Community Theater

Review: ‘James and the Giant Peach’ by the Heritage Players

By Kylie Miller The Heritage Players began their run of James and the Giant Peach this weekend. Based on the book written by Roald Dahl, with lyrics and music by Justin Paul and script by Timothy...

Review: ‘Judy and the General’ at Spotlighters Theatre

It’s a rare and special treat to see the world debut of a new musical, and I was lucky enough to have the privilege of seeing the first public performance of Judy and the General at The Audrey Herman...

Review: ‘Beauty and the Beast Jr.’ by BRAVO Productions

Watching young artists perform carries its own level of excitement beyond the entertainment itself. There’s the shared love of arts which compels people to participate and support learning theatre...

Review: ‘A Swellegant, Elegant Party: An Original Musical Revue’ by Bethesda Little Theater

Why don’t community theater companies do more revues? They are entertaining for audiences, fun for actors, and although permissions to use the songs are needed, they don’t carry the hefty royalties of...

Review: The Rude Mechanicals Production of ‘The Merchant of Venice’ at Greenbelt Arts Center

The Rude Mechanicals production of The Merchant of Venice, now playing at the Greenbelt Arts Center, is an engrossing exploration of Shakespeare’s most controversial characters and the (still)...

Review: ‘La serva padrona’ at Loudoun Lyric Opera

La serva padrona (or “The Maid as Mistress”) by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi opened for a special engagement this weekend at the Loudoun Lyric Opera, performing at the Carver Center in Purcellville,...

Review: ‘5 Courses of Funny Fare’ at the Laurel Mill Playhouse

5 Courses of Funny Fare, written by Jim Wise and produced by Maureen Rogers and John Cusumano, and playing through this Sunday at Laurel Mill Playhouse, is really five One Act Plays, loosely tied...

Review: ‘The Quickening’ at Fells Point Corner Theatre

By Andy Arnold Amanda Spellman, a DC-area theater veteran, is sensational as pregnant wife Beth Wells in The Quickening, now playing its world premiere at Fells Point Corner Theatre. Beth had to...

Review: ‘Disney’s Beauty and the Beast’ at Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre

Pure enchantment is the watchword as Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre presents Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. With music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and book by Linda...

Review: ‘Bullets Over Broadway’ at Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre

Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre’s production of Bullets Over Broadway is a funny romp of a musical. Written by Woody Allen, and based on his 1994 movie co-written by Douglas McGrath, it features...

Review: ‘The Bridges of Madison County’ at Damascus Theatre Company

Directed by Stephanie Bonte-Lebair and presented in conjunction with Gaithersburg Arts Barn/Arts on the Green, Dasmascus Theatre Company’s The Bridges of Madison County is a crowd-pleasing musical...

Review: ’53rd Annual Old Time Music Hall’ by the British Players

Sick of cynicism, vitriol, and vulgarity? The British Players has an antidote: their 53rd Old Time Music Hall (directed by Malcolm Edwards and produced by Sue Edwards). The latest installment of their...

Fauquier Community Theatre’s ‘Into the Woods, Jr.’ Opens June 8

For nearly forty years, the non-profit theatre company, Fauquier Community Theatre (FCT) has presented stories to delight local audiences on the Vint Hill Theatre stage with professional ambition and...

Review: ‘Priscilla Queen of the Desert’ at Kensington Arts Theatre

Priscilla Queen of the Desert started life as a film by Stephan Elliott who adapted it into a ’70s jukebox musical with Allan Scott. The ambitious and enthusiastic community production at Kensington...

Review: ‘Big Fish’ by Silhouette Stages at Slayton House

Big Fish, directed by TJ Lukacsina, opened this weekend at Slayton House in Columbia, Maryland. With the musical, music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa and book by John August, Big Fish opened on Broadway...

Review: ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ at Zemfira Stage

As you’re spending January shivering against these sub-freezing wind-chills and bracing yourselves for the next bombogenesis, I strongly urge you to seek refuge in Falls Church with Tennessee...

Review: ‘Peter and the Starcatcher’ by Reston Community Players

Based on the 2005 book by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, Peter and the Starcatcher is a Tony Award-winning play by Rick Elice, with music by Wayne Barker. A lively production opened Friday, January...

Review: ‘Seussical Jr.’ at ACCT

Having grown up on Dr. Seuss and having seen the 2008 Horton Hears a Who movie a dozen times, I feared Seussical Jr. (book by Leslie Aherns and Stephen Flaherty, based on the works of Dr. Seuss) might...

Review: ‘Inherit the Wind’ at Baltimore’s Vagabond Theatre

On a cold winter’s night, nothing heats up faster than a fiery debate. And when it comes to political grandiloquence – as timely today as 100 years ago – the Vagabond Players opening night performance...

Review: ‘The Reluctant Dragon’ at The Montgomery Playhouse

Barely two months ago, the call went out for auditions to this cast. This is worth mentioning because in that short time, considering all the holiday distractions and scheduling challenges, the...

Review: ‘A Wonderful Life: The Musical’ by Third Wall Productions

It was an enjoyable time last night seeing all the hard work Third Wall’s cast put into A Wonderful Life: The Musical. The show is an adaptation of the movie It’s a Wonderful Life with many great...

Review: ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ at Sandy Spring Theatre Group

I heard Kris Kringle (played by Harley Venton) tell little Susan Walker (Leah Packer): “…Imagination is a place all by itself. Now, you’ve heard of the French nation? … And the British nation? … Well,...

Review: ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ at Vagabond Players

The timing of Vagabond Players’ production of Little Shop of Horrors is fortuitous, opening Halloween weekend when thoughts turn to the spooky and macabre, and running through November 25, before the...

Review: ‘Omnium Gatherum’ at Silver Spring Stage

In keeping with performing plays from five different decades in celebration of their 50th Anniversary Silver Spring reached back to right after Sept. 11, 2001, to do Omnium Gatherum by Alexandra...

Review: ‘Pippin’ at Ritz Theatre Company

One of the most imaginative musicals ever to hit the Broadway stage, the Tony Award-winning Pippin, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Roger O. Hirson, is now dazzling audiences in...

Review: ‘Into the Woods, Jr.’ at Kensington Arts Theatre’s 2nd Stage

Kensington Arts Theatre 2nd Stage’s Into the Woods, Jr. is a delightful romp through the forest. Perfect for a fall afternoon or evening with your kids. Into the Woods, Jr. takes the first half of...

Review: ‘Almost, Maine’ at Rockville Little Theatre

Oh, love! What a fickle proposition you are! In Rockville Little Theatre’s (RLT) production of John Cariani’s Almost, Maine, we witness a variety of romantic love dilemmas, with comical and heartfelt...

Review: ‘The Canterville Ghost’ at The Montgomery Playhouse

Just as you are taking down your Labor Day bunting and searching for last year’s fall decorations, there arrives a bit of spooky mystery and merriment for the whole family to enjoy. The Montgomery...

Review: Silver Spring Stage 2017 One Act Festival, Weekend Two

Silver Spring Stage kicks off its fiftieth season with a festival of one-act plays showcasing homegrown writing and acting talent and the can-do spirit of the best of local theater. Though no stated...

Review: ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’ at McLean Community Players

Oh the years of awkward adolescence. Who doesn’t look back on that time and cringe? No one! Which is why The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is the perfect combination of hilarity and...

Review: ‘Oklahoma!’ at Prince William Little Theatre

Feel jaunty and energized after Prince William Little Theatre’s production of Oklahoma!. Enter into a land of wide open prairie fields, great company and even greater gossip. This cheery town blooms...

Review: ‘Hairspray’ at Fredericktowne Players

A transformation is underway in Frederick Maryland’s local theater community. Nowhere is that more evident than inside the JBK Theater, watching the Fredericktowne Players (FtP) latest production of...

Review: ‘A Little Princess’ at Aldersgate Church Community Theater by Debra Cope

The timeless story of kind and courageous young heroine Sara Crewe comes to life on an Alexandria stage in A Little Princess, a new adaptation of the classic Frances Hodgson Burnett novel by Lauren...

Review: ‘Dial ‘M’ for Murder’ at Sandy Spring Theatre Group by Robin Lynch

Now playing at the Kentland’s Arts Barn, Dial ‘M’ For Murder by the Sandy Spring Theatre Group has a lot to offer those who enjoy a mystery-thriller. First of all, it’s a really good play (that always...

Review: ‘One Man, Two Guvnors’ at Silver Spring Stage

One Man, Two Guvnors directed by William T. Fleming and produced by Karen Flemling is now playing at Silver Spring Stage. This play is a British farce by Richard Bean, based on The Servant of Two...

Review: ‘Murder on the Nile’ at Greenbelt Arts Center

Imagine this scene. You’re on a paddle steamer on the Nile River in Egypt. It’s the mid-60s. You find yourself surrounded by an off-kilter cast of characters: Miss Ffoliot-ffoulkes on holiday with her...

Review: ‘The Mikado’ at The Victorian Lyric Opera Company

From the moment the curtains opened, we knew we were not going to see a traditional version of The Mikado. The Victorian Lyric Opera Company’s production, directed by Helen Aberger, at the F. Scott...

Review: ‘Shakespeare in Hollywood’ at the Stagecrafters Theater

A good American farce is as rare as a diamond. If you can write a crazy comedy that will keep audiences laughing, regional and community theaters will beat a path to your door. Ken Ludwig,...

Review: ‘Morning’s at Seven’ at Old Academy Players in Philadelphia

Alone. Lonesome. Free. These three words appear often in Paul Osborn’s classic Morning’s at Seven, now on view at Old Academy Players in East Falls. This play has become a staple of regional and...

Review: ‘Gilligan’s Fire Island’ at Dominion Stage

Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a cheeky flip, begun with fun by castaways, who do everything but strip. Gilligan’s Fire Island is a parody, bringing back nostalgic memories of...

Review: ‘Something’s Afoot’ at The British Players

A musical murder-mystery who-done-it is a strange bird indeed. But it can work if expertly executed. Something’s Afoot, with book, music and lyrics by James McDonald, David Vos and Robert Gerlach—and...

Review: ‘Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike’ at Providence Players of Fairfax

The open living room has a well-lived in look: easy chairs, love seat, kitchen nook off to the side, and plenty of collected knick-knacks. It’s a cozy setting for an adolescent argument, except the...

Review: ‘Red, White, and Tuna’ at The Little Theatre of Alexandria

The title alone is fair warning. Red, White, and Tuna is irreverently reverse-patriotic. Let’s break it down: red state (Texas), mixed with a dash of white supremacy and a tangy, Southern flavor that...

Review: ‘Mary Poppins’ at 2nd Star Productions

A show that’s “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” on every level. There has never been a nanny quite so magical – or musical – as Mary Poppins, a character created by author P.L. Travers in eight...

Review #2: ‘An American Daughter’ at Montgomery Playhouse and Arts on the Green

Just when you thought that scandalous political agendas were restricted to CNN’s 24-hour news cycle, along comes An American Daughter, Wendy Wasserstein’s 1997 play about a woman’s nomination as...

Review #1: ‘An American Daughter’ at Montgomery Playhouse and Arts on the Green

Humanity can never quite manage to get out of its own way. And that’s a good thing for the entertainment industry. Since “there is nothing new under the sun,” there is constant material for every next...

Review: ‘Crowns: A Gospel Musical’ at Arena Players

Apropos to Mother’s Day, and a magnificent button to the end of its 63rd season, Arena Players’ Crowns: A Gospel Musical is, among many things, a celebration of Christian and African religious...

Review: ‘Book of Days’ at Rockville Little Theatre

Written in 1998, Book of Days is one of the final writings from Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lanford Wilson. The play is set in a fictional rural Missouri town of 4,500 or so residents, and...

Review: ‘Evita’ at St. Mark’s Players

The classic musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Evita comes to life again with the latest production at St. Mark’s Players. The revival comes at a perfect time, as the production delves into the flawed...

Review: ‘H.M.S. Pinafore’ at Laurel Mill Playhouse

H.M.S. Pinafore, Gilbert and Sullivan’s famous operetta, directed by Michael Hartsfield and produced by Maureen Rogers, opened on April 28, 2017 at the Laurel Mill Playhouse on Main Street in historic...