Articles Tagged With: comedy

Kim’s Convenience at Everyman Theatre

Reviews September 8, 2026 Amanda N. Gunther Leave a comment

“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,

Return Engagements at Bowie Community Theatre

Reviews July 27, 2026 Ryan J Bordenski

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,

The Divine Sister at Vagabond Players

Reviews June 5, 2026 Amanda N. Gunther

All religion is a mania. And the maniacs are going to be coming after Charles Busch (the farce-loving playwright) for The Divine Sister. How do you solve a problem like Maria? Or a problem that you— ‘can’t face’? (Put that one in a British accent while you’re at it) well…take a hearty dose of holy high hilarity down at Vagabond Players to close out their 110th season. Whoever greenlit this one as the season closer has got a bone to pick with the big guy upstairs… or big girl?

Emma at Everyman Theatre

Reviews May 26, 2026 Amanda N. Gunther

You can’t control everything, Emma! But isn’t it fun to watch her try!? Yes! Yes it is! And far more than fun— it’s practically a divertissement of the most jubilant nature; it’s a rather uproarious, madcap enjoyment! Emma, the Jane Austen classic— as recently adapted by Kate Hamill for maximum rom-com tomfoolery— is situating itself onto the Everyman Theatre main stage as the final production of the 2025/2026 season. Directed by Laura Kepley,

A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Just Off Broadway

Reviews May 22, 2026 Amanda N. Gunther

How now, summer spirit? Have you brought us hot ice and wondrous strange snow? Or a mess of Athenian lovers, a Faerie Brawl, and some Rude Mechanicals all dusted up in one moonlit spell? All of that, says you? Then you must be alluding to A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Just Off Broadway! The first of the Bard’s ilk to tread the boards at JoB and it’s a sensational production under the keen and goodly direction of Mistress Kelly Williams Carlson,

The Mouse That Roared at Salem Players

Reviews May 8, 2026 Amanda N. Gunther

Has your country gone broke? Are you about to have to go back to the ‘dark times’ where only one pomegranate per household per year? Are you on the verge of total extinction in your five-mile by three-mile country that NATO likely doesn’t recognize? Then have we got a solution for you! Why, declare war, of course! On the United States! Because there’s no conceivable universe— past, present, future, or otherwise— where you could win that war,

Sam McLellan and company in THE BOOK OF MORMON North American tour 📷 Julieta Cervante

The Book of Mormon at The National Theater DC

Reviews April 30, 2026 Steven Kirkpatrick & Charles Boyington Steven Kirkpatrick & Charles Boyington

author: Charles Boyington & Steven Kirkpatrick

How is it possible that a show which revels in profane shock words and satirical (even blasphemous) humor, is simultaneously one of the sweetest, most life-affirming and faith-affirming shows you will ever see? How is it possible that every jab of satire is matched with such lovely, uplifting charm that you’ll be cheering and swaying along with Elder Price, ready to affirm too,

Moon Over Buffalo at MAD

Reviews April 13, 2026 Rick Bergmann

author: Rick Bergmann

Comic Chaos at its Finest: Moon Over Buffalo at MAD

There are certain classics in community theatre that, when done well, always bring joy to the stage. Ken Ludwig’s Moon Over Buffalo is one of them. This fast-paced comedy follows fading stage couple George and Charlotte Hay as they perform repertory theater in Buffalo while desperately hoping for a big Hollywood break. When they learn that a famous director might attend their show,

Megan Anderson (left) as Sonia, with Bruce Randolph Nelson (middle) as Vanya, and Beth Hylton (right) as Masha in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at Everyman Theatre 📷 Teresa Castracane Photography

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at Everyman Theatre

Reviews March 31, 2026 Amanda N. Gunther

You must always get your hopes up— it’s wise but scary— though not in this case! If you’re getting your hopes up for a fantastic evening of theatrical entertainment, then you’re winning at life and Everyman Theatre is the place to be! They will delight you, they will tickle your funny bone, they will enchant you with their penultimate production of the 25/26 season (celebrating 35 years in Baltimore), and they will remind you that life is beautiful,

As You Like It at Folger Theater 📷 Brittany Diliberto

As You Like It at The Folger Theatre

Reviews March 16, 2026 Amanda N. Gunther

From the court to the country— Arden is your stage! And your stage of Arden is currently being staged at The Folger Theatre. Oh, look— unicorn! As You Like It is sliding onto The Folger Theatre stage just in time for spring and it’s as refreshing and revitalizing as the much-needed warmer weather in the nation’s capital. Directed by the insanely talented Timothy Douglas, this production of one of Shakespeare’s more popular comedies— as envisioned by The Folger Theatre’s Artistic Director Karen Ann Daniels— is effervescent in its existence,

The Importance of Being Earnest at UPStage Artists

Reviews March 13, 2026 Wes Dennis

author: Wes Dennis

Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is often referred to as the funniest play in the English language. While I may not entirely agree with that assessment — comedy can be quite subjective and often derives from specific cultural contexts, such that objective qualifiers like “funniest” should be regarded with a certain skepticism — many people are saying that the play remains decidedly amusing and culturally relevant even 130 years after its publication date.

Women Playing Hamlet at Bowie Community Theatre

Reviews March 10, 2026 Steven Kirkpatrick & Charles Boyington Steven Kirkpatrick & Charles Boyington

author: Charles Boyington & Steven Kirkpatrick

The Questions: If in Shakespearean times, all the roles in his dramas were played by men, should we not have dramas today where all the roles are played by women? If Hamlet is arguably the best character Shakespeare has ever written, should not every woman want desperately to play him? Should you spend your money to see this community production? Yes.

In Women Playing Hamlet,

Arsenic & Old Lace at Vagabond Players 📷 Shealyn Jae Photography

Arsenic and Old Lace at Vagabond Players

Reviews February 21, 2026 Amanda N. Gunther

Do you long for a simpler time? A time when things weren’t so complicated? A time, perhaps, when simpler virtues— things like candlelight, good manners, and poisoned wine were on offer in every Old Spinster household? Vagabond Players has got just the show for you, my friends, but whatever you do— DO NOT DRINK THE WINE! That tried and true comedic classic, Arsenic and Old Lace, written by Joseph Kesselring, is now appearing at Vags under the direction of Katie Sheldon and it’s a doozy!

Romeo & Juliet a Comedy at The Rude Mechanicals

Reviews January 31, 2026 Amanda N. Gunther

“Fear is like a rhubarb enema!” might just be the wildest thing I’ve ever heard come out of the mouth of a player at a Rude Mechanical’s show. And I’ve seen their King John! My one regret (aside from seeing their King John) is that I couldn’t hear the rest of the line— delivered in utter brilliance by Marin (Linda “Spencer” Dye) the fraidy-cat servant to Roselo because both myself and the rest of the audience were laughing so hard it drowned out whatever insanity came next.

The Shark is Broken at Vagabond Players

Reviews January 10, 2026 Amanda N. Gunther

Art and entertainment are not mutually exclusive; something can tickle your funny bone and give you great pause for appreciation. And vice versa. It’s what Ian Shaw & Joseph Nixon’s script The Shark is Broken sets out to prove. It’s now appearing— the area community premiere— at Vagabond Players, kicking off the back-half of the 110th season! Directed by Stephen Deininger, this fast-paced, truth-based theatrical engagement gives audiences a deeper look at what really happens when filming for a movie gets stalled in tight quarters.

A Tuna Christmas at Spotlighters Theatre

Reviews December 8, 2025 Amanda N. Gunther

It’s a joy to be in the Mount Vernon area when that Christmas spirit takes hold. They light the monument, trees go up everywhere, and Spotlighters Theatre puts on a holiday show of some variety or other. (They’ve even thrown their hat in the ring in years past with their very own one-man A Christmas Carol.) But this year, they’re trying something a little different. Yes they are, they are, they are.

The Thanksgiving Play at Maryland Ensemble Theatre

Reviews November 8, 2025 Amanda N. Gunther

“Facts are facts. They don’t loosen or tighten. They just are.” ~The Thanksgiving Play; Larissa FastHorse.

Opinions, however, can be loose, tight, and all over the place. Popular or unpopular, we all have them, and we all share them. And that’s an important notion to keep percolating just at the back of the brain as you settle in for this 90-minute, no-intermission, genre-questionable work that is Larissa FastHorse’s The Thanksgiving Play at the Maryland Ensemble Theatre as the second offering of their 2025/2026 main stage season.

Tartuffe at Silver Spring Stage

Reviews November 4, 2025 Leonard Taube

author: Leonard Taube

Few plays in world history are mired in as much controversy as the one being currently produced by Silver Spring Stage (Silver Spring, MD). In 1664 France, a delightfully funny yet extremely controversial three-act play by French playwright Moliere was performed titled Tartuffe. While received well by the public, it immediately sparked conflict amongst certain groups who did not take too well to the portrayal of someone who is outwardly pious but fundamentally deceitful.

(L to R) Megan Evans, Courtney Knoerlein, Colleen Robinson Miller, Ray Essick, Jenny Gleason, Tim Lewis, Ava Silberman in Urinetown at RMT 📷 Nickolas Cummings

Urinetown at Rockville Musical Theatre

Reviews November 3, 2025 Rick Bergmann

author: Rick Bergmann

Rockville Musical Theatre’s Urinetown Flushes Out The Truth With Glee

Jonathan Swift once wrote, “Satire is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover everybody’s face but their own.” That idea perfectly captures what makes Rockville Musical Theatre’s production of Urinetown The Musical—now playing at the newly renovated F. Scott Fitzgerald Theater—so successful.

Originally produced in 2001, Urinetown remains strikingly relevant today.

Dracula A Comedy of Terrors at Colonial Players

Reviews October 30, 2025 Amanda N. Gunther

I am all in a sea of wonders…I think strange things, which I dare not confess to my own soul…so instead I’ll confess to you— the folks of readerland— this Halloween spoof-spectacular is unhinged, off-the-hook, and absolutely the must-see, laugh-out-loud 95-minute thriller of the season. Forget about Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr., Christopher Lee, Adam Sandler, and whoever else you’ve seen don the cape on the silver screen through the years— they can’t hold a garlic-scented candle to Colonial Players and their present production of Dracula A Comedy of Terrors,

Art at Everyman Theatre

Reviews October 28, 2025 Amanda N. Gunther

It’s often said that death brings out the worst in people; you see family’s tear one another apart over left-behind possessions in the wake of someone’s passing. But what happens when the death of a friendship is eminent? How do friends behave when the threads that bind them are no longer frayed but thinly grizzled and hardly friends at all? So much so that a singular choice— one might even say a matter of personal taste and opinion— or a disagreement over said choice,

Sister Act at Phoenix Festival Theatre

Reviews September 19, 2025 Amanda N. Gunther

Outside, life is grim. Filled with violence and scandal to the brim! But here within the walls of Phoenix Festival Theatre (currently contained up the road a smidge and across the street at The Amoss Center) there’s hope— there’s joy— there’s love and sisterhood. That’s right, they’re putting the ‘sis’ back in Gensis with their pulse-thumping production of Sister Act— one weekend only! Directed by Shelia Kahle, with Musical Direction by Mia Bray,

Hairspray at Tidewater Players

Reviews September 19, 2025 Amanda N. Gunther

You can’t get lazy when things get crazy! And this world is spun so far out that crazy doesn’t even begin to cover it. But if you need a pick-me-up? An enthusiastic musical-theatre-shaped hug that will just bring you joy? Tidewater Players has it with their production of Hairspray playing through the end of September in the Have de Grace Opera House! Directed by Lauren Hampton with Musical Direction by Steven Edward Soltow,

Four Old Broads at Laurel Mill Playhouse

Reviews September 15, 2025 Amanda N. Gunther

Grab your turbo-strength girdle! Put your teeth in! And pull-up those big-girl panties! Because all hell’s about to break loose at the Magnolia Place Senior Living Home! But before we let the broads loose on the audience for approximately two and a half hour’s stage traffic, we should take down the particulars! Laurel Mill Playhouse is the where! This upcoming weekend (September 19th, 20th, and 21st 2025) is the when! (Also 8:00pm on Friday &