Lawrence B. Munsey

BWW Review: Experience a MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET at Toby's in Columbia

Toby's Dinner Theatre in Columbia unwraps Meredith Willson's MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET, THE MUSICAL, which has enough sweetness to suit the season, enough sass to not be saccharin, and the delightful song 'It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas.' The many beautiful ensemble numbers that feature Macy's employees or happy holiday shoppers in their happy holiday coats and hats deliver a cozy, satisfying sugarplum, with moments of pure delight.

BWW Review: New Leading Lady Narrates An Amazing Technicolor JOSEPH At Toby's In Columbia

In celebration of Columbia's 50th year, Toby Orenstein, Artistic Director of Toby's Dinner Theatre in Columbia, rotates one powerhouse leading lady per decade into the well-written Narrator role of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT. Toby Orenstein and co-director Mark Minnick put together a fun, energetic production. Add new arrangements and musical direction by Ross Scott Rawlings, and the resulting show is engaging, sassy, funny, family-friendly and stuffed with talking points for the car ride home.

2017 Helen Hayes Award Winners Announced!

BroadwayWorld has a full list of the Helen Hayes Awards winners updating LIVE below! Named for actor Helen Hayes - a Washington native and legendary First Lady of the American Theatre - the Helen Hayes Awards celebrates excellence in professional theatre throughout the Washington region and has become a hallmark recognized by theatre makers and theatre lovers far beyond Washington D.C.

Stars Come Out, Raise $74,000 at 2017 CELEBRATION OF THE ARTS in Howard County

On Saturday, March 25, nearly 475 business and arts leaders were on hand for the Howard County Arts Council's 20th Annual Celebration of the Arts in Howard County.

Howard County Arts Council Announces Performers for CELEBRATION OF THE ARTS Gala

The Howard County Arts Council has announced the guest performers for the 20th annual Celebration of the Arts in Howard County gala.

2017 Helen Hayes Award Nominations Announced; COME FROM AWAY Nabs 14 Nominations

The 2017 Helen Hayes Award nominations were announced tonight. A line-up of leading theatre artists announced nominations in 47 categories of artistic excellence. Award recipients will be announced at the Helen Hayes Awards gala event to be held at the Lincoln Theatre on Monday, May 15 with an after-party hosted at Washington's legendary 9:30 Club.

BWW Review: Scrooges Galore: Two Distinct Takes on A CHRISTMAS CAROL at Chesapeake Shakespeare and Toby's

It is a truth universally acknowledged that as Christmas rolls around, A Christmas Carol appears in theaters. And it's no wonder; Charles Dickens' irresistible holiday tale is irresistibly theatrical. It is machine-tooled to go right for the heartstrings. A lot of different things can be done within this framework, a versatility well-illustrated by two distinct takes on A Christmas Carol currently on offer at the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company in Baltimore at Toby's Dinner Theatre in Columbia.

Photo Flash: First Look at SISTER ACT at Toby's Dinner Theatre

You loved her as Felicia in Toby's production of Memphis and now she is back, rockin' the rafters from now through November 13th in Sister Act! Ashley Johnson returns to the Toby's stage as Deloris in the feel-good musical comedy smash based on the hit 1992 film starring Whoopi Goldberg that has audiences jumping to their feet! Scroll down for a first look at Johnson and company in action below!

Toby's Dinner Theatre Presents SISTER ACT

You loved her as Felicia in Toby's production of Memphis and now she is back, rockin' the rafters from September 8th thru November 13th in Sister Act! Ashley Johnson returns to the Toby's stage as Deloris in the feel-good musical comedy smash based on the hit 1992 film starring Whoopi Goldberg that has audiences jumping to their feet!

BWW Review: Feet Planted Firmly In The Air: HAIRSPRAY at Toby's

Hairspray is, in fact, a great raspberry blown in the face of realistic expectations, a visit to a fantasyland where cruelty and meanness and class pretensions stand no chance. And we never get tired of watching that raspberry get blown.

DEAR EVAN HANSEN and SALOME Win Big at the 2016 Helen Hayes Awards, Complete List of Winners!

Tonight, before a gathering of theatre artists and patrons, theatreWashington announced the winners of the 2016 Helen Hayes Awards, drawn from 202 eligible productions presented in the 2015 calendar year. Scroll down for the full list of nominees and winners!

DEAR EVAN HANSEN, WEST SIDE STORY and More Among 2016 Helen Hayes Award Nominees; Full List!

Tonight, before a gathering of theatre artists and patrons, theatreWashington announced the nominees for the 2016 Helen Hayes Awards, drawn from 202 eligible productions presented in the 2015 calendar year. Scroll down for the full list of nominees!

BWW Review: RAGTIME at Toby's Dinner Theatre - It's Like Seeing It on Broadway

Superb cast at Toby's is not to be missed.

BWW Review: Diverse and Parentless at the Turn of the Century: RAGTIME Revived at Toby's

The America depicted here is a place of quests: Father's for the unknown horizon, Tateh's for a land where he and his daughter can prosper, Coalhouse's for reuniting with Sarah and raising his son in a world where blacks are regarded and treated as equals. To these quests might be added two more: Younger Brother's for some ideal he can build a life around and Mother's, a quieter one, to nurture a family, whatever contours her decency and generosity cause it to assume. And all of these quests are played out among the novelties and sensations of an exuberant American decade: among the things which will figure in the plot are Henry Ford's Model T, J.P. Morgan's library of priceless incunabula, the notorious charms of uber-courtesan Evelyn Nesbit, and the antics of escape artist Harry Houdini.

BWW Reviews: Solemn and Unusual: 1776 at Toby's

There are times it's hard to credit that 1776 is even a musical. In this retelling of the drafting and signing of the Declaration of Independence, there is some singing and some dancing, and even some laughs, but little effort to follow the tried-and-true path to rousing musical success. This is fundamentally a tale of a group of men sitting in a room debating, and Peter Stone, author of the book, gives us - a group of men sitting in a room debating. And yet the work has considerable power and appeal, and it is not strange either that it won the Tony for Best Musical in 1969, or that Toby's has revived it.

SIDE SHOW, SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE Top 2015 Helen Hayes Awards - All the Winners!

Tonight before a crowd of 1,200 theatre-makers and theatre-lovers at the historic Lincoln Theatre, theatreWashington celebrated excellence on Washington stages at the 2015 Helen Hayes Awards. The awards celebration was a night of excitement and surprise as 57 Washington theatre artists, theatres, and ensembles received honors in 47 categories for their outstanding accomplishments during the 2014 theatre season. Scroll down for the full list of winners!

The 2015 Helen Hayes Awards Held Tonight in D.C.

One of the country's most prestigious cultural honors, The Helen Hayes Awards recognizes and celebrates excellence in professional theatre throughout the Washington metropolitan area. theatreWashington will host The 2015 Helen Hayes Awards ceremony tonight, April 6, 2015 at the historic Lincoln Theatre.

2015 Helen Hayes Award Nominations Announced!

Tonight before a crowd of 150 theatre makers and theatre lovers, theatreWashington announced the nominees for the 2015 Helen Hayes Awards. One of the country's most prestigious cultural honors, The Helen Hayes Awards recognizes and celebrates excellence in professional theatre throughout the Washington metropolitan area. Watch the full announcement below, and scroll down for the list of nominees!

BWW Reviews: Rousing MEMPHIS at Toby's Proves You Can Do Worse Than Be Formulaic

So far as I know, Toby's staging of Memphis: The Musical is the first local production to date in the Baltimore area, certainly one of the first, and a worthy introduction of the show to the region. It seems to have everything that the Broadway show has: fiery, precise dancing, tuneful belting of catchy songs, great period costumes. In other words, a sure-fire great time, as one would expect for a musical that, on Broadway, won the Tony for Best Musical, Best Score, and Best Book.

BWW Reviews: And Now for Something Completely Hilarious: SPAMALOT at Toby's

There's nonsense delivered in true Cantabridgian style, i.e. with insane argumentative rigor. There are dazzling scantily-clad showgirls and showboys. There are songs that are wonderfully self-referential and songs that push the limits of taste. And there are lots of tag-lines and tropes for Monty Python fans - and who isn't? Hard to quarrel with an assemblage of attractions like that.