Articles Tagged With: Cockpit in Court

Local Limelight: Actor Kelly Rardon on Murder On The Orient Express at Just Off Broadway and Other Theatre Experiences

Interviews April 25, 2024 Amanda N. Gunther Leave a comment

The impossible could not have happened, therefore the impossible must be possible in spite of appearances! That feels a little like any given week of theatre in the Baltimore area theatre scene! At any one time it feels impossibly like 100 shows are opening, closing, mid-run, in tech, or about to start rehearsals! So it’s no wonder that we found the second person ever to be featured in our “Local Limelight” series— Kelly Rardon, a well-known area performer for quite some time— at the start of her tech-week for the show she’s currently performing in,

The Dinner Party at Cockpit In Court

Reviews July 24, 2023 Amanda N. Gunther

There are no surprises in life, only corroborations of what you suspected. Well, someone must have called Ezekiel Foster up in lighting and told him to hit me with ‘surprise pink’ when I showed up for The Dinner Party thinking it was one of Neil Simon’s shorter works that would run about 90 minutes without an intermission. Cockpit In Court, for reasons known only to them, have splashed an intermission right in the center of the production and expounded upon the show’s run-time to the tune of a little over two hours.

The Prom at Cockpit in Court

Reviews July 22, 2023 Amanda N. Gunther

“And nobody out there ever gets to define the life I’m meant to lead with this unruly heart of mine.” Because love is love is love is love. And you will fall in love with The Prom at Cockpit in Court. Not because it’s an amazing story that should be told and seen and heard and embraced. Not because it has an amazing cast chock-a-block with sensational talent all across the board or because its got astonishing scenery,

Matilda Jr. at Cockpit Court Jesters

Reviews July 11, 2023 Amanda N. Gunther

They are revolting children! Living revolting times! They sing revolting songs! Using revolting rhymes! And you’ve got to get your tickets to see them do their thing— they’re stupendous, they’re great— they are REVOLTING! Only in a Roald Dahl musical could you use an adjective like revolting as a pride-of-place badge to describe a wildly talented bunch of kids as they bounce all around the stage with exuberant energy and smashing voices. Which musical is that you ask?

Changing Lives: The Apples & Bees of The Prom at Cockpit in Court with Coby Kay Callahan, Randy Dunkle, Darren McDonnell, and Shannon Wollman

Interviews July 11, 2023 Amanda N. Gunther

Earth-shaking! Life-affirming! Breathtaking! Gut-wrenching! Heart-aching! In two words, it’s history-making! They’re really and truly changing lives— at least they hope to be! The four actors, some of Baltimore’s most recognized members of the theatre community, playing the four Broadway stars who find themselves in a small town in Indiana trying to ‘change lives’ though perhaps for all the wrong reasons. Sound familiar? It is Prom season, after all. In a sit-down interview, we talk with Shannon Wollman,

The Game’s Afoot at Cockpit In Court

Reviews June 13, 2023 Amanda N. Gunther

Everyone wants publicity, daaahlings. Even the bad kind is the good kind, because any kind beats no kind, right? Lucky for Thomas “Toby” Hessenauer and the company of Ken Ludwig’s The Game’s Afoot it’s the good kind. Mostly. I’m no Daria Chase, daaahlings, but for God’s sake, I am a theatre critic. Launching the ‘upstairs’ half of the upstairs-downstairs-summertime-palooza that we all know to be Cockpit in Court, this zany little Baskerville-wannabe is two parts mystery,

Something Rotten at Cockpit in Court

Reviews June 13, 2023 Jimi Kinstle

BAWDY-LICIOUS! Something Rotten Brings Down the House.

Cockpit In Court opens its summer season with the ribald musical, Something Rotten, by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell with music and lyrics by Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick, in the F. Scott Black Theater. The show runs Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays till June 25th and from the response of the audience at the Sunday matinee I attended, I would suggest purchasing your tickets in advance.

Sweet Charity at Cockpit in Court

Reviews July 27, 2022 Mark Briner

Most shows feature a tried-and-true pattern of opening with a traditional “I Want” song, which details the leading character’s hopes and wishes for the rest of the story. Sweet Charity, currently playing on the main stage at Cockpit In Court at CCBC Essex, Directed by Cockpit veteran Eric Potter, is an entire show full of hopes and dreams and wants and desires, most of which are quickly dashed for the taxi dancers at the Fandango Ballroom,

DOT at Cockpit in Court

Reviews July 25, 2022 Cybele Pomeroy

A Black family at Christmas finds love and humor dealing with Mother’s cognitive issues.

Cockpit In Court at CCBC Essex (formerly Essex Community College) presents DOT at the Cabaret Theatre in the Robert and Eleanor Romadka College Center. DOT, a relatively new play, (2016), describes itself as ‘twisted and hilarious’ but that’s not entirely accurate. Let me get through this intro and I’ll explain. It’s a family show that isn’t remotely family-appropriate,

Cheryl Campo (center) as Mama Euralie and The Storytellers📸Trent Haines-Hopper/THsquared Photography

Once On This Island at Cockpit In Court

Reviews June 15, 2022 Amanda N. Gunther

Two different worlds on one island. (Not unlike Cockpit in Court with two different productions in one theatre…one above and one below…) If you’re ready to be swept up in the most astonishing production to wash ashore on Cockpit In Court’s stages since the times of the before, then Once On This Island is the show for you. Directed and Choreographed by Tom Wyatt, with Musical Direction by Elizabeth Fink, the uplifting and joyous music of this stirring tale of love fighting to survive in the face of death is an astonishing experience all its own.

Nice Work If You Can Get It at Cockpit In Court

Reviews August 14, 2019 Daniel Plante

“When music
is playing and couples are swaying Say! I’ve got to be there! I’ve got to be
there!”

Indeed you do.

Attendance is quite simply mandatory for Cockpit in Court Summer Theater’s production of Nice Work If You Can Get It still open for two full weekends at the F. Scott Black Theatre.

Amanda N. Gunther | TheatreBloom The Company of Nice Work If You Can Get It at Cockpit in Court

Fans of
Golden Age music (and musicals) will be overjoyed to see this production,

The Unexpected Guest at Cockpit in Court

Reviews July 24, 2019 Amanda N. Gunther

How different things look in the daylight. A shadowy
murderess might look an innocent housewife when night slips away into day. In
one of Agatha Christie’s more spine-tingling mysteries, all is not as it seems
for the Warwick family in South Wales. Closing the cabaret space 2019 summer
season for Cockpit in Court, The Unexpected Guest is riddled with
unexpected plot twists and daring reveals that keeps audiences on the edge of
their seat through to the mysterious conclusion.

Sylvia at Cockpit in Court

Reviews June 24, 2019 Amanda N. Gunther

It’s a dog-eat-dog summer at Cockpit in Court this year,
with a Disaster! downstairs on the
main stage and Sylvia upstairs in the
cabaret space. A.R. Gurney’s strange comedy about a dog originally set in the
80’s is meandering into modernity this 2019 summer season under the direction
of Robert W. Oppel. It’s definitely an intriguing show and the titular
character is by far best in show!

The show is a bit of a struggle on multiple levels;

Disaster! at Cockpit in Court

Reviews June 21, 2019 Mike Zellhofer

This
review can practically write itself. Let’s face it, there is nothing disastrous
about Cockpit in Court’s current production. Of course, I am talking about Disaster! the 70’s disaster movie
musical written by Seth Rudetsky and Jack Plotnick and directed by Todd
Pearthree. Pearthree and his production team (Music Director Michael DeVito,
Technical Director Jason Randolph, Set Designer Michael Rasinski, Lighting
Designer Thomas Gardner, Costumer Designer Will Crowther, Sound Designer Corey
Sekulow, and Stage Manager John Chrzanowski) have put together THE smash hit of
the summer.

Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean at Cockpit in Court

Reviews July 26, 2018 Mark Briner

In the final days of the summer of 1955, a definitive cultural event rocked teenaged America when screen idol James Dean was killed in a car accident at the age of 24. Having starred in only three major films (Rebel Without a Cause. East of Eden, and Giant), he defined the prototypical rebellious, misunderstood teen and resonated with American youth unlike any actor ever. Despite his minimal time in the public eye,

The Little Mermaid at Cockpit in Court

Reviews July 23, 2018 Amanda N. Gunther

Look at their set; isn’t it neat? Wouldn’t you think their set design is so sweet? Wouldn’t you think Michael Rasinski’s the guy— the guy who’s designed everything? Look at those lights— colors so bold! How many wonders can Lighting Designer Thomas Gardner behold? Looking around the stage you’d think— the creative team’s done everything! They’ve got James Hunnicutt designing the properties. They’ve got Brent Tomchik making splashes with sound. You want Choreography? That’s Karli Burnham.

Laughter on the 23rd Floor at Cockpit in Court

Reviews June 23, 2018 Amanda N. Gunther

Your entire future depends upon you finding a voice for your comedy! And there’s no truer a statement when it comes to Neil Simon’s Laughter on the 23rd Floor opening the cabaret series at Cockpit in Court this summer. Directed by John D’Amato, this zany, albeit dated, comedy finds purchase in today’s society with its striking relevance to the bullying process of censorship in media and entertainment.

Hayden Muller is at the top of his game with simplistic Scenic and Lighting Design (except for one slightly mis-angled overhead light which casts somewhat of a blinding beam of irritation into just one small section of the in-the-round spacing) for this production.

Avenue Q at Cockpit in Court

Reviews June 23, 2018 Lindsey Litka & Matt Wetzel

“You work real hard and the pays real low… and every hour goes oh so slow… and at the end of the day there’s nowhere to go…” but to Cockpit in Court’s production of Avenue Q! This raunchy and hilarious musical by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx is a modern adult take on the classic Sesame Street formula: adorable puppets living their day-to-day lives… It just so happens that these puppets live in the real world,

Sister Act at Cockpit in Court

Reviews July 28, 2017 Cybele Pomeroy

Hallelujah for Sister Act at Cockpit In Court! CCBC Essex presents a family musical with sincerely praise-worthy voices and a lot of spirit in the F. Scott Black Mainstage Theatre. The stage musical of Sister Act is based on the Whoopi Goldberg movie of the same name, but while audiences loved hearing familiar Motown tunes used innovatively in the context of a cloister, the stage production got Alan Menken— you remember Alan Menken?

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at Cockpit in Court

Reviews July 28, 2017 Cybele Pomeroy

Dances With Durang: Cockpit in Court presents Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, by the author of The Actor’s Nightmare, and it’s a theatre nerd’s dream. Cockpit in Court at CCBC Essex (formerly Essex Community College) presents Christopher Durang’s homage to Chekhov through August 6th at the Cabaret Theatre in the Robert and Eleanor Romadka College Center. This play has a morsel of everything— comedy, tragedy, suspense, horror— wait,

Forever Plaid at Cockpit in Court

Reviews June 16, 2017 Cybele Pomeroy

Funny Foursome Performs Fabulously: Forever Plaid pleases crowd at Cockpit in Court

If you should have the urge for an evening of happily cheesy doo-wop Pennsylvania white bread happiness, you’ll enjoy Forever Plaid at Cockpit in Court on the Essex campus of CCBC, (Community College of Baltimore County), part of Cockpit in Court’s Summer Theatre lineup. The lyrics are crisp, the personalities fresh but familiar, the packaging is child- and senior-friendly,

Arsenic and Old Lace at Cockpit in Court

Reviews June 9, 2017 Amanda N. Gunther

Madness, thy name is Brewster! Me thinks the aunties doth protest too much! Oh— wait a minute— the season of Shakespeare and all’s well that goes with that has concluded. Let’s try this again. Madness runs in the Brewster family; it practically gallops, though it isn’t quite the truth either. Madness doesn’t run through the Brewster family, it meanders slowly taking its time to get intimately acquainted with each and every member! And you’ll find out just how intimately insane the Brewster clan is but only if you venture out to Cockpit In Court for the first mainstage show of their 2017 season!

Review: The Gazebo at Cockpit in Court

Reviews July 21, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

It’s utterly frightening how guilty one can make an innocent man look if one truly tries. But what if the innocent man isn’t so innocent? Or what if he’s guilty and innocent at the same time? Will you be able to keep up with the mayhem and calamity that unfolds in the madcap comedic thriller, The Gazebo on the cabaret stage at Cockpit in Court this summer? Only one way to find out!

Review: Spamalot at Cockpit in Court

Reviews July 17, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

If you trust in your soul, keep your eyes on the goal, then the prize you won’t fail— you’ll find your grail at Cockpit in Court this summer with their second mainstage production, Monty Python’s Spamalot. Directed by Laurie Sentman Starkey with Musical Direction by R. Christopher Rose, this instance of comedic musical theatre has a little something for everybody. Be you a Monty Python fan, a musical theatre fan, neither,

Review: Godspell at Cockpit in Court

Reviews June 13, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Prepare ye the way of the Lord as it paves its path up the aisles of the main stage in the Theatre Building of the Community College of Baltimore County Essex Campus with Cockpit in Court’s production of Godspell. Celebrating its 44th season, the Stephen Schwartz musical kicks off the summer for the community theatre and preaches a message that is poignant now more so than ever in today’s world where hatred seems to be common place and violence is overlooked as a part of the daily routine.

Review: Towards Zero at Cockpit in Court

Reviews June 13, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

There’s a suggestion of gunpowder in the air, one small spark might set off an explosion upstairs in the Theatre Building this season at Cockpit in Court as they present what is quickly becoming an annual tradition of murder mystery on their stage. Agatha Christie’s Towards Zero is the latest play to fall victim to this yearly tradition and although there’s nary a gun in the show (not even so much as mentioned!),

Just Listen to That! The Voice of Argentina: An Interview with the Leads of Evita at Spotlighters Theatre

Interviews April 13, 2016 Amanda N. Gunther

Oh what a circus! Oh what a show! It’s quite a sunset, but don’t cry for the Argentinians just yet, Charm City! Not until you’ve read this riveting TheatreBloom exclusive interview with the actors in the lead roles at the upcoming production of Evita The Audrey Herman Spotlighters Theatre. With a wealth of knowledge on their characters, and great opinions on how this “old school” musical is surging with relevance today’s audiences, we sit down to talk over the characters of Eva Duarte de Perón,

Review: Don’t Drink the Water at Cockpit in Court

Reviews June 16, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

Espionage. Romance. Communists. Tourists. A magic priest living in the attic of the US embassy. Don’t Drink the Water has it all this summer as Cockpit in Court‘s first production of their 2015 season upstairs in their cabaret. A Woody Allen comedy, the play is Directed by Albert J. Boeren and is an honest hysterical hoot that keeps the audience laughing all through the chaos and calamity of an innocent summer vacation gone wrong in 1967.

Review: The Wedding Singer at Cockpit in Court

Reviews June 13, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

What’s love got to do— got to do with it? Who needs a heart when you can have an entire cast full of fun at Cockpit in Court this summer season? Kicking off their musical series with The Wedding Singer, is a great way to put love in the air for the summer. Directed by Greg Dorsey, with Musical Direction by Nathan Christopher Scavilla, this 80’s based on the New Line Cinema film is sure to get you dancing to the well-loved riffs of the era all throughout the night.

Daddy’s Dyin’ but Baltimore’s Blooming: An Interview with Co-Founder and Artistic Director Jason Crawford Samios-Uy about Just Off Broadway

Interviews May 26, 2015 Amanda N. Gunther

Baltimore is a city full of charm and surprises. And one of the ever-present surprises is that just around the corner there is another theatre company popping up and doing something fascinating. Just Off Broadway Baltimore should be no exception to that intriguing surprise as they are a community theatre that falls under the heading of “for theatre people by theatre people.” Founded in 2011 and producing since 2012, the company is now opening their 7th production,