BALTIMORE THEATER REVIEWS

As in most great mysteries, a murder has been committed. Yet in the case of Artistic Synergy of Baltimore's new show, a murder has also been announced. Their production of Agatha Christie's A MURDER IS ANNOUNCED is an enjoyable treat for any mystery-lover or fan of one of the great writers of all ti...

I recall seeing GRAND HOTEL in its pre-Broadway incarnation at the Colonial Theatre in Boston in 1989. I took my mother and a niece. I do not have much recollection of whether I enjoyed it or not. But I do remember the late Michael Jeter's performance from the Tony Awards in 1990. He was terrific. T...

Everyman Theatre's Founder and Artistic Director Vincent M. Lancisi recently exposed Baltimore theatergoers to the storytelling genius of Playwright Donald Margulies in their rendition of Dinner with Friends. Armed with an intelligent script that explores the nuances of romance and friendship, Every...

The only thematic message, apart from the goes-without-saying affirmation of LGBTQ life choices, is that we should not 'be afraid to play,' which is about as anodyne as they come. But since when need hilarity justify itself with a message?...

For Prince Hal to attain his destiny, he like all sons must replace his father, and if in this case there are two fathers, it simply means that there are two to surmount, surpass and survive....

Friday's opening performance of DINNER WITH FRIENDS was a family affair at Everyman, attended by many of the resident company, as well as season-ticket holders and friends of the theatre. The production of the Pulitzer prize winner is stellar; as one comes to expect from the talented team at Everyma...

Three sisters bond over broken hearts and new hopes in a small Southern town in 1981....

Let me start this review with a comment by Olney's Artistic Director, Jason Loewith's comment in the program. 'After all my years in this business, many of them championing playwrights and new plays, it takes a lot to knock my socks off. I can count on two hands the experiences that reshaped by unde...

Indecent is about the power of theater to dazzle and uplift. Playwright Vogel has discussed plays that make the hair stand up on her neck. That is exactly what Indecent does: makes the hairs stand up on the back of the neck, and we may be at a loss to explain....

Paula Vogel's 2015 play Indecent, in a production now arrived at Center Stage after stops at D.C.'s Arena Stage and the Kansas City Rep, is a staggering tour de force of playwriting prowess that is also a tour of a largely forgotten world: international Yiddish theater shortly after the turn of the ...

When I saw the Baltimore Symphony SuperPops would be featuring vocalist Christina Bianco I had no idea what she would be like. Then I started to hear from people who actually have seen her in concert and raved about her. It became quite clear it would be necessary for me to see this musician for mys...

Most of the characters fail to use words properly to convey directly what is important to them or us. But as I have said, the underlying problem is larger. It is a mismatch of moral paradigms. The possibility of rationally settling the underlying issues by a dialogue among the participants is hard t...

Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part I (1597), now being revived by the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, is at its heart a family story. It certainly bears the traditional characteristics of Shakespeare's history plays, but it is, first and foremost, a story of two fathers and two sons, and only secondarily ...

Maryland's own Rude Mechanicals have taken on a Chekhov classic and infused it with the irony and wry humor that-believe it or not-were just what Dr. Chekhov ordered. His play Uncle Vanya, set in a provincial farm and featuring a wide variety of clumsy, maladroit characters, is given a warm, funny, ...

The play seems to be a retrospective of Shakespeare's career, with a strong note of self-parody. And with a playwright as fecund as Shakespeare, a 'greatest hits album' would have to be full to bursting. And so that's what Cymbeline is: a 'greatest hits' that refuses to take itself seriously, and in...

Go back in time to 1665 and learn about the theatre world in London....

Production at Olney of Tony-winning musical not to be missed....

EVERYTHING IS WONDERFUL at The Everyman is good theater at its best. What seems a simple tragedy on the surface, is a story of dimension and depth. It entertains and challenges the audience to confront their ideas of acceptance, forgiveness and redemption....

A major work of art, in a quintessentially American genre, an important representation of an under-represented group that advances understanding and dialogue, and beautifully produced. Audiences should embrace this production....

As the Candy Man himself said, "come with me, and you'll see a world of pure imagination." It seems the writers and creatives behind CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY playing at the Hippodrome took this phrase to heart. On the basis of pure creativity and theatre magic, this show is a hit for young...

Even though sometimes funny, even to the extent of farce, and filled with a manic vitality, Jerusalem is not easy theater, but it is infinitely rewarding. It will be surely be one of the most ambitious shows local audiences see in this new year....

There are few entertainments as popular as Miss Saigon (36 million attendees worldwide since it premiered on London's West End in 1989), and few that have occasioned as much controversy. Despite all that popularity, this reviewer had happened never to see the show until the current national tour sur...

The Victorians are very confused in this vivid and animated version of THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST at The Everyman....

If there's anything more magical than a Christmas show at Christmas time, I don't know what it is. The theatre is pretty special all year long, but when you add in a little sprinkle of Christmas magic, it becomes something even better. Artistic Synergy of Baltimore (ASoB) understands this principle ...

ANASTASIA at the Hippodrome is full of charm and exuberance. Part modern fairytale, part musical history, the show takes full advantage of the glory that was Imperial Russia and the glitter of 1920s Paris....