All posts by Erin Tarpley

Sam McLellan and company in “The Book of Mormon” North American tour. 📷 Julieta Cervantes.

The Book of Mormon at The National Theatre

Reviews March 7, 2024 Erin Tarpley

“Tomorrow is a Latter Day”

Hello, my name is Elder Tarpley. And I would like to share with you the most amazing play now showing at The National Theatre!

Since its debut on Broadway way back in 2011, The Book of Mormon has been continuing to stun audiences all over the world with its funny, offensive, but surprisingly sweet story, and top-notch music sure to make the Musical Theatre Greats of the Twentieth Century proud… minus all the F-bombs… and the satirical sacrilegious look at organizational religion….

US premiere of Théâtre de la Dame de Coeur's performance of Acupunk

Acupunk at The Kennedy Center

News February 23, 2024 Erin Tarpley

On a chilly winter’s evening, a gathering took place at the Kennedy Center’s Reach Plaza this week. Bathed in darkness (but luckily not bathed in rain), the audience gathered with rapt attention focused on the two giant figures set off to the side of the Plaza grounds. But as the showtime began, these two 18-foot puppets sprang to life in movement, sound, smoke, and light to present the US premiere of Théâtre de la Dame de Coeur’s performance of Acupunk.

How I Learned To Drive at Vagabond Players

Reviews February 18, 2024 Erin Tarpley

One might think that a play with a title like How I Learned to Drive would depict a story that goes places; and by its own design, this is a play that goes many places and goes in circles (while in reverse) at the same time. But that being said, while funny and well told, Paula Vogel’s Pulitzer Prize winning play How I Learned to Drive is not for the faint of heart.

The Book of Grace at Rapid Lemon Productions

Reviews January 16, 2024 Erin Tarpley

In a time in our history when yet again we are faced with a growing divide of “us” vs “them,” we are challenged to ask ourselves if the old proverb about how a “house divided against itself shall not stand” is indeed truth. Suzan-Lori Parks’ play The Book of Grace, making its Baltimore debut with Rapid Lemon Productions, tackles that notion.

Before continuing, a warning: this production contains depictions and descriptions of domestic violence,

The National Tour of Pretty Woman. 📷 Matthew Murphy

Pretty Woman at The National Theatre

Reviews December 15, 2023 Erin Tarpley

“Everyone has a dream… you’ll get lost without one”

The classic “Cinderella” story is an oldie but a goodie. No, really. Like really old. Like Ancient Egypt old! Bet you didn’t think you’d get a history lesson from a theatre review, huh? Regardless, it is an enduring classic for a reason. The general theme of a protagonist going from rags to riches is one that resonates with people and really appeals to their inner-dreamers.

Little Women at Strand Theater Company

Reviews December 4, 2023 Erin Tarpley

“That when I come back to them I may be fonder and prouder than ever of my little women”

Ever since its first publication in 1868, Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women has captured the hearts of millions of readers all over the world. But considering at its face value the story of Little Women seems to be a mere fictional story focused on the 19th century domestic lives of four young American women living in genteel poverty,

Mecca Verdell, Keri Anderson, and Jordan Stanford as the Three Weird Sister in Macbeth 📷 Kiirstn Pagan Photography

Macbeth at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company

Reviews June 22, 2023 Erin Tarpley

“By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes”

“Now is the Winter of our discontent”…. No wait, nevermind. That’s a different Shakespeare show, and a different season entirely. But Summer is here in Maryland and when it comes to the Macbeths, “discontent” is an apropos word to define their predicament, but the exact opposite to describe how you will feel as you enjoy this timeless production of the Scottish Play;

Hadestown North American Tour 📷 Charles Erickson

Hadestown at The National Theater DC

Reviews June 9, 2023 Erin Tarpley

“It’s an old tale from way back when,

And we’re gonna sing it again and again.”

I’ve heard it said that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. But in the world of Hadestown, when you live near the train tracks to Hell, naivety seems to set up shop there as well. Set in a world of Gods and a world of Men, the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice takes centerstage in this soulful,

The Lady Was A Gentleman at The Strand Theater

Reviews May 8, 2023 Erin Tarpley

From the very first millisecond of Barbara Khan’s The Lady was a Gentleman, I knew I was in for a wonderful treat! In an instant, the production begins and the audience is swept into an aura of light, and energy, and laughter. Led by a brief dumb show that allows the characters to take the stage and give a silent, yet physically over exaggerated sense of who they are, the production immediately becomes alive and allows for a fantastic transposition from the mundane world into the world of a St.

Open at Nu Sass Productions

Reviews May 1, 2023 Erin Tarpley

“Magic only fades when it is forgotten.”

Magic has a special place in all of our hearts. It evokes wonder, awe, and a sense that even what should be logically impossible, can be possible. In a sense love is the same. It too evokes wonder, awe, and the sense that anything can be possible (even magical) with the power of love. But magic in the real world, at least the magic performed by real world stage magicians,

Crisis Mode: Living Pilipino in America at The Strand Theater

Reviews March 20, 2023 Erin Tarpley

Crisis Mode: Living Pilipino in America at the Strand Theater

“If every Filipino lit a candle at the same time, we would light up the world”

The popular American narrative is one based around how this nation was built on people immigrating to these shores from a variety of other lands in search of work, opportunity, or security (whether by choice or by force). Additionally, the brutal historic reality is that this narrative has always been carefully focused on specific populations at specific points in time,

Heidi Blickenstaff (left) with Allison Sheppard (center) and Jena VanEslander (right) in Jagged Little Pill. 📷Matthew Murphy, Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade

Jagged Little Pill at The National Theater

Reviews March 17, 2023 Erin Tarpley

“You, you, you oughta know”

Typically with “jukebox musicals” we see the use of an album, or collection of songs associated with a band or musical artist, to tell their life story. However, in Jagged Little Pill’s case, Alanis Morissette’s 1995 album of the same name is used to tell not her story, nor even a story set in the same time frame as the album’s release, but rather a modern-day tale of themes that still ring true almost 30 years after the songs were written.

Michael Hegarty (center) as Alfred P. Doolittle and the company of My Fair Lady. 📸 Jeremy Daniel

My Fair Lady at The Hippodrome Theatre

Reviews January 11, 2023 Erin Tarpley 2 Comments

“Loverly”

Ain’t it hard to earn an ‘onest livin’ these days? Well, in Edwardian London add in factors like being a woman and being a woman with a thick cockney accent and ‘eaven ‘elp you, guv’nor, but you’re all but done for! OOOOOOOOOOOOooooh, it’s no wonder t’at a character meeting these factors and one t‘at has ‘alf a brain would leap at the opportunity to better ‘er phonetics and elocution ‘if’n it meant she could land a career real proper like,

A Soldier’s Play at The Kennedy Center

Reviews December 17, 2022 Erin Tarpley

“Any man ain’t sure where he belongs must be in a whole lotta pain.”

“War! Huh, (good God), What is it good for?” Well, that’s a loaded question for another day. But back in 1944 on a segregated southern Louisiana Army Base, the promise of deployment to the battle front is a dream for many of our young characters of color that yearn for a chance of serving their country, and perhaps getting the chance to see a part of the world that doesn’t follow Jim Crow laws.

A Christmas Carol at Spotlighters Theatre

Reviews December 11, 2022 Erin Tarpley

“God bless us, every one”

Tis the season for holly, mulled wine, and curing any case of “Bah humbug.” Returning for the second year in a row (and deservedly so!), this one-man show, adapted and edited by Sherrionne Brown and Phil Gallagher returns to Baltimore’s own Audrey Herman Spotlighters Theatre through December 18th to reprise this wonderful rendition of Charles Dickens’ beloved classic: A Christmas Carol.

It is difficult to find anyone in the English-speaking regions of the world who are not,

The Day You Begin at The Kennedy Center

Reviews November 22, 2022 Erin Tarpley

“There will be times when you walk into a room, and no one there is quite like you, until the day you begin to share your stories”

It is difficult at any age to enter a new space. There are different sights, unfamiliar sounds, and usually, new faces who have different experiences than you. Sometimes these new spaces take time to become familiar, and sometimes it takes courage within ourselves to open up to these new experiences to create our own place within this space.

Love & ROAR! at Baltimore Rock Opera Society

Reviews November 8, 2022 Erin Tarpley

“So how can I deny? I’ve got a monster, I’ve got a monster inside”

Are you in the mood for love? How about giant kaijus smashing the city while rocking out to some stellar music… and in the mood for love? Well, with the Baltimore Rock Opera Society’s Love & ROAR! you get all this and more! Playing through November 19th at the old (previously vacant) bank building at 1 E.

Frankenstein at The Strand Theatre

Reviews September 12, 2022 Erin Tarpley

“Madness is that much closer to death”

Dear Evan Hansen at The Kennedy Center

Reviews September 3, 2022 Erin Tarpley

“Do you think he’s gonna show the letter to other people?”

“He’s going to ruin your life with it”

Dear Valued Reader,

Today is going to be a great day and let me tell you why. Because today (and most days between today and Sunday, September 25th), you have the chance to buy tickets to see the incomparable Dear Evan Hansen at the Kennedy Center!

This is the time where I can tell you how Dear Evan Hansen is the winner of six Tony Awards,

Bright Star at Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre

Reviews July 9, 2022 Erin Tarpley

“Joy and sorrow never last, I’ll die trying not to live in the past”

Banjos, bluegrass, and bright dreams grace the stage at Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre this summer with their production of Bright Star. Playing now through July 23rd, appropriately under the bright stars shining over Annapolis in the summery open air, Bright Star will delight audiences with its wholehearted Americana folksy twang.

Bright Star follows the tales of a young aspiring writer just back from war who seeks out the approval of a stern but talented editor-in-chief with an aspirational past of her own.

The Second City's The Revolution Will Be Improvised. 📸 Scott Suchman

The Revolution Will Be Improvised at The Kennedy Center

Reviews July 5, 2022 Erin Tarpley

“The couch is your coffin; and social media the funeral parlor”

Are current events getting you down? Starting to feel the weight of it all? Well The Second City’s The Revolution Will Be Improvised, now playing at the Kennedy Center through July 31st, may be what you need to laugh a little while you cry (or rage).

Performed by an amazingly talented ensemble cast, The Second City’s The Revolution Will Be Improvised does a lovely job of pulling topics from the headlines and poking fun at them while also not forgetting to address the real-world effect these events have on people in the present,

Much Ado About Nothing at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company

Reviews June 22, 2022 Erin Tarpley

“Friendship is constant in all other things, Save in the office and affairs of love.”

Love is in the air; but some may need a little meddling, I mean “help,” from their friends to realize it. As for the audience, it is easy to feel the love in Chesapeake Shakespeare Company’s Much Ado About Nothing. Playing under the open sky and in the ruins at the PFI Historic Park in Ellicott City now through July 24th,

Beastgirl at The Kennedy Center

Reviews April 10, 2022 Erin Tarpley

“What does it mean to be a girl, Dominic Republican, a Beastgirl?”

Don’t be fooled. You may think you are entering Studio K at the Kennedy Center, but you are actually on the rooftop of the Amsterdam Ave. Apartments in New York City. From the moment you scan your ticket, you are transported to the rooftop of this humble apartment building in NYC; though you may not be sure at first why you are there.

National Tour of The Prom. Photo: Deen van Meer

The Prom at The Hippodrome Theatre

Reviews January 20, 2022 Erin Tarpley

“Send in the Liberal Democrats from Broadway!”

Ah yes, the prom: a hallowed American tradition promised to every Highschool Senior filled with music, dancing, streamers, and sequins. Unless that is, you live in the middle of Edgewater, Indiana, and you just happen to be a lesbian who wants to bring her girlfriend to the big event. But not to worry! That’s why the heroes of Broadway are on their way to save the day,

(L to R) Elijah Ahmad Lewis, Marcus Paul James, Jalen Harris, Harrell Holmes Jr., James T. Lane from the National Touring Company of Ain’t Too Proud. Credit: © 2021 Emilio Madrid.

Ain’t Too Proud at The Kennedy Center

Reviews December 31, 2021 Erin Tarpley

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts”

I hope you have comfortable shoes! You’ll need them when you go to see the toe-tapping good time that is Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations. Now playing at the Kennedy Center through January 16th, 2022, Ain’t Too Proud takes its audience on a multi-decade journey to see the creation, rise, and progression of one of the greatest (if not the greatest!

Terminal Lucidity at Baltimore Theatre Project

Reviews August 25, 2018 Erin Tarpley

Dada comes to Baltimore in the raw and intimate experience that is the world premiere of Terminal Lucidity, written by Amy Bernstein and directed by Melanie S. Armer. This work, presented by Baltimore’s own Theatre Project, brings to the stage a look at the dark and damaging political path America may currently be treading through the experiences of the women affected by the “monster in her midst.”

Dada in and of itself means… nothing.

Big Fish at Silhouette Stages

Reviews May 14, 2018 Erin Tarpley

Who among us is not guilty of embellishing a story here and there? Whether exaggerating about our feats of derring-do, or adding a few inches to that fish we caught when we were a child, stories have a way of taking on a life of their own when we tell them. In this case, there is “Magic in the Man” through the larger-than life stories Edward Bloom tells his young son. But all children must grow up,