The WIZARD OF OZ is familiar to so many after all this time (and so many versions, including the Disney alternate universe ‘Wicked’ franchise) that one might be forgiven for thinking that no version is capable of any surprises anymore. AND YET. I am delighted to report that in this production lovingly done by Toby’s, there are delightful, unexpected moments, including puppetry and a surprising dance number, plus The Jitterbug.
ROCK OF AGES is mostly cheese. It’s a jukebox musical packed with big-hair 80s hits that refuses to take itself seriously. Rachel Cahoon portrays “Sister” Sherrie Christian, a small-town kid with Hollywood dreams, with expressiveness and powerhouse vocals. Noah Mutterperl as Drew Boley, a city kid with guitar dreams, is a strong singer with heart and charisma. Ross Scott Rawlings, Conductor and Keyboardist as well as Musical Director, delivers authentic ‘80s sound from the band and the cast.
Although the cast took a wrecking ball to the fourth wall separating the audience from the actors and the show within a show is intentionally light on plot, The Drowsy Chaperone serves up a cocktail that is two shots of Golden Age musicals, a jigger of acerbic wit, three parts parody, and a half ounce of honesty.
9 TO 5 at Toby’s is a treat for all your senses, with color-saturated visuals, harmonious, heartwarming songs created especially for the show and strong characters you’ll adore. It’s just the thing to relieve winter ‘blahs’ and get your toes tapping. Experienced performers have snappy timing, and dramatic lighting fosters swift set changes to retain the rapid pacing. The buffet is ample, the service is speedy and Toby's devotion to a quality experience is unparallelled.
During the 2023 Season, the hilarious musical comedy Church Basement Ladies broke box office records at Way Off Broadway. This spring, the Lutheran ladies return to the WOB stage in A Second Helping – The Church Basement Ladies Sequel.
Toby’s supports sharing the love of theater with young people. Despite, or perhaps because of, its macabre nature, the embedded message of THE ADDAMS FAMILY is about radical acceptance and inclusion, and always has been, from long before “inclusion” was a buzzword. Every member of your family, weird or not, can enjoy this positively creepy show.
As The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre continues its 30th Anniversary Season, yet another area premiere production will take the stage at the Frederick venue when Anastasia opens on September 13th.
On May 20, 2024, the 40th Helen Hayes Awards took place at The Anthem on the District Wharf, with over 1,600 theatre-makers and theatre supporters in attendance. Learn more about the winners here!
For the first time since the show premiered on Broadway in 2021, the musical Diana has returned to the stage. This time in a brand new staging at Frederick's Way Off Broadway as part of the theatre's 30th Anniversary Season.
Tonight, at a celebration honoring outstanding theatre on stages across the Washington area, theatre artists, administrators, patrons, and special guests gathered at the ATLAS Performing Arts Center for Theatre Washington's announcement of nominees for the 40th Helen Hayes Awards.
SISTER ACT at Toby's in Columbia is a delightfully energetic show that is woman-driven and relationship-positive. Songwriter Alan Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater (of Disney fame) create numbers specifically for theatrical production of the movie-inspired script. Ear-pleasing harmonies abound in an extravaganza of song, dance and sisterhood.
ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE at Toby's in Columbia wearing flip-flops and a Hawaiian shirt. Each familiar Jimmy Buffett number is performed with signature Toby’s exuberance, as guests join in singing. A sea of audience-chosen tropical prints boosts atmosphere, and the live miniature orchestra is terrific. It's a three hour airport-free island vacation!
Following the box office successes of Camelot and Church Basement Ladies, The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre will continue its 2023 Season this summer with the Broadway classic How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.
For the spring, The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre will be bringing a hilarious little musical to the stage that it has been looking at bringing to Frederick for some time now.
Designed for fans of musicals, SOMETHING ROTTEN! is a Queen's farthingdale full of fun. It’s lighthearted, full of color and movement, funny, packed with references to amuse Broadway lovers and Shakespeare scholars, with familiar four-second musical riffs scattered through the show. Toby’s Dinner Theater delivers again with SOMETHING ROTTEN!
Toby's consistently delivers showmanship, production quality and customer service. This show is no exception. The show feels inclusive and accessible even to those whose holiday traditions differ from the ones celebrated by the Bailey family. Bring your family to meet the Baileys this holiday season- the Toby's family will make you glad you did.
One of Agatha Christie's most intriguing and acclaimed who dunnits comes to The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre this fall in a brand new stage adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express from Tony Award-winning playwright Ken Ludwig. The show will open on September 9th and run through the fall.
Since the theatre first opened its doors in 1996, The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre has become known for bringing both classic musicals, as well as area and regional premieres to the stage.
