Katie Laban - Page 2

The Snow Queen opens this weekend on November 19th at The Hilberry Theatre to bring magic and fun for the holiday season to Detroit. BroadwayWorld Detroit had a moment to speak with Michael J. Barnes, the director of The Snow Queen and why Detroit audience will love this classic fairy tale.

Twelfth Night, the Shakespeare comedy, will run on the Stagecrafters’ 2nd Stage from 10/15-10/24. It’s a fast, fun, and funny celebration that embraces the insanity of love. BWW Detroit had moment to speak with the show’s director, Bruce Thorburn, about the production that Thorbun described as “beautiful, funny, touching, poetic, and iconic.”

Leading Ladies will run October 15th-30th at St. D’s and the cast is so happy to finally put this comedy on the stage. BWW Detroit had a chance to speak with Franklin native Jason Dilly who plays Leo in the show and is the big brother of Erin Dilly who originated the role of Meg in the 2004 Broadway production directed by Ken Ludwig!

The Encore Musical Theatre Company is bringing back a popular tradition - their Tribute Concert Series. The first in the season lineup is the QUEEN Tribute Concert, which runs October 13th through the 17th. BroadwayWorld Detroit had a chance to quickly speak with Arielle Crosby about the fantastic concert!

ĭmáGen is a collaboration between Wharton Center Institute for Arts & Creativity & MSU College of Arts and Letters. PARTICLE is a coming-of-age story. The creative team includes direction by Autumn Reeser. NYC-based writing team Selda Sahin & Derek Gregor wrote PARTICLE. Actor's Equity performer Gabe Violett is joining the crew. Runs 9/24 & 9/26.

Meadow Brook Theatre turned the lights back on with Fancy, a Country Jukebox Musical. Fancy is a world premiere running until October 3rd and is about dreams and what they cost. After 18 months it was a wonderful to be back, safely, in that gorgeous theatre!

Shakespeare Royal Oak is celebrating its 20th season of outdoor professional theatre with A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It's playing this weekend, August 5th-8th, under the stars at Jaycee Park. BWW Detroit was delighted to speak with Executive Director of SRO, Ed Nahhat and Director of the show, Lynch Travis.

Flint Repertory Theatre is presenting Songs for a New World by Jason Robert Brown starring Broadway’s Bonnie Milligan, Emily Padgett, Cory Shorter, and Josh Young. The outdoor concert is taking place July 23rd and July 24th. BWW Detroit had a chance to speak with Director Bill Fennelly and Milligan about it and the importance of live theatre.

Live theatre is back and outdoors in Michigan! Stagecrafters is proudly presenting Working a?" A Musical, brought to you in a joint venture by Stagecrafters and Ridgedale Players in Troy. Originally a Stagecraftersa?? 2nd Stage production, Working a?" A Musical was schedule in March of this year, but shut down due to the COVID pandemic. The cancellation was heartbreaking for entire company who learned just a day before opening that the show wouldna??t go on. Thanks to the determination and ingenuity of those involved, it is back in an open-aired setting on the beautiful grounds of Ridgedale Players. The cast is made up of three men and three women who tell the story of over 26 characters a?" how work defines who we are, yet we cana??t be defined by only our work. BroadwayWorld Detroit had a chance to speak the showa??s director, Ryan Lawson about why this is such a special project and more!

It's been over seventy days since I have last stepped inside a theatre and it literally feels like there is a something emotionally and physically missing from me. When I was offered the opportunity to read Aimee Agresti, THE SUMMER SET, I immediately took it. One, I'm avid reader, but two, and most importantly, it was a book about a summer theatre and the people performing in it!

Due to Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer's' temporary ban on all large group events in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, theatres across the state are postponing and/or canceling performances. BroadwayWorld Detroit is doing its best to combine a list of those performances in one place for theatergoers. If a theatre or any information is missing, please email Katie.Laban@gmail.com for it to be added. *This is a developing story, with more information being added as it becomes available.

Detroit was treated to a really special experience when The Naked Magicians were here on March 6th and 7th at The Music Hall as part of Broadway In Detroit's series of events this season. It was promoted that the duo will forego top hats and capes for full frontal illusions complete with magic, muscles, and endless laughs or as their website says, a?oegood magicians don't need sleeves and great magicians don't need pants a?" when we say 'abracadabra,' the audience isn't always looking at our hands.a??  After hearing that, how much more enticed could you be about a show? Then I had the pleasure of interviewing Mike Tyler, one half of The Naked Magicians with Christopher Wayne, and I was widely entertained by him, so I knew the show could only get better. It did. The Naked Magicians was magic, comedy, and cheeky Australians a?" the total experience.

The Michigan premiere of Dance Nation is currently running until March 16th at The Ringwald. Clare Barron's play was a 2019 Pulitzer Prize finalist and, also, won the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and the Relentless Award (in a tie with Sarah DeLappe's The Wolves.) After successful runs at Playwrights Horizons in New York and at Chicago's famed Steppenwolf Theatre, The Ringwald is proudly presenting the Michigan premiere of Barron's play. Dance Nation is an almost indescribable play - it's honestly one you have to see to believe, but that's half the fun in it. Plus, having Dance Nation in the hands of The Ringwald - it couldn't be in more capable of hands - it's the perfect theatre for the Michigan premiere of this play.

Hey Detroit, are you ready for the naughtiest and funniest magic show in world? The Naked Magicians are coming on March 6th and 7th to The Music Hall in Detroit. Following their smash hit 2019 residency at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, The Naked Magicians are returning to the U.S. for a coast-to-coast tour in 2020 and making a stop here this weekend. The Naked Magicians is comprised of Mike Tyler and Christopher Wayne, two of Australia's most famous magicians. It's the perfect show for a date night or the ultimate girl's night out as The Naked Magicians have performed - and undressed - for millions of fans in more than 250 cities and seven countries. The duo will forego top hats and capes for full frontal illusions complete with magic, muscles, and endless laughs or as their website says, 'good magicians don't need sleeves and great magicians don't need pants - when we say 'abracadabra,' the audience isn't always looking at our hands.' BroadwayWorld Detroit had a chance to catch up with Mike Tyler before he arrives in Detroit to talk about the naughty and funny magic show. Read our mischievous and amusing interview below!

Lately, my favorite thing to do has been to experience new theatre that Michigan has to offer and while the Detroit Repertory Theatre is not a a?oenewa?? theatre, The Puppeteer playing until March 15th, was my first time attending that theatre. Desireé York's play spans across time from the Harlem Renaissance to present day, where women in one family cut racism's strings and sing their own song. I was captivated by the entire show, especially with Indigo Colbert's stunning performance as the lead who transforms her character through every decade absolutely flawlessly and seamlessly. It's a touching show that moves you and makes you think while experiencing it at this gorgeous theatre in the Detroit area. The Puppeteer is a standout piece of Michigan theatre.

Hey Detroit! Are there any Nick Jr. fans out there? Get ready to sing, clap, dance, and move to the music with all your favorite Nick Jr. friends at the Fox Theatre in The Detroit District this Friday, March 6th through Sunday, March 8th! Nickelodeon and VStar Entertainment Group present Nick Jr. Live! 'Move to the Music', an all-new, one-of-a-kind adventure. For the first time on stage together, this musical spectacular features characters from multiple Nick Jr. series, including Bubble Guppies, PAW Patrol (produced by Spin Master Entertainment,) Dora The Explorer, Shimmer and Shine, Blue's Clues and You, Blaze and the Monster Machines, and Top Wing. BroadwayWorld Detroit had a special chance to speak with native Detroiter, Jenia Head, as she returns to Detroit to perform in the show as Molly from the Bubble Guppies.

Sometimes I feel it's a daunting task knowing I'm about to see a show that has a cast of two people (that fear is even larger when it's a one person show!) and it could be a show I love or one I'm not familiar as was the case with The Gentleman Caller a?" the current production running until March 1st at the Slipstream Theatre Initiative. Yes, everyone in the theatre industry a?oeknowsa?? Tennessee Williams, but other than that piece of information and the fact that I knew the Slipstream Theatre Initiative always puts on innovative and thoughtful pieces of theatre, I had no idea what I was in for. Luckily, I had nothing to fear as there was never a dull moment during the entire show!

Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is currently playing until March 1st at the Detroit Opera House. The hit Broadway musical features songs from the original film including, 'Pure Imagination,' The Candy Man,' and 'I've Got the Golden Ticket,' alongside a toe-tapping and ear-tickling new score from the songwriters from Hairspray. The beloved tale of Charlie Bucket searching for the last golden ticket to enter the factory of the elusive Willy Wonka has been turned into a musical that is fun for all-ages.

Jesus Christ Superstar, the musical phenomenon with a world-wide fan base, is in Detroit for a short visit following sold engagements in the UK. The reimagined 50th anniversary tour has the beloved music by Andrew Lloyed Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice and is directed by Timothy Sheader with cutting-edge choreography by Drew McOnie. The story is extraordinary series of events during the final weeks in the life of Jesus Christ as seen through the eyes of Judas. Reflecting the rock roots that defined a generation, the legendary score includes, 'I Don't Know How to Love Him,' 'Gethsemane,' and 'Superstar.' BroadwayWorld Detroit had a moment to speak with native Michigander, Paul Louis Lessard, who plays King Herod in the show about why this is an important piece of theatre and so much more!

Disney's Aladdin is flying into East Lansing from December 4th through 15th at the Wharton Center for the Performing Arts. The hit musical, based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature film, has been amazing audiences since the show's Broadway debut back in 2014. It has the music that we all know and love from the film and new songs that add to the Disney magic. a?oeMagical, romantic, surprising, exhilarating and funny,a?? is how Jonathan Weir, who plays Jafar the villain on the tour, described the show. a?oeIt's a fantastical story of a young man's adventure to become himself, the friendship he creates with a genie in a lamp, and the adventures and romance it unfolds.a?? Read more of BroadwayWorld Detroit's conversation with Jonathan Weir below to find out why he thinks Disney's Aladdin is special and if Jafar is really all that villainous!