Baltimore/Washington Backstage - 09/19/07

I'll be honest. I was going through Hipp-withdrawal waiting over the three long summer months for Broadway shows to return to Baltimore's historic Hippodrome Theatre. I was especially looking forward to the first musical of the season, The Wedding Singer which I adored on Broadway.  Laura Benanti played the lead but I was lucky to see her understudy, Tin Maddigan, the original Sophie in the Broadway musical hit Mamma Mia!.  She was incredible and the show  was funny and captivating.  I loved the music so much I bought the CD and listen to it often, much more than I listen to Tony winners such as Spamalot, The Producers, or Avenue Q.  Speaking of Tony Awards, The Wedding Singer received FIVE Tony nominations but for some reason the production company does not advertise this fact.

When I received the Playbill on opening night in Baltimore, I quickly went to take a look at the cast. It was clear from the beginning, that NO ONE in the cast had been on Broadway. Not ONE!

Does this really matter? Ticket prices range from $25 to $70 for the show. Do people really care that no one in the show has appeared on Broadway? Does the public expect to see an "Equity" production or even notice if it's not? I don't have the answer. But I do wonder if theater-goers should be informed that a show is a so-called "Non-Equity" production.

Do I recommend this "non-equity" production? Yes I  do. But it's not because of the two leads. Erin Elizabeth Coors (Julia) and Merritt David James (Robbie the wedding singer) do the best they can. You can see a nice interview of them on MPT's "Artworks This Week" (repeating at 5:30 a.m. on Monday morning Sept. 17).  They're just not seasoned veterans yet. Maybe in time…So why come? For the energetic ensemble who work their butts off dancing and singing and the music.  After the show, I noticed there were only  five members in the orchestra pit (three were on stage).  But they sounded great.

There are individuals who do stand out. Justin Jutras, Sarah Peck, John Jacob Lee, and Andrea Andert are all superb.  May I nitpick? Why does the designer have the lead female character wearing black high-top Converse All-Stars to a night-club in the great number "Saturday Night in the City" and then switches to white All-Stars in Act II?  I found this very strange.

So, before local community theater gets the rights, go see The Wedding Singer at the Hippodrome. It ends its run on Sunday, September 24. For tickets, call 410-547-SEAT or visit www.Ticketmaster.com.

Another musical choice is Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along at the Signature Theatre in Shirlington, VA. Call 703-573-SEAT or visit www.signature-theatre.org.

If you want to laugh and you have a penchant for politics, do not miss Mrs. Farnsworth at the Rep Stage in Columbia.  In the premiere production in New York back in  2004, John Lithgow, Sigourney Weaver, and Danny Burstein (the incredible Adolfo in the current Broadway musical The Drowsy Chaperone) were the leads.  Well, the Rep Stage cast of Jason Schuchman, Mitchell Hebert, and the incredible Helen Hedman (will anyone forget her role in the Everyman Theatre's The Cripple of Inishmaan)  are equal to the task. 

Director Steven Carpenter makes a bold move and moving the play from a theater to a classroom and it works beautifully. Your programs are "blue books" as if you are about to take an exam. How clever.

Mrs. Farnsworth is for everyone. Do not miss it. It runs until Sept. 23. Call 410-772-4900 or visit www.repstage.org.  On deck at the Rep is A Shayna Maidel beginning October 3.

Happy 40th Birthday to the Pumpkin Theatre and its Producer/Director Todd Pearthree. There is no better place to introduce your children to LIVE theater. Their first production of the season is Pocahontas which continues September 22 and 23. Future productions include 101 Dalmatians, Alice in Wonderland, Robin Hood and the world premiere of The Princess Adventures. For further information, 410-828-1814.

Center Stage begins its  season with Joseph Kesselring's classic comedy Arsenic and Old Lace.  Great to see two Center Stage veterans return, Tana Hicken and Pamela Payton-Wright. Arsenic runs till Oct. 14. The popular "Meet the Actors" performance is Friday night, Sept. 23. Look for an interview with the leading actors on MPT's "Artworks This Week" on Wednesday night, Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m. (with repeats on Saturday morning at 9 a.m. and Mondy morning at 5:30 a.m.).  For tickets, 410-332-0033 or visit www.centerstage.org.

For you August Wilson fans (and who isn't), Fences continues at the Vagabond Players in Fells Point till Sept. 30. And coming Oct. 26, Jason Robert Brown's incredible The Last Five Years.  If you missed it at the sold-out Everyman Theatre, here your chance to grab a ticket now.  This is the Vagabond's 92^nd season!! Call 410-563-9135.

The Arena Stage continues with 33 Variations until Sept. 30.  This "magical mystery tour" about Beethoven is an amazing world premiere production.  Lisa Kron's Tony winning play Well continues until Oct. 14.  Call 202-488-3300.

Of Mice and Men is coming to the Olney Theatre Center Sept. 26 through Oct. 28. Call 301-924-3400.

The Studio Theatre has Athol Fugard's wonderful My Children, My Africa. The Studio is also celebrating their 30th Anniversary on Saturday, Sept. 29 with an Open House from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  For tickets, 202-332-3300 or visit www.studiotheatre.org.

The Unmentionables has been extended at the Wooly Mammoth to Sept. 30 due to an incredible critical response. Call 202-393-3939 or visit www.woollymommoth.net.

The Tony winning play The Pillowman comes to the Mobtown Theatre and plays Sept. 28-Oct. 20.  410-467-3057. I believe this is the Baltimore premiere of this brilliant play and predict this will sell-out quickly. Call 410-467-3057 or visit www.mobtownplayers.com.

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