Stefani Chudnow - Page 4

Slipstream Theatre Initiative has done it yet again. Since their run of On The Exhale finished last month, you can now see their next production until June 30th, a play entitled Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde.

Until May 26th, the Lakeland Players have three more performances of Next to Normal at the Starlight Theater in This show tackles a variety of complex but fascinating topics including, but not limited to, mental illness, suburban family life, electroconvulsive therapy, and suicide. Regardless of whether or not you have been touched by any of these topics, I can't stress how significant seeing Lakeland's production is.

It's no secret that the Pulitzer Prize-winning, Tony-winning, Grammy-winning musical Hamilton has finally made its way to East Lansing until June 2nd. As someone who has now seen this musical five times, I can say without a doubt that Hamilton's Angelica Tour meets, and even succeeds, the hype that surrounds this show.

From May 17th through June 9th, you 'cain't say no' to Oklahoma!, which will be playing on the main stage at Stagecrafters' Baldwin Theatre in Royal Oak. As Rodger and Hammerstein's very first collaboration, Oklahoma! is essentially the quintessential Golden Age musical. BWW Detroit had the opportunity to speak with the director of Oklahoma! at Stagecrafters, Randall Wrisinger. Check out our conversation here!

Interested in an unusual yet delightful night of theatre? Head on over to the Ridgedale Players this weekend, May 17th through the 19th, where you can see The Fantasticks for just three more performances. Working together to make a polished final product, the cast of Ridgedale Players tells this tale with pure exuberance and a genuine love for the art of theatre.

From May 17th through May 26th, Lakeland Players in Waterford Township will put on a production of the award-winning rock musical Next to Normal. Next to Normal is the story of what happens when a family is met with death, mental illness, addiction, and the ethics (or lack thereof) of modern psychiatry. BWW Detroit had the opportunity to talk to the director of this production, Maria Mikulec.

In the days since seeing playwright Martin Zimmerman's On the Exhale, which is running at Slipstream Theatre Initiative in Ferndale through May 19th, I have been thinking a lot about the 1999 Columbine shooting, the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, and the 2018 Parkland shooting. Slipstream's one-woman show, On the Exhale, centers on an unnamed single mother whose only child was killed in a shooting at his elementary school. This mother goes on a desperate journey to uncover what exactly happened in that school on that fateful September morning.

In twentieth century media, something that's often called for (and only sometimes applauded) is diversity. Stagecrafters' production of Southern Comfort, which runs through May 12th at the Baldwin Theatre's 2nd Stage, is an excellent representation of how diversity in the media can only lead to beautiful stories and even more beautiful storytelling.

At midnight on April 16th, Wharton Center for the Performing Arts in East Lansing debuted their 2019-2020 season. As far as seasons go, this one, chock-full of recent and classic Broadway hits, is sure to excite season ticket holders and newcomers alike.

For two days only, April 13th and 14th, you have the unique chance to catch the national tour of The Sound of Music at The Fox Theatre in Downtown Detroit. While most people around the world are familiar with this classic film, this production is a descendant of the original Broadway production which won five musicals back in 1960, including 'Best Musical.' BroadwayWorld Detroit had the opportunity to interview one of the cast members of this acclaimed production, Jake Mills. You can read our interview here!

Want to see one of the most culturally significant and powerful plays of our time? Head on over to Matrix Theatre Company in Detroit to see The Interference, written by Lynda Radley. After premiering in 2016, The Interference has made its way to Detroit at a time where sexual assault, particularly institutionalized rape culture, has creeped its way into everyday conversations and news stories.

For the next three weeks until April 14th, you can catch Detroit native Lydia R. Diamond's play Stick Fly at Meadow Brook Theatre in Rochester Hills. Having played on Broadway from November 2011 to February 2012, Stick Fly comes to Detroit with a talented cast, fascinating production design, and intriguing direction choices courtesy of Washington College professor Benjamin Sterling Cannon.

Right now, we are living in a time where more and more people, especially women, are coming out about being sexually assaulted. As such, I can think of no better time to see a play such as The Interference at Matrix Theatre Company in downtown Detroit. Playing from March 22nd to April 14th, The Interference is hailed as "a story for a world in the midst of a tectonic cultural shift that is shaking our patriarchal society to its core." BroadwayWorld Detroit had the opportunity to interview the director of this important play, Kaitlyn Valor Bourque.

Just until this Sunday, March 17th, you can catch well-known Broadway musical Miss Saigon at Wharton Center for the Performing Arts in East Lansing. Inspired heavily by Giacomo Puccini's opera entitled Madama Butterfly, Miss Saigon first played on Broadway from 1991 until 2001 and has had several worldwide productions ever since, including a 2017 Broadway revival. Though this show has often been met with controversy throughout its history, the U.S. national tour currently hitting East Lansing does its best to portray the Vietnam War as honestly as possible.

Regardless of whether or not you're a fan of musicals, you've probably heard of Miss Saigon. This world-famous Broadway classic is coming to East Lansing's Wharton Center for the Performing Arts for just one week from March 12th through 17th. Featuring music and a book from Les Miserables playwrights Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg, as well as additional lyrics from Richard Maltby, Jr., Miss Saigon is a story of love and survival towards the end of the Vietnam War. After opening on the West End in 1989, Miss Saigon played to packed houses on Broadway from April 11, 1991 to January 28, 2001. Before the U.S. national tour makes its way to Wharton Center, BroadwayWorld Detroit had a chance to interview Red Concepcion, who plays the Engineer in this production. You can read our interview below.

Up until March 10th, you have a chance to catch a supremely unique piece of theatre on at the Meadow Brook Theatre on Oakland University's campus. Playing to this intimate theatre, the former off-Broadway musical The Spitfire Grill feels right at home.

Through March 10th, you can catch the musical adaptation of the 1996 movie The Spitfire Grill at Oakland University's Meadow Brook Theatre. Though it never played on large stages such as Broadway or the West End, this tale of redemption and growth in small town U.S.A. has been produced by hundreds of theatres around the world and has been translated into multiple languages. In anticipation of this unique piece of theatre coming to Metro Detroit, BroadwayWorld Detroit spoke to the director of the show, Travis Walter. You can read our interview below.

Through February 17th, you can catch the recent Broadway musical If/Then at Royal Oak's Baldwin Theatre. If/Then, originally starring Idina Menzel as Elizabeth, finished its 401 performance-run on Broadway on March 22, 2015 and followed up with a national tour that passed through Detroit in April 2016. Written by the duo behind the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Next to Normal, Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey, If/Then is yet another unique, very human story that everyone can find themselves in. In addition, its Broadway production was commended among critics and audiences alike for being a rare original musical in an age of adaptations.

Royal Oak's very own Stagecrafters is bringing one of Broadway's recent musicals, If/Then, to Metro Detroit starting January 25th at the Baldwin Theatre. If/Then, originally starring Broadway superstar Idina Menzel as Elizabeth, is a very human story that pretty much anyone can relate to. Elizabeth, a recent divorcee, returns to New York after spending 12 years in Phoenix with her husband. In the same park at the same time, she reconnects with one of her old college friends, Lucas, and becomes friends with a stranger, Kate. Then she's met with a choice: does she seek out new experiences as "Liz," or does she start advancing her professional career as "Beth?" Following these two different storylines, we learn the consequences of both choices and discover the power that a single decision can have on your life. If/Then is directed by Rodel Salazar. To learn about the production, BroadwayWorld Detroit spoke with Salazar about his inspirations, his favorite scenes, and more. You can read our interview below.