Baltimore/Washington Backstage - August 18, 2006

                                   

Great to be back to the BWW web site after a nice vacation.

 

And  I 'll start with some wonderful free events.

 

If you can get to New York on Sunday, Sept. 10, you can see the 15^th Annual "Broadway on Broadway" concert in Times Sq. which gets underway at 11:30 a.m. I suggest you get there no later than 9 a.m. for a good spot. So…from Baltimore, take the Superior Tours Bus, Hunt Valley Motor Coach, or Eyre Bus (costs about $50 round-trip) and see not only the casts from every musical on Broadway but peaks of what's coming like "Company", "Les Miserables", "High Fidelity", "Spring Awakening", "Grey Gardens", "Jay Johnson: The Two and Only", and "The Times They Are a Changin" (the Bob Dylan Twyla Tharp musical). MC will be Martin Short. Call 1-888-Broadway or www.broadwayonbroadway.com.  After the free concert, which normally lasts about 90 minutes, head to a 3 p.m. matinee, and bus it back to Baltimore or Washington. What a day!!!

 

It's not often you a  Tony-winning singer coming to Baltimore giving a free out-door concert. But that is what you'll get on Saturday, Aug. 18 in Druid Hill Park,

2600 Madison Ave.

Headlining the Stone Soul Picnic (where are the Fifth Dimension?) is the Tony winning star of "Aida", Heather Headley.  This free music festival gets underway at noon and Headley should perform around 6 p.m.  Other performers include Chingy, Shanice, and Freddie Jackson. Call 410-332-4600 for further information.

A hotbed for free theater in the area seems to be the Olney Theatre Center. And appearing until Sunday is an original musical "Pearls from the Salt" presented by the Boston-based Transformations Theatre Troupe. Comprised of six female actors, the ensemble presents a show for all ages which is based on folk tales from around the world and addresses the issue of young girls overcoming odds.  The show's material includes "The Goose Girl at the Well" (Germany), "The Princess in the Suit of Leather" (Egypt), and "The Monkey Girl" (Sudan).  Showtimes are 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, and 2 p.m. on Sunday at the Root Family Stage at Will's Place.

Also at the OTC is Ibsen's "An Enemy of the People" through Aug. 27. Call 301-924-3400.

 

If you want to compare productions, Washington's Shakespeare Theatre Company has the same play from Aug. 29 to Oct. 22. Director Kjetil Bang-Hansen was former artistic director of Den Nationale Scene, the Norwegian theatre where Ibsen served as writer-in-residence in the 1850's.

 

A hit musical which continues in London and one of my favorite musicals "Blood Brothers" can be seen now through September 10 at Just Left of Broadway, 2132 Turkey Point Rd. In their Children's Theatre, "Charolotte's Web and Winnie the Poo is presented on Saturday afternoons and selected week-days till Sept. 2. Call 410-391-5557.

 Toby's Dinner Theater in Columbia continues with "Buddy" through Sept. 3 in Columbia while "Footloose" closes on August 20 in Baltimore. 410-730-8311.

Part of the Baltimore Playwrights Festival is "Hope's Arbor through Aug. 27 at the Spotlighters. 410-727-1225. Also part of the Festival is "Split" at Fell's Point Corner Theatre. 410-655-4826. Also part of the Festival is "Just Outside the Garden" at the Mobtown Players which ends Aug. 19. Call 410-467-3057.

 

Annapolis' Summer Garden is presenting the musical "Cabaret" in an outdoor setting. Head to the State Capital to see this terrific production. It closes Sept. 2. Call 410-268-9212.

Very surprised the wonderful "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" will be closing on Broadway on Sept. 3. But you don't have to rush to NYC…it's coming soon to the Hippodrome.

And starting the season at the Hippodrome is "Mamma Mia!" running from Aug. 29 to  Sept. 10. Since this is NOT a subscription event, if you hurry, you can get some great tickets to this successful musical which will celebrate its fifth anniversary on Broadway in October. Call 410-547-SEAT. If you want to see what opening night was like five years at "Mamma Mia!", look for the Aug. 6 Broadwayworld article and you can click onto the Broadway Beat 30 minute video about what it was like back in 2001, just one month after the Sept. 11 tragedy.

 

Christopher Walken has been cast to be John Travolta's husband (Wilbur Turnblad) in the film version of "Haispray". This should be ready by next summer.

 

And it is official, Johnny Depp is shedding his Pirates' costume for a barber's outfit to play "Sweeney Todd" in the film version directed by Tim Burton for a late 2007 release. This should be interesting.

Finally, for something unusual AND FREE, head to the Maccabi ArtsFest at the Owings Mills Jewish Community Center. Over 175 teenagers from around the country, Odessa, Ukraine, and Ashkelon, Israel will be heading to Baltimore for this first ever Arts Festival.  On Thursday, Aug. 24, from 4-8 p.m., all the participants will showcase their talents between 4-8 p.m. in Rock, Jazz, Vocal Music, Visual Arts, Vocal Music, and Musical Theater (4-4:20 p.m. and 5-5:20 p.m.). To make reservations, call 410-356-5200 and ask for Maccabi ArtsFest.

For comments, write me at cgshubow@broadwayworld.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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