author: Mike Zellhofer
I have a friend who told me, “I start every day looking for heaven on earth; and when I find it, that is for what I am grateful.” Yesterday I found my heaven on earth at Govans Presbyterian Church, where the Woodbrook Players put on a fabulous performance of Godspell. This was the revised 2012 version, and the latest in the bevy of Godspells.
author: Mike Zellhofer
“I’m doing it for you, man.” – Claude
In a world saturated with “me” it is refreshing to hear those words. After a brief off-Broadway run Hair opened in April 1968. The country was in turmoil, divided, at war, just as it is today. In 1968 they tried to divide us black and white. Now they try to divide us blue and red.
Don’t dream it. Be it! In the season of Rocky Horror Shows, picture or otherwise, Stand Up For… Theatre is it! Director Ed Higgins takes an overdone, yet annually anticipated show, and turns it on its head. In a theatre world of copycats Higgins brings a refreshing twist to a classic tale.
Set in the round, this version gives an intimate feel and, in my opinion, makes for better audience participation.
“Spit it out, dear. Go on. On the floor. There’s worse things than that down there.” – Mrs. Lovett
And she’s right. In a world where borders are overlooked, people are minimalized, and one pill or another is all you need what ails you, the floor of humanity is riddled with disgust. The Havre de Grace Opera house has found a way to give us a three-hour respite from what lies outside their doors.
Roald Dahl’s Matilda is up and running at Artistic Synergy of Baltimore (ASoB). Directed by Anthony Case, the show keeps in line with other ASoB productions. There can be no question when it comes to ASoB and their dedication to the young thespians of the community. Even when the tech gremlins invaded opening night— the lights didn’t work and instead of leaving the house-lights up, the entire show was done with a follow spot on whoever was singing or speaking— the show must go on.
It is the trial of the century! Every juicy piece of gossip you could imagine is wrapped up neatly, just waiting to be unraveled. There are men, women, and a strange woman. There are cops, judges, bailiffs, and animals. What? Animals? Yes, animals! In fact, some can even talk to them. Curious? Then you must see Doctor Dolittle being presented by The Salem Players.
Director Jen Sizer takes the ball to direct her first musical and delivers a touchdown.
Curse, comfort, conjure; three words that Director Lee Conderacci uses in her “feminist practice and in her theatre art.” (words directly from Conderacci.) This time her artistic undertaking is Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin’s High School Coven, at The Strand Theater. Three words that individually bring forth a myriad of thoughts, ideas, and emotions. Three words that together allow us to see the world through the eyes of Conderacci, even for a brief two hours;
Nine. The number of positions to be fielded in baseball. Nine. The ball that kept hitting the poor mouse as we learned multiplication from School House Rock. Nine. The levels of Dante’s hell. Nine. The number of actors needed for Jeff Dunne’s Hellbent at Laurel Mill Playhouse.
The Director, and Playwright of Hellbent has really out Dunne himself. Having read several of Dunne’s plays through the Baltimore Playwrights Festival,
The current production at the Strand Theatre caused me to reflect on not who I am, but rather who I think I am. We all do it. Whether it is second guessing yourself, staying inside not because of COVID but for fear of being seen, or even trying to live up to what we think society wants us to be. Bottom line is we are far quicker to see the worth in someone else before we see it in ourselves.
Sometimes it’s the little things in life that teach us the greatest of lessons. Sometimes we see things and think that everyone sees the same thing. Sometimes we need our eyes opened, to understand our experiences may not be the same as others, even if we have just been part of the same event. Director Aladrian Wetzel makes those sometimes a reality in The Strand’s latest production, Black Super Hero Magic Mama,
Puffs is certainly written for serious fans of a certain young wizard. You pretty much have to be well versed in the wizardly world of J. K. Rowling (all seven years and then some) to have every joke land. However, Director Alanna Kiewe and her Spotlighters’ cast deliver an evening of entertainment whether you are a Potter novice or you bleed butter beer. I mean come on; these are Puffs we are talking about.
Arsenic Silliness of Baltimore, no wait, that’s not right. A Summer of Brewsters, no that doesn’t sound right either. Oh, I remember, it’s Arsenic & Old Lace at Artistic Synergy of Baltimore! Three years of no theatre has my brain a little foggy, but Sarah O’Hara’s directorial debut makes it clear that she and ASoB are back! Not only are they back, they are back with a bang, or in this case a sip.
Maya Angelou wrote, “The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.” For almost two years we were homeless; without our “safe place”. As we all settle into the “new norm”, Beth Tfiloh Community Theatre has given us a taste of the past, sprinkled with hope for the future, and laced with the safety of home. Theatre is back! And Beth Tfiloh’s production of 42nd Street,
Christmas before Thanksgiving?
Humbug! Don’t let me see one light, hear a carol, or find Santa in a mall until
I’ve had my turkey. Unless of course you are talking about seeing Scrooge, directed by William Price, at
Scottfield Theatre Company.
@machpe Scrooge at Scottfield Theatre Company. Photo: @machpe
With this aversion for early
Christmas you can imagine my thoughts while driving forty minutes north to
Havre de Grace.
Ken Ludwig’sMoon Over Buffalo is the second installment from Spotlighters
Theatre’s 58th season. If you are looking for some gut chuckling, tears
down your cheeks humor, then you won’t want to miss this show. Director Brandon
Richards has mentored his cast through door slamming, side splitting hysterics that
will keep you laughing all the way home.
Shealyn Jae Photography Moon Over Buffalo at Spotlighters Theatre. Photo: Shealyn Jae Photography
The first thing you notice upon
entering the theatre is the very cozy and well-designed set of Sam Martin.
Sometimes you can only shake your
head and ask, “Why?” Why the need to turn everything into a musical? Shows like
Pipe Dream, Kelly, and Via Galactica top Smithsonian.com’s list
of Broadway’s Top Ten Musical Flops; also
making the list, Carrie the Musical. Carrie opened on Broadway in 1988 and
after 16 previews and 5 performances it closed. In 1991, Ken Mendelbaum wrote a
book chronicling the history of Broadway musical flops,
17th
century poet Francis Quarles wrote, “Judge not the play before the play is
done.” Great advice for anyone seeing their umpteenth version of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,
especially if you are seeing Just Off Broadway’s latest offering. I don’t care how many times you’ve seen Joseph…, Director Tammy Oppel will show
you that you don’t know Joe! Oppel brings us a delightfully staged version of
the show unlike any that I have seen.
The Biltmore Garage wants a
grand, but we ain’t got a grand on hand. And they now got a lock on the door to
the gym at Public School 84. There’s a stock room behind McKlosky’s Bar, but
Mrs. McKlosky ain’t a good scout. And things being how they are, the back of
the police station is out! So, come on down to Artistic Synergy of
Baltimore ‘cause that’s where the action is. Shhhhh!
ASoB The cast of Artistic Synergy’s Guys &
As Bodhi (Patrick Swayze) said in
Point Break, “It will sting a bit,
but, uh, it’s for your own growth, bro.” Sweat
written by Lynn Nottage, playing at Spotlighters Theatre, is the slap in the
face that we need. It does what we all too often fail to do when it comes to a
political or social issue; it humanizes the situation. We read the paper, watch
the news, scan social media,
There is a jukebox musical that has all of Rosedale
shakin’! It’s Emma! A Pop Musical, now playing at Artistic Synergy of
Baltimore. There is so much energy from the cast they will have you toe tapping
and maybe even dancing in the aisle.
Amanda N. Gunther | TheatreBloom
First time Director Jake Schwartz burst onto the scene
and even shows up in a scene or two.
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.
Whenever
I am assigned to review a show presented by Stand Up For… Theatre, I know for
sure that I am going to be challenged to examine my conscience. For years now SUFT,
the theatrical division of Erase Hate Through Art, has been giving us
productions that challenge us to not only look at the world around us and the
role we play in it, but our perception of the madness that surrounds us.
Rosedale
has got itself are real who done it, as Artistic Synergy of Baltimore presents
Agatha Christie’s A Murder Is Announced.
If you have a knack for solving the case before your favorite TV detective,
then this is a show for you. But I’ll warn you now nothing is as it appears and
with Miss Marple on hand, you’ll need to be quick.
Amanda N. Gunther | TheatreBloom The cast of A Murder is Announced at Artistic Synergy of Baltimore.
It was a
cold and rainy night. Ironic, since I was on my way to see a play about a drought.
I was driving to Harford County. A place that has been in the news recently
because one of its politicians apologized for making a racial remark that she
didn’t recall making. Fitting since this show also features nasty politicians.
Finally, I arrived at Harford Community College and Urinetown. Wow! What an unexpected surprise!
I first became involved with
theatre in 1982. So, you can imagine that in 37 years I have seen and
experienced quit a few things in the theatrical world; and then came Sojourners. Sojourners is a play written by first generation Nigerian-American
playwright Mfoniso Udofia. It is currently showing at The Strand Theatre and is
directed by Cheryl J. Williams. It is well written, has a powerfully amazing
cast,
Freak,
slut, burn out, bug eyes, poser, lard ass, loser, short bus, bull dyke, stuck
up, hunchback, white trash! Names. Labels. Words used to describe people who
are different or don’t fit our image of what we consider the “norm.” Words that
one might associate with high school, but all to often are used far more common
in our everyday speech. In fact, if I am being honest, although I didn’t speak
the words,
Now is the time seize the day! Or in this case, “Carpe scaena!” And seize the stage like they did! Street Lamp Productions presentation of Disney’s Newsies, Directed and Choreographed by Bambi Johnson, is well worth the drive to Rising Sun, MD. I reckon it may be a bit out of the way for some Baltimore City folk, (Admittedly, had my mother not lived in Colora for over eleven years, I may not have known about it either.) but I promise you it’s worth the trip.
Every holiday season I search the idiot box for that feel-good show of the year. Little did I know that this year I would find it at the Chesapeake Arts Center, in Stand Up For…Theatre’s La Cage Aux Folles. Like Macy’s, Best Buy, SUFT brings Christmas early; only instead of a big box they use a black box.
Before I dive into the cast, crew, and show itself,
There is a song in The Last Five Years titled, “I Can Do Better Than That” and if The Montgomery Playhouse & Theatre @ CBT want to fill the seats, Producers David Jones and Elizabeth Weiss really need to do better. To ad lib a line from Mel Brooks, “What they did to Jason Robert Brown, Booth did to Lincoln.” When you put up a show with only two actors and music by JRB you need to make sure that your actors and Musical Director are up to the task.
Adam Grant wrote, “The culture of a workplace – an organization’s values, norms and practices – has a huge impact on our happiness and success.” Never has this been truer than in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Gloria, Directed by Kip Fagan at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.
Fagan has a clear understanding of Jacob-Jenkins’ work, and his staging is brilliant. Life, especially in the work place, is full of ups and downs,