Welcome to Charm City Call Board for the week of December 11 - 17, keeping you up to date each week with all that is theater in Baltimore.
NEW THIS WEEK!:
If you have some news or an event you'd like added, please contact me at jameshoward@broadwayworld.com.
Discounts and contest notices are listed first. Show listings follow in this order: current productions and upcoming productions. Audition notices, news bites, and book/CD recommendations are at the end.
BROADWAYWORLD.BALTIMORE DISCOUNTS!
CONTESTS!
Check the Baltimore page for a HUGE year end contest/readers' choice ballot that will post on December 26th!
ONSTAGE THIS WEEK!
A five star system will be utilized in order to differentiate between the various levels of success: artistry and entertainment value. This system is not directly numeric, however. That is, a 4 rated show isn't necessarily twice as good as a 2 rated show; neither is a 4 rated show a "B" or an 80%.
◊◊◊◊◊ - The absolute best theatre has to offer! Missing this should not be an option!
◊◊◊◊ - This is excellent theatre! Do not miss this show!
◊◊◊ - This is a very good production. Try to get to this one!
◊◊ - This is a fair production.
◊ - Save your money.
Be sure to contact the theatre directly for show times, dates and prices. All shows subject to change.
SEE BELOW FOR DETAILS ABOUT LOCAL HOLIDAY THEMED PERFORMANCES!
CURTAIN UP! Opening this week!
Avenue Q at the Hippodrome.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at Fells Point Corner Theatre; La Muenca at Single Carrot Theatre.
CURTAIN DOWN! Closing this week!
Much Ado About Nothing at Everyman Theatre; The Lion in Winter at Spotlighters.
NOW PLAYING! Shows that are currently running.
Holiday Hot Nostalgia at Toby's Baltimore; The Sound of Music at Toby's Columbia.
Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge at Mobtown Players.
OPENING SOON!
HOLIDAY THEMED PRODUCTIONS FEATURED BELOW!
BACKSTAGE BABBLE! News, Best Bets, etc.
BEST BET: THE SOUND OF MUSIC AT TOBY'S COLUMBIA!
Featuring a breakout performance by Jessica Ball as Maria, this Sound of Music is not to be missed! A large cast, terrific scenery and costumes and a classic score are but a few of this gifts this family-friendly treat offers. If you love the movie, give this incredible stage version a shot – you won't be disappointed! Runs through February 17th. See above for details. Review posted 12/10.
BALTIMORE PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL TO HOLD READINGS OF PLAYS IN PROGRESS!
This Saturday, December 15, at the Fell's Point Corner Theatre, 251 S. Ann Street on the 2nd Floor, the Baltimore Playwrights Festival will hold its next set of readings. This event is for the benefit of playwrights who are working on plays for submission to next year's festival. The event is open to the theatre community and is intended for audiences with a particular interest in the playwriting process. The plays featured in this round are: (11 a.m.) 4 sticks and a basketball by Joe Dennison directed by Susan McCarty; (1 p.m.) Helena Troy by Rich Espey directed by Richard Goldberg; and (3 p.m.) Erasmus by Lisa Hodsoll directed by Suzanne Pratt.
SPOTLIGHTERS TO HOLD ANNUAL HOLIDAY CABARET!
SPOTLIGHTERS Theatre's annual HOLIDAY CABARET - just a reason to have fun! – will be held on Friday, December 28 at 8pm. Tickets are $18 and include reception.
The evening features entertainment by local singers, comedians and improv groups. If you need something to do with the family in for the Holidays -- or you need an escape from the family in for the Holidays, come and join SPOTLIGHTERS Theatre for our Holiday Cabaret - just a reason to have fun!
More info at www.spotlighters.org. Order Tickets online at www.spotlighters.org - just click on TICKETS or by email at Tickets@spotlighters.org
SPOTLIGHTERS OFFERS TRAINING WORKSHOPS IN JANUARY!
ACTORS INTENSVE
As an actor:
- do you want to take your performance to a higher level?
- do you want to add layers and depth to your character development?
- do you want to understand what it means to "behave" on stage rather than "act" on stage?
Then The Actors Intensive is for you --
This is a six week (24 hour) workshop, taught in a very individual and one-on-one style by
critically acclaimed director and actor, Alexander D Carney (Director of Angels in America, Perestroika)
SPOTLIGHTERS SEEKS PROPOSALS FOR 2008-2009 SEASON!
Yes - the 07/08 season just begun, but they are starting to put together the 2008/2009 season.
FROM LAST WEEK'S BABBLE!
SINGLE CARROT PRESENTS HOLIDAY THEMED LA MUENCA; PROCEEDS FOR CHARITY
Single Carrot Theatre announces La Muñeca (The Doll), a Spanish poem by Vital Aza, adapted for the stage by Single Carrot company member Aldo Pantoja, at Load of Fun Studios Dec. 13 to Dec. 22. All performances begin at 7:30PM.
Set in a city where poverty and affluence exist simultaneously, La Muñeca is a Tale of a young, homeless girl who embodies the spirit of the holidays through self-sacrifice.
The company uses mixed media and singing, along with traditional theatrical elements to explore the cycle of giving and receiving, and its effect on humanity. The show is primarily in English with sections of Spanish throughout.
La Muñeca is a traditional Spanish poem, which Latin-American children often learn to recite in school. "It is something my mother taught me when I was a child. At an early age, I was inspired by the honesty and reality of the poem," said Pantoja, "It seems that most holiday stories are somewhat fanciful, whereas La Muñeca is a story about real people facing misfortune and searching for compassion."
A dramatic reading of "The Light is Like Water," a short story by Noble prize winning author Gabriel Garcia Marquez will be presented as a companion piece to La Muñeca. Single Carrot is maintaining the integrity of Marquez's original text, while exploring the story with movement and shadow work in order to highlight the power of the imagination in children.
"When looking at how commercialized the holidays are, it is easy to lose sight of the meaning. Children never forget, and it is through their eyes and imaginations that the holiday spirit is maintained" said J. Buck Jabaily, who is directing "The Light is Like Water."
In order to raise social awareness of youth homelessness, Single Carrot Theatre is partnering with Fellowship of Lights: Youth and Community Services. The organization is devoted to helping homeless youth in Baltimore City.
A portion of the proceeds from La Muñeca will benefit The Fellowship of Lights, and there will be further opportunities for audience members to donate at each performance. Additional material and a representative from the organization will be available at each performance to answer questions.
SANTA VISITS LAUREL MILL PLAYHOUSE!
Santa Claus will be visiting Laurel Mill Playhouse at 508 Main Street on Saturday, December 15, between 1:00 and 4:00 PM. Please bring your children to have their picture taken with Santa that you can take home that day! Santa will also give a little treat to each child. Donations are welcome. Please contact Maureen Rogers at jjjmm@aol.com or 301-452-2557 for further information.
CENTERSTAGE PRESENTS JOE TURNER'S COME AND GONE; RELATED PROGRAMS FOR DECEMBER AND JANUARY!
The work of two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner August Wilson returns to CENTERSTAGE as the third offering of our 45th Season, Joe Turner's Come and Gone. Directed by Derrick Sanders, Founding Artistic Director of Chicago's Congo Square Theatre Company, and featuring a cast led by Broadway veterans Myra Lucretia Taylor (Nine) and James A. Williams (Radio Golf), the production also marks CENTERSTAGE's first revival of a Wilson play. This vibrant and earthy drama of longing, loss, and redemption plays The Pearlstone Theater beginning December 7th and runs through January 13th; Opening Night is Wednesday, December 12th. M&T Bank is the production's official corporate sponsor, with additional support from The William L. & Victorine Q. Adams Foundation and The Rodgers Family Fund, Miles & Stockbridge, and Global Lead Management Consulting.
Haunted by seven years on a chain gang, Herald Loomis has come to Pittsburgh to reunite his family. Surrounded by the vibrant tenants of Seth and Bertha Holly's boarding house—scattered souls of the Great Migration—Loomis continues his fierce, poetic journey to recover himself and his song as the early days of the 20th Century glimmer with possibility.
Heading the cast as the no-nonsense boarding house proprietors, Seth and Bertha Holly, are Broadway veterans James A. Williams and Myra Lucretia Taylor. Williams made his Broadway debut last season in Radio Golf, playing the same role he played in its engagement here in 2006, as well as every other production prior to Broadway—seven in total—beginning with its world premiere at Yale Rep in 2005. Taylor, who is making her CENTERSTAGE debut, has many Broadway credits to her name, including the Tony-winning revival of Nine, Macbeth, Electra, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Mule Bone, and A Streetcar Named Desire. In 2002, Taylor was a guest member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, appearing in Stratford and on the West End in The Winter's Tale and Pericles.
Appearing as the fractured Loomis family are Javon Johnson and Donnetta Lavinia Grays, with Reign Edwards and Miah Marie Patterson in alternating performances. Two men offering very different avenues of aid to the residents of the Holly household are played by Cedric Young and Michael Medeiros. The romantic triangle of the boarding house is populated by Rob Riley, Roslyn Ruff, and Bakesta King. Rounding out the cast as Zonia's ghost-seeing playmate Reuben Mercer, in alternating performances, are Marquis D. Moody and Neiman A. Outlen. Director Derrick Sanders makes his CENTERSTAGE debut with this production.
Joe Turner's Come and Gone runs Through January 13, 2008: Tuesday through Saturday at 8 pm; Sunday at 7:30 pm; Saturday & Sunday Matinees at 2 pm; and a Wednesday Matinee on December 26th at 1 pm. Tickets are $10–$60. For tickets, call 410.332.0033 or go online to centerstage.org. Discounts are available for groups of 15+. Contact Group Sales at groups@centerstage.org or 410.986.4008. E-mail info@centerstage.org, visit our website at centerstage.org, or call 410.332.0033.
CENTERSTAGE is offering the following programs in conjunction with Joe Turner's Come and Gone:
Student & Senior Discounts
Pay Your Age Previews
AfterThoughts
Child's Play
College Night
M&T Bank presents Kickin' It with the 'Rents
Meet the Actors
Night Out
Twilight Thursday
Wachovia Bank presents LIVE! @ CENTERSTAGE
HOLIDAY – THEMED PERFORMANCES
Below are several holiday-themed shows playing in the Baltimore/DC area. "Adult Holiday Entertainment" means that these performances are NOT meant for children. "Family Friendly" means that these performances are suitable for the entire family, regardless of age.
SPOTLIGHTERS AND DO OR DIE PRODUCTIONS PRESENT SLAY RIDE
(Adult Holiday Entertainment)
Spotlighters and Do or Die Productions will present the original interactive murder-mystery-comedy, Slay Ride at The Spotlighters Theatre on St. Paul Street. Performances run through December 15, Fridays and Saturdays at 11PM.
This production includes adult themes and language, and the murder of Santa Claus.
Tickets are $18/General, $15/Students/Seniors/BTA Members, and are available online at www.spotlighters.org . For more information, call 410-752-1225.
REP STAGE BRINGS BACK SANTALAND DIARIES WITH BRUCE NELSON
(Adult Holiday Entertainment)
Last year, Rep Stage had a huge holiday hit with David Sedaris' hilarious Santaland Diaries, a biting "expose" about life as a department store elf/Santa's helper. Well, December 5 -23, they are bringing it back for all the shop-weary folks that this time of year seems to create. What a tonic for the Holiday Blues! (This production is recommended for mature audiences.)
This one-man show again stars Helen Hayes Award-winning actor Bruce Nelson, and is directed by RepStage's own Michael Stebbins. This year, the show will be performed at the Slayton House in Columbia's Wilde Lake Village Community Center, which is located at 10400 Cross Fox Lane in Columbia. Tickets are $25 - $17, depending upon which show date you attend. There are discounts available for groups of 6 or more, senior citizens over age 60, HCC staff/faculty, and all students are $12.00 for any performance with ID. Tickets may be purchased at 410-772-4900 or at www.repstage.org.
YULTIDE BENEFIT FOR THE MOBTOWN PLAYERS
(Adult Holiday Entertainment)
The cast of the upcoming US Premier of the musical Six Dead Queens…and an Inflatable Henry and The Gilded Lily Burlesque ( www.myspace.com/gildedlilyburlesque), will be hosting Mistletoe Masquerade 2007, A Yuletide Celebration to Benefit The Mobtown Players on December 29th, from 7pm – 11pm. The event will be held at The Mobtown Theatre at Meadow Mill on 3600 Clipper Mill Road in Hampden. Tickets are $45 and Black Tie/Costume is optional. There is a limited capacity of 80, so order tickets soon.
The event will feature:
Tickets can be purchased at www.mobtown.net through Acteva or for more information got to sixdeadqueens@gmail.com.
FELLS POINT CORNER THEATRE PRESENTS THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER
(Family Friendly)
Fells Point Corner Theatre will present its annual holiday show, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, by Barbara Robinson, and directed by Mike Ware.
The Herdman children put the "H" in horrible and now they are going to put "C" back in Christmas. How do these awful hoodlums achieve this? They take over the Annual Christmas Pageant and in turn, learn the true meaning of the season.
A Holiday Bazaar will be held before and after all performances of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, featuring gifts, baked goods, refreshments and auction opportunities to benefit FPCT's youth programs.
Director Mike Ware has appeared in several FPCT productions, including Street Scene, Sunday in the Park with George, Life X 3 and Anna in the Tropics. Many will remember his special performance as "Elvis" in last season's holiday production of The Six Jewels, which was written and performed by FPCT's Challenged Ensemble. Featured in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever are many talented Baltimore actors of all ages.
Performances of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever are December 14th to December 23rd, 2007, Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 7:00 p.m. Call 410-276-7837 for reservations. Tickets are $17/General, $15/Seniors and Students, and $8/Children 12 and under. Order tickets at www.fpct.org.
FORD'S THEATRE IN DC PRESENTS A CHRISTMAS CAROL
(Family Friendly)
A Christmas Carol, Washington's favorite annual holiday tradition at Ford's Theatre continues – just with a twist. Performances of the Ford's Theatre production written by Charles Dickens, adapted by Michael Wilson and originally directed by Matt August will take place at the Lansburgh Theatre on 7th Street, NW, utilizing a new venue for our classic production.
"It's still Christmas in Washington" said Paul Tetreault, Producing Director of Ford's Theatre. "Just with a new twist to a classic story." "I am thrilled to be able to say that Ford's Theatre will continue the more than 20 year tradition of producing this classic tale of love and redemption." "With just a few modifications for the new space," Tetreault continued, "the show will go on better than ever!"
A Christmas Carol, with original staging recreated by Mark Ramont, will include Martin Rayner reprising his role as Ebenezer Scrooge. Other cast members include David Covington, Michael Bunce, Michael John Casey, Elliot Dash, Carlos Gonzalez, Michael Goodwin, Bill Hensel, Claudia Miller, Susanne Richard, and Todd Scofield.
A Christmas Carol will run December 6 through 29th. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by calling (202) 547-1122 or visiting www.fords.org or at the Lansburgh Theatre Box Office. Ticket prices –$30 - $55 plus $3.00 Lansburgh Theatre facility fee.
ONSTAGE PLAYERS ANNOUNCES A NEW PRODUCTION
Onstage Players will be presenting The Ash Girl by Timberlake Wertenbaker. Performances are November 30-December 2, December 7-9 and December 14-16; Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 2:00pm. The theatre space is located at St. John's United Church of Christ at 1000 S. Rolling Road in Catonsville. Tickets are $12 General Admission/$10 Seniors, children under 18, groups of 10 or more and military. Call the box office at 443-844-6481 or make a reservation on-line at www.onstageplayers.org. Cash and checks only at the door.
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