Kristen Price - Page 2

A musical comedy starring a very funny leading lady winning her prince simply by being herself, is the perfect anecdote for these stressful times. That's why it's perfectly fitting that Artistic Synergy of Baltimore (ASoB) chose to present ONCE UPON A MATTRESS as the opening show to their 2018-2019 season. ASoB's production, which opened October 5 is a fun and funny musical romp back to medieval England. Prince Dauntless needs a wife, yet his overbearing mother only wants the perfect girl for her perfect son. Cue Winnifred, princess of the swamps. She's loud, brash and fun. In other words, a terrible match for Dauntless, who falls quickly head over heels in love with her. Chaos and comedy ensue.

Everyman Theatre traveled to Ireland for their first show of the 2018-2019 season, producing the Brian Friel work DANCING AT LUGHNASA. The piece revolves around a family living in 1930s Ireland, and the memories of one little boy and one particular summer. The cast, which included many members of the repertory company of Everyman and a few new additions are top-notch. They presented a work that was both beautiful and heartbreaking.

The 2018-2019 season at Everyman Theatre starts this month with the Irish play "Dancing at Lughnasa." The play written by Brian Friel is set in a small village in Ireland in the 1930s. The story is one of five unmarried sisters and is filled with memories of days gone by. Just before this Tony-award winning play opened on September 4, I had the chance to chat with two of the show's stars. Labhaiose Magee is making her Everyman debut in the role of Rose, while Tim Getman, a member of the Everyman company plays Michael.

OKLAHOMA! was not a show that I new much about before seeing it performed this week by the lovely cast and crew of Artistic Synergy of Baltimore. It's one of those classic 40s musicals that doesn't get revived much these days, but a classic becomes a classic for a reason. And while the show itself wasn't my idea of a great musical, the performances of this cast made me smile and dance along in my seat, which is always an indicator of a delightful evening.

Theatre has always been a lens through which to view the current world. Productions such as RENT, illuminated issues like the AIDS crisis in ways that hadn't been seen before on a stage. Audiences confronted these issues in a very real way, and one would hope that they learned and grew from the experience. We're in another turning point in time right now, in the midst of the #MeToo and Time's Up movements. Women are standing up and resisting in droves. It's a powerful statement on the endurance and the drive of women. So it seems only fitting, that for the third year, Everyman Theatre is producing a SALON SERIES of readings of plays written by women, and directed by women, allowing the women of the company to "stretch that directing muscle" and take a step outside of their comfort zone.

The National Tour of WAITRESS - playing at the Hippodrome until February 4, 2018 - is the best version of this particular show I've seen. I originally saw the show on Broadway last summer, but I just didn't get it. It seemed a little disjointed to me. The first act is all fun, while the second act gets dark. However, after seeing last evening's performance of this story played out by this fantastic cast, I'm fully on board with what the writers had in mind. These cast members are supremely talented and perfectly suited for their particular roles - able to bring the comedy, as well as the heart and every emotion in between.

It's not often you have the chance to preview a show that's shrouded in such mystery, that even the cast doesn't know the full story. But that's exactly what happened in the case of WHITE RABBIT RED RABBIT. This solo play written by Nassim Soleimanpour, follows a simple, yet possibly terrifying formula. A different actor is scheduled to perform each evening. That actor is finally given the script the moment the curtain rises. They have no idea of the plot or the story until they're standing in front of an audience. Fittingly, most of the audience isn't sure what the show is about either.

Ebenezer Scrooge is a distinctive character in literature; one of those characters every great actor wants to tackle. He's a redeemable grump, whom you hate but by the end of the story you kind of love. I suppose that's why Leslie Bricusse chose to write SCROOGE, a musical version of this wonderful character's memorable Christmas Eve. What's a better way to expand on this curmudgeon than with song? And even though I call myself, a huge fan of musicals, I was not aware that this Holiday-themed musical romp existed, until Artistic Synergy of Baltimore decided to bring it to life.

Dickens' A CHRISTMAS CAROL has been a considered a classic almost since the time when it was written. The story of Scrooge's haunted Christmas Eve is composed of everything that makes a story grand supernatural visions, likeable characters, heart and redemption. It's the perfect tale to read during the holidays, as well as throughout the year. So it only makes sense that Sally Boyett and Donald Hicken at Annapolis Shakespeare Company (ASC) decided to adapt a version of this classic during the Christmas season.

It's fortuitous that I'm publishing this review on #LoveTheatre day because it must be said - I loved LEADING LADIES playing currently at Salem Players in Catonsville. This particular show with this talented cast of actors was a pretty fantastic way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For some reason, this was my first experience seeing a Salem Players show. As I've learned, this theatre company has been around for nearly 50 years. Judging by the time I spent there, I can certainly see why.

Everyman Theatre's production of INTIMATE APPAREL has been gaining rave reviews over the past few weeks. Their production of the Lynn Nottage work is not only wonderful, but also beautifully performed by a small cast of extremely talented actors. Dawn Ursula, who plays Esther whom the play revolves around gives a powerhouse performance. She's run through a gamut of emotions throughout the play and she does so flawlessly.

Annapolis Shakespeare Company's (ASC) POE AND ALL THE OTHERS imagines Edgar Allan Poe in a literal fever dream visited by lost loves and family. Poe as played by Brian Keith MacDonald is at times reliving wonderful moments and at times arguing with figments of his fever-addled imagination. His long dead mother, his recently dead wife, even characters from the grim stories he told all visit him while he lay in his hospital bed. The performance is full of fast-talking speeches, and references to Poe's macabre world. The two performers everyone except Poe was played by Olivia Ercolano handled the dark material beautifully.

For a majority of my adult life I've assumed Stephen Sondheim's COMPANY was a show about the backstage workings of a company of actors a bit like NOISES OFF. It was only recently I learned that the show's title actually refers to an entirely different meaning of the word company. Thanks to the cast and crew of Just Off Broadway's fabulous production for clearing that up for me! While on the subject of confessions, I must also share that like the director Jason Crawford Samios-Uy mentioned in his note in the program, I've also never been a huge fan of Sondheim. I think he's equal parts creative genius and musical mastermind, however his shows have never appealed to me the way others have.

The cabaret show has been a staple in the entertainment industry for some time. Singers and performers alike relish the opportunity to tell stories in a different way than they're used to, while performing songs they've never had the opportunity to sing. These evenings are more intimate and audiences are given the chance to feel closer and more in tune with the performers than they would be in a theater or larger concert venue. And while there are music clubs and small venues in Maryland, there aren't many theaters providing this type of intimate entertainment on a regular basis.

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING is one of Shakespeare's most beloved comedies. At the center of the story is one stubborn couple that everyone except them - knows should be together. Annapolis Shakespeare Company's production of this play is fresh and delightfully funny, and showcases every last comedic moment to its fullest. ASC's version of MUCH ADO takes place in the late 50s on a beachside resort. This summery setting provides for a beautiful wardrobe full of gorgeous 50s style dresses for the women, and sparkly Navy dress-whites for the men. Seeing as Annapolis is home to the ASC and the Naval Academy, one can assume those uniforms were a fun nod to the whites that are so common around town in the spring and summer months.

The very first show I saw on Broadway was Andrew Lloyd Webber's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. To say that I was in awe would be an understatement. I fell in love with the show and the concept of musical theatre that day, and I've never looked back. Since then, I've been lucky enough to have seen dozens of shows, on and off Broadway, and I still get the same goosebumps each time the orchestra begins to play. There's just something special about the theatre.

Last summer, the Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre performed 50 YEARS UNDER THE STARS, an evening of Broadway songs and dances to celebrate their 50th Anniversary. It was such a hit that they decided to mount another production this year, and after seeing their gorgeous production of RENT last summer, I decided I wasn't going to miss it this time around. LIGHT UP THE STARS opened September 15th and will run until September 24th, on the weekends, and I had the pleasure of seeing it on opening night. After the first few songs, I mentally decided that to really do this show justice, I would need to start creating adjectives that would accurately describe just how amazing this cast was. In short, I was blown away.

LYSISTRATA JONES is a show that I knew next to nothing about before seeing the lovely production this past weekend at the Red Branch Theatre. I had heard one song in a concert of Lewis Flynn music, and had loved it. Also, I knew it was about basketball - which is also a topic I know next to nothing about. So I was excited to see what the show would entail.

The delightful production of ALICE AND THE BOOK OF WONDERLAND, produced by the Annapolis Shakespeare Company has found a way to make the story of Alice and Wonderland new and fresh for children and adults alike. That's no easy feat. Alice and Wonderland is a reliable classic that most people know back to front. What ASC has managed to do is keep all the standard parts of the story that everyone loves, while telling the story in an entirely new and creative way. They've also managed to throw a few very funny nods in to current events that seem to bring the classic further into current times

There are few things I love more than finding fun and new things to do outside in the dog days of summer. And lately, it seems that others have shared my love for all things sunshine by planning more and more of these events. One of these events is theatre outside, which may not be a new idea, but it seems more companies are participating in these types of shows. For instance, the Baltimore Shakespeare Factory is performing A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM in the garden of the Evergreen Museum in Baltimore County. Don't get me wrong, I love this particular play in all forms, but there's something special about seeing it outdoors in a garden, seeing as that is the actual setting for the play. And while I've seen a few productions outdoors, I need to say that this particular production was probably the best I've ever seen.