This looks to be a long column – ENJOY!

 

EXTRA!  EXTRA!  TOBY'S BALTIMORE EXTENDS ITS RAGTIME OFFER FOR BWW READERS!!

Toby's Dinner Theatre of Baltimore has extended it's exclusive BroadwayWorld.Baltimore deal!  If you reserve seats for THIS Sunday's Matinee (September 17th) and mention "BroadwayWorld.com" you get 2 seats for the price of one!  That's right - BUY ONE SEAT, GET ONE FREE!  Tickets include the smash hit musical, Ragtime (cast of 30, live orchestra), and a champagne brunch buffet!  Don't miss out on this huge opportunity for our loyal readers!  Call 410-649-1660 for information and reservations.

 

NEW AT BROADWAYWORLD.COM-BALTIMORE

• New Site feature – A monthly calendar, Charm City Theatre – September 2006!  It is updated frequently, with show information, critics' choice and more.   

• See article from yesterday: CONTEST to win one of 4 pairs of tickets to the premiere of the First National Tour of The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Hippodrome.  Entries can be made through noon, Saturday, September 16^th.  The questions aren't THAT hard!

• Special thanks: To Toby of Toby's Dinner Theatre fame for offering that generous offer to BWW readers!

• Deadline Approaches: Are you involved in a production that is running in the month of September?  Then you have through Tuesday, September 19^th to nominate someone involved in your production for our new Unsung Heroes of the Month column.  All nominees will be featured.  Send me your name, the nominee's name, and an explanation about what they do to make your show that much more special.  Leading players and directors are not eligible, but ANYONE else in the cast, crew or theatre staff is a potential nominee.  The only other requirement is that your show must either open in September or run through the month.  We'd love to highlight lots of great theatre folks, so send your nominations today to: jameshowardbww@yahoo.com. 

BEST BET FOR PLAY LOVERS: OPUS at EVETRYMAN THEATRE

The reviews are in and the talk of the town is Opus at Everyman Theatre!  This is a great evening of theatre – funny, provocative and smart.  And it is a great length – only 90 minutes – so it is great even on a weeknight.  See below for ticket info or go to the monthly calendar.  (Reviewed on BroadwayWorld - Baltimore on 09/12/2006.)

 

BEST BET FOR MUSICAL LOVERS: RAGTIME at TOBY'S BALTIMORE

Baltimore's newest theatre, Toby's Dinner Theatre of Baltimore, is presenting Baltimore's newest must-see event.  Ragtime: The Musical is a sweeping saga about America coming of Age at the turn of the last century.  Featuring several standout performances, Broadway caliber singing, dancing and musicianship, this is a show not to be missed!  Plus it includes a full course dinner buffet!  Sweet deal!  See below for ticket info or go to the monthly calendar.  (Reviewed on BroadwayWorld - Baltimore on 09/12/2006.)

 

NATIONAL TOUR OF SPELLING BEE PREMIERES IN BALTIMORE

            The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a hot Broadway ticket, and is currently being performed around the country.  Baltimore makes theatre history again when it hosts the premiere of the First National Tour of this crazy audience participation musical.  Not since Hairspray's tour premiere at the Mechanic Theatre a few seasons ago has Baltimore had this honor.

           The show runs September 19 – October 1, Tuesday-Saturday at 8PM, Saturday at 2PM and Sundays at 1PM and 6:30PM.  Prices vary.  Contact the Hippodrome Theatre for more information (or watch the hilarious ads now playing on TV)!  See monthly calendar. 

(To be reviewed on BroadwayWorld.com-Baltimore on 09/20/2006.)

            DON'T FORGET!  You can win free tickets to the Bee!  See contest article and enter no later than noon on Saturday, September 16^th!

 

AUCTION WINNER TAKES IT ALL BACKSTAGE AT MAMMA MIA!

            As reported last week, Arbutus resident Valerie Eigner won an all access pass to be backstage during last Saturday's matinee of Mamma Mia! at the Hippodrome.  The auction was part of the AIDS benefit the cast held at the Club Hippo. 

 Mrs. Eigner with her very valuable prize!

            Valerie writes: "I truly did have the time of my life shadowing Assistant Stage Manager Joyce Davidson during the September 9^th Saturday Matinee performance of Mamma Mia!  First stop was the Stage Manager's office while she went off to collect valuables from the cast for safe keeping during the show.  Then we headed to the stage for a brief tour before the show began.  Along the way and during the tour, Joyce introduced me to cast members and crew. 

[What was] most interesting was behind the back curtain.  There are four vocal booths right behind the curtain where cast members sing the back-up vocals.  I was given a headphone so I could listen while I watched them sing along.  Opposite the vocal booths are two dressing gondolas – one male and one female – for costume changes.  I got to see prop cabinets – everything numbered and in its place.  Large items like the beds, chairs and boats are lined up on the side of the stage.

Stage Manager Bryan Landrine was calling cues for the show and was seated on the left side of the stage.  During the second act, I wore headphones and could hear him calling cues for lights, sound, etc.

I did get to watch the show, but didn't stand in any place too long because Joyce needed to check on props for the next scene or a piece of scenery or cast members were exiting the stage.

During intermission, Joyce took me down to the pit, which holds their 9-member orchestra.  Along with copies of the score, I saw assorted magazines, sudoku puzzles and books.  Actually, this was quite common backstage.  I guess it helps to pass the time while waiting for your next entrance.

Most impressive, though, was the cast.  Everyone I was introduced to was gracious and genuinely happy to meet us.  They answered my questions and shared their knowledge of the show eagerly.  Even while they were on stage, I'd get a little wave or a smile or wink.  At the end of the show, Anne Tolpegin (Donna), Lisa Mandel (Tanya), Laura Ware (Rosie), Sean Allan Krill (Sam), Milo Shandel (Bill) and Ian Simpson (Harry) in their colorful spandex joined us for a picture.  Then Joyce presented me with show posters autographed by the cast.

This truly was an opportunity of a lifetime.  As an usher and theatre patron, I get to see the finished product.  But now I have a greater understanding and appreciation of the teamwork that makes theatre magic.

I would especially like to thank Tiffani Barbour for putting together a wonderful evening of entertainment from the cast at The Hippo and Lisa Mandel and Anne Tolpegin for putting together a great auction benefiting 3 great causes.  During my entire time backstage, both of these great ladies were making sure that I was having the time of my life!

Congratulations, Valerie!

 

FELLS POINT CORNER THEATRE OPENS 20^th ANNIVERSARY SEASON

Fells Point Corner Theatre, as part of their 20th anniversary, presents a revival from their 3rd season. The Boys Next Door, by Tom Griffin.  The play is about four mentally handicapped men who live under the supervision of an earnest, but increasingly "burned out" young social worker. Mingled with scenes from their daily lives, where "little things" sometimes become momentous (and often very funny), are moments of great poignancy when, with touching effectiveness, we are reminded that the handicapped, like the rest of us, want only to love and laugh and find some meaning and purpose in the brief time which they, like their more fortunate brothers, are allotted on this earth.

            Richard Dean Stover, the director, is a twenty-year veteran of Baltimore theatre. In addition to The Boys Next Door, Rick has also directed The Tale of the Allergists Wife, Eyes for Consuela, Black Snow, Vast Difference and Cosi all at FPCT.

            Featured in the cast are John Pruitt, Josh Waters, John Hurley, Russell Wooldridge, Mike Robinson, Sarah Zietlow, and Dave Gamble.

            The show runs through October 8, 2006, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., Sundays at 2:00 p.m.  Call 410-276-7837 for reservations.  Tickets are $15, Seniors/Students $12.

(To be reviewed 09/16/2006 on BroadwayWorld – Baltimore.)

 

CENTERSTAGE TO PRESENT THE THREE SISTERS

            CenterStage, the State Theatre of Maryland opens is 2006-2007 season with Anton Chekhov's classic, The Three Sisters.  The drama will play September 15 - October 29 at the Head Theatre at the CenterStage complex on St. Paul.  Irene Lewis directs.  Show times vary, but performances run Tues - Sun.  Tickets range from $10 to $60.  Purchase tickets at www.centerstage.org or 410.332.0033.

(To be reviewed on BroadwayWorld - Baltimore 09/21/2006.)

 

REPSTAGE OPENS 2006-2007 SEASON WITH STONES IN HIS POCKETS

Rep Stage, the professional theatre in residence at Howard Community College, will open its 2006-07 season with Marie Jones' Irish comedy Stones in His Pockets, September 22 - October 8, 2006 in the college's Smith Theatre. This two-man comedy won London's Olivier Award for Best Play in 2001 and enjoyed long runs in Ireland, Great Britain and the United States. 

An American movie company filming an Irish epic in their County Kerry village hires two local villagers, Charlie and Jake, as extras.  Playing a cross-section of 15 characters that inhabit the film industry as well as the town, actors Bruce Nelson and Michael Stebbins experience whiffs of glamour and moments of heartbreak in a fast paced satire on Hollywood's romantic remake of rural Ireland and the universal dreams we all have for fame.  Lee Mikeska Gardner who formerly directed Three Tall Women at Rep Stage will direct this production.  Gardner has received three Helen Hayes nominations for Outstanding Director for productions mounted at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. 

Bruce Nelson, who will be portraying Charlie, was the recipient of two Helen Hayes Awards for the Rep Stage productions of Richard Greenberg's The Violet Hour and The Dazzle, and has also received Helen Hayes nominations for his roles in The Mystery of Irma Vep and Faith Healer at Rep Stage.  Additionally, he has also performed at Everyman Theatre, The Folger Theatre, The Shakespeare Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company and the Baltimore Shakespeare Festival.  Michael Stebbins, who will be portraying Jake, is the Artistic Director/Producer of Rep Stage and starred in the one-man show, Fully Committed, this past February at Rep Stage.  He has also appeared at Berkeley Rep, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, and numerous off-Broadway theatres, including The Public Theater, New York Shakespeare Festival and the Mint Theater Company.  The design team for Stones in His Pockets consists of A. J. Guban - set design, Lisa Ogonowski - lighting design, Melanie Clark - costume design, Matthew Nielson - sound design, Dre Suchoski - props design, Jenny Male - dialect coach, Lisa A. Wilde - dramaturg and Rebecca L. Trotter - stage manager. 

Showtimes are Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 2:30pm and 8:00pm, and Sundays at 2:30pm and 7:30pm with an additional Thursday 7:30pm show on October 5.  Tickets may be purchased by calling the Box Office at 410-772-4900 or online at www.repstage.org.  Ticket prices are Thursday $12, Fridays $22, Saturday matinees $16, Saturday evenings $24, Sunday matinees $20 and Sunday evenings $18.  Tickets for high school and college students are $12 any performance.  Special group rates are available for groups of 6 or more.   

There is a free opening night reception with the cast and production team following the Friday, September 22 performance, and a post-show discussion following the Friday, September 29 performance. (To be reviewed on BroadwayWorld.com-Baltimore on 09/24/2006.) 

 

MOBTOWN PLAYERS OPENS SEASON WITH AREA PREMIERE OF ALBEE'S THE GOAT, OR WHO IS SYLVIA

The Goat or, Who Is Sylvia?, written by Edward Albee and directed by Alex Willis, will play at Mobtown Players' Hampden venue, September 29 through October 21, 2006. The 2002 Tony Award-winner for Best New Play tells the story of one man's outrageous love affair and its devastating effects on his family. The play also won the New York Drama Critics Circle, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle awards. Mobtown's production will be the Baltimore premiere.  See monthly calendar for ticket information.  (To be reviewed on BroadwayWorld.com-Baltimore on 09/29/2006.) 

  

SPOTLIGHTERS OPENS 45th SEASON WITH A CELEBRATION OF THEATRE AND A DISCOUNT FOR BWW READERS!

            Leave it to the folks over at Spotlighters to be unconventional!  As they open their 45th season, they chose to celebrate with an eclectic mix of theatre, all by new and local artists, which is in keeping with the mission of the theatre as set forth by founder, Audrey Herman.  Currently, they have the Young Actors Academy presentation of two hilarious Shakespeare spoofs - MmmBeth and Hamlette. Both plays will comprise an evening's entertainment, running Saturdays at 2PM, September 9, 16 and 23, and Sundays at 7PM, September 10, 17 and 24. 

            But the fun doesn't end there!  "An Evening of Shorts" is up next, running September 15 and 22 at 8PM, 17 and 24 at 2 PM.  The evening will consist of 4 one acts presented by local talents.  The first two, "Date with a Stranger" and "The Cagebirds" mark a return of two popular comedies from this summer. (Reviewed on BroadwayWorld - Baltimore on 08/23/2006.)  They are being paired with two new comedies, "Sex Sells" and "Why Not?" 

And finally, two nights of cabaret will grace the stage at Spotlighters - September 16th at 8PM will have The Baltimore Iprov Group, and September 23rd at 8PM will have InHarmony.

            Tickets for each evening are $15.00, but readers of this column will receive a $5.00 discount per ticket by mentioning BroadwayWorld.com at the door or when reserving tickets by phone.  See the September Charm City Theatre calendar for contact information.

  

 EVERYMAN THEATRE OPENS WITH OPUS

            Violist turned playwright Michael Hollinger's latest play, Opus, captures the richness and power of great music while it explores the individual artist's contribution to the collaborative process.  With only a few days left to rehearse Beethoven's Opus 131, a renowned string quartet struggles to prepare for their highest profile performance ever. Their rehearsal room turns pressure cooker as passions rise, personalities clash, and the players are forced to confront the ephemeral nature of their life's work.

            Everyman Theatre's production of Opus provides the Baltimore/DC premiere of the play, running through October 15, 2006.

            Everyman Theatre is a professional Equity theatre company with a resident ensemble of artists from the Baltimore/DC area dedicated to presenting high quality plays that are affordable and accessible to everyone. Tickets may be purchased by calling the Box Office at 410.752.2208 or online at www.everymantheatre.org.

(Reviewed on BroadwayWorld - Baltimore on 09/12/2006.)

  

TOBY'S DINNER THEATRES: NOW PLAYING: RAGTIME; KISS ME, KATE  

            Toby's Columbia has Kiss Me, Kate.  For more information about this classic crowd-pleaser, call 1-800-88TOBYS or go online at www.tobysdinnertheatre.com.

(To be reviewed on BroadwayWorld.com – Baltimore on 09/15/2006) 

Toby's Baltimore just began previews of the beautiful musical Ragtime..  Co-directed by and Toby herself, the show looks to be another exciting production.  Add to that reasonable ticket prices, a great buffet dinner, including a make your own sundae bar, and a great location, and you simply cannot lose!Daniel McDonald

(Reviewed on BroadwayWorld.com – Baltimore on 09/12/2006)

 

 LOCAL THEATRE ARTIST HOSTS/PERFORMS GUITAR SERIES AT THE GORDON CENTER 

            Dave Eske, resident Technical Director of the Gordon Center and T.D./Advisor/Designer for such local companies as Toby's Columbia and Chesapeake Shakespeare Company (and faithful reader of BWW.Baltimore) announces the ROADHOUSE GUITAR SERIES at the Gordon Center for Performing Arts in Owings Mills.  He'll be the host and opening act at all 3 concerts, performing some of his recent compositions on acoustic guitar. These casual evenings of music sound like a nice way to start your week!

            The series:

 Monday September 18, 2006    7:30 pm - Dave Eske and Uncle John Sawbriar    Tickets $10

 Tuesday October 17, 2006    7:30 pm - Dave Eske and Arty Hill      Tickets $10

 Tuesday November 21, 2006    7:30 pm - Dave Eske and King Lewman     Tickets $10

            And here's a good deal!  Buy tickets to any 2 of the Road House Series, get a FREE TICKET to the third!  Go to www.gordoncenter.com or call 410-356-SHOW (7469) for more information. Walk up sales at the Gordon Center Box Office Mon-Fri 10 am - 4 pm and one hour prior to show time.

 

JOE TURNER'S COME AND GONE PLAYS VAGABONDS

            The late, great August Wilson's play Joe Turner's Come and Gone opens the 91st season of theatre at the Vagabond Players in Fells Point.  The play, which represents the 1910's in Wilson's 20th Century cycle, opens September 8th and runs through October 1st.  Show times are Fridays and Saturdays at 8PM and Sundays at 2PM.  The theatre is located at 806 S. Broadway and tickets are $15, $13 for seniors and students.  Call 410-563-9135 for reservations.

 

 

Remember:

• Support local theatre!

• When you see a local show, please tell the box office and theatre staff that you read about them here on Baltimore.BroadwayWorld.com.  It helps them to know that we are a valuable source of information to local theatre goers.  And the more they know you are reading us, the more times they'll offer exclusive discounts and ticket giveaways.

• Comments, suggestions and items to include in Charm City Stage Door should be sent to me at jameshoward@broadwayworld.com.

 

Thanks for reading!  James

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