Charm City Call Board: March 18 - 24

Welcome to Charm City Call Board for the week of March 18 - 24, keeping you up to date each week with all that is theater in Baltimore and the region.         

Discounts and contest notices are listed first.  "On Stage" listings follow in this order: opening this week, in previews, current running productions, closing this week and upcoming productions.  Audition and help wanted notices will be next (arranged by date), followed by "Backstage Babble" - news bites, your letters and book/CD recommendations and "Theatre Events" are at the end.   I hope you find this format even more user friendly! 

Please feel free to send me suggestions/comments at jameshoward@broadwayworld.com.  

NEW THIS WEEK!:

• BEST BET: Kiss of the Spider Woman at Signature Theatre!
• NEW SHOWS: The latest from Spotlighters, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company and MET!
• COMPLETE LISTINGS:  How to get tickets for all of the local shows!  

If you have some news or an event you'd like added, please contact me at jameshoward@broadwayworld.com. 

 

BROADWAYWORLD.BALTIMORE DISCOUNTS!

• Camelot at The Hippodrome Theatre: Get $20.00 off per ticket at Price Level 1 for the March 25, 26 and 30th performances!  This offer good at the Hippodrome Box Office, ticketmaster.com or by calling 410-547-SEAT.  For all of the above, use Password: ARTHUR to receive your discount!
•  4 By Tenn at Spotlighters:  BWW readers get $5.00 off per ticket!  Just go to www.spotlighters.org, click on "Tickets" and enter code BWW-4T, or mention this code when making phone reservations at 410-752-1225.

 

CONTESTS

Win tickets to the opening Night performance of Camelot, starring Lou Diamond Phillips at the Hippodrome Theatre! Contest posted March 17!  All entries due no later than noon on Saturday, March 22!

 

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 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.  

 

IN PREVIEWS! 

• The Wizard of Oz (Musical – Dinner Theatre): Toby's Dinner Theatre of Baltimore.  Through 6/8.  Review to be posted 4/1.  Look for interviews with the stars of the show coming soon!  1.866.99TOBYS or www.tobysdinnertheatre.com

 

CURTAIN UP!  Shows opening this week.

 

A Little Night Music at CENTERSTAGE

• ◊◊◊◊◊ A Little Night Music (Musical): CENTERSTAGE.  Through 4/13.  Review posted 3/20.  Read the interview with Barbara Walsh posted last week!  New interview with Polly Bergen coming soon! 410.332.0033 or www.centerstage.org.
• ◊◊◊◊◊Gem of the Ocean (Regional Premiere Drama): Everyman Theatre.  Though /27.  Review to be posted 3/22.  410.752.2208 or www.everymantheatre.org.
• From Tel Aviv (Performance Piece): CENTERSTAGE.  3/20 – 29.  410.332.0033 or www.centerstage.org. See below for related article!
• Love, Sex and the IRS (Comedy): Laurel Mill Playhouse.  3/21 – 4/6.  301.617.9906 or www.laurelmillplayhouse.org. See below for related article!
• 4 by Tenn (Drama): Spotlighters Theatre.  3/21 – 4/13.  Review to be posted 3/29.  410.752.1225 or www.spotlighters.org. See above for BWW Discount!  See below for related article!

 

NOW PLAYING!  Shows currently open.   

Kiss of the Spider Woman at Signature Theatre; Sects and Violins at Single Carrot Theatre

• ◊◊◊◊ Sects and Violins (Sketch Comedy): Single Carrot Theatre.  Through 3/29.  Review posted 3/17.  443.844.9253 or www.singlecarrot.com. See article below!
• ◊◊ Hatful of Rain (Play): Vagabond Players. Through 3/30.  Review posted 3/3. www.vagabondplayers.com or 410-563-9135
• ◊◊◊ 1/2 Three Days of Rain (Play): Fells Point Corner Theatre.  Through 4/13.  Review to be posted 3/23.  410.276.7837 or www.fpct.org.  See article below!
• ◊◊◊◊ 1/2 Kiss of the Spider Woman (Musical): Signature Theatre.  Through 4/20.  Review posted 3/18.  703.820.9771 or www.signature-theatre.org. See article below! BEST BET 3/18!
• ◊◊◊ Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Musical – Dinner Theatre): Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia.  Through 6/5.  Review posted 3/9.  www.tobysdinnertheatre.com or 1-800-88TOBYS.

 

Joseph... at Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia; Three Days of Rain at Fells Point Corner Theatre

CLOSING THIS WEEK! Your last chance… 

There are no closings scheduled for this week.

 

OPENING SOON!   

• Camelot (Musical): Hippodrome Theatre.  3/26 – 4/6.  Review to be posted 3/26.  410.547.SEAT or www.broadwayacrossamerica.com.  See above for BWW Discount!
• Thom Pain (One Man Play): Rep Stage.  3/26 – 4/13.  Review to be posted 3/28.  410.772.4900 or www.repstage.org.

  

AUDITION NOTICES: 

Rumplestiltskin's Daughter: National Tour

CASTING IN DC/BALT FOR UPCOMING US NATIONAL AND CANADA TOUR OF THE MUSICAL RUMPELSTILSKIN'S DAUGHTER FOR 2008/2009 SEASON.   

SEEKing Strong MALE & FEMALE SINGERS & DANCERS FOR TIGHT ENSEMBLE CAST PLAYING MULTIPLE ROLES - ALL TYPES/DIVERSE CASTING - TAP A PLUS. NON UNION – ALL ROLES PAID 

SEND HARD COPY OF PHOTO & RESUME TO: RUMPELSTILTSKIN'S DAUGHTER, RNM PRODUCTIONS, PO BOX 66, SIMPSONVILLE, MD 21150 

Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter recently completed a successful run at the historic Empire Theatre for THEATRE IV in Richmond, Virginia. This fun family musical has previously been presented to consistent critical acclaim at the prestigious Assembly Rooms for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland, as part of the Saturday Morning Series at The National Theatre in Washington, DC, and with workshops in Maryland and at the Boys Choir of Harlem in New York. 

Currently booking with Windwood Theatricals, tour dates will vary throughout the season and is due to open approximately July 2008. We anticipate shorter trips of several days up to longer multi-week circuits with variable time off in between gigs. All dates will normally have from sixty (60) to ninety (90) days advance notice prior to bookings.  Rehearsals will be scheduled in the BALT/DC area around May or June.  Directed by Terry J. Long with Musical Direction by Jason Brown. Executive Producer, Robert Neal Marshall. 

For more information visit our website www.Rumpelstiltskinsdaughter.com

  

BACKSTAGE BABBLE!  News, Best Bets, etc. (New items in RED.) 

BEST BET: Kiss of the Spider Woman at Signature Theater in Virginia

The first show in Signature's Kander & Ebb Celebration, Kiss is a thrilling, suspenseful and romantic musical.  Featuring Broadway's Natascia Diaz, Will Chase and Hunter Foster, and a cast of amazing local actors/singer/dancers, this show is not to be missed!  See above for ticket information. 

NEWS: Chesapeake Shakespeare Company Announces Summer Shows; Early Bird Ticket Special 

The award-winning Chesapeake Shakespeare Company-in-the-Ruins returns to its summer home for a sparkling new outdoor season just down the road and in a venue like no other.  This year, CSC presents The Comedy of Errors, the mischievous comedy of mistaken identity, and The Tempest, Shakespeare's magical romance, performed among the picturesque ruins of the Patapsco Female Institute Historic Park, Ellicott City, Maryland. 

The Comedy of Errors and The Tempest will be produced in repertory, with one cast performing both shows alternately.  On Saturday, June 28th, audiences will have the opportunity to see both shows performed back-to-back in our traditional doubleheader beginning at 4pm. The schedule is as follows: June 6 – July 13, 2008; Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 5 pm; Both shows performed on June 28 beginning at 4PM; Friday, July 4 will be at 5pm; there will be a Thursday, July 10 show of The Comedy of Errors at 8pm. 

Tickets and dinners can be purchased online through our website www.chesapeakeshakespeare.com, by phone at 866-811-4111 or prior to the performance at the box office. Groups of 10 or more, please call 410.313.8874.

Adults $30, Seniors $25, Students 21 and under $15, and for the fourth year in a row Kids are Free! 

SPECIAL OFFER: Pre-sales via www.chesapeakeshakespeare.com receive $4 dollars off the price of an adult ticket.

 

THEATRE EVENTS (New items in RED.)  

March 21 - April 13: Spotlighters presents four early and rarely seen plays by Tennessee Williams

Spotlighters Theatre presents 4 by TENN. This series of short plays shines a light not only into Tennessee Williams' psyche but also into his creative process and how as an artist he toyed with an idea, slowly shaping it until it came into full fruition.

These Are the Stairs You Got To Watch (written around 1941) it is set in an old-time movie palace. Stairs describes a sixteen year old boy's slow loss of innocence when he takes a summer job as an usher. Simultaneously touching, humorous, and frightening it is both autobiographical, since Mr. Williams took a job at a movie theatre while in his youth, and a touchstone to his more famous short story The Mysteries of the Joy Rio. Like so much of Williams' writing Stairs highlights the illusion of the refined southern culture mentality: everyone has secrets, everyone knows everyone's secrets, and the social fabric only begins to crumble when someone refuses to play the game of ignoring the never discussed secrets.

The second piece, Summer at the Lake (originally titled Escape), was possibly written while Williams was attending university and shows a man still dealing with his family relationships, adulthood, and emerging sexual identity. Not surprisingly it ends with the time period's usual stance on gay sub plots.

And Tell Sad Stories of the Deaths of Queens,  the third piece (written in the 1960s), shows a writer more at peace with his homosexuality and provides greater empowerment as it showcases the resiliency of gay men in facing society's disapproval as well as their own flaws and weaknesses. The longest running and funniest piece, it is also Williams' most openly gay play showcasing a drag queen named Candy who makes the astute comment "Just imagine this country without queens. It would be barbaric!" From a gay man's perspective it's interesting to see how gay self-images and culture have changed from this pre-Stonewall time period, while remaining in some respects so comfortably similar. It's a shame Williams' didn't take And Tell Sad Stories and create a full-length piece.

The evening finishes up with I Can't Imagine Tomorrow; a small play that showcases Tennessee Williams at his full writing prowess. The dialogue is poetic in its wordage, timing, and cadence. The unnamed One is steely in determination to take control of his destiny, even if that only means accepting the hand that fate has dealt, while Two is a mass of nerves trying to hold onto some sense of security in his life, a desire that One advises against saying, "Repetition is only a sense of security, it doesn't guarantee it."

Veteran Baltimore director, Barry Feinstein has assembled a diverse and talented cast to bring these short plays to life. The cast includes:
The Writer - Harry B. Turner;

• These Are The Stairs You Got To Watch: Carl - Greg Freitag; Boy - Alex Joseph Barone; Gladys - Tracy Dye; Man - Omar Pulliam; Girl - Suzana Pesa; Mr. Kroger - Branch Warfield; Cashier - Dickens Warfield; Policeman - Eric Barker
• Summer At The Lake: Mrs. Fenway - Janise Whelan; Donald - Andrew Syropoulos; Anna - Dickens Warfield
• And Tell Sad Stories Of The Death Of Queens: Candy - David Allen; Karl - Greg Freitag; Alvin - Eric Barker; Jerry - Andrew Syropoulos
• I Can't Imagine Tomorrow: One - Omar Pulliam; Two - Ralph Piersanti.

Special Events for 4By Tenn:

• Opening Night Reception with Cast & Crew - Friday, March 21 following the performance
• Talk Back with Cast & Crew - Sunday, April 6, following 2pm performance
• Thursday Performance - April 10 at 8pm
  

Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for students and seniors.Order online at  www.spotlighters.org - just click on TICKETS.  Will Call Reservations - 410-752-1225 or Tickets@spotlighters.org .  See above for a BWW discount!

 

March 19 – April 27:  Everyman Theatre Offers Local Premiere of Gem of the Ocean 

Everyman Theatre will sweep audiences away with their upcoming production of August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean directed by Jennifer L. Nelson. The show features an experienced cast including Everyman Resident Company member Dawn Ursula, Lizan Mitchell, Jefferson Russell and Keith N. Johnson. Performances run March 19 – April 27, 2008 at Everyman's North Charles Street location. Tickets range in price from $18 to $35 and may be purchased by calling the Everyman box office at (410) 752-2208 or by visiting the website at www. everymantheatre.org. The production is supported by Lee & Bea Robbins and Jonathan Melnick to honor the memory of J. Tyson Tilden. The media sponsor is Baltimore Style magazine. Everyman Theatre welcomes patrons with disabilities. 

The ninth play in August Wilson's ten-play series chronicling the African American experience in the 20th century, Gem of the Ocean introduces Citizen Barlow, a weary young man who appears on the steps of Aunt Ester's house on the eve of her 287th birthday. In her mystic role as healer and oracle, Aunt Ester sends Barlow to find a magical city in the middle of the ocean thus beginning his journey of spiritual discovery and redemption. Set in 1904 after the collapse of slavery, Gem of the Ocean blends history and myth to tell this compelling story.

Director Jennifer L. Nelson is taking what she describes as a divergent path to Wilson's story. "I want to mine the magic in Gem…," said Ms. Nelson. I believe that this story reflects a mythical supposition of what happens at this point in history at this particular place and each character has his or her role to play – Aunt Ester as shaman/oracle, Black Mary as heir apparent and, of course, Citizen Barlow as the seeker," continued Ms. Nelson. 

Lizan Mitchell makes her Everyman debut playing the pivotal role of Aunt Ester, a role she has played before at Pittsburgh Public Theater and Syracuse Stage. She has appeared on Broadway in Having Our Say and Electra and in regional theater at Woolly Mammoth as Frieda in Starving among many other roles. Her television and film credits include The Wire, Law & Order and The Human Stain.

 

March 20 – 29: CENTERSTAGE Presents From Tel Aviv to Ramallah

CENTERSTAGE is pleased to announce a special limited engagement of From Tel Aviv to Ramallah: A Beatbox Journey—a striking Helen Hayes Award-nominated drama from writer/director Rachel Havrelock featuring award-winning solo performer Yuri Lane. Called "an acrobat with sound" by The Washington Post, Lane brings more than 20 characters to life through the art of beatbox in this dynamic hip-hop documentary of two young men leading surprisingly similar lives: Amir, an Israeli motorcycle messenger and club DJ, and Khalid, a Palestinian entrepreneur with a thriving Internet café. Splicing the hectic sounds of traffic with calls to prayer, Amir's and Khalid's struggles in their divided homeland are conjured against a kinetic videoscape—designed by Sharif Ezzat—as their lives inevitably intersect at a West Bank checkpoint.  

From Tel Aviv to Ramallah… plays CENTERSTAGE's Head Theater March 20–29, 2008; official Opening Night is Friday, March 21st. City Paper is the production's media sponsor. It's the Middle East Conflict like you've never seen it: one man, one body, one voice, one human beatbox.

General admission tickets are $25, with CENTERSTAGE subscribers paying $20 and students just $15. Tickets are available now: online at tix.centerstage.org or by calling the CENTERSTAGE Box Office at 410.332.0033.

Performance Schedule:  Thursday, March 20th, 8 pm (Preview); Friday, March 21st, 8:30 pm (Opening); Saturday, March 22nd, 5 pm; Saturday, March 22nd, 9 pm; Sunday, March 23rd, 3 pm; Wednesday, March 26th, 8 pm; Thursday, March 27th, 8 pm; Friday, March 28th, 8:30 pm; Saturday, March 29th, 5 pm; and Saturday, March 29th, 9 pm.

 

March 21 – April 5: Laurel Mill Playhouse Presents Love, Sex and the IRS

Laurel Mill Playhouse, located at 508 Main Street in historic Laurel, MD., is proud to present the reunion show of Love, Sex and the I.R.S

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