, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

Surprises and baking do not mix. But surprises, much like baking for some, are a part of life. And you must learn to embrace the surprises along with the expected and the planned, lest you find yourself guarded off in a fortress, trapped from the rest of the world— be it in the reality of your mind or the actual reality of your physical existence. In a delightfully baked surprise, The Strand Theater company welcomes the world premiere of Amy Bernstein’s Exit Pluto to the stage as their second mainstage feature during this inaugural season in their new home in Hamilton.

Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson at Milburn Stone Theatre

Reviews January 13, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

Milburn Stone Theatre live at Elkton Station are the people who make things happen! Sometimes with guns, sometimes with speeches, sometimes with other things too— like their current production of Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson, running a one-weekend only performance to kick off the 2017 season. At a time when political satire could not be more important and more revered, Director Andrew Mitchell and Musical Director J. Andrew Dickenson come together to put the people of <19th Century>