Kristen Price - Page 2

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.

B-more creative. That's the message the attendees of the Baltimore Arts Summit held this week at CenterStage had for the citizens of Baltimore. BALTIMORE & THE ARTS: A CREATIVE SUMMIT was conducted this past Thursday in conjunction with PNC Bank and Center Stage, as a way to discuss the many merits of the art scene in Charm City. Attendees included Stephanie Carter of ABS Capital, Chris Ford, the Director of Baltimore School of the Arts, Kwame Kwei-Armah, artistic director of Center Stage, and was facilitated by Cara Ober, managing founder of BmoreArt

Everyone in the theater community of Baltimore seems to be talking about the mad-cap, truly hilarious production of NOISES OFF happening at Everyman Theatre this month. After reading a few glowing reviews, I was finally lucky enough to see it this week. And honestly, I'm not sure the reviews did the show justice. It was spectacular! The time and energy that I'm sure it took the actors to learn and master the choreography alone truly showed in their performances. The entire production was a master class in farce, and I'm not sure I've ever laughed so much in a theater before.

A farce should be full of slamming doors, confusion and missed opportunities. Because of this, you need a stage that's able to accommodate the action and actors that understand exactly what's happening at every point, even if the characters they're playing do not. In the case of SEE HOW THEY RUN playing at the Vagabond Theatre, you have the makings of everything that creates a great farce, even if you don't have the best script.

Currently, the Tony Awards are running a press campaign with their 2017 nominees entitled '#IWasThatKid.' The purpose of this campaign is to show what a lifetime in the theater can do for children and adolescents. Being 'that kid' means these actors were creative, and engaged and loved what they were doing. And that love of the theater community brought them to where they are today - standing on theater's biggest stage and being recognized for their work.

It must be said. TITLE OF SHOW is an enigma. It's one of those shows that, even after someone has explained it to you, you don't really know exactly what to expect until you take your seat in the theater and the curtain goes up. It's a tricky premise - a show about its own creation. If you really start to think about it too closely, you may come to some sort of philosophical conclusions about life and its meaning. If you just go with it and don't contemplate too much, you'll have a fairly fabulous night at the theater. And honestly, a few good nights at the theater, could lead to a pretty happy life, so I suppose you could thank TITLE OF SHOW for providing you that…

THE ODD COUPLE at the Vagabond Theatre, from start to finish was a pretty perfect production full of misfits and lovable rogues. Felix played by Eric C. Stein and Oscar played by Larry Malkus were standouts, which is good since the entire show rests solely - and comfortably - on their shoulders. Throughout the production, I felt these 2 actors looked so much like and spoke so much like the Oscar and Felix I had imagined when I read the play a few years ago. Each actor was hilarious and completely committed to their own ridiculousness. They even managed to make it look as though they had lived in that New York apartment with 8 rooms their entire adult lives.

Immersive theater has been an idea I've heard good things and bad things about but haven't had any real experiences with. I know the general idea - you're sort of dropped into this world and you have to react based on what's going on around you. It's a creative and equally terrifying prospect for actors I'm sure. I can't imagine relying on what random people are saying or doing to shape my character, but that's why they're actors and I'm not. After hearing all of these things and never experiencing them for myself, I thought it was about time I saw this type of creativity first hand, and lucky for me Submersive Productions was setting up shop in the Peale Museum in Baltimore City for their next immersive theater experience.

For about 6 years, RENT was the show I just didn't want to see. While all my friends were head over heels for this brand new musical, I just couldn't get excited about it. I was very in to the traditional back then and RENT was anything but traditional. However, in 2002 my best friend turned 21 and all she wanted was to see RENT on Broadway. And when that happens, you just suck it up and go.

Imagine you've been cast as every actor's dream role - Hamlet in Shakespeare in the Park. Then imagine as you're deciding whether or not to take the role, the ghost of the best Hamlet of all time - John Barrymore - starts haunting you. That's the premise of Dundalk Community Theatre's delightful production of I HATE HAMLET. For lovers of Shakespeare, you can't go wrong with seeing this play. Contrary to its title, the show is basically a love letter to the Bard.

THE BODYGUARD, which officially opened last night in Baltimore at the Hippodrome, is a strange little hybrid of a musical. On one hand, it's a pretty straightforward love story about a girl falling for a boy who has been hired to protect her. On the other, it's a jukebox musical using the works of Whitney Houston as a jumping off point. Both have their positives and negatives but therein lies the problem. Since the producers were so focused on making the show both a love story AND a jukebox musical, neither part received the attention it deserved, and both parts suffered because of it.