Here upon the Sacred Heart stage they will build their barricade. And build a barricade they did! Presenting in its entirety the international musical sensation, the Glyndon Area Players take on Les Miserables as their 2014 production selection. Directed by Homero Bayarena with Orchestral Direction provided by Matthew Hartman and Vocal Musical Direction provided by Jeff Morrison, audiences everywhere will hear the people sing if only for nine performances.
This review will begin when you say “Start the fucking review!”
Presuming you’ve said that— or at the very least read that— then you’re in the right mind frame to enjoy the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company’s remount of Aaron Posner’s original work Stupid Fucking Bird. Inspired by and loosely adapted from Chekhov’s The Seagull, the production’s initial popularity has called for a resurgence in its existence.
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A new and exciting project is underway here at TheatreBloom- a site dedicated to reviewing theatre in Baltimore, Washington, Maryland, DC, and Virginia- to encourage theatres of all shapes, types, and sizes to thrive!
My name is Amanda Gunther and I have been reviewing theatre in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan area since 2011 and I am embarking on a new adventure with this independent publication.
This is all the music that your grandma ever prayed to. This is all the music that your mama ever cooked to. This is all the music that your aunt ever sang karaoke to. And this is all the music that your little sister ever twerked to. This music is the music that made music what it is today. The stories of African-American female artists who paved the way, set the tone, and made pop,
Be careful what you wish for! Or you might just find yourself tumbling into a fairytale at the Purple Light Theatre Company. Of course, all fairytales have happy endings, don’t they? Or perhaps an ending that is a little more interesting as Stephen Sondheim’s Into The Woods comes to life in this new minimalist approach. Directed by Tommy Malek with Musical Direction by Benjamin Nabinger, this musical is the company’s second production;
An afternoon or evening of obfuscation and intellectual calisthenics with a little bit of adult humor and a lot of good life lessons stirred in gets you the final offering in the upstairs cabaret series at Cockpit in Court for the 2014 summer season. The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, Directed by Linda Chambers, is a poignant and edgy comedy that puts a spin on how to live life deeper than just what is on the surface.
The things some theatres come up with to while away the hours of summertime until full seasons begin. The Montgomery Playhouse has come up with a most clever and entertaining format of entertainment in their One Act Play Festival this 2014 summer. Eight shows running on alternating nights in groups of four, there’s a little something for everyone. And if there is a play that doesn’t particularly strike your fancy?
It’s time to get serious! Less of a classic, more of a pop hit! Serious! It’s a fun musical that they’re doing at Cockpit— in Court, that is. And it’s Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin’s Legally Blonde! Wowee! Sisters of Delta Nu unite! With book by Heather Hach, and under the Direction of Robert W. Oppel and Musical Direction of Michael Clark, and conducted by Jeff Baker, this is one upbeat summer show that will have you recalling fondly that movie that swept the nation by storm when it debuted nearly 15 years ago!
How beauteous mankind is! Particularly the beauty found in those willing to brave the natural tempest of Maryland’s summer weather at Olney Theatre Center this summer season. A fantastical stormy adventure, by way of the Bard, sets shore upon the Root Family Stage beneath the stars and The Tempest provides a brilliant evening of classic theatre for a warm summer’s night. Directed by Jason King Jones, this retelling of love,
Tis indeed summer and that to the world of the Bard means Much Ado About Nothing. And the Baltimore Shakespeare Factory is no exception to that rule as they mount their first in-the-round production this summer. Taking the well recognized comic back to its simplistic basics, the BSF strips away the scenery and all the other convolutions that can often clog-up Shakespeare’s wittiest comedy and present it in its original essence.
My Lords and Ladies of Baltimore:
You are most cordially invited by Director Coulmier, and his wife Lady Coulmier, to attend a fine performance presented at the Asylum of Charenton (The Baltimore Annex Theater’s previous life in 1808.) The play, taking place but 15 years ago in 1793 is written by Monsieur de Sade, a current resident of the asylum and is being performed willingly by the inmates as a part of the astoundingly progressive “Arts Therapy” program.
Marriage is a very good thing, though it is far from easy. Rounding out their fifth season in Annapolis, the Infinity Theatre Company presents a timeless musical classic with a bit of a revamped twist to prove exactly that. I Do! I Do! the musical wonder with music by Harvey Schmidt and books and lyrics by Tom Jones is gracing the stage of Infinity this summer to remind audiences everywhere that marriage is an uphill struggle but well worth the effort in the end.
It’s suppertime! And the Liberty Showcase Theatre is serving up a scrumptious dish of musical theatre this summer with their production of the original You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Directed by David Morey with Musical Direction by Peter Morey, the classic Peanuts gang is looking real sharp and sounding real good. While the revival version of the production may have catchier tunes and quirkier characters, this originating start is a great place to sit back and enjoy an adorable blockhead and his musically inclined friends.
Without tragedy we would all just be living in a play. The characters existing inside of Empress of the Moon: The Lives of Aphra Behn, a production being mounted by Forearmed Productions (based in Philadelphia, PA) gives us exactly that. Written by Chris Braak and directed by Company Founder Cara Blouin, the play is roughly an hour and a half filled with feminist themes with a curious approach to gender roles threaded throughout.
Fully Charged Productions is advertising Size Doesn’t Matter using an alluring, albeit risqué, image on their marketing materials. Audiences may think that the seven short plays within might be of a humorously sexual nature. This, however, is not so. Featuring playwrights Mario Baldessari, Renee Calarco, Zachary Fernebok, and John Morogiello these seven short “plays” have no unifying theme other than the fact that they are mostly comedic. Directed by Ray Ficca,
(Best of the Capital Fringe)
Classified as a contemporary comedy, this production of Ben & Lucille is hands down the absolute best 45 minutes you will spend at The Capital Fringe Festival in 2014. Playwright Elan Zafir has conjured up theatrical genius that is both modern and relevant and loaded with humorous moments amid a very real dramatic situation. His writing style is captivating; Zafir showcases his true knowledge of how to build layers of plateau steps into the script where escalations gently resolve themselves and just as things approach neutral another moment of conflict erupts between the characters.
Revenge. A dark, twisted and sinister emotion run afoul from the depths of scorn and tragedy; a human emotion vocalized when things go wrong. And despite springtime flooding costing them their theatrical space, The Mobtown Players are surging forward with the powder keg of revenge tragedies. The first of its genre, TMP proudly presents the Baltimore area premier of Thomas Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy. Adapted by Joshua and Kat McKerrow,
One show more! Another theatre another production of the epic musical Les Misérables. It is the summer of revolution and no theatre wishes to be left behind in this magnificent pursuit of the musical theatre dream show. The Montgomery College Summer Dinner Theatre is no exception to that dream as they mount their barricade in the month of July. Directed and Choreographed by Pauline S. Grossman with Musical Direction by N.
Thar she blows! Land-ho! Those singing, dancing, prancing pirates have cast their ship upon the great shores of Columbia and weighed anchor at Toby’s the Dinner Theatre of Columbia for the summer! This revamped version of a Gilbert and Sullivan classic will bring rolling waves of comedy to the audience with a refreshing and revitalized love story to boot! Directed and Choreographed by Mark Minnick with Musical Direction by Ross Scott Rawlings,
Behaving well gets you nowhere. Courtesy is a waste of time. In the end we’re all like children, bashing each other’s teeth in with sticks to settle our differences. Or that’s what Yasmina Reza would have us believe with her Tony Award-Winning dramadey God of Carnage, now appearing at the Audrey Herman Spotlighters Theatre as the final production of the 52nd season. Directed by Greg Bell, this engaging socio-civilized drama devolves at an alarming rate into comic outbursts that truly capture human nature at its finest: debased,
Agatha Christie. The name immediately draws to mind thrilling murder mysteries of the ‘who-dunnit’ era of the utmost suspenseful caliber. Thunderous Productions in the black box theatrical space at the Greenbelt Arts Center, mounts a lesser known Christie work that showcases the versatility of the famed mystery writer’s crafting ability. Verdict, a play wherein the suspenseful twists keep turning even though the killer is revealed immediately.
The question of ,‘Do you hear the people sing?’ is being heard all throughout the Baltimore and Washington area this summer as Les Misérables makes its way across the professional and community theatre circuit. Howard County Summer Theatre joins in the revolution with their production of the Broadway sensation and with a cast of over 100 individuals there is no question as to whether or not you can hear these people sing.
Silver Spring Stage closes their 46th season with a riveting production of David Lindsay-Abaire’s Good People. This captivating dramadey about life struggles from rock bottom is both humorous and heartwarming; the perfect combination of reality and optimism blended into a brilliantly acted evening of theatre. Directed by Michael Kharfen, it’s an emotionally engaging opportunity to view life from many angles, including the less fortunate.
Set Designer Mike Hovde creates two contrasting locations within the confines of the uniquely angled stage.
If the wind’s from the east, and the sun’s from the west, and the sand in the glass is right, then come on down, stop on by, hop a carpet and fly to Silver Spring Stage to see their sensational production of Mary Zimmerman’s The Arabian Nights. Directed by Jacy D’Aiutolo, this production lives up to the mission statement of The Stage— “Little Theater. Big Ideas.” With a cast of over a dozen on the intimate stage,
Let your freak flag wave! Let your freak flag fly! Never take it down, never take it down and raise it way up high! For everyone at the Toby’s Dinner Theatre production of Shrek the musical to come and see! That’s right, folks! We’re hitting the swamp and the city of Duloc to uncover the truth behind these fairytale creatures! In a brand new interview series entitled ‘Story of My Life: The Freak Flag Chronicles’ we’ll venture into the story of six of Shrek’s characters and find out what life is all about in the land of unusual fairytales!
Once upon a time there was a little place called Toby’s Dinner Theatre that was nestled in the wooded highlands of Columbia, Maryland. And during their 35th year they decided to mount a little musical called Shrek. It was a pretty impressive musical, with Music by Jeanine Tesori and Book and Lyrics by David Lindsay Abaire. Fairytales, well you’ve never heard or seen one quite like this, but there’s a freak flag to wave for everyone at this up-tempo,
There is danger in covering up the cracks. You can only hide behind a painted face for so long before the stuffing all comes flooding out and the truth is revealed. A hilarious and heartbreaking tale unfolds in just such a fashion as the Everyman Theatre continues into the back half of their 2013/2014 season with their production of The Dresser, by Ronald Harwood. Directed by Derek Goldman, this stunning emotional production keeps you fascinated as the story unfolds;
“If I speak in the tongue of men or angels but do not have love I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.” 1 Corinthians 13 or so the Bible says. What greater thing could there be to have in this world where logic is so inside out and laws are upside down than love? But even then is love enough? Forum Theatre partakes in the National New Play Network Rolling World Premier of Pluto,
If imagination is the beginning of creation, imagine a world where human beings could choose the length of their lives, creating for themselves an eternity of knowledge and power. Would you choose to live forever? Or would the notion of living forever, an immortal existence overwhelm the mind and force the imagination to create death? In George Bernard Shaw’s rarely done epic play, Back to Methuselah, Washington Stage Guild (WSG) explores these notions in a riveting and compelling stroke of drama.
You may not recognize it, even if you’ve talked about it, think you’ve seen it, or may even think you’ve written it. We’re talking about the great American play. And it’s happening at the Colonial Players of Annapolis as they present Tracy Letts’ Superior Donuts to continue on in their 65th season. Rich dynamic characters, every day struggles and strife, real situations with real meat behind the story; all of that comes from the creative mind of playwright Tracy Letts.