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.

For anyone who has ever loved the character of Peter Pan, reading PETER AND THE STARCATCHER is probably quite a fun experience. For someone like me, who has never been particularly fond of this character, reading PETER AND THE STARCATCHER was difficult. I sort of got where they were going, but I definitely didn't get all in the ins and outs of the story. It's sort of like reading HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS, before reading HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE. You get the idea, but you're just a bit lost in the magic of it all.

Continuing his winning streak of taking classic fairy tales and turning them into hip-hop extravaganzas, writer/ director Psalmayne 24 has done it again with a futuristic take on Snow White. He has kicked our heroine into the year 3000, armed her with a graffiti device, and put her up against an evil uncle named Kanye East. The Freshest Snow Whyte at Imagination Stage may not be the familiar version of the fairy tale, but it's one you should really get to know.

The material speaks for itself and gives the cast - and especially Nova Y. Payton - a chance to stretch their limits.

Highwood Theater in Silver Spring has been providing education in a 'community-produced' environment for more than 10 years, but recently has moved into producing professional theater in their new black box theater. I applaud the work that founder and Executive Director Kevin Kearney has been doing and the organization he has created.

Having the chance to see a brand new play always fascinates me. The time and creativity that the playwright has put into their work must be astronomical. I can't imagine the satisfaction and pride they feel when the curtain finally comes up on their vision. To help these playwrights realize their visions, The Strand Theater Company, a small theater in Baltimore County has devoted time and energy to producing only new works. In the case of this season, all of these works will be written and directed by female artists - a worthy cause in an industry where most men still dominate the writing and directing fields.

A few months back I decided to read Tracy Letts' SUPERIOR DONUTS. I do that a lot when I've decided I missed a show that I really wish I hadn't. If I can't see it in person, then reading the play is a close second. The story of a small donut shop in a rundown neighborhood of Chicago, its owner and the people that frequent his shop struck a chord with me. The relationship between Arthur, and Franco, the young man Arthur employs is full of differences. Arthur is an aging Polish hippie/donut-maker, while Franco is a young African American writer.

On a day that saw rumors of a possible shutdown of the National Endowment for the Arts, artists from around the country came together to prove their lights would not be extinguished.

I had never heard of the Baltimore Theatre Project. As someone who fancies herself pretty up on the theater scene in the area, I was very surprised that it had never been on my radar. The Baltimore Theatre Project is a small regional theater located in the arts district of Baltimore City.

This production is a good introduction to BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Adults will appreciate the strong voices and engaging story. The littlest patron will be enchanted.

Kensington Arts Theatre's production of Cabaret is worth the visit to the Kit Kat Club - maybe even multiple visits.

An adaptation of Kate DiCarmillo's award-winning book The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane opens the 16/17 season for Imagination Stage in Bethesda, MD. While well-acted and presented, the story isn't necessarily for everyone.

Every child has that one stuffed animal that they can't live without. Every parent knows the dilemma of what happens when the toy goes missing and the tantrum that follows. In the opening of Adventure Theatre - MTC's 65th season, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical perfectly describes every parent's worst nightmare: the missing beloved toy.