Johnna Leary - Page 6

We Are Pussy Riot, currently running at CATF, is an immersive and outstanding theatrical experience, filled with unique choices and the sobering undercurrent that this story is not just theatrical fiction.

Everything You Touch, a black comedy focusing on the fashion industry and two intertwining stories about how it affects two separate women's self worth, is very similar to the industry it portrays. The overall look, visual appeal and staging is phenomenal, but beneath the gorgeous costumes and flair, the heart of the production, the script and characters, leave much to be desired.

Though notable author Truman Capote passed away in 1984, he vividly comes to life in Jay Presson Allen's one-man show TRU. Actor Michael-Anthony Nozzi will return to the stage at Washington County Playhouse in Hagerstown, MD and portray Capote in this electric one-man show for a one-night only performance on July 23.

Exquisitely directed by Ed Herendeen with a strong script by Steven Dietz, On Clover Road at CATF is truly an edge-of-your-seat thriller which leaves the audience guessing and gasping at every new suspenseful situation.

In a twist on the typical modern American romance, The Full Catastrophe shows just how funny and futile our modern ideas about love can be. Dr. Jeremy Cook is a successful linguist, now unemployed, and accepts a mysterious job offer from an eccentric businessman, Mr. Pillow. As part of the "Pillow Project", Jeremy becomes a live-in marriage counselor to fighting suburban couple Dan and Beth, as the couple tries to hide the fact they need counseling from their adolescent son, Robbie. Complications arise as Jeremy realizes he really has no idea how to work as a marriage counselor, having never been married before, and that he is falling in love with Beth, who reminds him of his old flame who got away. Directed by Ed Herendeen and written by Michael Weller, this sarcastic, sweet and witty update of your Leave It to Beaver-esque family will leave audiences rolling with laughter.

In an intimate show with epic possibilities, World Builders at the Contemporary American Theater Festival raises important questions about the fine line between imagination and insanity in today's medical society.

The New Voice Play Festival, opening on June 19 at the Old Opera House in Charles Town, WV, provides the opportunity for audiences to witness completely new and original plays from playwrights all across the nation and vote on which play is their favorite. The four plays chosen this year vary from zany comedies to thought-provoking dramas and present various challenges to the actors and directors.

Many audiences are familiar with the zany Marx Brothers movie, A Night at the Opera. But for a fast-paced and even funnier theatrical show about a night at the opera, check out Lend Me A Tenor, opening at the Washington County Playhouse in Hagerstown, MD this weekend.

Theaters in West Virginia this summer will offer a not-so-stereotypical "summer season". Many world premiere plays and new shows will debut, while some classic and contemporary musicals are still available in some of the state's professional theaters. Listed below are five of the top picks for live theater shows this summer, but these are only a small offering of the many fantastic performances and live theater seasons occurring in West Virginia.

The weather forecast may be clear this weekend, but a storm is approaching the Black Box Arts Center in Shepherdstown as William Shakespeare's The Tempest opens Friday, May 29.

Opening this weekend at Hagerstown Hub Opera, Puccini's La Boheme proves that the struggle is real. La Boheme is one of the most well known operatic stories about a group of young, impoverished artists struggling to make ends meet while holding onto their artistic ideals in a Parisian garret. Millennials may know the story as the classic opera which inspired the hit Broadway musical Rent.

Opening this weekend at the Apollo Civic Theater, Once Upon a Mattress, directed by Lauren Hugg and musically directed by Paul Cabell, tells the real story of the fairy tale "The Princess and the Pea". Not so long ago in a kingdom not so far away, evil Queen Aggravain has declared no one in the kingdom may be married until her precious Prince Dauntless finds a bride. However, the Queen devises seemingly more difficult tests for each Princess to pass and makes it almost impossible for Dauntless to find his true love, until an unusually bold and unrefined princess, Winnifred the Woebegone, arrives and may turn the classic fairy tale on its head when it appears the Princess must save the Prince.

Grab a six pack and your plastic pink flamingos, because The Great American Trailer Park Musical is coming to the Old Opera House in Charles Town, WV. Described as an "episode of Jerry Springer set to music", The Great American Trailer Park Musical takes a hilarious and often touching look at the lives of the residents in one of Florida's finest trailer parks when Pipi, a stripper on the run, comes between Dr. Phil-loving housewife Jeanne and her husband Norbert. The show is directed by David Porterfield, musically directed by Alison Shafer and choreographed by Ed Conn.

History comes to vivid life this weekend as The Andersonville Trial opens at the Apollo Civic Theater in Martinsburg, WV. Based on the real life trial of Henry Wirz during the Civil War, The Andersonville Trial is directed by Tami McDonald and features over fifteen area actors bringing a little-known court case from American history to brilliant life.

Little Women, a contemporary musical featuring the timeless story of the four March sisters, will premiere this Friday at Reynolds Hall on the campus of Shepherd University, produced by Shepherd University's student-run musical theater group, Scene Stealers.