You cannot starve the people and not expect to pay.
You cannot lie to the people and not expect to pay.
You cannot ignore the people and not expect to pay!
A poignant and potent message coming to you at the pinnacle finale moment of Happenstance Theatre’s Barococo, though that’s getting…a-head…of myself. Devised and written by the ensemble, just one of several signature stamps upon any Happenstance show,
author Dave Martinek
There I am, in the audience of Dundalk Community Theatre’s production of Jimmy Buffett’s Escape to Margaritaville Book by Greg Garcia and Mike O’Malley, Music and Lyrics by Jimmy Buffett (a star born on Christmas day), waiting to see what Director Albert J. Boeren, Choreographer Unissa Cruse, and Music Director Jarrett Rettman had in store for my date and I, when the lights dimmed I was magically transported to “One Particular Harbor” of a charming Margaritaville resort on a Caribbean island far away from these cold mornings and the stressors of a world that could use a “License to Chill”.
author: Steven Kirkpatrick and Charles Boyington
Some musicals invite audiences to sit back and enjoy the show. Mamma Mia! practically dares them to stay in their seats. The 25th Anniversary Tour, now at Washington’s National Theatre, is a jubilant reminder of why this ABBA-fueled phenomenon has endured: beneath the glitter, outrageous comedy, and irresistible pop anthems lies a surprisingly tender story about love, friendship, and the families we make for ourselves.
Listen up! Lemme tell you a story! A story that I know you’ve heard before— I know you know their names and their fame and their faces…you might have even seen them here three years when they toured Baltimore’s Hippodrome theatre in May of ’23…that’s right— the infamous…the wives of that one guy— SIX! Back in Baltimore, baby, and they are here to rewrite HISstory and make it flourish as HERstory.
The instruments of darkness tell us truths. And the most delicious truth, buried deep in a centuries’ old Shakespeare is the one about the tyrant— the great builder of ballrooms that nobody asked for— buried in that delectable speech of knocking with the castaway character of the Porter. But let’s rewind a little, despite knowing that history repeats itself. Not a kingdom for a horse, not once more into the breech, but rather Burnham wood on the march to Dunsinane.
author: Jaki Demarest and Alan Duda
A confession. I have never read Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. But that’s okay, as this is Allan Knee’s Tony-nominated 2005 musical Little Women going up at Goddard’s Music and Drama Club (MAD). This is director James Pildis’ ninth show since joining MAD in 2024, and according to his bio, he does not sleep. But I believe his dreams are being fulfilled.
Theatricity— the happiness you experience when the electrical nature of live theatre simultaneously tickles your funny bone and gives a hard yank on your heartstrings. The word is mine, the notion gently borrowed from and inspired by the master wordsmith— playwright and Everyman resident company member— Katie Kleiger, author of Different Words for Happiness, presently making its world premiere as the second play of the 2026/2027 season. A properly evocative, emotional roller coaster,
When the crypt doors creak and the tombstones quake…
Hmm. That’s not quite right.
Pumpkins scream in the dead of night?
No. Not that one either.
It’s just a jump to the left… ooh, no. Not quite. No steps to the right either.
Oh! I know. Let me borrow some favorable verbiage from Mr. Crosby. “Gather ‘round while I elucidate on what happens outside when it gets late…” but only if you’re in that well-known town of Sleepy Hollow.
What’s the Pope’s favorite garment?
WHITE SOCKS!!!
If you’re not prepared for that level of groan-inducing humor, and is anybody ever prepared for that level of groan-inducing humor— then you are not prepared for Nunsense at Damascus Theatre Company. Seriously, those puns are habit-forming! #IYKYK Directed by Keith Edward, with Musical Direction by Paul Rossen, and AD/Choreography by Megan McNellage, this trippy little musical comedy will get you back in the habit of laughing your tail off.
Do you wanna feel…special? For an hour or two? Cause they can make you feel…special… if you just give them your money! It’s like the mid 00’s on retro-repeat over at Stand Up For…Theatre with their current production of Avenue Q and just like when it went up for its Tony against Wicked, we’re hoping that the *INSERT TEMPORARY THING* that they chose for the “For Now” ending is indeed just that!
author: Leonard Taube
If I were to say to you, “I can make you a man”, or “Touch a Touch-a-Touch me”, or maybe ask you coyly if you’d do the “Time Warp” with me, would you look at me as if I was batty or respond with some clever retorts such as “Only if you take me to a science fiction double feature”? If the latter, you are a Rocky Horror fan and if the former well,
The history of the world, my sweet, is who gets eaten and who gets to eat! But fortunately it’s also clear— that everybody goes down well with beer! And a side of ECT. Or at least that’s what’s being served up as Vagabond Players kicks off their 111th season this fall with their innovative and visionary new production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Silence, maggots! The smell of rebellion is in the air! And it’s wafting through the atmosphere all the way over from Silhouette Stages in Columbia with their brilliant production of Roald Dahl’s Matilda! Directed by Amy Haynes Rapnicki (assisted by Derek Cooper) with Musical Direction by Terin Kelsey and Choreography by Hunter Lubawski, this zesty, good-fun musical is filled with heart and is being enjoyed by the audience as well as everyone on the stage;
This story begins with a spark. A spark of light. A spark of life. A spark of humanity. Truly, an electrifying retelling of the iconic monster novel, now such a smashing success on stage that it’s already received it’s first extension before officially being open. Chesapeake Shakespeare Company jolts their 2026/2027 to thrillifying life with Mary Shelley’s Frankestein, by David Catlin, directed by Ian Gallanar and Lizzi Albert. This devilishly delicious sweet treat is the perfect pop of terrifying thriller to start spooky season on the right foot.
“Like a pansy in winter, even the brightest things must fade.” Tragically beautiful, a quote pulled from the ‘history wall’ at the front of the ‘exhibit’ before you fully submerse yourself into Submersive Productions The Pansy Hour. Conceived by Josh Aterovis and fabricated into fruition by The Creative Team— Josh Aterovis, Aaron Barlow, Liz Gordon, Vicky Graham, Jacob Marrero, Ursula Marcum, Glenn Ricci— this secretive, immersive theatrical experience delves into the history of Baltimore’s Queer social scene and visibility,
author: Steven Kirkpatrick & Charles Boyington
Dirty Dancing—The Musical, now playing at The National Theatre, is a visually rich, energetic dance showcase built around the beloved 1980s film’s signature elements: the Catskills setting; the romance between Frances “Baby” Houseman (Annalese Starzec, who resembles Jennifer Grey) and dance instructor Johnny Castle (a muscular Blake Zelesnikar channeling Patrick Swayze); the famous lifts; and, of course, the climactic declaration that “no one puts Baby in a corner.”
The audience was thrilled and the production is certainly worth seeing,
“Life can still be good; better than death.” The quote may presently come from Stephen Spotswood’s Where Dead Women Go to Dance, but there’s a ubiquity and a universality to its truth. No matter what you’re facing, no matter what you’re going through, life can still be good; better than death. It’s a powerful notion that gets driven home in this new work, appearing under the direction of Lauren Patton Villegas at Theatre Prometheus.
Stories can borrow. Stories can change. Stories can put on new clothes. Perhaps you’re familiar with the story of the little girl who chased…or followed… a white rabbit down a rabbit hole in her garden one afternoon? What if it was a little girl who was gazing up at the moon, trying to write lyrics for a song for her Moon Festival Celebration? A story that has borrowed…and put on new clothes. That beauty and wondrous strange fun is what’s occurring at the Maryland Ensemble Theatre’s Fun Company as they kickoff their 2026/2027 season with Moon Festival Alice.
author: Andrew Worthington
Life is a cabaret, old chum. Come to the cabaret! In the heart of downtown Havre de Grace, MD, Rogue Swan Theatre company is presenting an impressive, though startling, rendition of the Kander and Ebb masterpiece, Cabaret. The cast and creative team have created a fabulous production filled with incredible music, impressive dancing, gritty storytelling, and a message that is needed now more than ever. Director Lilli Burril-Gordon,
Some people ain’t made for small town life. And everybody is entitled to their own trouble. Of course, there’s layers and layers of nonsense whenever you come near the human race— and if our present day societal existence isn’t proving that one, I don’t know what is. But small town life, whether you’re meant for it or not, whether you’ve got your troubles with it or not, has come to Church Circle in that little black-box-in-the-square of Annapolis because Colonial Players is kicking off their 78th season with Thornton Wilder’s American chestnut,
Do you know what I do when I’m sitting in a darkened theatre waiting for a show to start? I’m mostly wondering why the lights have gone down if the show hasn’t actually started. Though it sounds like me and “Man in Chair” of The Drowsy Chaperone infamy, have some similar thoughts. Like “please, God, let it be a good show. And if not a good one, at least let it be short.” And let me tell you,
You are here— at the start of a moment:
9:37am Tuesday September 11th 2001. The buzzer-bell that should have dismissed second period at Western School of Technology & Environmental Sciences, is two minutes late and instead, the voice of Principal Don Weglein comes on the intercom, excusing the interruption to classes, to state that two planes have crashed into The World Trade Center, classes are to be dismissed in an orderly fashion, and all students are to proceed to their next class or the cafeteria for lunch period,
This was just a moment in the woods— again, please!
165 minutes, give or take an intermission, to be semi exact, and they’ll do it again for 2,475 more minutes over the course of the next three weekends. Give or take, as I chose theatre and the arts not math and numbers. But whichever of your minutes you have to spare over the next several weekends, give them to The Maryland Ensemble Theatre by going to see their production of Into The Woods.
Everything must end eventually. Now I’m asking you to trust me. When I say go see Maybe Happy Ending, I mean do it. The Tony Award-winning musical (six wins including Best Musical, with book & music by Will Aronson and book & lyrics by Hue Park) launches its National Tour debut from Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre and is playing through September 19th, 2026. Heartfelt, evocative, gripping, and gorgeous, this striking new musical, directed by Michael Arden,
author: Andrew Worthington
Opening night! It’s opening night! *jazz hands*
The opening night of Phoenix Festival Theatre’s The Producers was met with a standing ovation from a packed house after hours of laughter and impressive performances. The cast, crew, and production team, including director John Desmone, music director Jarrett Rettman, and choreographer Leslie Perry, have a hit on their hands with a production that pays homage to the iconic performances of the 1967 Mel Brooks film,
“Look same…not same thing…” a repeated phrase in the first several minutes of Ins Choi’s Kim’s Convenience, the opening bid to Everyman Theatre’s 2026/2027 season. A perfectly humorous, deeply heartfelt, earnest exploration of family dynamic, expectations and dysfunction, this brilliant performance, as directed by Cara Hinh (in co-production with Indiana Repertory Theatre and Portland Center Stage) will tickle the funny bone, warm the heart, draw a tear or two to the eye,
Be vigitant! And if you have legs— you will come! To the final production of the 2026 Frederick Shakespeare Festival— Ardeo Theatre Company’s Much Ado About Nothing! Set in the bodacious and totally rad 1980s, this hilarious Shakespearean comedy is directed by Aaron Angello and features a mostly repertory cast from the FSF first main-stage show of 2026, Henry IV Part 1. Witty, humorous, heartfelt, and above all fun,
Raise your strength, raise your spirit, raise it so the angels can hear it! Raise some heat! Raise some Cain! Raise it to a higher plane! And The Long Green Valley Players are RAISING IT!!! Not only have they raised themselves up like Lazarus after a good double-decade hiatus, but they are raising up the joy— the spirit— and their voices at St. John’s this summer with their reboot-inaugural production of Sister Act.
Inside the sadness there is joy; a powerful and universally true statement, no matter what your situation may be. And The Notebook is steeped deeply in both sadness and joy. Now touring Broadway at The National in Washington DC through the end of August, this tragically beautiful story— with music and lyrics by Ingrid Michaelson and book by Bekah Brunstetter, based on the novel by Nicolas Sparks— has a lot of really exquisite moments woven throughout and features some incredibly talented performers to narrate that tale.
Define normal. Because normal is an illusion, what’s normal for the spider is a calamity of for the fly! And what really is normal— a family? A secret? A ring? Sounds like you’re in for the least normal night of your life…or maybe the most normal if you go to the theatre every night like certain people do. Me. I’m the certain people. Buckle up, theatergoers, you’re in for anything but normal when it comes to spending one kooky night (or afternoon,