A Weekly Column on Baltimore Theater Starts NOW - January 20, 2006

This is the first I hope to be a weekly Friday theater column with ideas for things to do during the week-end as well as items of a theater nature that may interest you on television. For suggestions or comments...you may reach me at cgshubow@broadwayworld.com.

It's opening night tonight at the Everyman Theatre with Martin McDonagh's hilarious black comedy, "The Cripple of Inishmaan". I'll be posting a report shortly. The show runs until Feb. 26. Go to www.everymantheatre.org for info.

Check out MPT's show ARTworks This Week for two wonderful interviews. First, Shannon Wallman, now appearing at the Vagabond Theater in Fells Point in the Tony winner, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood", is profiled and it's a great interview. The other is Toby Orenstein who gets the Chutzpah award for planning to open Toby's Baltimore, a new dinner theater, at the Best Western Hotel. This should be a state of the art dinner theater and it will open on March 10 with "Beauty and the Beast" which will run until May 28. The theater's home is listed as Canton but it is best known as the Baltimore Travel Plaza. Here's hoping Toby can bring her magic from the Columbia location to Canton. Catch the half-hour show on MPT Saturday morning, January 21 at 9 a.m. and Monday morning at 5:30 a.m.

A best bet....head to the Spotlighter's Theater Saturday night for wine-tasting AND a play, "Months on End". And that's not all. Playwright Craig Pospisil will be taking questions after the performance. The wine is from Basignani Winery. Spotlighters is at 817 St. Paul St. Call 410-752-1225 for tickets.

For you who can't get enough of theater and who yearn for coverage on television, watch "Breakfast with the Arts" on A&E from 8-10 a.m. on Sunday morning, Jan. 22, where there will have segments on the new hit Broadway show "Jersey Boys" about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and a segment on the filming of the musical "Rent".

Sunday night, the Center Stage production "Once on This Island" ends its successful run. This is an "extra added" performance due to the cancellation of two shows. This is your last chance to see this fabulous musical...and you can bring the kids. Call 410-332-0033.

The Kennedy Center is offering a bargain for a change. You can see the "The Subject Was Roses" at the Eisenhower Theater for $25....that's ALL seats!!! The play stars Bill Pullman and Judith Ivey. This is only for Sunday night, January 22 @ 7:30 p.m. The play continues there until January 29.

Kudos to Broadwayworld.com for its new partnership with the New York based popular television show, "Broadway Beat". Now you don't have to live in NY to view this weekly thirty minute television program for and about the theater world. New episodes will be avialable on the site every Sunday night, starting January 22nd, bringing the best of Broadway theatre right to your computer screen. And what better way to "kick" the celebration off, than with the recent episode, covering the opening night of "Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life". With clips from her show, and interviews with the lady herself, members of the ensemble, and opening night friends, collaborators and stars, it's a "do not miss" episode.

To quote the press release..."Now in it's 16th year, "Broadway Beat" takes you from the rehearsal studios to opening nights, including in-depth interviews with Tony Award winning stars and directors. "Broadway Beat" is your front row seat to all the music, all the magic, and all of the magnificent drama that is Broadway."

For more info...visit www.broadwaybeat.com.

Previews of coming attractions: Carver Center of the Arts and Technology will be doing a production of the musical "Urinetown" from March 9-12 and Morgan State University will be presenting the wonderful musical "Ragtime" this spring.

Finally, the new Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, "The Woman in White" plays a small part in Woody Allen's new film, "Match Point". It was just announced that the London edition will close on Feb. 25. The Broadway production will continue. Due to Maria Friedman's health problems, Judy Kuhn will assume the role of Marian from Feb. 14 till March 26.

Well...that's it for now. Enjoy your week-end at the theater.

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