It is 1950 in South Africa, and the rain is pouring over the roof of St. Georges Park Tea Room (it really does, too, thanks to Ken Sheats’ terrific set). You are a seventeen-year-old boy named Harold – Hally (Sean McComas) for short – and as you scurry toward your mother’s shop your mind is […]
The Belle of Amherst
When most actors walk on to a stage, an audience sees just that: an actor. A charismatic actor, maybe, or a compelling actor. Comically gifted, or sullen, possibly sympathetic. It is a demand of the craft to take this title off the table completely, and out of the mind of the audience. A good actor […]
Actors Nigel Reed and Valerie Leonard on love and marriage
Love comes naturally to the actors in Love Letters For the busy theatrical couple Nigel Reed and Valerie Leonard, Valentine’s Day is more than a once a year affair. It’s nearly the definition of their marriage. Be it comedy or drama, hearing that either is in a show is reason enough to check it out.
Love Letters
“Because paper has more patience than people.” So wrote Anne Frank, and so declares Love Letters, the half-a-century-spanning story of two people falling in and out of love though paper, pen, and the twists and turns that make our lives worth writing down.
Becky’s New Car
Some plays are like the Emerald City of Oz. They are best enjoyed by skimming along the surface. Examine them too closely, and the greasepaint turns to grease. Becky’s New Car is one of those plays.
Wit
Cancer is the great equalizer. You can be smart, dim-witted, a marshmallow or a field marshal—its ruthless, endlessly propagating cells ravage everyone the same.
Rumple Who?
Today I bake, tomorrow I sew, And then off to Annapolis we will go What for? To see the delightful production of Rumple Who? That’s what for! Bay Theatre has brought this cute family theater production to Annapolis where it is sure to entertain. Unlike pure children’s theater, Rumple Who? adds several “Wink, wink, nudge, […]
Chesapeake
If you want to see a play about friendship, go see Art at Signature. But if you want to see a play about art, you should see Lee Blessing’s Chesapeake, now playing at the Bay Theatre in Annapolis.
Beyond Therapy
Bruce (Graham Pilato) meets Prudence (Mundy Spears) at a restaurant. It is their first date, and they are both nervous. They shake hands. Bruce gestures her to her seat, and sits down across from her. He looks into her eyes. They share a moment. “You have beautiful breasts,” he says, and the worst date in […]
The Foreigner
Blazny blit hitski. Oh sorry, don’t understand? Well, translated that means “The Foreigner is a hit!” Bay Theater’s second show of the season is Larry Shue’s hilarious comedy, The Foreigner, and all you need is a sense of humor, not a linguistic degree, to appreciate it. Bay Theatre has invited Vincent Lancisi, Artistic Director of […]
Lips Together, Teeth Apart
I have delayed my review of Bay Theatre’s production of this Terrence McNally play for nearly a week, for two reasons. The first is that, despite my great admiration for McNally’s work, I did not like what I saw on stage. The second is that McNally himself, along with the work’s director and actors, were […]
Terrence McNally at Bay Theatre this Sunday
Playwright Terrence McNally, last in town to see Tyne Daly, John Glover and Jeffrey Carlson perform his trio of opera-themed plays at the Kennedy Center this past April, returns to the area, this time to the tiny Bay Theatre in Annapolis, MD to see their production of his play Lips Together Teeth Apart.