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Grey Gardens
Book by Doug Wright,
Music by Scott Frankel,
Lyrics by Michael Korie
Based on the documentary by David and Albert Maysles
Directed by Serge Seiden
Produced by Studio Theatre
Reviewed by Gary McMillan

Studio Theatre’s Grey Gardens is a beautifully rendered and wonderfully off-kilter production of this Off Broadway-to-Broadway cult musical. Wealth and ZIP code are often the determining factors between the labels of madness and eccentricity. And as goes the old saying, eccentricity doesn’t run in the Beale family of East Hampton … it gallops. (more…)

A Chat with Mark Jacoby
Interviewed by Joel Markowitz

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President Harding Is a Rock Star
Book, music and lyrics by Kyle Jarrow
Produced by Landless Theatre Company
Directed by Melissa Baughman
Reviewed by Tim Treanor

Full of highly listenable rock with funny lyrics, played by a tight band (Esther Covington, Brett Abelman and the excellent Josh Speerstra), beautifully sung and, best of all, funny because it’s true - who wouldn’t like President Harding is a Rock Star? And when I say “it’s true” I don’t mean that our 29^th President (Andrew Lloyd Baughman) was a burly, bearded keytar-wielding jumpsuited cokehead, or that his wife Florence (Richelle Howie) was an African-American woman with a voice which could make the very songbirds droop their heads in shame and envy; (more…)

Composer Jason Robert Brown on his newest works:13, Trumpet of the Swan, his children’s book “Tickety-Tock”and on Open Circle’s unique production of Songs for a New World
By Joel Markowitz

Jason Robert Brown’s beautiful scores of The Last 5 Years and Parade has been produced by several DC theatre companies. Last year Jason’s incredible piano playing was heard at Signature Theatre’s concert version of Songs for a New World at Strathmore, and this year we were treated to an innovative production of the show at Open Circle Theatre.  Now, DC audiences will be able to watch Jason conduct a concert version of his new work The Trumpet of the Swan at The Kennedy Center on December 4 thru 6.

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LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE BOYZ!
Joel Markowitz interviews the cast of Altar Boyz

Joel Markowitz had a heavenly time schmoozing with five talented young singers, actors and dancers who are burning up the Bethesda Theatre Stage, listening to confessions, and saving the souls of it’s wildly applauding audiences.

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Irma La Douce, A Body of Water, Romantic Poetry
by Richard Seff

Mel Miller has been bringing Musicals Tonite to New Yorkers since 1998. What are they?  They are a sort of watered down version of Encores!, which means only that they are staged concert readings produced on a tiny budget in a small theatre, with minimum lighting and scenic effects, and orchestrations for one, two or sometimes three instruments. The cast is made up of Equity performers, but the star wattage is dim - that is not to say that the talent onstage is dim, but it’s only rarely that a name recognizable to the public is up there. However, that’s half the fun. (more…)

Talking with Erin Driscoll
performing in the Philadelphia production of Leonard Bernstein’s Candide 

interviewed by Joel Markowitz 

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Welcome to the Hard Luck Café
A new musical by Karin Ringheim gets its start in DC
By Joel Markowitz

I attend many readings of new works and when you walk in the room and watch the faces of the playwrights, book writers and composers, you always see the same emotions - pride, fear and hope.

Recently, I slid into a reading of Karin Ringheim’s musical Welcome to the Hard Luck Café. I was invited to attend by actress and singer extraordinaire Renee Rabben, who was reading the role of Hazel. Two of my favorite local actresses were in the cast -Amy McWilliams and Amy Conley. (more…)

 

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A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, 110 in the Shade, and pre-show at How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents.
by Joel Markowitz

I’ve seen some outstanding performances lately. Here are some you still have time to savor for yourself.

A Really Lovely and Hysterically Funny Funny Thing at TAP

Aaah! What bliss! Musical director Mark Deal and his superb orchestra breezed through Stephen Sondheim’s extremely hummable and toe-tapping overture of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, (more…)

The Glass Cage, Oklahoma! and Equus
by Richard Seff

The tiny Mint Theater, ensconced on the third floor of an office building in a 96 seat black box with stadium seating, should win all the prizes for impeccable productions of little known gems from the past. You have no idea how delicious can be the savoring of the words and ideas of JB Priestley, (more…)