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,
Certainly everywhere is somewhere. And after all, isn’t it more important to know whether there will be weather than what the weather will be? Or am I perhaps conflating Norton Juster and upcoming playwright Elliot Kashner. The latter, I think. Though his current new work, The Inn, appearing at The Audrey Herman Spotlighters Theatre as a part of the summer 2026 Baltimore Playwrights Festival offering, does— to my mind— transport me to my first encounter with NPCs.
Love is an open door! Love is putting someone else’s needs before yours. Disney’s Frozen was a game-changer in redefining what an act of true love really could be; so many Disney fairytale animated features (and subsequent Broadway musicals) depended on the princess finding her prince and true love’s first kiss. And while there’s a total side-plot component in Frozen, this wintery-wonderland-fairytale musical is all about the love of family.
Red…yellow…green…brown…scarlet…black…don’t tempt me. I know all 29 colors by heart— Sara Bosworth of Lansdowne Middle School ensured that every kid in that production could say, sing, spell, and recite in order the colors of Joseph’s coat in the spring of 1998. I’ve been married to this production for almost as many years as the coat has colors. And seeing my umpteenth production from church basements to national touring houses and everywhere in-between— Joseph &
The very essence of romance is uncertainty! Will they? Won’t they? Is it a Happily-Ever-After? Join The Endangered Species Theatre Project as they embark down the well-worn theatrical path of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest this summer as a part of the Frederick Shakespeare Festival. Co-Directed by Christine Mosere and Kayla Swain, there’s some giddiness abound in this indoor-festival production.
Part of this production’s challenge is the overall pacing,
Of these two things I am certain; all else is confusion:
It’s thrilleritis-malignus at its finest!
author: Jake Schwartz
When the whole world starts to turn into a musical, you need to think about the implications! And in Wildwood Summer Theatre’s production of Starkid’s The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals, the implications are everywhere. As with any Starkid show, The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals is vulgar, violent, crass, bloody, and full of content warnings. Yet it has developed a cult following,
author: Ryan J. Bordenski
Love is in the air, but so is deceit, mockery, adultery, the withholding of information, lies, and…uh…dental procedures? But don’t worry; this is a comedy so everything will be funny and fine in the end, right?! Of course, I am talking about Return Engagements at Bowie Community Theatre. This farcical and comedic play by Bernard Slade tells the story of four unique and awkward couples who have separate chance encounters and trysts,
Everything I learned that gets me through the worst, I learned at my Mama’s knee. And I invite her along plenty to come see musical theatre, out and about with me. And while she couldn’t make it to the opening of Cockpit in Court’s Footloose— my Mama says, it doesn’t matter, if you’re a first-timer or you been there before, you better get your tickets to see that show, before they ain’t got tickets no more!
End war before it ends you! Not something most of us thought would be resonating hard here in 2026. History doesn’t repeat itself so much as it rhymes with itself. And you can feel that rhyming resonance in all too relevant way raging through the talent at Small Town Stars Theatre Company’s production of Hair. Yes, that Hair, the one with the hippie-loving ‘be-in’ and the nudity at the end of Act I.
Well it’s a hard, cold, tumble of a tourney, jumble of a journey to Urinetown! Actually, it’s a long drive, and it’s pretty hot outside, all the way up to Rising Sun for Urinetown. But my friends, I say— you have to run, freedom-run-freedom-run-awaaaaaay— up there to go and see this fine production! Campy, humorous, creative, clever, with all sorts of piss-taking songs and a company 32 strong in that little black box of Street Lamp Community Theatre,
“Change doesn’t come whispered in your ear; it comes as a hurricane.” There was more to that strikingly profound quote but at the risk of butchering Nikki Ann Hartman’s beautiful phraseology, I’ll leave it there. It was one of several, one of many, one of more than a handful that really stuck with me while experiencing Doll Parts… a one{trans}-woman show at The Voxel in Baltimore City last night. A friend of mine likes to tease me about how I struggle with the difference between a couple,
author: Wes Dennis
I approached The Colored Museum with deep skepticism. Too often shows that spotlight aspects of the black American experience leave me shaken and incensed: not in a truly powerful or earned way, but in a way that I find offensive and even insulting. A play that ends with the dramatic reveal that a black youth has been shot to death may serve as a gut punch to white audiences,
In this hot summer heat if you need someplace cool to go—
Prepare yourself for a sensational show.
They put the ‘hell’ in hello, and you’re in for one hell of a ride
When you come see River Stone Theatre Company’s production of Bonnie & Clyde.
Why? Well, ‘cause ain’t nothin’ rhyme with Clyde & Bonnie. This rarely produced musical is currently appearing at the Opera House in Havre de Grace as River Stone Theatre Company’s third main-stage show and is directed and choreographed by Lauren Hampton,
author: Chris Pence
The Sounds of Silence: Variations on Silence at Rapid Lemon Productions
“Hello darkness, my old friend / I’ve come to talk with you again / Because a vision softly creeping / Left its seeds while I was sleeping / And the vision that was planted in my brain / Still remains / Within the sound of silence.” Is silence truly just the absence of sound, or something more?
Is not truth the truth? Instinct is a great matter. And your instincts ought be telling you to get thee to Frederick for the inaugural production of the 2026 Frederick Shakespeare Festival— Henry IV Part 1 as presented by Unstrung Harpist. Directed by Evan Crump, this jam-packed history can turn even the most skeptical of audient into a history appreciator if not wholly an enthusiast. Remarkably well executed, this sword-clashing, heartbreaking, villainously ripe tale doth tread upon the heels of Richard II,
Positivity is a luxury that few can afford! But I’m positive that you’ll want to catch Beetlejuice now that it’s returned home to The National Theatre for a two-week summertime engagement! It’s a show about death! And they tell you that straight away— no punches— no surprises— well, plenty of surprises, but not about the whole “being dead thing.” Based on the Geffen Company Picture of the same name, with story by Michael McDowell &
author: Erin Tarpley
“Love’s a reason without reason”
What is the first trope you think of when you think of Shakespeare? Star-crossed lovers? Mistaken identities? Cross-dressing? Tragic flaws? Dramatic irony? Do you tend to prefer his tragedies? Comedies? Romances?? Well, when it comes to The Tale of Cymbeline, this show feels like it is competing for a “Shakespeare-Trope” bingo game; and all the audience is a winner with this production!
Trying to tell a story you can feel. How do you make the magic real? Love makes magic real. And is love bursting at every seam in Maryland Ensemble Theatre’s Summer Community Outreach production of As You Like It. And this isn’t just any As You Like It, it’s the one adapted by Shaina Taub and Laurie Woolrey (music and lyrics by Shaina Taub, source material William Shakespeare.) And it has the love of Julie Herber and Karli Cole,
author: Ryan J. Bordenski
Good times never seemed so good (so good! so good! so good!), especially when The Neil Diamond Musical: A Beautiful Noise, is here in town at The Hippodrome, and you will be tapping your feet and screaming the lyrics, as if you were at a Neil Diamond concert! Side note: a moment of celebration and high praises in store for this touring cast celebrating not only a little over two years of touring together,
A little bit of this… a little bit of that… And— only 94 actors!? That’s a new tradition for Howard County Summer Theatre! Marking their 50th annual production (founded in 1975 but there was a pandemic in there for a summer or two), HCST brings the iconic musical of tradition to the stage— for the 3rd time (1988, 2015, and now.) Directed by Tom Sankey with Vocal Direction by Miriam Kook, Choreography by Kassi Serafini,
They say you can’t remember pain. Maybe you can’t remember pleasure either. What does it matter, it’s all glitter anyway, isn’t it? What day is it? I scarcely know myself. Thursday, I think. Likely Friday by the time this makes print. Likely Friday by the time this show opens. Truth or illusion, though that might be the wrong Albee. Have to keep these things delicately balanced, you know. If you’re looking for something theatrically impressive,
Are you eccentric enough to believe in the soothing power of culture? Theatre is meant to be culture. Dark comedies are meant to be funny. And Yasmina Reza’s darkish-comedy God of Carnage (as translated by Christopher Hampton) certainly has its moments in the upstairs cabaret theatre space of Cockpit in Court, the first of two non-musicals included in the 2026 summer season. Directed by Gabriel Lewin, this edgy dark deviance divulges into the territory of “what happens when adults behave like children and fail to act like th grown-ups that they’re pretending to be?”
I’ve seen shows in the cabaret theatre space of Cockpit in Court since 2012,
A million lights are dancing— and there they are, a shooting star (ten of them, actually!) An everlasting world, lovely-in-blue…and they’re there with you! Must be—
Xanadu
ELO, ONJ, OMG, and all that jazz! It’s Venice… okay Venice Beach…well, Essex at CCBC but we’ll suspend our disbelief for this fun and whimsical bit of theatrical cotton candy. The iconic and camptastic screen-to-stage gem Xanadu is glittering its way onto Cockpit in Court’s main stage as the first of a five-show season (two upstairs,