Now on stage at Toby’s Dinner Theatre in Columbia, the company’s production of Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s classic 1951 musical The King and I is a remarkably effective revival of this exotic, tune-filled musical. Even in the limited space of a dinner theater, the production’s strong cast, decent choreography, and colorful, surprisingly elaborate costuming combine into a very strong argument indeed for putting this show on your entertainment calendar. [Read more...]

Politically and economically speaking, 2011 has been a pretty depressing year. That’s making it pretty tough for many folks to really get into the holiday spirit this Christmas season. But not to worry. Toby’s Dinner Theatre in Columbia has the perfect antidote for those holiday blues with their sprightly, toe-tapping new production of  White Christmas. [Read more...]

When I was six years old, tragedy struck. Tantrum-throwing, heart-wailing, tragedy. My beloved VHS copy of Annie had been “accidentally destroyed,” (the circumstances of which are still suspect) and I was instructed to move on to greener pastures and less obsessive pastimes. So when the opening notes of “Someday” floated through Toby’s Dinner Theatre Sunday evening, the six year old inside of me began to kick, and the six year olds surrounding me began to giggle with delight – a delight which resounded throughout the rest of the night. [Read more...]

A web of betrayal, scandal, and murder is brewing deep in the heart of Columbia, MD. In their crowd-pleasing production of Chicago, Toby’s Dinner Theatre puts their own stamp on the sordid story of Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, transporting audiences from the cozy performance space into a tale of criminal intrigue as big as the Windy City itself. [Read more...]

Xanadu, starring Olivia Newton John, bombed as a movie in 1980. It even won a Razzie Award as one of the worst films Hollywood produced that year. Its fortunes turned upward when Jeff Lynne, John Farrar and Douglas Carter Beane reconstituted it for Broadway, where it won four top Tony Award musical nominations.

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The musical Happy Days is a well-designed crowd pleaser for fans of the popular sitcom that ended its run over a quarter of a century ago.  If you enjoyed the television show, you will appreciate the chance  to revisit the Cunninghams, Fonzie, and friends in an entertaining production at Toby’s Dinner Theatre in Columbia.  If you never saw the show or are firmly ensconced in modern society, however, you might find the musical only a moderate source of glee. [Read more...]

“I don’t follow the latest fashion,” Tony Bennett said of his artistic instincts in a 2010 interview with the Winston-Salem Journal.  “I never sing a song that’s badly written. Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer and others just created the best songs that had ever been written.  These are classics, and finally they’re not being treated as light entertainment.   This is classical music.” [Read more...]

Be it the idea of wishes coming true or the hope of finding one’s charming prince or beautiful princess, fairytales possess lasting and almost universal appeal – perhaps none more so than the story of Cinderella. With a charming cast dancing and singing their way through Rodgers and Hammerstein’s popular score, Toby’s Dinner Theatre has put together a solid production of this tale of glass slippers and magic pumpkins. [Read more...]

If you are one of the millions of Broadway fans who have already seen Jonathan Larson’s brilliant musical Rent (like me!), I can guarantee that you have never seen it done like this.  If you missed seeing Rent when it occupied New York City’s Nederlander Theatre from 1996 through 2008 (over 5,000 performances), or during the numerous national tours, then I highly recommend seeing this amazing musical, winner of the 1996 Tony for Best Musical, now marvelously presented by Toby’s Dinner Theater of Columbia. [Read more...]