Reviews

Review: The Who’s Tommy at Open Circle Theatre

Reviews November 3, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

That deaf, dumb, and blind kid sure plays a mean pinball! The lyrics to the iconic “Pinball Wizard” lead the Act I Finale to The Who’s Tommy in Open Circle Theatre’s triumphant return to production. After several years’ hiatus, the theatre company— whose vision is to advance the idea that disability can enhance the artistic experience, inspire aesthetic innovation, and influence a community to become accessible for all— marks their return during National Disability Employment Awareness Month by bringing their production of Tommy to the Silver Spring Black Box Theater.

Review: Cinderella at The Hippodrome Theatre

Reviews November 2, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Impossible things are happening every day! Think you know Cinderella? Think again! An impossibly enchanting, delightfully reimagined retelling of the classic fairytale has made its way to Charm City— as a part of the CareFirst Hippodrome Broadway Series— at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre! Remarkably re-envisioned, this Rogers & Hammerstein classic receives an edge of modernity that flitters with warm humor into our present day reality without ever leaving the realm of the fairytale.

Review: Rocky Horror Show at Maryland Ensemble Theatre

Reviews November 1, 2016 Mark Briner

In the early 70’s, an out of work British actor, Richard O’Brien, amused himself during his hiatus by writing a campy ode to indulge the passions of his youth— science fiction, B horror movies, Steve Reeves muscle flicks, and 50’s rock and roll. Accentuating the unintentional humor and over-the-top dialogue of the so-bad-they’re-good movies he was saluting, he paired it with a catchy pop/rock score and wrapped it in layer after layer of camp to create The Rocky Horror Show.

Review: Brides of Tortuga at Baltimore Rock Opera Society

Reviews October 31, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Taut sails and fair winds! Load the cannons and hone blades— you’re bound for Tortuga! Baltimore Rock Opera Society is taking to the high seas with their second all-original work of 2016, Brides of Tortuga. Debuting on the successful tailwinds of Chronoshred: The Adventures of Stardust Lazerdong and the remount of Amphion, this swarthy conclusion of the 2016 season serves as a female-empowering vessel of nautical revelry with great creative potential sprinkled liberally throughout the production.

Review: Always…Patsy Cline at Dundalk Community Theatre

Reviews October 31, 2016 Ben Harcourt

Come on in and sit right down, and take a trip down memory lane, as Dundalk Community Theatre presents a spirited version of Always…Patsy Cline. Originally created and directed by Ted Swindley, Always…Patsy Cline features over 25 songs performed by Cline from 1957 to her untimely death at the age of 30 in 1963. Directed by Eric J. Potter, with Music Direction by Charlotte Evans, and Stage Management by Margie Lake,

Review: Honk! at Reisterstown Theatre Project

Reviews October 31, 2016 Kelli Midgley

Honk! is the first all-kids production by Reisterstown Theatre Project. Featuring a live orchestra, a charming cast of young people, and an impressive technical array, Honk! endearingly entertained its small but enthusiastic audience. Director Bea Lehman has assembled a large and eager group of performers for this musical retelling of the Ugly Duckling story. Hatched on a farm to nervous parents (played by Ben Gillespie and Tori Magee), young duckling Ugly (sweet-voiced tenor Ben Tasker) embarks on a journey of self-discovery,

Review: Rocky Horror Show at Iron Crow Theatre

Reviews October 29, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Are you ready to shiver with antici—

—PATION?

Stamping their hallmark all over The Rocky Horror Show, as Baltimore’s queer theatre, Iron Crow Theatre is starting their very own annual tradition in this historic season of new discoveries. Taking Richard O’Brien’s cult-classic musical to the stage is the Christmas Carol of Halloween this time of year, but what’s making ITC’s production stand-out from others popping up in the area or even in your living room view the television screen?

Review: Savage/Love at Single Carrot Theatre

Reviews October 28, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

From the first moment I saw it, I knew I could love it, if it could love me. And love it I did, Single Carrot Theatre’s first offering of their 10th Anniversary season: Savage/Love by Sam Shepard & Joseph Chaikin. When we’re tangled up in love it’s easy to experience all the flavors and sensations of the limitless emotional potential that life has to offer. Capturing the dizzying dervish of love and all of its varieties,

Review: Freaky Friday at Signature Theatre

Reviews October 27, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

So you’re never going to believe me— but I guess you will if you go and see it for yourself— but there’s a crazy world premiere musical happening in the Max at Signature Theatre this fall! Debuting— after previous incarnations as a novel and two major motion pictures (about 25 years apart)— as a stage musical, Freaky Friday lands in the Max with a propulsive rock sound, a textbook Disney outline, and a sensational story that you just have to see to believe.

John Kelso (left) as Edgar Allan Poe and Erin Tarpley (right) as The Barmaid

Review: Poe’s Last Stanza at Do or Die Mysteries

Reviews October 26, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Quoth the raven, “Nevermore.” It is, of course, October in Charm City and thereabouts, which can only mean that it is time once more for the dark and dreary Edgar Allan Poe to revisit his beloved Baltimore. Returning to the Sunset Restaurant and Lounge in Glen Burnie with Do or Die Mysteries, Poe’s Last Stanza written by Ceej Crowe takes up roost in the front dining room for Monday evenings in the month of spooks and spirits,

Review: The Night Alive at Quotidian Theatre Company

Reviews October 26, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

What if life is just going round and round in a place where there is no time? A dense notion applied to the logic of living when it comes to Conor McPherson’s new work The Night Alive now debuting at Quotidian Theatre Company. Directed by Jack Sbarbori, this darkened Irish drama is a cross-sectional of the struggle of life for everyday ordinary people explored through curious circumstances that unfold in the wee hours of the night.

Review: Hamlet at Compass Rose Theater

Reviews October 24, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. Thinking on the whole that Compass Rose Theater is delivering a good production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet is not a bad thought to have. Directed by Lucinda Merry-Browne, one of the Bard’s most iconic tragedies treads the boards in its most simplistic form. A harkening back to basic Shakespeare in the intimate black-box theatre, the production plants itself on solid ground and delivers a curious approach to madness as a central focus of these time-tested characters.

Review: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at Colonial Players

Reviews October 24, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Do people learn nothing from history? Not that there is nothing to learn but that people actively learn nothing, for surely somewhere in the annals of recorded time there are couples who engage in dark play, where not everyone in the game knows the rules. That’s exactly the mechanism that snaps to life in Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? now appearing on stage at Colonial Players as the second selection in their 68th season.

Review: The Flower Queen at Yellow Sign Theatre

Reviews October 20, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Let your imagination run away with you when you hear bumps in the night…this may birth poor monsters out of sheer nothingness and they may resent you for it. Such can happen in the mythical ether of The Flower Queen, a play by Connor Kizer now appearing on stage at Yellow Sign Theatre. With just three performers— one little girl and one imagined monster plus a graceful Ballerino, there is an hour’s journey through a dreamy nightmare or a nightmarish dream just depending on your mood for the evening.

Review: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at Twin Beach Players

Reviews October 20, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Nothing that’s formal! Nothing that’s normal! But something for everyone at Twin Beach Players— a comedy tonight! Old situations! New complications! Nothing portentous or polite! Because tragedy tomorrow— A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum tonight! Directed by Sid Curl, with Musical Direction by Katie Evans, this Sondheim classic will tickle your funny bone for a good two hours’ stage traffic over the course of the evening! There are servants running amuck,

Review: Twelfth Night at Annapolis Shakespeare Company

Reviews October 17, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

I say there is no darkness but ignorance, and to remain ignorant of the truly sensational production of Twelfth Night that is gracing itself upon the stage of the Annapolis Shakespeare Company’s studio stage would be to remain steeped in the depths of an aphotic gloom of indescribable proportions. Directed by the company’s Artistic Director— Sally Boyett— this reimagined, innovative approach pays homage to the glistening golden era of Hollywood’s silver screen,

Review: Kiss at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

Reviews October 15, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther 1 Comment

When you experience something so beautiful, you have to put it into words just to make sure that it is real. Though I purport no ability that will come close to doing Guillermo Calderón’s work an inkling of justice, finding word to convince you to see Kiss at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company for its sheer horrifying beauty and stunning emotional weight is now my mission; the must-see show of the season has risen to the stage with harrowing political relevance,

Review: Young Frankenstein at Silhouette Stages

Reviews October 14, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Have you heard about the mania? If not, then let me explain-iya, popping up in Columb-ania— yes, sir! It’s the Transylvania Mania! And it’s making its way across Silhouette Stages this October in the guise of And it’s making its way across Silhouette Stages this October in the guise of the new Mel Brooks’ musical, Young Frankenstein. Directed and Choreographed by Tommy Malek with Musical Direction by Nathan C. Scavilla, it’s a doozy— it’ll make you woozy— this masterpiece and phenomenon!

Review: The Toxic Avenger at Milburn Stone Theatre

Reviews October 14, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

There is a place between heaven and hell— don’t need a map, just follow the smell— all the way up to Milburn Stone Theatre! New Jersey has come south for the back half of the Spooktacular Halloween repertory cycle at MST and it’s brought with it The Toxic Avenger! Loosely based on Lloyd Kaufman’s film The Toxic Avenger with Book by Joe Dipietro and Music & Lyrics by David Bryan,

Review: Evil Dead: The Musical at Red Branch Theatre Company

Reviews October 12, 2016 Ben Harcourt

Blood (plenty of it), Sweat (hardworking actors), and Tears (of laughter), fuel Red Branch Theatre Company’s current offering: Evil Dead: The Musical. Adapted for stage from Sam Raimi’s cult classic film series, Evil Dead: The Musical is chock full of campy, gory, outrageous horror that makes for a bloody hilarious night of fun. With book and lyrics by George Reinblatt, and music by Frank Cipolla, Melissa Morris, and George Reinblatt,

Review: Das Barbecü at Spotlighters Theatre

Reviews October 12, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

There’s a ring of gold in Texas that hitched a tumbleweed coach to Baltimore and is kicking up more dust than a dozen road-runners aiming to outrun a pack of coyotes. Yeehaw, you dun heard right if what you heard was Das Barbecü, the musical that spins Wagner’s Ring Cycle as a witty Texas fable, coming to the stage of The Audrey Herman Spotlighters Theatre! Sure ‘nuff it done been Directed by Greg Bell with that there Musical Direction by Michael Tan and the result is a dead ringer for comedic performance of the year.

Jacie (Caity Brown) prepares to throw a pie at Carla Pepperbloom (Diane Sams)

Review: Comic Potential at McLean Community Players

Reviews October 9, 2016 Joshua Engel

It’s a rare treat for a reviewer to be able to praise a performance as “robotic”. Caity Brown magnificently straddles the line between android and human in McLean Community Players production of Alan Ayckbourn’s Comic Potential.

Brown plays Jacie, a young female robot in a world where actors have been replaced by “actoid” acting units. This charmingly absurd proposition sets up a delicate challenge for Brown, who must be convincing simultaneously as a machine but also as somebody who has lived a thousand lives of intense human emotion —

Review: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at The Kennedy Center

Reviews October 8, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

His name is Christopher John Francis Boone. He knows all the countries of the world and their capital cities. He notices everything. But most importantly he is now appearing on the Opera House stage of The John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts as the 2016/2017 theatrical season gets well underway. Fresh from Broadway, the national tour of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time makes its regional debut at The Kennedy Center and mesmerizes the audience for the evening with its spellbinding wonder and its heart-wrenching emotional journey.

Review: Evil Dead The Musical at Milburn Stone Theatre

Reviews October 7, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Join us. Joooiiin usss….JOOOOIIIN USSS! Well, join them— Milburn Stone Theatre that is— as Ash of S-Mart braves the cabin in the woods and attempts to fight for his life and fend off the evil Candarian Demons that have been wakened from the Necronomicon! You heard it here first— Evil Dead: The Musical (rising from the beyond in the spooktacular Halloween repertory alongside The Toxic Avenger) has possessed The Milburn Stone Theatre’s mainstage and is coming after you!

Review: Net Worth at Strand Theater

Reviews October 7, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Assets – Liabilities = Net Worth. Do you know your Net Worth? Bari does, down to the penny. But does knowing your Net Worth make provide you with happiness? Do things like job security, financial stability, and the almighty sense of safety in both of those elements really equate to happiness? In this emotionally entrenched one-woman exploration, which kicks off the 2016/2017 for Strand Theater Company in their brand new home on Harford Road,

Review: POE…And All The Others at Annapolis Shakespeare Company

Reviews October 5, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

He stands amid the roar of a surf-tormented shore, and all that he sees and seems is but a dream within a dream. Appropriate as the autumnal offering and 2016-2017 season starter at Annapolis Shakespeare Company as they roost in residence at Reynolds Tavern just off the city dock shore on Church Circle for the world premiere of Tony Tsendeas’ POE…and All the Others. Directed by Sally Boyett, this newly imagined take on Baltimore’s master of the macabre is an absurd burlesque of memory,

Review: Dante’s Inferno at Synetic Theater

Reviews October 4, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Beauty awakens the soul to act. Synetic Theater inspires such beauty that it would be a mortal sin not to act in such a manner that gets you quickly into possession of tickets to see their production of Dante’s Inferno. Created by Paata Tsikurishvili and Directed by Irina Tsikurishvili, this stunning visual masterpiece is the quintessential interpretive movement ballet of contemporary theatre. Adapted by Paata Tsikurishvili and Nathan Weinberger from the poem by Dante Alighieri,

Review: Love’s LaBEERS Lost at Live Art DC

Reviews October 4, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Duuuude! Are you down to party with the King of Navarre? Naaah man, I hear he’s got some wicked sick rules— like ‘No woman shall come within a mile of his court on pain of losing her tongue’ and ‘If any bro be seen to talk with a woman within the term of three years he shall endure such public shame as the rest of the court can possibly devise.’ But we hear he throws killer parties!

Review: The Wild Party at Iron Crow Theatre

Reviews October 1, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther 2 Comments

No limits.

No boundaries.

No compromise.

Iron Crow Theatre is kicking off their historic 2016/2017 season, entitled “Dark Play”, with a raucous bang, setting the bar high with expectations. Andrew Lippa’s The Wild Party, directed by Sean Elias with Musical Direction by Ben Shaver, lives up to those standards and is a scandalously swinging evening of titillating entertainment which plunges the depths of the seasonal through-line of dark play right from the word go.

Review: The Gulf at Signature Theatre

Reviews September 29, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Do you ever stop and think about your life in reverse? Pause a moment and find that one moment where your life is exactly as it could be and allow that moment to wash over you and fill the gulf of emptiness and restlessness that occupies all human beings on one level or another. In an evocative new dramedy, award-winning playwright Audrey Cefaly delivers her latest work, The Gulf to Signature Theatre.