Theatre Review: ‘Black Comedy’ at Laurel Mill Playhouse by Susan Brall

If you have ever attended a production at Laurel Mill Playhouse, you probably saw Lori Bruun’s name in the program. Although she occasionally did perform onstage, she primarily worked behi…

‘A Quick 5’ with Valerie Dowdle in ‘How to Transcend a Happy Marriage’ presented by Iron Crow Theatre at Baltimore Theatre Project by Susan Brall

Theatre Review: ‘Romeo and Juliette’ at Laurel Mill Playhouse by Susan Brall

It is plain to see that Jacqueline Youm’s adaption and direction of Shakespeare’s play which she calls “Romeo and Juliette” is a labor of love. Youm not only is the adaptor and direc…

Theatre Review: ‘Kinky Boots’ at Silhouette Stages by Susan Brall

“Kinky Boots” is a joyous musical about how acceptance of others and ourselves is the way to find happiness in your life. It is based on the 2005 British film of the same name, written b…

‘A Quick 5′ with Shereen Ahmed, Actor in ‘The Age of Innocence’ at Arena Stage by Susan Brall

With the increase of power and wealth of “the one percent” more interest is being paid to a similar time in our country’s history known as The Gilded Age. The term, first used by Mark …

‘A Quick 5’ with Fin Davis, Actor and Playwright of “Gallows Humor” at Round House Theatre’s Teen Takeover Weekend by Susan Brall

Coming February 28, Round House Theatre will begin Teen Takeover Weekend, showcasing students from their teen ensembles in various performances. This will include the 23rd Annual Sarah Metze…

‘A Quick 5’ with Dana Tai Soon Burgess, Founding Artistic Director and Choreographer of DTSBDC, ‘An Asian American Dance Journey’ at Woolly Ma by Susan Brall

Theatre Review: ‘Fires in the Mirror’ at Laurel Mill Playhouse by Susan Brall

‘A Quick 5’ with Rikki Howie Lacewell, Director of “for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf” presented by 2n by Susan Brall

“for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf” by Ntozake Shange opened in the 1970s, first in California. It then moved to off-Broadway and finally Broadway …

‘A Quick 5’ with Avery Harris, Actor in ‘The Bedwetter’ at Arena Stage by Susan Brall

The bright and inventive comedienne, Sarah Silverman, has given us the hilarious autobiographical musical “The Bedwetter” soon to open at Arena Stage. It centers on Sarah at age 10 as sh…

‘A Quick 5’ with Bisi Adigun, Playwright, Co-adaptation of ‘The Playboy of the Western World – A New Version’ at Silver Spring Stage by Susan Brall

The great Irish playwright, John Millington Synge, wrote the original dark comedy “The Playboy of the Western World” in 1907.  The play was so controversial it caused riots both in Dubl…

Theater Review: ‘The Wisdom of Eve’ at Laurel Mill Playhouse by Susan Brall

Theatre people love to do plays that look at own their profession. Laurel Mill Playhouse is currently presenting one such play. “The Wisdom of Eve” is a comedy/drama written in the early…

‘A Quick 5’ with Armando Durán, Actor in ‘Death on the Nile’ at Arena Stage by Susan Brall

Now playing at Arena Stage is Agatha Christie’s “Death on the Nile.” This production of Ken Ludwig’s stage adaption of the thriller is directed by Hana S. Sharif. “The play featur…

Theatre Review: ‘Dot’ at Silver Spring Stage by Susan Brall

  Looking for something a little different on stage this holiday season?  If you have seen all the typical holiday shows more times than you can count, you might want to head to Silver Spr…

‘A Quick 5’ with Brian Bartoldus, Artistic Director of the Handel Choir of Baltimore and Conductor of Handel’s ‘Messiah’ by Susan Brall

‘A Quick 5’ with Laura Lee Fischer, Artistic Director of Columbia Pro Cantare by Susan Brall

As the holiday season draws near, and shows and concert start coming our way, one favorite tradition is to attend a performance of Handel’s “Messiah.” Howard County is fortunate that e…

‘A Quick 5’ with Sarah Schulman, Playwright of ‘A Very Jewish Christmas’ at Maryland Ensemble Theatre (MET) by Susan Brall

Maryland Ensemble Theatre will be premiering an original play, “A Very Jewish Christmas,” written by Sarah Schulman and directed by Sache Satta, opening November 22, 2024. The play is bo…

Theatre Review: Agatha Christie’s ‘A Murder is Announced’ at Laurel Mill Playhouse by Susan Brall

Many of Agatha Christie’s novels have been turned into plays. In this Laurel Mill Playhouse production, the crime solver is none other than Miss Marple (Sam David), one of the most intrigu…

Theatre Review: Ayad Akhtar’s ‘Junk’ at Silver Spring Stage by Susan Brall

‘A Quick 5’ with Eric Jones, Actor in ‘The Rocky Horror Show,’ presented by Maryland Ensemble Theatre at Frederick Community College by Susan Brall

A great treat for this Halloween will be the Maryland Ensemble Theatre’s production of “The Rocky Horror Show” at Frederick Community College. If you have never gone to a production of…

Theatre Review: ‘Evita’ at Silhouette Stages by Susan Brall

Evita Peron was one of the most charismatic women of the 20th century. An illegitimate child of a rancher who left her and her mother in poverty in a small village in Argentina, she was on h…

‘A Quick 5’ with Giovanna Alcântara Drummond, Actor, in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ at the Folger Theatre by Susan Brall

The Greater Baltimore-Washington Area is fortunate to have several top-notch Shakespearean companies. Probably one of the most well-known of these, not just locally but internationally, is t…

Theatre Review: ‘Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground’ at Olney Theatre Center by Susan Brall

Dwight D. Eisenhower was president when I first became old enough to realize there was a president, so I grew up in his era. “Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground,” now running at the Olney …

‘A Quick 5’ with Gené Fouché, Director of ‘Sense and Sensibility’ at Maryland Ensemble Theatre by Susan Brall

The Maryland Ensemble Theatre (MET) launched it 27th season with Kate Hamill’s humorous adaptation of the classical Jane Austen novel, “Sense and Sensibility.” This production is direc…

Theatre Review: ‘Church & State’ at Silver Spring Stage by Susan Brall

Lately, I have heard pundits complain that movies and television producers are timid about doing political drama. Early Greek playwrights, Shakespeare, writers like Arthur Miller, and those …

Theatre Review: ‘The Addams Family’ at Toby’s Dinner Theatre by Susan Brall

  When you attend a performance at Toby’s Dinner Theatre, you never are disappointed. The musical,“The Addams Family,” directed and choreographed by Mark Minnick, lives up to expectat…

‘A Quick 5’ with Awa Sal Secka, Actor in ‘Jaja’s African Hair Braiding’ at Arena Stage by Susan Brall

A Tony Award nominee for Best Play, “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding” by Jocelyn Bioh opened September 6, 2024 at Arena Stage. It is a very funny comedy that gives insight into one of our…

Theatre Review: ‘Anastasia: The Musical’ presented by September Song Musical Theatre at The Scott Center for the Fine and Performing Arts by Susan Brall

For their 50th Anniversary, September Song Musical Theatre presented the recent Broadway musical “Anastasia:The Musical,” directed by Debbie Mobley. With a book by the late, great Terren…

‘A Quick 5’ with Jeremy Goldman, Executive Director of Silhouette Stages, Celebrating Its 20th Anniversary by Susan Brall

For this writer, I have many personal connections to Silhouette Stages. Almost forty years ago, when I was living in Columbia and a member of the now defunct Columbia Community Players, I ad…

‘A Quick 5’ with Peggy McKowen, Artistic Director of the Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) at Shepherd University by Susan Brall

 If you are a theatre-buff and want to plan a fun trip this month, you might want to head out to Shepherdstown, West Virginia for the Contemporary American Theater Festival this July. There…

‘A Quick 5’ with Jalice Ortiz-Corral, Director of ‘Variations on Courage’ presented by Rapid Lemon Productions by Susan Brall