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William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is an ancient play as it was written sometime between 1591 and 1595. The language used, Elizabethan English, is rather arcane. And the costumes reflect 16th century everyday wardrobe. But the Baltimore Shakespeare Factory’s production of Romeo and Juliet, though staying true to the original work, adds a dose of [...]
We know how complicated love can be. With all its obvious pleasures associated with it, we recognize how many challenges exist and how they must be overcome to sustain a loving relationship. Tricky as that proposition is, imagine how it must be for a teenager to cope with figuring out what true love is. Then [...]
Who says you can never go home again? In the case of Home, presented by Rep Stage which is in its 20th year, it is clear that returning home can bring a desirable outcome. Through its main character the play mirrors the migration of African-Americans from the South to the North in the 1950s and [...]
If there ever was a character in theatre who one feels compelled to root for, it has to be Tevye, the nearly impoverished milkman who resides in Anatevka, a small village in Czarist Russia in 1905. His strong-willed wife has a sharp-tongue, and he is struggling to house, feed and clothe his five daughters. The [...]
Born to former slaves, John Sumner Blake and Emily “Emma” Johnstone, on February 7, 1887 in Baltimore, James Hubert “Eubie” Blake ultimately became a pioneer in the theatre and music industry. He distinguished himself as a composer, lyricist and a pianist of ragtime, jazz and popular music. Blake died at the age of 96 and [...]
Although the Audrey Herman’s Spotlighters Theatre has for a half century taken on with considerable success some huge challenges like Broadway musicals, its cozy in-the-round venue works much better for dramatic plays. In making its Baltimore debut, the romantic comedy Rose’s Dilemma showcased four talented actors and an exquisitely designed set do justice to Pulitzer [...]
When you think of a big-time, splashy, iconic musical such as Mame, you imagine (or recall) it unfolding on a grand stage of a Broadway theater. You also picture colorful scenery, period costumes, a huge orchestra in the pit and a terrific storyline with a memorable musical score. Mame ran on Broadway from 1966-1970 for [...]
A panda wants to be a crocodile. A crocodile wants to be a panda. And there is cross-species lovemaking. Wow! This is an example of the type of the comical chaos in the hilarious Iron Crow Theatre Company’s 2012-2013 season kick-off, Bad Panda. Written by playwright, monologist and songwriter Megan Gogerty, Bad Panda is making [...]
The songs, fun, imagination, themes, naughtiness and uniqueness that characterize Avenue Q have been the source of the show’s popularity for years. The three-time Tony Award winner, including Best Musical, ran for 2,534 performances on Broadway from 2003-2009 plus the spawning of other national and international tours and productions. It has rightfully earned its place [...]
The Color Purple, the heralded Broadway musical adapted from Alice Walker’s 1982 Pulitizer Prize-winning novel and the tear-inducing film by Steven Spielberg of the same title that starred Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg, plays out handsomely at Toby’s the Dinner Theatre of Columbia. The music and lyrics, penned by Brenda Russel, Allee Willis and Stephen [...]
To many of the younger generation, the quest for equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population has only centered on same-sex marriage. Others perhaps are aware of the Stonewall uprisings in New York’s West Village in June 1969 that most concur launched the modern gay rights movement. In actuality, the movement began quietly [...]
Should you purchase a house plant that resembles something between a Venus flytrap and an avocado, be wary. And if it asks to be fed, that should definitely send up a red flag. Because this isn’t your garden variety house plant; it could be an alien from another planet sent here to take over the world [...]
Never mind that you may not be apt to hum the melodies from Legally Blonde, the Musical as you exit the theater. Ignore the fact that the content defies modern social consciousness and plays on a multitude of stereotypes: ditsy blondes…
Gamesmanship abounds in Anthony Shaffer’s playful mystery Sleuth, which kicks off the Olney Theatre Center’s summer season. Artistic director Jim Petosa, who is leaving Olney after 20 years, orchestrated a splendid mix of accomplished acting…
