Magic in midsummer: A Midsummer Night’s Dream in mid-summer, under the stars, among the ruins of an 18th-century mansion? You can’t get much closer to the spirit of Shakespeare’s most whimsical creation. The classic comedy is performed—complete with fairies and sprites, young love, and one wrong-headed decision after another—against the backdrop of Governor James Barbour’s […]
Magic in midsummer: A Midsummer Night’s Dream in mid-summer, under the stars, among the ruins of an 18th-century mansion? You can’t get much closer to the spirit of Shakespeare’s most whimsical creation. The classic comedy is performed—complete with fairies and sprites, young love, and one wrong-headed decision after another—against the backdrop of Governor James Barbour’s […]
Parental misguidance: When a pair of 11-year-old boys get into a fight at the park, one leaves with two less teeth. God of Carnage begins after the violent incident, when all four parents of the boys gather for a discussion of the matter over drinks. What begins as civil discourse devolves into a rum-soaked screaming […]
Before Match.com and the like, we had matchmakers such as Dolly Gallagher-Levi, the exuberant leading lady in Hello, Dolly!. Arriving in New York City to assist Yonkers half-a-millionaire Horace Vandergelder in finding a new wife, Dolly works her way through one tricky escapade after another before discovering she is the perfect mate for him. Memorable songs […]
In The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, the Herdman kids—a bunch of foul-mouthed smokers, thieves, and drinkers—are uncontestedly the worst choices to cast in their church’s annual Christmas play. Other children are shocked at the news of their involvement: There’s no way these six unruly delinquents can lead the production to success, short of a miracle. Released […]
What if Dr. Frankenstein’s kid didn’t want to continue the family business? That’s the question posed in Young Frankenstein, the stage adaptation of the campy Mel Brooks classic film of the same name. Join Frederick “Fronk-en-steen” and his trusty assistant “Eye-gore,” who convinces the scientist to go a little mad and create the famed monster. […]
Part puppet show, part musical, Avenue Q is about a recent college grad named Princeton, who moves into a rundown apartment in New York City. Written by Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez, and based on the book by Jeff Whitty, the audience goes along for the ride as Princeton discovers that his nice neighborhood friends […]
Touted as one of the funniest plays ever written, Noises Off follows a troupe of actors that is performing a complete flop called Nothing’s On. Viewers get backstage passes to the ridiculous antics and offstage intrigue of the players, from rehearsal to the last performance, and the cast and the director drive each other crazy […]
When I was a tween writing “X-Files” fan fiction, I never suspected my interest in storytelling would lead to an actual career as a writer. But then I enrolled in the creative writing program at a performing arts high school—and discovered my creative power. Dozens of local arts organizations offer Charlottesville children and teens opportunities […]
In “Bosom Buddies,” the famous duet from the Broadway musical Mame, eccentric bohemian and title character Mame Dennis gives her friend, actress —and famed lush—Vera Charles a bit of advice: “I feel it’s my duty to tell you it’s time to adjust your age / You try to be Peg O’ My Heart, when you’re […]
Whether you fell in love with the leg lamp, the pink bunny suit or the double-dog-dare to lick a frozen flagpole, you can’t help but wait in excited anticipation for A Christmas Story to hit the holiday airwaves. The story of Ralphie, an eager schoolboy on a desperate quest to get the most magical Christmas […]