Reviews

Completely Hollywood at Off the Quill

Reviews September 21, 2017 Spencer Nelson

In a world where entertainment reigns supreme, one theatre troupe dares to do the impossible and take on America’s biggest export (after weapons that is) – Movies! There is nothing new happening under the Hollywood sign and Off the Quill is ready to prove it to you in their latest show Completely Hollywood (Abridged) written by Reed Martin & Austin Tichenor, with additional material by Dominic Conti. Movie lovers will get a kick out of this comedic journey through Hollywood from Director Leanne Dinverno.

Sally McCoy at Cohesion Theatre Company

Reviews September 20, 2017 Mark Briner

Americans always seem ripe for a good feud. Feuds make great headlines and apparently even better entertainment. Ryan Murphy scored television ratings gold this season with his recounting of the on and off screen cat-fighting between iconic movie stars Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. The current Broadway season features War Paint, a musical based on the corporate backstabbing between leading lady cosmetics pioneers Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden. Nationally, the riffs and hate have become unveiled and brutally wide between Clinton and Trump supporters,

The Little Mermaid at Phoenix Festival Theatre

Reviews September 17, 2017 Andrew Worthington

They’ve got the spirit (you’ve got to hear it) under the sea! Disney’s The Little Mermaid, part of Phoenix Festival Theater’s 2017-2018 season, is a coming of age story that is bursting with talented performances throughout. Along with Music Director Chris Rose and Choreographer Amanda Poxon, Director Laurie Starkey has assembled a talented cast that truly breathes life into the Disney classic.

Upon entering the theater, the audience member is immediately transported to an underwater world due to thoughtful decorations,

Deathtrap at Silver Spring Stage

Reviews September 17, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

You feel the feverish chill of something suspenseful about to happen. There is a prickle at the hairs on the back of your neck, a tingle that flickers up your spine, and the ever so sudden jolt of your entire body when you hear anything sounding remotely close to a gunshot. You’ve contracted a terminal case of Thrilleritus malignus! And your only hope for a cure is going to see Silver Spring Stage’s production of Ira Levin’s Deathtrap.

Singin’ in the Rain Jr. at Children’s Playhouse of Maryland

Reviews September 16, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

Moses supposes that of all of the showses, that this one is roses, so Moses supposes. But who needs Moses and his supposes when the Children’s Playhouse of Maryland has got Singin’ in the Rain Jr. Directed by Liz Boyer Hunnicutt and Musically Directed by Charlotte Evans? It’s a glorious production! You’ll be happy again to be back with CMP for the 2017/2018 season, this production being first of this season, and you’ll love every minute of this timeless Hollywood style movie musical stage show.

The Marvelous Wonderettes at Tidewater Players

Reviews September 16, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

Springfield

High

Is Just

Terrific!

GOOOOOO CHIPMUNKS!!

That’s right, seniors, class of 1958! Welcome to the most fun you’ll ever have at your Marvelous Dream Prom! (Hosted graciously by Tidewater Players this year!) It’s going to be a doozy of an evening that you won’t forget anytime soon! The Tidewater Players have been gracious enough to lend Springfield High and the Class of 1958 their beautiful,

The Arsonists at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

Reviews September 15, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

Everything burns, but not every fire is determined by fate. And Washington DC is certainly on fire in various meanings of the word. Politically, socially, and now thanks to Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, theatrically as well! This is one fire that fate will not put out! The kickoff to Woolly Mammoth’s Incendiary 2017/2018 season— The Arsonists, by Max Frisch and newly translated by Alistair Beaton, is setting the stage and minds of audience members alike ablaze with a conflagration that just won’t quit.

The Christians at Baltimore Center Stage

Reviews September 15, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

Can I get an amen? Can I get a hallelujah! Join Baltimore Center Stage for worship starting now through October 8, 2017. Seven times a week, most evenings and Sunday afternoon too, Baltimore Center Stage is bringing to you a powerful message of hope, a powerful message of faith, and a powerful message of love! Making its Baltimore area debut, Lucas Hnath’s The Christians gets the 2017/2018 season at Baltimore Center Stage underway downstairs in the Pearlstone Theatre.

The Heidi Chronicles at Rep Stage

Reviews September 13, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

We are all waiting for the rebirth of wonder. We’re waiting for it in our relationships, in our lives, in our work, in our art, in the theatre. But perhaps instead of waiting we should be doing. Instead of waiting to witness the miracle we should be the miracle. And Rep Stage kicks off the opening of their 25th season by doing just that. Presenting the story of wonder: the woman who can have it all,

Shiloh at Colonial Players of Annapolis

Reviews September 12, 2017 Spencer Nelson

We live in a time in history where it is almost impossible to find a new take or a new viewpoint on anything, especially something as talked about and scrutinized as the Civil War. But this is Shiloh and if you have the opportunity to head to downtown Annapolis this fall that is exactly what you will get and you will even get some laughs along the way! In a small 360° theater just off State Circle,

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) at Maryland Ensemble Theatre

Reviews September 12, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

What ho, Horatio! It is the east— west— Frederick! It is the MET! Alas, poor Shakespeare, I knew him, readers! And you thought you did too, until you ventured to Maryland Ensemble Theatre for the opening of their 2017/2018 season! With preeminence in stage chicanery, the MET invites you to sit back, unplug your brains, and enjoy three ridiculous men attempting to cover 38 plays, 1,122 roles, and 154 sonnets all in about two hours,

Aglaonike’s Tiger at Venus Theatre

Reviews September 11, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

No woman has just one mood. No woman likes to be pegged as just one thing. When one road leads to the forest, another to the sea, logically the third road must lead to the only professional stage in the Washington DC area dedicated to promoting the voices of women and children in theatre for a lifetime. All roads lead to Venus Theatre as they continue on their 17th season— To a T! Love Notes to a Friend!— with Claudia Barnett’s latest work Aglaonike’s Tiger.

The Legend of Pufferfish Pat: A Tall Tale For Mad Times at InterAct Story Theatre

Reviews September 11, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

Well good gravy! Shoot! Ain’t it just about time you headed on down to Gravy Gulch for this year’s annual “Great Gravy Cook-off and Fashion Festival”? It’s going to be a rootin’ tootin’ good time, if Pufferfish Pat don’t lose his temper and blow up the whole town! Of course, that’ll make Ma Murchison, the Mayor of Gravy Gulch, all upset too! But I think us cowpokes are getting ahead of ourselves here! You’re in for one exciting wild west adventure,

Two Trains Running at Spotlighters Theatre

Reviews September 9, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

You got love and you got death; it’s all you got. And death will find you, but you’ve gotta find love. And believe you me, you’re going to find it when you fall in love with this stellar production of August Wilson’s Two Trains Running at The Audrey Herman Spotlighters Theatre this fall. Kicking off their 56th season— A Place Where We Belong— this 7th play of the 10-play Pittsburgh Cycle by the renowned and award-winning playwright,

Dreamgirls at Toby’s Dinner Theatre

Reviews September 8, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

And I’m telling you— you ARE going to Toby’s Dinner Theatre this autumn to see Dreamgirls. It’s more than just a dream— it’s a fantasy come true with sparkle, energy, enthusiasm, and raw talent that will blow you away. Dreamgirls, appearing live on the Toby’s stage as the fall musical of the 2017 season, is filled with the heart and soul of the 60’s and 70’s,

Midnight Cigarette at Wolfpack Theatre Company

Reviews September 8, 2017 Alan Duda

Content Warning! Midnight Cigarette contains nudity, racist, derogatory and inflammatory terminology, sexual situation, graphic content, coarse language, controversial conversations regarding politics, abortion, incest, rape, domestic violence, and scenes of substance abuse.

So reads the insert in the program of William Leary’s latest play. Set in a coal town with no more coal, Midnight Cigarette revolves around the remains of those still trying to live there. It’s a small town where everyone knows most everything about everyone,

Clue: The Musical at ArtisticSynergy

Reviews September 8, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther 2 Comments

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,

Noah: Apocalypse at LiveArtDC

Reviews September 3, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

That’s great! It starts with an earthquake— birds and bees and airplanes— and LiveArt DC is not afraid… because it’s the end of the world as they know it! It’s the end of the world as you know it. It’s the end of the world as we know it— now appearing with LiveArt DC in the new work Noah: Apocalypse written by Amanda Quain. Directed by Clare Shaffer and labored upon by the ensemble cast of LiveArt DC,

Beauty and The Beast at September Song

Reviews August 31, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

No one’s dressed like they are— glitter-pressed like the are— no one’s show’s as incredibly blessed as they are! For their whole run is already sold out! There are definit’ly worse problems to haaaaaave! Their production’s so unique and awesome! That September Song packed all the seats that they have! Who do they think they are? That theatre has tangled up with the right people— darn right they have! Well, gosh it disturbs me to say this,

The Devil’s Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith at Mosaic Theater Company

Reviews August 30, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

You wanna sing the blues? Then you’ve gotta pay the dues! You gotta live, you gotta love, you gotta hurt, you gotta sing, and you gotta roll with it! Mosaic Theater Company of DC sure is rolling with it as they roll on into the start of Season 3 with the area premiere of The Devil’s Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith. Conceived and Directed by Joe Brancato, this wild and wicked tale extrapolates on the final moments inside the mind and music of The Empress of Blues,

Arden Now at The Rude Mechanicals

Reviews August 30, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

A collaborative adaptation of As You Like It by William Shakespeare; this is the marketing tag for The Rude Mechanical’s latest production— Arden Now— which debuted earlier this summer at the 2017 Capital Fringe Festival. Now playing at the Greenbelt Arts Center for a two-weekend engagement, the doors have been opened to those unwilling or unable to attend the chaotic frenzy that is CapFringe, and the stage is a veritable carnival of concepts that don’t quite come together as Director Melissa Schick intends in her director’s note.

A Little Night Music at Signature Theatre

Reviews August 30, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

Purchase your tickets, la la la! Queue up at the entrance, la la la! Unfold your program, la la la! Hi-ho the glamorous life! It’s so much more than a weekend in the country if you’re venturing to Signature Theatre’s production of Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music. Opening the 2017/2018 with this simplistically elegant classic, Director Eric Schaeffer sets the 28th season in motion with a glorious performance of smiling nighttimes and sensual characters entangling themselves around and through one another all whilst dripped and draped in one of Sondheim’s convoluted albeit romantic,

Measure for Measure at Britches and Hose Theater Company

Reviews August 25, 2017 Joshua Engel

Measure for Measure, now presented by Britches and Hose Theater Company, has always been a dark play, and it seems darker still in these dark times. A leader decides to make his country great again, appointing one who is of tremendous hypocrisy and cruelty.

John Moss is that leader, Duke Vincentio, his performance growing stronger through the evening. His appointee is Glen Hochkeppel as Angelo, brilliantly disturbing as he enters with a feckless hand gesture and a sweep of his cape.

Pippin at Beth Tfiloh Community Theatre

Reviews August 21, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

So you’ve heard of Pippin? Have you heard of Beth Tfiloh Community Theatre? Cast all previous conceptions aside and let Beth Tfiloh Community Theatre do their thing because they’ve got magic to do! Oh, it’s time to start living! Time to take in this performance that they’re giving! Time to take time to go see Pippin! And you’ll love it all— in just no time at all. Directed by Diane M.

Picnic at Showcase on Main

Reviews August 21, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

Pretty things are rare in this life; they’re like billboards telling us life is good. There’s a ‘life is good billboard’ rising up in Rising Sun, Maryland this summer with Showcase On Main’s latest theatrical endeavor. Away from their usual Minihane’s location, they’ve popped up in the black box of Street Lamp Productions to present William Inge’s Picnic. Directed and Designed by S. Lee Lewis with original score composition by A.J.

Memphis at ArtsCentric

Reviews August 19, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

Listen to the beat and you’ll hear what’s in their soul! Live from the center of your radio dial— just at the tippy-top end of Station North coming to you directly from The Motor House— ArtsCentric is bringing you the sensational smash hit musical Memphis. Directed by Kevin S. McAllister with Musical Direction by Cedric D. Lyles and Choreography by Torens Johnson, this stellar production is the music of your soul like you’ve never heard heart and soul and rock and roll and rhythm and blues before.

Variations on Magic at Rapid Lemon Productions

Reviews August 18, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

Abracadabra! Presto! Poof! It’s that time of year for Rapid Lemon Productions to set up shop— this year just south of Station North at the Baltimore Theatre Project— with their annual variations project! Heading into its 13th year, this year’s project, Variations on Magic is directed by Lance Bankerd. Bringing just eight actors together to perform a dozen new ‘ten-minute’ plays, all submitted by local playwrights to the festival, Variations on Magic unearths the spectacle of magic,

Go! Go! Go! See MaryKate Brouillet as The Narrator in Joseph at Toby’s

Reviews August 16, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

A Narrator’s story…a narrator’s story…strange as it seems, it’s been a summer full of dreams, for this quintet of narrating women for this Joseph run…and it has been fun! Pulling into the final leg of the summer-long production of Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and rounding out the last of the rotating carousel of narrators, MaryKate Brouillet steps up into the role and brings the story home for the final two weeks of the show.

Little Shop of Horrors at Purple Light Theatre Company

Reviews August 15, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

You better— tellin’ you, you better— tell your mama! Something’s gonna get her! You better— everybody better— be aware! Something’s gonna get ya! Look out. Look Out! LOOKOUT! It’s Little Shop of Horrors! At Purple Light! Purple Light Theatre Company! Don’t wait— dates are gonna pass you— right by— don’t let this show pass you— right by! It’s Little Shop of Horrors— it’s one-weekend-o-o-only-y-y! You won’t want to m-i-ii-s-s-s it!

A Good Man is Hard to Find at Feral Woman

Reviews August 11, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

“Ain’t a body yet that gave the undertaker a tip.” Flannery O’Connor has a deliciously twisted way with words. Why head to the box office and pay exorbitant amounts of money for a deceptively dark and twisted thrilling experience when you can slip on down to Station North in Charm City, slide into The Mercury Theatre and witness the inaugural production of a new company— Feral Woman— doing exactly the same thing without the highway robbery box office prices and the action just millimeters from your face?