Anton Anderssen - Page 6

Any visit to the Baldwin Theatre in Royal Oak is a treat, but the fantastic production now on stage, MARY POPPINS will blow you away. This show is super! [cali, etc.] Stagecrafters have made this show a delight from the very moment you walk into the room; here you will see a Mary Poppins Christmas tree, with ornaments of kites, crowned by a signature nanny hat. Of course, just walking into the theatre gives a sense of majesty with that beautiful English Wedgwood blue and gilded gold all around. The show is a holiday treat; it has great tunes, great costumes and sets, a wonderful plot, and lots of magic.

JERSEY BOYS is like a bag of potato chips. Once you savor that addictive first taste, you can't enough. JERSEY BOYS is back in town and even if you have seen it numerous times, you don't want to pass this show up. These songs are timeless. The story is timeless. This is the show that never loses its appeal.

The hottest ticket in town is White Christmas at The Players' Guild of Dearborn - that is, if you were lucky enough to snag tickets before they were wiped out.  Every single ticket is taken for the entire run.  Word spread like wildfire after opening weekend that this is the show to see for Christmas.

Now on stage at the Hilberry Theatre at Wayne State University is The Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance production of THE GREAT GATSBY.  This moving drama tells the story of greed, betrayal and inequality in the fictional town of West Egg on prosperous Long Island in the summer of 1922.  The young and mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby (played marvelously by Santino Craven) has a  quixotic passion and obsession for the beautiful former debutante Daisy Buchanan (played beautifully by Devri Chism).  The drama brings the classic 1925 novel written by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald to life.

Every year, the Michigan Philharmonic performs a fantastic concert for Halloween. This year's performance was a smash hit. Taking place in a 'haunted garage' patrons packed the venue; some were in costume. Called 'Philharmonic Phright Night,' this year's selections included 'Phantom of the Opera' by Andrew LLoyed Webber. The performance was lauded with thunderous applause.

If you are looking for a wonderful pick me up musical to see this fall, you will love THE WEDDING SINGER now on stage at St. Dunstan's Theatre in Bloomfield Hills. This hilarious, wonderful romantic comedy is the surprise hit of the seaon. It's filled with great tunes, great singers and costumes that range from wacky to tacky. See the fake Elvis with the fake bulge in his britches, white Mr. T, and an army of characters that will brighten your mood.

Prepare to be wowed by a fun, energetic jukebox musical, "DIRTY DANCING" now on stage at the beautiful Fisher Theatre in Detroit. This show is a live adaptation of the 1987 film, and was written by the same playwright Eleanor Bergstein; it focuses on civil rights, Vietnam, and class conflict. However, I believe this production promotes form over substance: let's hear it for the killer dancing, killer singing, killer songs and killer acting. It's hard to feel sorry for the economic disparity of a young man from the wrong side of the tracks when he takes off his clothes and he is a 100% ripped stud.

If you are seeking the perfect Halloween entertainment, you will love Downriver Actors' Guild's newest production THE ADDAMS FAMILY - THE MUSICAL on stage through Oct 25.  This wacky musical is hilarious and features characters from the beloved TV comedy.  The romantic musical comedy includes Andrew Lippa's 2010 Tony Award-nominated Best Original Score, with book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice.  When Wednesday Addams, now grown up, brings home a 'normal' young man she loves, and introduces him and his parents to her family, Gomez and Morticia find their world turned upside down until Uncle Fester and an ensemble of ghostly Addams ancestors step in to help.

Do you believe you have an awesome Halloween costume? Wait til you see what they have on stage at Meadowbrook Theatre's season opener, THE EXPLORER'S CLUB. There is a blue savage, Victorian lady, Napoleon wannabe, snake-wielding nut, and lots more in this colorful and wacky British farce.

If you want to see one of the most amazing displays of color, you will be thrilled to attend the National Harvest & Cowboy Festival held each fall in beautiful Branson Missouri. You will see hundreds of cowboys sauntering about, as if the entire cast of Oklahoma suddenly blew in with the wind. This is certainly the most gorgeous display of autumn colors I have ever seen in my life.

If you are one of those people who like Halloween and all things spooky, you will love the campy musical about a mad scientist and his sex-driven monster. Now on stage at the beautiful historic Baldwin Theatre in Royal Oak is the Mel Brooks musical, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN. This big-cast show will put you into the Halloween spirit!

After seeing a myriad of plays, I believe SOUTH PACIFIC is one of the best musicals ever created. The music is infectious, the costumes are bold, the sets are dreamy and exotic, and the storyline is a romantic fantasy. 

'What is my purpose in life?' is a question asked by many people as they ponder the reasons for their existence. Finding one's raison d'etre could be the ever-elusive challenge, and should you never discover it, you are in good company. It is an existential question that lingers eternally for people who really want to have a life that matters. Now on stage at The Fisher Theatre is the musical PIPPIN, the tale of existential woe.

Bette Midler graced the stage of the Palace of Auburn Hills on Wednesday, presenting her newest show, 'Divine Intervention,' to a crowd of thousands of ardent fans. She brought a message of hope to the multitudes, saying 'Never give up on Detroit!' The irrepressible diva flaunted a wardrobe of many colors, a painting of Michelangelo's 'The Creation of Adam' from The Sistine Chapel photo shopped with her lovely arm and face replacing those of God, a den of Harlettes, majestic trumpeters, and the gospel according to Bette: 'I came here to lift your spirits, like a boob job for your soul.'

Quick! Run out and grab your tickets to MUSIC MAN at the Downriver Actors' Guild in Wyandotte before the spectacle closes May 17. It's too good to miss!

Now on stage at The Players' Guild of Dearborn is the wonderful musical comedy SPAMALOT. Set sometime in the early middle ages, this highly irreverent parody of the Arthurian Legend is bursting with wit. The opening act is theatre of the absurd in all its glory, when the villagers mistake the word Finland for England, and begin dancing and singing some outrageous 'slap the mayor in the face with a big fish' routine. Having Finnish blood, and Anglo-Scandinavian heritage, in general, I found this twisted plot deliciously insane, because I know people who would actually get the two places confused, and others who believe Scandinavians toss fish around at celebrations. Well, maybe some Scandinavians do, but that's another story all unto itself.

The Players Guild is performing an updated version of South Pacific, and it remains as great as the first time I saw it.

Every year, the Michigan Philharmonic presents a Halloween pops concert, and this year's was a triumphal success. Held at Steppingstone School for the Gifted, the symphony played in a 'haunted garage,' i.e. a large warehouse decorated by the gifted children. Patrons were invited to wear costumes, as were the symphony musicians. Music Director Nan Washburn arrived in style, wearing a brightly colored clown outfit, riding to the podium on a decorative clown bicycle.

Legendary steel guitarists and up-and-coming students return to Waikiki Beach Walk in July to fill the center with the soothing sounds of the Hawaiian steel guitar at the 5th Annual Waikiki Steel Guitar Festival. Guitarists will hit the Plaza Stage today, July 19, 2014, from 3 to 7 p.m. Presented by Waikiki Beach Walk and Outrigger Enterprises Group, with the support of Ke Kula Mele Hawaii, the annual festival celebrates the island culture as captured by the beautifully distinct sounds of the Hawaiian steel guitar.