Baltimore/Washington Backstage - February 6, 2009

I'm happy to report that Baltimore's own Adam Gwon was featured last night at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Millennium Stage presenting a concert of his music. Gwon graduated from Towson's Carver Center for the Arts and NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and is a composer of great promise. His latest musical The Boy Detective Fails was commissioned by the Signature Theatre and will be presented at the theater in July.

You can access the concert from last night which also featured vocalists Stanley Bahorek and Leah Horowitz by logging onto www.kennedy-center.org/millenium. For more of Gwon's music, visit www.adamgwon.com.  Remember the name.

HBO has an interesting if not weird show called "Flight of the Conchords". This may not be for everyone but I really enjoyed the homage to West Side Story's "Cool" in an episode about gangs. You'll see "regular non-dancers" attempting the Jerome Robbins' choreography in the streets of New York. Pretty funny stuff.

The musical Chess by Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Anderseen (Mamma Mia!) is being presented In Concert by Winters Lane Productions this week-end ONLY at the Q Theatre, CCBC Catonsville. The production stars Shawn Doyle, Barbara Hartzell, Robert Tucker, Tamarin Lawler, and David Thompson. Call 410-780-6369 or visit www.winterslaneproductions.org.

The Baltimore Sun Auction for Center Stage Auction Sunday, Feb. 8 on WBAL (109 on the AM dial). Over 600 items will be up for bid between 8 a.m. and midnight.  Phone numbers are 866-960-3352 or 410-234-8183.Visit www.centerstage.org/auction. or see the Sunday Baltimore Sun.

Center Stage has Fabulation or, The Re-education of Undine through March 8 by one of my favorite contemporary playwrights, Lynn Nottage (Intimate Apparel). 410-332-0033 or www.centerstage.org.

Center Stage is offering "Recession-Proof Theatergoing: Half-Price Subscriptions". They offer the best seats in the house for any SATURDAY evening for the last three shows of the season for $90 per person...$30 a ticket. This offer ends Feb. 20. When calling mention the Half-Price Saturday Membership Special and tell them you read about on Broadwayworld.com.

The Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning I Am My Own Wife is packing them in at the Everyman Theatre through Feb. 22. My review is to be posted shortly. But here's a hint...don't miss it!! 410 752-2208.

Welcome to the Liverpool based Fool's Proof Theater troupe presenting The Eagle Has Landed at the Theatre Project through Sunday. This comedy looks quite interesting. 410-752-8558 or visit www.theatreproject.org.

Olney premieres Mark Twain's Is He Dead Feb. 11- March 8.  PAY-WHAT-YOU-CAN performance is Tuesday Feb. 11 @ 7:30 p.m. Call 301-924-3400 or visit www.olneytheatre.org.

Theatre Hopkins opens Feb. 14 with Well by Lisa Kron at the Swirnow Theater in the Mattin Arts Center on the campus of Johns Hopkins and runs until March 1.

In addition, Theatre Hopkins will present two Saturday matinee staged reading performances of Ancestral Voices by A. R. Gurney on Feb. 21 and 28 at 2 p.m. Call 410-516-7159 or email thehop@jhu.edu.

Thanks to Theatre Hopkins, Baltimore will finally get a production of the Tony-winning musical The Light at the Piazza running June 12- July 6. Todd Pearthree will direct. This should be something.

The Spotlighters next is presenting Death by Turkey for two nights only, Feb. 6 and 7. This will be followed by Caryl Churchill's Cloud Nine beginning Feb. 13 until March 8.

Save the date: March 1, 2009 at 6 p.m. when the Spotlighters hosts the Baltimore Theatre Alliance Post Show Cabaret featuring a Lite Fare Reception. Order online at www.baltimoreperforms.org. There will be entertainment by local singers and a preview of Sweeney Todd which opens on March 20. Call 410-752-1225 or visit www.spotlighters.org.

Metro Stage in Alexandria is presenting a new musical Cool Papa's Party until March 15 with choreography by THE Maurice Hines. For tickets, call 800-494-8497. Look for my review shortly.

Grease is once again back in Baltimore at the Hippodrome through Feb. 15. Call 410-837-7400 or visit www.france-merrickpac.com.

Also back in Baltimore is believe-it-or-not Jesus Christ Superstar playing at the Lyric Opera House this week-end only. Call 410-685-5086.

The Arena Stage continues with Irving Berlin's I Love a Piano at the historic Lincoln Theatre through Feb. 15. 202-488-3300. Also in their Crystal City space is Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance through March 15. 202-488-3300

I'm also happy to report that there WILL BE a cast recording of the Arena Stage's terrific presentation of the musical Next to Normal by Sh-K-Boom Records this month.

Another recording I'm looking forward to is The Glorious Ones, the eighth full-scale score from the terrific team of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens featuring Marc Kudisch which is now available on Jay Records. I saw the superb production at Lincoln Center and if any area theater is looking for a terrific musical, take a listen.

The Vagabonds ends its nice run of the Tony-nominated musical Romance/Romance on Sunday, Feb. 8. See my review elsewhere on this web-site. Call 410-563-9135.

 Also in Fells Point, is Harold Pinter's The Homecoming  through Feb. 15 at the Fells Point Corner Theatre. Call 410-276-7837.

Another contemporary playwright, Sam Shepard, is being presented at the Rep Stage which has A Lie of the Mind through March 1. 410-722-4900.

The Baltimore Shakespeare Festival presents its sixth annual Teen Performance Program with The Tempest through Feb. 15. 410-366-3106.

Another Shakespeare play called The Tragedy of Macbeth continues at the Maryland Shakespeare Festival through Feb. 15. 301-668-4090,

Want more?  The Shakespeare Library has The Winter's Tale till March 8. Visit www.folger.edu. For a change of pace, the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company is presenting the 17^th century comedy The Country Wife through March 1. A great Valentine's Day idea. Call 410-313-8874 or visit www.chesapeakeshakespeare.com.

The Shakespeare Theatre Company is presenting The Dog in the Manger through March 29. 202-547-1122.

Avenue Q returns to DC at the Warner Theatre through Feb. 15. 877-598-8696.

Annapolis' Bay Theatre Company has The Gin Game beginning Feb. 20 through March 28. 410-268-1333 or visit www.baytheatre.org.

Two of Baltimore's newer theaters are the Single Carrot and The Strand Theatre Company. Single Carrot has Killer Joe through March 15. 443-844-9253. The Strand has the World Premiere of Bermuda until Feb. 15. 443-874-4917.

The Signature Theatre is presenting the Tony-nominated comedy, The Little Dog Laughed which has just been extended one week to March 15 in the 110 seat The Ark Theatre.

And extended to Feb. 22 is the "brilliant" production of Les Miserables.  703-573-7328 or visit www.signature-theatre.org.

Conor McPherson's Broadway hit The Seafarer plays until Feb. 22 at the Studio Theatre. 202-332-3300 or visit www.studiotheatre.org.

Here's a Valentine's Day suggestion. Head to the Cabaret at Germano's in Baltimore's Little Italy Thursday night, Feb. 12 for "What is This Thing Called Love?". Dinner seatings from 6 to 7:45 p.m. and show time with the terrific Carolyn Black-Sotir singing the greatest love songs of all time at 7:30. For reservations act quickly. Call 410-752-4515.

Auditions :

Marvin's Room at Catonsville Theatre Company Sunday, Feb. 8, 2009 from 2-5 p.m. and Tuesday, Feb. 10 from 7-9 p.m. Call 443-840-4400 write to catheatrecompany@aol.com.

I Hate Hamlet at the Barnstormers Theatre Club Feb. 12 and 16. Call 443-683-0153.

The Full Monty, Saturday, Feb. 7 from 1-4 p.m. Call Lisa Boeren at 443-840-1369 for an appointment.

Cyrano de Bergerac is being presented by the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company this summer and has for 40 roles to cast. They are looking especially for male intern actors aged 16-22. Contact Tami Moon at moon@chesapeakeshakespeare.com for an application

Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde Saturday @ 1p.m. and Sunday Feb. 8 @ 7:30 p.m. at the Little Theater of Alexandria. Visit www.thelittletheatre.com/Actorinfo.

Crossing Delancy at the Vienna Theatre Company Feb. 9 and 10 @ 7:30 p.m. 703-758-8886.

I dedicate this column to Terry J. Long, a terrific director, who passed away suddenly in December. Just before his untimely passing, Long had sent me an email about how excited he was about his direction of Spring Awakening (the play the musical is based on). He also wrote me about his desire for me to help promote local Baltimore theater. Terry, you have my word.  I'll give it my best.

 

If any in the local Baltimore theater community would like to send me your thoughts about his career and how greatly he'll be missed, kindly write me at cgshubow@broadwayworld.com.

 

 

 

Adam Gwon Photo Credit: Peter James Zielinski

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