Libby Champion

On October 2, 2006, in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, a man entered an Amish schoolhouse and shot and killed five young girls. This was a day the Amish community, Pennsylvanians, and the world would never forget, and after seeing THE AMISH PROJECT it is one the audience will never forget as well. 

The tale of Aladdin is one most of us know from the Disney telling of the story in the famous animated film of 1992. Growing up, Aladdin was my favorite Disney film, so, when I was given the opportunity to review ALADDIN AND THE MAGIC LAMP at the Orlando Shakespeare Theatre, I jumped at the chance!   I quickly realized however that the show is not based on the version from the film, but instead on the Middle Eastern folktale 'The Arabian Nights' - which, was unexpected but a great surprise! The premise of the story is still the same, there are just a few slight variations (for example, there are two genies instead of one!). So, if you plan on seeing the show be prepared for some things to be a little different than what you remember. 

Seeing the origin story of one of your favorite childhood stories should be exhilarating, exciting, and uplifting, right? Unfortunately, the touring production of FINDING NEVERLAND playing at the Dr. Phillips Center this week is none of those things.

'Anything can happen in the woods.' And in the Garden Theater's production of INTO THE WOODS, many, many things happen there. The Sondheim favorite has been adored by theater-goers the world over since it's opening night in 1987. With its combination of fabled fairytales, witty music, and intricate storyline, it's no wonder this show has enjoyed staying power over the years. But staying power can be dangerous as well - a theater never wants a beloved production to start to feel stale or aged. A theatre-goer may love 'Into the Woods,' but how do you make it fresh and new but still keep that beloved quality to the production?

'Oooook-lahoma! Where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain...' Fun fact- that's the first thing that pops into my head whenever I think about the musical, OKLAHOMA. But, with it's versatile musical scale and it's bold and meaningful storyline, OKLAHOMA is so much more than the story of good ol' country cowboys and farmers trying to get along and the making of a new American state. It's a story of the triumphs and struggles for women in early American life and the conflicts that a local rivalry can bring, all wrapped up in a beautiful love story.  

Two babies switched at birth, people dying and coming back to life, and girls kissing. Yes, you read the correctly. It may sound strange, but all these things and more come together in the most amazing way in the Garden Theatre's DESTINY OF DESIRE.  

Joy. Pride. Jealousy. Sadness. Pain. These words and so much more describe the relationship between THE LAST FIVE YEARS' Jamie, an up-and-coming successful novelist, and Cathy, a struggling actress, as they navigate the story of falling in love, getting married, and then drifting apart. Jason Robert Brown's quintessential love-gone-wrong tale is performed wonderfully by Brian Zealand and Whitney Morse at the Village's Studio Theatre at Tierra Del Sol. The telling of this musical is interesting in own right - Cathy tells the story from the end of their relationship, when she discovers that Jamie wants a divorce, while Jamie starts from the beginning when he meets Cathy and falls head over heels.  

S-P-E-L-L-I-N-G B-E-E. Those 11 letters spell out 'spelling bee,' but in the Garden Theatre's production of THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, those 11 letters spell so much more than that. Based on a fictional spelling bee in the fictional Putnam County, this hilarious and heartfelt tale centers on six young spellers who made it through various rounds in their own school's spelling bee to compete at the illustrious 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Along with the six adolescent kids are the three adults who run the bee. Each child is played by an adult and each of them have their own quirks, hardships, and goals which make this show an absolute delight. 

Picasso and Einstein meet at a bar, hate each other and then eventually become friends. Sounds crazy, right? Well, a little bit of crazy and a little bit of genius come together in Mad Cow Theatre's production of PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE in the best way possible. 

My mother is…. For many, these three little words evoke things such as "interesting," "crazy," or even "getting old." But when you hear "My mother is suffering - no not suffering - living with Alzheimer's disease," these three little words take on a whole new meaning. When your own mother starts to forget you, do you even know your mother anymore? Do you even know yourself? These are the questions Vivienne painstakingly tries to answer in Steve Yockey's BLACKBERRY WINTER.

From December 1 to 18, the beloved tale of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' comes to life at the Athens Theatre in Deland. This particular telling of the story is a musical version with singing and dancing numbers. While I'm not sure I particularly enjoyed the musical version of the show, I can definitely say that the outstanding performances of the cast are well worth the cost of a ticket. 

The business side of Mad Cow Theater may be going through a rough patch, but you'd never know it by their recent production of Pygmalion, the beloved tale by George Bernard Shaw. On the Sunday afternoon that I attended the show, the theater was almost full and both the actors and the audience seemed to be having a lovely time (and rightly so as the show was fabulous!).

The rigidness of the acclaimed PBS show Upton Abbey and the unpredictability and overall silliness of improv theater. These things could never work together... or could they? While these two genres of theater couldn't be more different, they come together to form both a hilarious and heartfelt night of theater.

Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida will be showing the critically acclaimed 13: THE MUSICAL starting this week. The show centers on 13-year-old Evan Goldman who moves from New York City to Indiana. Goldman must escape gossip and blackmail if he hopes to make friends and find peace and happiness at his new school. The play deals with the hardships of leaving familiar places for unfamiliar ones, fitting in with your peers, and transitioning from youth to adulthood. Montverde Academy's production will be entered in the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts Applause Awards for the 2016-17 year. Unlike many school productions in which teenage kids play adults, '13' is unique since kids are playing kids their age. Broadway World Orlando's Libby Champion caught up with the director of the production, Roberta Emerson, to talk about what that experience is like for kids and to see how composer Jason Robert Brown's tough musical score affected the cast.

Good and evil. Purity and sin. Divinity and hell. These things are complete opposites and many would argue that people can be either one or the other. But is it possible that both of these traits can live inside of us? Can each of us have a darkness inside of them yearning to be free? In Orlando Shakes' DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE these are the questions audience members find themselves asking.

Magic shows. These two little words spark so many different thoughts, feelings and opinions from people. Some view them as a complete farce and waste of time, while others are completely fascinated by the sleight of hand, the disillusionment and the mystery behind it all. I happen to be the latter type of person and have seen my fair share of magic shows, so I really wasn't expecting to see anything new or daring in this particular show. Boy, was I wrong! In THE ILLUSIONISTS the seven different type of magicians promise they will "notice, observe, deduce" in a way never seen before, and they absolutely do not disappoint.

Have you ever gone through life feeling like a fly on the wall? Ever heard something you wish you hadn't and ended up saving the day because of it? In Rollins College's THE FOREIGNER, Englishman Charlie does just that.

1942 - it was the time of the big band, war bonds for the troops, and radio. Winter Park Playhouse's ALL HANDS ON DECK transports the audience back to that time with classic tunes, hilarious jokes, and so much more. Based on Bob Hope's 1942 USO tour during World War II, this roadshow turned radio show for the troops has stopped in Winter Park, Florida for the evening!

Perfectly encapsulating the great singer Billie Holiday is no easy feat. The legendary jazz singer with a career spanning over thirty years was a mystery to many people - she was beautiful and talented but her personal life was shrouded in drug and alcohol addiction and a myriad of abusive relationships. On paper, it's easy to leave it at that and move on - another celebrity sob story. But in Cultural Fusion's production of LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR AND GRILL, words normally associated with Holiday such as 'revered', 'pain' and 'soulful' take on a whole new meaning, and Holiday's story is so much more than that.  

I caught up with the cast of Orlando Shakespeare Theater's WEST SIDE STORY and learned a few of the moves from the show.